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Transmission Shaking To/From 1st Gear

51K views 131 replies 33 participants last post by  hound 
#1 ·
Hi all,

About ~250 km ago, I had the 12B37 update applied. I noticed right away that the transmission was working much better than before: Smooth shifting, lower noise, etc.

However, just today, during some traffic on an uphill slope, the engine started to shake rather violently. Once the road flattened out, it sort of smoothed-out again; the car now just slightly rumbles whenever shifting to/from 1st gear.

Any feedback? I'm not sure if I should wait it out and hope for this to pass within the next few hundred km, or take it back to the dealership (which would be a big inconvenience to me). I just find it rather odd that it was working properly right after the update.

Thanks.
 
#5 ·
Same thing with mine from new. Shudder from launch when hot developed around 300 miles. Did the 5 full throttle starts, drove aggressively, gradually went away a few hundred miles later. You probably have to drive like a first-thousand-mile break in, agressive accelerations, upshift and downshift frequently, put it through its paces (again...)
 
#12 ·
...About ~250 km ago, I had the 12B37 update applied. I noticed right away that the transmission was working much better than before: Smooth shifting, lower noise, etc.

However, just today, during some traffic on an uphill slope, the engine started to shake rather violently. Once the road flattened out, it sort of smoothed-out again; the car now just slightly rumbles whenever shifting to/from 1st gear.

...I'm not sure if I should wait it out and hope for this to pass within the next few hundred km, or take it back to the dealership (which would be a big inconvenience to me)...
I'm seriously considering the battery reset method... This is getting supremely annoying to drive.
We recommend breaking it in for around 1,600 km after the update. If it doesn't settle down at that time, please call our Canadian Customer Relationship Centre at +1 (1)-800-565-3673 for further assistance.

...Try giving it more throttle down low in the rpm range and see if it goes away.
...I'd give a few more days of normal driving before drawing any conclusions, and of course if it persists, bring it to your dealership.
...You probably have to drive like a first-thousand-mile break in, agressive accelerations, upshift and downshift frequently, put it through its paces (again...)
Hey guys -

Thanks for lending BPEW584 encouraging advice! We're all in this together. [:D]

...Welcome to transmission adaptive learning! Or improper clutch seating. One of the two! [driving]
"improper clutch seating" - is that the grinding noise people experience?
Ouch! [sadpanda] When the car is in motion, a clutch is always engaged to one of the two primary gearsets. Both clutches are seated to provide control and transfer engine torque properly. Have you talked to the dealer about the adaptive learning process?

Thomas
 
#13 ·
Ouch! [sadpanda] When the car is in motion, a clutch is always engaged to one of the two primary gearsets. Both clutches are seated to provide control and transfer engine torque properly. Have you talked to the dealer about the adaptive learning process?

Thomas
Except when the clutch is slipping due to 1)hot spots having developed over time, 2) fluid having leaked on it or 3) some other surface contact problem.

Oh no you di-int bring out the sad panda. What feeling is that supposed to emote anyway?

Any answer from engineering on my 6th gear shift point question? Jeeze Thomas, this seems like such a simple answer for engineering to give. What is the speed point at which the DCT is programmed to shift into 6th? Answer: --mph.

Reminder: some are reporting that after the 12B37 update the 6th gear shift point changed for the worse (in terms of fuel economy), whereas others are reporting it didn't change after the update.
 
#15 ·
I would say this issue is affecting my car as well. Noticible clutch slippage/shuddering in first gear only. Sometimes worse then others and sometimes not at all ...therefore intermittent which makes it a pain in the ass to get diagnosed at the dealer, arrrgh.
21500 miles n had the 12B37 update around 3000 miles ago and seems only to be getting worse with harsh, lurching 1st to 2nd shifts as well. I never had this happen before the update and shifting was always smooth, almost seamless. I performed the drive cycle after the update and it doesn't seem to be a shift point problem ...just clutch slippage and only in first when taking off from a complete stop with moderate-medium acceleration. Disappointing to say the least.
Oh well, glad I got the 5yr 100000mi warranty so plenty of time to get it fixed but hopefully will be more sooner than later. Just a matter of getting the dealer to duplicate the issue and recognise it as a problem.
Definitely needs to be fixed by the dealer so anyone else having this issue please post and also post about your results from the dealer service for this if any.
Thanks FF!
 
#16 ·
Got the 12B37 update about a month ago.

This morning I backed out of my driveway onto the street, shifted to D, and depressed the accelerator exactly like I have every morning for the past 7 months of owning the car.

Except what happened this morning that never happened before?

The engine bogged down so much I'm surprised it didn't stall.

Never had anything like that happen before. Never.

Sucks.

To all those that say it's all in the DCT complainers' heads, whaddaya say about that?
 
#31 ·
Hey guys - Please PM me your VIN said:
Honestly I have taken it back multiple times to more than one dealer. The car has been in the shop 7 times for a total of 40 days! Nothing ever gets fixed. They say they can't duplicate it or there is no fix because Ford has yet to release an update. So I do not plan to return to the dealer yet again to get the same run around about "normal operation". Even when they see and experience the problem, the service records say normal operation! They will tell me hey we saw that or we heard that, but still normal operation. I think that really means we have no clue how to fix it. [rant]
 
#37 ·
Wanted to add to this topic by saying that my 2012 Focus with dual-clutch transmission (build date December 2012) also started to shudder and hesitate upon acceleration while going into 2nd gear. This started after 10,000 miles. It only did this on a warm engine (after several starts and stops). It was fine when shifting into higher gears.

Turns out that the clutch was defective. It wasn't releasing correctly. My Ford dealer called the Ford service hotline and they confirmed that this is an identified problem on some Focuses. Replacing the clutch was the only solution. They got a new clutch kit from Ford and completed the repairs in a day.

Just got my Focus back today and the problem is resolved.
 
#38 ·
Wanted to add to this topic by saying that my 2012 Focus with dual-clutch transmission (build date December 2012) also started to shudder and hesitate upon acceleration while going into 2nd gear. This started after 10,000 miles. It only did this on a warm engine (after several starts and stops). It was fine when shifting into higher gears.

Turns out that the clutch was defective. My Ford dealer called the Ford service hotline and they confirmed that this is an identified problem on some Focuses. Replacing the clutch was the only solution. They got a new clutch kit from Ford and completed the repairs in a day.

Just got my Focus back today and the problem is resolved.
Do you know if TSB 11-12-13 was performed?

If it was, shaft seals would have been replaced.
 
#40 ·
Yes, the shudder only happened from 1st to 2nd I believe. I'm not a car expert. It happened between 20-30 mph when accelerating from a stop. I'm assuming this is 2nd, but could be 1st. No shuddering at higher gears.

Not sure about TSB 11-12-13, but I had the latest TSB performed a month ago, so I'm pretty sure I was updated on everything before I took it in for the shudder problem. Before they replaced the clutch, they also did a DCT reset/re-learn thing which they confirmed didn't fix the problem. It was a bad clutch that wasn't releasing properly at that specific gear.
 
#42 ·
You can be in fourth gear down to 20 mph, so it could have been between 3rd and fourth at least if it was at low rpm on light throttle, but unless you were at higher rpm when it happens how are you sure that you were in first or second at 20-30 mph?
 
#48 ·
If you'd like, please PM me your VIN, phone number, and dealer info; I'll have your Customer Service Manager look into it. [thumb]

Hello Thomas ...Hoping to get it looked at this week or next week. I have noticed after paying more attention to it that it does become more noticeable after the clutches warm up. I also felt it happen in second gear just once last wknd. I will post back the results from the service dept when I bring it in.
Excellent! [headbang] Please remember The Works if you need other services performed as well: http://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/ServiceCouponsPage.

Thomas
 
#47 ·
Hello Thomas ...
Hoping to get it looked at this week or next week. I have noticed after paying more attention to it that it does become more noticeable after the clutches warm up. I also felt it happen in second gear just once last wknd.
I will post back the results from the service dept when I bring it in.
 
#53 ·
Thanks so much for th reply. I'm new to this stuff. Can you please explain "fsas, tsbs et al"? Thanks again.
FSA= Field Service action, its technically not a recall, but a customer service action designed to fix or repair a concern with a car built within a particular date range.

TSB= Technical Service bulletin, a document describing a prescribed repair that only applies to the vehicles which exhibit a particular symptom.
 
#56 ·
I have an SEL built in March 2011. I assume that I have the earliest version of the clutch. The car definitely shutters between 1st and 2nd (which can be very embarrassing when people outside here the grinding noise).

I have had the car at the dealer when it previously "stalled" on me on the road (the engine was fine - just the transmission was dead). However, they didn't mention that there was an update to the clutch at that time (about 5 months ago).
 
#58 ·
That really blows! Post back when you try another dealer. Hoping I don't get that response when i get it in for service soon for this same issue. Hopefully you just had a bad service experience and the next one will be more helpful. Normal operation is not what is happening here. Mine also was smooth until the last 12B37 update.
 
#65 ·
I've done the battery reset, and...


The car got worse, and worsened some more after 250 km... Lol... *facepalm*
Immediatly after the reset you should attempt the Drive Cycle ... it is recommended to help with the re-learning process.

Here it is if you havn't seen it before ... post #304 :

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271673&page=26

Good luck and if this doesn't help any then it's time for the service dept to take over ... it's not the end of the world yet, lol ... that comes Dec 21, 2012.

[cheers]
 
#68 ·
This DCT is really getting on my nerves lately. It's been hobbling along for some time since the latest TSB but it has never sounded normal- even for a DCT. It clunks rattles and grinds to the point where I'm scared to drive the damn thing sometimes. Shifting gears- especially from first to second, should not make the entire car shake like San Francisco, I'm sorry, I've driven a manual before.

As others have said here it's not just me; almost everyone who has been driven around in my car have at some point wondered if there was something wrong with my car. You hear it so often you just start wondering yourself....

I understand Ford needs to turn a profit and can't afford to repair 200k+ defective Foci but seriously don't just try and reprogram a mechanical issue away. Ford THINK here. Is it good PR to have this many cars driving around loudly rattling and grinding? People can hear that, and trust me they do. What will it be like three years from now (or sooner) when these DCTs start failing in mass? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe these things will just run badly for years and never truly fail. I hope not, for those years would be long and painful.
 
#70 ·
Rough idle or transmission at stop with foot off brake

When I come to stop at a light, with my foot on the brake, it's fine, but when I take my foot off the brake to creep forward, it idles rough and shakes, almost like the engine is going to die (it doesn't), like if you weren't clutching properly in a manual transmission. Anyone else experience this? Mine is a 2012 made in 6/12.
 
#71 ·
When I come to stop at a light, with my foot on the brake, it's fine, but when I take my foot off the brake to creep forward, it idles rough and shakes, almost like the engine is going to die (it doesn't), like if you weren't clutching properly in a manual transmission. Anyone else experience this? Mine is a 2012 made in 6/12.
This may be normal. When you take your foot off the brake it signals the car to engage the clutch, whether or not you touch the gas. It's pretty much like letting out the clutch without adding throttle in a conventional manual.
 
#73 ·
I'm another with the lovely shudder on take-off. It really sucks to have people hop in the car to ride with me go "what was that?". Makes me real proud of my investment - not.

At least my dealer is giving the appearance of trying to fix it. I had the SB37 update which didn't resolve the shudder. This was followed by the "put 4000 miles on in and see if it breaks in" response. At 5K miles the shudder persists, so back to the dealer.

This time, the service report says:
Reprogrammed PCM TCM and relearned trans adaptive
Retested OK Hotline said if it keeps reoccurring clutch will have to be replaced

Anybody else have a similar experience? Has clutch replace resolved the problem?
 
#74 ·
If the clutch is worn in improperly then replacing it would solve the clutch shudder issue at least until you continue to drive it in the same manner that lead to the clutch pack failing, if it was an environmental stimulus rather than a software or hard ware failure causing it initially.
 
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