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Fords Alan Mulally on MFT and Dual Clutch

11K views 52 replies 23 participants last post by  Tubeway Army 
#1 ·
Associated Press, question to President of Ford Motor Company Alan Mulally......
Alan, I was hoping that you could quickly discuss the Consumer Reports ranking . I know we have heard time and time again from Ford that you are fixing the issues with MyFord Touch. You are fixing the transmissions but it just still seems that consumers are giving you pretty hard knocks for those problems and I'm wondering what you are going to do?

Alan Mulally - Ford Motor Company - President & CEO
I think that clearly it's disappointing although we really do know the issues as you know and in some of them, especially the ones that are really contributing to the latest report, is led by not so much SYNC but the MyFord Touch on the information and entertainment side and also the new six-speed fuel efficient transmissions that we know what needs to be done on the redesign of those.

We have a number of the fixes already in on both. We have more to come and as you know, it takes time to go through the product line. So what the customers are saying and the feedback we've gotten with the new technology is really important to us and we're going to continue to continuously improve them going forward.
 
#3 ·
I don't mind the DCT chitter chatter, after a while I got used to it, tsb 123b7 removed the chatter, but it slowed it down quite a bit, too. I prefer loud and quick than slow and quiet.
 
#5 ·
Basicly Mulally needs mpg out of these cars & has engineers to deal w/ that & this is their product. Seems like they= Ford needs to cut loose of a few bean counters, huh? Would you pay a extra 1000. to get a real DGS trans that works, Say like the VW one?
 
#9 ·
That was my whole point. Would you pay a additional 1000. for a DGS trans that works from the beginning? IDK what the optional auto cost, but tack on a $1000.00 on top of that. Who would go for that? I guessing for the mass consumer, probably not. Their theory is it's a Ford. Loose some bean counters & let some product that works out to the pupil.
 
#7 ·
I agree,sounds like a "ok boys this aint working" to me.Mine works fine right now but...
Well just have to make the call before the sweet spot for trade in passes by I guess.Hopefully its just what we've heard so far and no catastropic failures as these things age that will make it famous and tank the trade in value.
 
#8 ·
I think Mr. Big Boss Man Alan needs to pop an eye on the this forum himself. Nothing better than a CEO seeing first hand accounts of his product rather than through these "customer service reps" who just "pass along our information" to where I don't know...and, repeat.
 
#16 ·
1500kms on mine now, only the last 400kms or so the shudder happens MAYBE once a week. i also noticed that when i go S mode for a bit and go back to D is when the shudder usually happens. ive learned to live with it. on a side note just bought a 1994 civic hatch 5 speed for $500 bucks and trying to learn manual. a little backup plan but really im looking to order a JDM S15 when we(Canada) can import it in like 1-2 years so....yeah!
 
#17 ·
why not extend the warranty on dct????

i know everyone could have bought a ford esp but...........

i think ford could go along way with some piece of mind for customers.
not an all out recall ,but extend the warranty on all dct's to 7 years with unlimited mileage.ford is an outlier with a shorter warranty period than other manufacturers(kia/hyundai specifically,gm also(our astra had 7yrs 160000kms powertrain)
cover all the parts including clutches(are these classed as wear item in this transmission?)

i really think this is what ford should do,all this bad press is not helping, ford denying there is a problem and its normal operation ,and with no definitive fix an extended warranty would go a long way.

possibly someone should start a poll and see if an extended warranty would give owners more confidence in the dct .

by the way we have not had any problem with ours yet ,posting this as an interested observer only,with a vested interest
 
#19 ·
i know everyone could have bought a ford esp but...........

i think ford could go along way with some piece of mind for customers.
not an all out recall ,but extend the warranty on all dct's to 7 years with unlimited mileage.ford is an outlier with a shorter warranty period than other manufacturers(kia/hyundai specifically,gm also(our astra had 7yrs 160000kms powertrain)
cover all the parts including clutches(are these classed as wear item in this transmission?)

i really think this is what ford should do,all this bad press is not helping, ford denying there is a problem and its normal operation ,and with no definitive fix an extended warranty would go a long way.

possibly someone should start a poll and see if an extended warranty would give owners more confidence in the dct .

by the way we have not had any problem with ours yet ,posting this as an interested observer only,with a vested interest
when i bought my car in jun '11 i got the extended warranty but not because of DCT problems (or any other particular problems as they were not an issue at that point w/ the car being out only a month or two) but because of all the electronics... I know that diagnosing electronics can be tricky and expensive and so i was hedging my bets. the fact that the extended warranty covers the dct is a bonus... so im good for 60K miles and by that time i'll have a new vehicle...
 
#20 ·
I opted out of the extended warranty from Ford because your paying for 3 years when your already covered on the basic and the 5/60 powertrain is more than enough.

Since I have Geico I am still debating on getting the mechanical breakdown insurance, which is priced less than Ford's extended warranty with a low deductible.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
 
#21 ·
I opted out of the extended warranty from Ford because your paying for 3 years when your already covered on the basic and the 5/60 powertrain is more than enough.

Since I have Geico I am still debating on getting the mechanical breakdown insurance, which is priced less than Ford's extended warranty with a low deductible.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using FF Mobile
i certainly won't disagree w/ ur logic on this on, but when i looked at the other policies avail to me at the time and considered both cost and convenience i just went w/ ford...
i used to have an older gm car that had lots of dash electronics on it (but no where near as much as the focus as the other car was a late 90s model) and once the electrics started going it was hell... just to look at it the first time the dealer wanted like 600 bucks in labour , and an equal amt to replace it all... i sold the car 'as is' and got another in that case... anyway,, didn't want to repeat that w/ this car w/ far more electronics on it than the old car.
 
#23 ·
I will do the same..dump it and take a big loss....its up to Ford to get it corrected to retain buyers.

If mine does not improve on it's own or if Ford keeps giving me the runaround on the DCT issues....then I will probably never be a repeat customer.....I am even starting to wonder if they will honor the warranty without first BS ing the customer base.

I doubt Ford will be using the DCT in future models after the way things have went.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
 
#24 ·
I will do the same..dump it and take a big loss....its up to Ford to get it corrected to retain buyers.

If mine does not improve on it's own or if Ford keeps giving me the runaround on the DCT issues....then I will probably never be a repeat customer.....I am even starting to wonder if they will honor the warranty without first BS ing the customer base.

I doubt Ford will be using the DCT in future models after the way things have went.

Sent from my SGH-T679 using FF Mobile
I see you got the 2013 and have problems.That sucks! Don't get me wrong I love the car..but I should have researched this vehicle history more than I did. I got so wrapped up in researching dealers and price I overlooked quality!
Even though I hav enot experienced any problems the thought of maybe experiencing what a lot of people here have gone thru makes driving the car much less enjoyable but being paranoid is just my nature LMAO!!
 
#25 ·
Yes...got it 3 weeks ago and aside from a few cosmetic issues, the DCT is the biggest issue. Took it in the other day for grinding, lunging and shift issues...was told there is nothing wrong with and to give it time to break in...have not hit 800 miles yet so we will see?...

Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
 
#26 ·
Yes...got it 3 weeks ago and aside from a few cosmetic issues, the DCT is the biggest issue. Took it in the other day for grinding, lunging and shift issues...was told there is nothing wrong with and to give it time to break in...have not hit 800 miles yet so we will see?...

Sent from my SGH-T679 using FF Mobile
Mine did some lurching and weird shifting (every now and then) up about the 1300-1500k mark.Got it in reverse alot as well.then over night it just started working like dream and still is at 6000k+.Anyway it does go away as claimed sometimes.hopefully youll have a happy ending as well.[wiggle]
 
#29 ·
People seem to be confused...

DSG and DCT are the same thing under different names. DCT is the generic name. PowerShift is the Ford name. DSG is the German name. PDK also applies, S-Tronic and various other names.

People saying that the PowerShift isn't a real DCT are...umm...morons.

The gearbox itself isn't flawed, especially not as flawed as the DSG you hold in such high regard (you shouldn't, it isn't a piece of heaven you want to think it is), and the people here having issues make it seem as if they speak for the entire userbase. I'm sorry, you don't.

We are the 1% of 1% of the total owners, the owners with issues probably constitute another 1%. Stop thinking our experiences, good or bad, are the norm for the entire owner group.
 
#30 ·
The only difference with North American spec VW DSG is that it's a wet clutch design, not dry. VW does have a 7 speed dry clutch design that it markets in Europe and has issues similar to the Powershift so I have read.



I do not know who claims the Powershift is not a "real DCT" that's easy to Google.

If it wasn't flawed, there would not be so many complaints and issues on it, the two biggest for Ford are the Powershift and MFT, both of which are far from perfect. Service adviser at my dealership said they get a lot of complaints from people who grew up driving torque converter automatics and that the people who got a Fiesta or Focus as their first car (teenagers) love it and don't have an issue with the feel, sounds or performance. Whether or not that's pure BS is another question.

It may be two 3 speed manuals mated together with auto shifting, but it doesn't drive, feel or sound like a traditional manual until I put it into Selectshift mode then that's as close as I can get, but in reality if I could do it all over again, I would have just gotten a manual and I wouldn't' have much to complain about other then some cosmetic issues.
 
#32 ·
I don't know what the percentage of people with DCT issues is but some time ago I created a poll to ascertain the build date where the problem lies. I found that of the 100+ people that replied almost all the people that still had problem had a build date in the first 6 months of production and that very few folks with build dates after that were still experiencing problems.

This data, though the sample size was limited, suggested to me that most of the problems was either due to early parts problems and/or assembly process. I suspect assembly was a major factor as oil leaks onto the clutches seem to be a big hitter.

I also suspect that if Ford/Gertag were to do a green sheet of paper redesign of the DCT there would be some changes to the clutches, actuators and perhaps the housing (seals). Since we current owners are unlikely to ever get any such new DCT we're probably looking at new seals and clutch replacements if we have problems. That is, when they admit there's a problem...


Brian
 
#33 ·
Until they tell the dealer network to stop handing out the "it's normal" paperwork and sending off customers with their MyFord Grind option, then nothing will change.

Ford in general has waffled on the statement of what's "Normal":

http://wardsauto.com/news-amp-analysis/ford-combats-perceived-powershift-problems

Then there is this:

"Ford said it's working on improvements to infotainment and transmissions."

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/02/toyotas_lexus_named_top_car_br.html
 
#34 ·
Audi just settled a class action lawsuit over their CVT transmission.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/25/audi-settles-cvt-class-action-suit-over-2002-06-a4-failures/

What matters most to affected Audi owners is that the settlement bumps many parts of the original powertrain coverage (e.g., transmission control modules) from 4 years/50,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles for the original owner, and it will reimburse owners who paid for specific repairs if they occurred within the extended warranty coverage. The agreement also includes trade-in reimbursements for lost value if the vehicle was sold or traded with no repair. Excluded from the settlement are claims for personal injury, property damage or subrogation
ARE YOU LISTENING FORD?
 
#47 ·
Hi everyone,

As a reminder, I'm here to help with any physical concern you're having with your vehicle. If you are currently experiencing an issue, send me a PM with your info (VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, full name) so I can look into options to assist.

If you have questions or concerns about MyFord, MyFord Touch, or SYNC, your best bet is to contact my colleague, Jaclyn, who posts here under the name FordIVTteam.

Thanks!

Crystal
 
#51 ·
Ford will do nothing on the 2012-2013 model years.. just laugh all the way to the bank.

I sure do hope Ford rolls out a fix that can help all of their customer's DCT transmissions otherwise they will have a class-action lawsuit or Department of Transportation will investigate it and possible force Ford to issue a recall which won't bode well for the company if they want to make in-roads with the small car market.
 
#53 ·
Not according to Ford, maybe in the past, but they are not calling this a problem on 2013 models, there are no TSBs for mine and it grinds, lunges and misses shifts constantly. It's frustrating to drive and I am just told "it's normal".

It did not grind the first 100 miles, funny, the day I drove it off the lot it was smooth and faultless.
 
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