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2012 Focus Transmission Shaking

393K views 1K replies 297 participants last post by  drag-t 
#1 ·
I've had my new Ford Focus for less than 2 months. I'm about to take it back to the Northside Ford Service Center in San Antonio, which will make my fourth time to have it back in service since I bought it. At very low speeds, like in stop-and-go driving, with light breaking pressure, the car shakes and shutters. At first I was told it's just the way the new transmissions are. I drove to another dealership and drove another Focus. The problem was not there. So I took it back in and was they given a copy of a service bulletin that says the shuttering problem will soon clear up and the clutches needed time to break in. The problem got worse. I took it back in a third time, and on the way a cooling fan motor burned up, and after a week they said the cooling fan motor was replaced and the shuttering couldn't be felt. Well I drove it off the lot, turned around, and asked the service rep to go for a ride. When I showed him what I had been experiencing he was wide-eyed and went back in to get the transmission expert who also took a ride and said that's a real problem because our legs were shaking inside the car. The tech then agreed that he would not be happy paying $21,000 for a car that acted this way. So now, I'm leaving it at the service center again. Oh, and the trans tech now says he thinks if may be a braking problem. Has anyone experienced the same thing? I'm very, very close to just parking it and hiring a lawyer. I feel taken for a ride, and not in a Ford Focus.
 
#1,191 ·
So i got my car back with the replacement parts. It drives wonderfully, smooth shifts and no grinding. This is my second replacement along with about three other times of just reprogramming. My first replacement had grinding sounds almost immediately but this has not made any noises. They handed me a sheet a paper with a description of the characteristics of the transmission and noted the 1000 mile break in period, can it just act like it's acting now and not change lol.

It's back to being the great car it's supposed to be but with the history of the car I have NO confidence that ford has finally fixed this problem. My first replacement lasted through the winter and then acted up again the next summer, so that is kind of my expectation right now. Starting to keep my eyes open on a good deal for a replacement, I just don't want to take the depreciation hit.

I posted in this thread because it's where i first posted about my problems and just wanted to be consistent even though there are quite a few other threads talking about the same thing.
 
#1,192 ·
The happiest day of my life recently was returning my 2012 SEL. Worst car experience I ever had. The way Ford and the dealer spent years blaming me for not knowing how to drive my car and that all the bad things it was doing is "normal", I gave up on Ford after 12 years of exclusive Ford ownership. I drive a Hyundai product now and have confidence that I can lend it to someone else without fear they will get killed in it. I never let anyone else drive the Focus, it almost got me T-boned twice when the trans went into Never-Never Land mode.
 
#1,193 ·
this is the sad part of this three year saga. Any company and any car can have a problem, but what matters is how they take care of the customer and the problem.

The "everything is normal" memo fooled many, many owners who had never driven some other version of a dual clutch tranny. There is even a thread on this board from an owner helping everyone to understand what is "normal" (which it wasn't)

But the huge giveaway that should catch everyones attention, is that you can read three plus years of posts from owners who got some form of repair that made the "normal" symptoms go away (only to return weeks to months later.)

readers need to ask themselves one question: If a given symptom is "normal" how could it go away after a repair ?
 
#1,196 ·
A little off topic, but related

Hey everyone,

I have a question that's a little off topic, but DCT transmission related...

With all the issues that the automatic transmission has in the Focus, are any of these problems also happening with the Fiesta ?

I did a search at the Fiesta site and found one thread about 6 pages long, but no more replies since late 2013.

Just curious, looking to pick one up for my son...

Thanks,

Dave
 
#1,197 ·
Hey everyone,

I have a question that's a little off topic, but DCT transmission related...

With all the issues that the automatic transmission has in the Focus, are any of these problems also happening with the Fiesta ?

I did a search at the Fiesta site and found one thread about 6 pages long, but no more replies since late 2013.

Just curious, looking to pick one up for my son...

Thanks,

Dave
Dave I think the problems are somewhat similar on the fiestas
 
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