Focus Fanatics Forum banner

DCT / PowerShift Transmission Update TSB Thread

1M views 4K replies 556 participants last post by  rczrider 
#1 ·
Well, I just scheduled an appointment on Monday to get my update for my 6-speed dual clutch. Seems like some dealers are willing to hand over the update (another poster on this board did), some dealers will still give the ole "its not a torque converter" mantra, and some dealers (the one I just called) don't know that there's a TSB out there, and when researched will come up with it. And the dealer I called fell into the latter (after I went to another dealer who gave me the mantra).

I'm happy with my DCT but I'm willing to see what this new update does for the transmission (in terms of smoothness and less hesitation). Hopefully, I'll have some noticeable difference. Did anyone else get an update? If so, how'd it work out for you. I'll let you know my thoughts after a good drive on Monday.
 
#2,406 ·
I really like the Focus, but it's not fun to drive (again, for me) when it can barely get out of low gear and grinds all the time. My service adviser is telling me that the grinding is the "rollover gear" and is completely normal. I don't see how it could be "normal" when everyone who gets in my car says, "Dude, what the hell is wrong with your car?"
 
#2,408 ·
Everyone asking the same question I did, I have an answer for you. I tried the “buyback” route with Ford only to be denied. Even after all the BS I’d been through, 6 visits, less than 3k miles on the car, new “tsb’s”, parts, trans, etc…..


I was told by a very reputable source that, it’s almost imposable to get the manufacture to “buyback” and vehicle because it “black flags” the vehicle for life and make it worthless to the auto maker. It’s just as bad, if not worse than a salvage title as far as the car industry sees it. Ford would not be able to get but ½ the cost back out of the car, even at auction.

You know what that means…….
 
#2,410 ·
I was told by a very reputable source that, it’s almost imposable to get the manufacture to “buyback” and vehicle because it “black flags” the vehicle for life and make it worthless to the auto maker. It’s just as bad, if not worse than a salvage title as far as the car industry sees it. Ford would not be able to get but ½ the cost back out of the car, even at auction.

You know what that means…….
It's actually very worth it to them to buy it back rather then lose at a lemon law ruling. If it's a lemon law buy back - you're right nobody will want to touch it. If they buy it back without it being a forced buy back, they do not have to disclose anything to the next buyer, as nothing is on record.

But, are you past the limitations to push the lemon law route?
 
#2,414 ·
So I'm pleased to report that my 2012 Titanium is doing much better. Much smoother shifting from stop, a bit less rattling, less throttle lag in corners (you could really see it lag in the Texas Turnarounds we have down here when you had to speed up coming out of the curve). The gear grinding sound is still there in the lower gears, but I suppose that's not ever going to go away.

Here's hoping that it lasts!
 
#2,420 ·
The grinding should not be there. It is what common sense tells you: Metal on metal / parts wearing out prematurely.

Since my clutch replacement I have no grinding where as before there was plenty.

Accepting transmission grinding as normal on a new car is ridiculous. Don't let your dealer sell you that BS line.
 
#2,415 ·
Thought I would throw in a interesting comment from a Porsche Boxster owner which has the (wet) dual clutch or PDK transmission.

I have a base 981 Boxster with about 2,500 miles, so I'm past the break in period. This is my first Porsche and I'm loving it, especially how it handles. The one thing that has been bugging me though is that about half the time it seems to hesitate when I'm starting from a dead stop. I notice it mostly when I'm stopped at an intersection and then want to shoot across quickly. Sometimes I'll hit the gas fairly hard and it seems to hesitate maybe a full second before it responds at all. When I'm at speed and punch it, it always responds immediately. But from a stop, it's actually hesitated enough a few times that I had to quickly change my mind about crossing the intersection. By the way, my car has PDK, and I normally drive in Sport mode (so auto start/stop is disabled).
I was hoping to hear that this isn't just how the car is supposed to be. I was driving my daughter's Ford Focus this past weekend and it was really bugging me because it didn't hesitate at all. I was thinking "this can't be right."[hihi]


Results......... I left my car at the dealership for a week while I was on vacation. When I returned, I talked to the technician who said he found nothing specific that was a problem.

He ran diagonostics and did some general cleaning/maintenance. He said everything looked good. He also did some sort of update to the software. I kind of wish I'd ask more about specifically what that meant.

In general, he just told me that it would help if I drive the car hard. He talked about the memory in the car the gets used to how you drive and adjusts to that. The car is my daily driver, and I do have a lot of stop and go traffic on the way to and from work. He said that as much as possible I need to push it hard and to break hard as well.
 
#2,419 ·
Thanks for the info. Apologies for going off topic on this thread....

I miss my wife's (stick shift) Boxter!! Many cars can out race it on a straight track but it really shines in the curvy mountain roads in Northern Georgia / Southwestern North Carolina -- the compliments we got from the bike riders said all.

(We decided to get rid of it since (a) we have to pay ~60% of the car's MV as levies + shipping charges to ship it Taiwan, and (b) my wife refuses to drive a stick shift in Taiwan and she refuses to drive my automatic shift Wagon in Taiwan)

As much as I love the DCT when it is working right, I have made up my mind that I need more controls by reclaiming the clutch pedal. I'll give up the lightening quick shift of a DCT to gain the controls (actually I should say I am willing to give up Ford's implementation of the DCT's, I don't know if other car makers are going a much better job with the DCT's)

Some luxury performance cars no longer offer manual transmissions. Maybe they know how to get the DCT right.
 
#2,416 ·
I read most of the posts on this thread

Hello Focus Folks. This thread is interesting.

My 2014 Ford Focus Ti with Ti handling pkg shifted weird from new, but I didn't realize it until I read about this problem on the internet in forums. It shuddered in first and second gear and was not a smooth shifter. After about 1200 miles, the tranny started making the well known grinding sound, especially at about 20mph, only noticeable with the stereo off, so it could have started a bit earlier.

I had the most recent TSB applied at about 1400 miles and they replaced the clutch seals (but the tranny guy told me my car "already had the newest clutch seals and that they were not leaking anyway".) So any improvement was from the reprogram only. [confused]

The car drove better, shifted better and the noise seemed to be gone for perhaps 600 miles, then I heard it again. A grind at 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. The Ford techs say it actually happens at each shift, but at higher speeds, it is covered up by road noise.

Anyway, the car shifts and drives fine at present and in cold weather, it doesn't seem to be making the noise. It has almost 4000 miles on it now. It took an additional 1000 miles for the car to fully smooth out to its present state after the TSB software fix, supposedly due to the fact that I drive a lot on the hwy and have fewer shifts as a result.

Somewhere here I read that the noise might be due to changes in viscosity at higher temps...but of course the car gets up to the mid range on the temp gauge whether it hot or cold out. Perhaps there is a real difference between the temp of the engine and the temp of this fluid, I don't know, but now that it averages 50 degrees here, the tranny works better and the noise is minimized, and at times seems gone. [:0]

All this aside, I would not buy another DCT equipped car. My wife's new Mazda CX-5 shifts "normally". I don't feel like driving a car that makes weird noises at low speeds while driving around a parking lot with onlookers wondering if I am grinding the gears, and me wondering if it will put me back in the shop during my 60,000 mile lease (even though the tranny/clutch are covered all the way to the end of my lease). Its just not the driving experience I was looking for. [mad]

The loaded Focus cost me $24000 or so. Less than many of the other cars I drove and $7000 less than my wife's loaded Mazda CX-5. The lease deal on a loaded Subaru Outback Limited would have set me back $495 a month to this Focus's $370 (both are about $100 high due to the 20,000 miles a year lease costing more). The AWD Outback would have cost an additional $250 a year in fuel costs. Add all that up and its a noticeable $2250 more for 36 months...but my time is worth quite a bit too.

At present, I plan to keep the Focus at least a year and then may dump it and take a loss to get out of the lease, not only due to the DCT, but the Ti handling package was a mistake for my lower back (my fault for picking it and not driving it for several hours, having test driven only a "regular handling Focus").

I also think...at age 50, do I really want to drive a noise maker for 36 months when I only have about 25-30 years of driving left? For those who think they will be driving at age 85-90...you might want to look around when you are out and about. While about one out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past age 90, and one out of 10 will live past age 95, they aren't driving the car next to you...they are eating tapioca at the extended care facility. [offtopic] Well, maybe in Florida, they are, but here in Michigan, there are fewer drivers over age 80 on the road...many are driving motorized wheel chairs.

For the curious, you can use the governments life expectancy calculator here: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/population/longevity.html
Mine read out at 82 projected, but no male in my family has ever lived past age 80, unless I go back several generations. So, 10% of my residual life in the Focus? Yay or Nay...likely Nay. [werd]
 
#2,417 ·
Well... 13,500 miles (in almost exactly 5 months) and I've had odd lurching shifts maybe five or six times total. Yesterday I had a very lurchy shift, in an intersection no less. It lurched pretty harshly three or four times and then seemed fine. Later that day the check engine light came on, so I pulled codes (using Torque for Android and an $20 ELM327 module off ebay) and had P2837. This is on a 2013 Focus HB Titanium with the handling package (and swapped out the ridiculous Pilot Sport 3's for a set of Pilot Sport A/S 3's for the winter in Colorado).

Previously when it had issues it had seemed like a software glitch. I think every time it had been when I got on the throttle pretty heavy from a standstill, then let off and got back on quickly. So I assumed it was sort of bad input from the driver. This time was definitely a lot more serious, so maybe not just software. I also had one time on the highway where it refused to go more than about 55 or 60 mph, it would rev really high but never go faster. So I got off the highway, and when going slower it hesitated and lurched a bit and just acted really odd. I stopped, turned the car off and back on, and it seemed fine after that.

Called the dealer and told them the code, the guy said "ah, ok, well, you know these cars have this new dual clutch transmission, right? Like a race car? And there's been some issues". He was real straightforward that it could be a big deal and take a while to fix. He said their procedure at this point is to make sure the transmission programming is up to date, and that that does fix the issue for some people. They reprogram it and then drive it around for a while, they will also inspect the whole thing, so it's at least a day just to do that. He is also arranging for a rental car, just in case. He said in some cases they have replaced clutches, and in other cases the whole transmission - I did appreciate how up front he was about it, and said it's a real, known issue.

If they don't see anything in their inspection or drives after the software update, they give it back to me and wait for it to turn the check engine light on again. At that point I'm not sure if they just replace it or what, I guess I'll find out if/when that happens.

Anyway, dropping it off on Tuesday morning, we'll see. I drove it quite a bit yesterday and didn't have any other issues. Plan to do the same today.
 
#2,433 ·
He said their procedure at this point is to make sure the transmission programming is up to date, and that that does fix the issue for some people. They reprogram it and then drive it around for a while, they will also inspect the whole thing, so it's at least a day just to do that.
Took it in for service this morning, the re-flashed the transmission and driveline, drove it for a while and then had me come and get it. So-far no more issues, so we'll see.
 
#2,425 ·
My clutch pack was replaced a year ago--- and all updates...this weekend temperature was cooler 45* to 55* & I had four people in the car & it lurked and shuttered again! huh Dealer said it has to relearn the extra weight? It scheduled to get checked again.....Is this again possible? MJB
Same here pretty much. My clutch pack was replaced in Feb 2013, and last week for the first time since I hear lite grinding and the car seems to lurch at higher highway speeds. Se weather, about, as you are having. I'm gonna flash back to stock and see if there's any difference. Please let me/us know what the technicians say. I heard there is a newly designed clutch pack but I could be wrong. ThAnks
 
#2,429 ·
I got my Focus back from the shop Saturday and the transmission issue was not fixed. In fact it almost feels lethargic and slower. Maybe that's because the '13 Edge loaner was just that much faster? I am not sure, but I can tell you that I am really getting fed up with this car. I know I'm going to buy a 2015 Mustang but I still have to drive this damn Focus until that time. You'd think my favorite car company would stand behind their products and I'd hate to have to take my business elsewhere... :(
 
#2,430 ·
I got my Focus back from the shop Saturday and the transmission issue was not fixed.
Hi VonKaiser,

Is your vehicle experiencing symptoms currently (after dealer repairs)? Let me know and I'll look into next steps.

Todd
 
#2,432 ·
Had my 2013 (purchased in august) in within 2 weeks(build on vin say 2012) for the lag and click click whearl sound under the hood when opening doors. They FLASHed the latest software and for the most part it felt better. But now its starting to act up again... Touch of laggyness. Also had heard a grind in reverse once in September. I am at about 3000km and may opt to go in for an early oil change(give ford some of my money) And have them look at it again... also the gas miliage is terrible for a car that is rated at L/100km of 7.6city 5.1hwy i have yet to see better that 8L/100km and right now the car is sitting at 10.2L/km

Any idea what the latest TSB is now? Perhaps a link to it as well.

Any idea of fuel economy is tied to the transmission issues at all?

PS: Also going to have them adjust the driver side doors, the chrome trim does not line up from door to door.
 
#2,434 ·
Perverse Pride of Powershift Failure

I own '12 Fiesta. Clutches and seals replaced not long ago.

I own '12 Focus. Clutches and seals being replaced now.

Wondering about break-in. Hard and heavy? That has seemed to help "reprogram" computer to get rid of some shudder.

2 Powershifts. 2 failures. I do take a sort of strange pride in this.

Wonder why they haven't all been recalled for bearings and seals?

Dick Dyer Ford in Columbia, SC has been very good thru it all. [dunno][dunno]
 
#2,436 ·
My 2012 Focus is back at dealer----clutch pack & seals replaced 12k miles last year--now has 28k miles--- similar but different issue now... with people in car in shutters and shakes at low speeds...they are saying it needs to relearn the extra weight ? Huh. .... 1st car I ever had in 35years that had to relearn having passengers in it....We shall see ,,hopefully its just a re- flash... I have loaner for the night...MJB
 
#2,439 ·
I just traded for 2014 focus se sedan with the dct. The build date was 9/13/13 and i bought the car on 9/30/13. It shifted a little hard and made some noise the first few hundred miles (mainly 1-2 and 2-3 shifts), but it now shifts great. It currently has 1,400 miles and I had the oil changed after the first 1,000 miles. I have driven the car hard since day 1 in the city and its only been on the highway a couple times. Im getting 27.2 mpg/city on 91 octane. Also the car i traded in was a 2012 5.0 auto that i owned only 2 years. Before that i owned a 2010 focus ses coupe auto. To me this tranny feels better than those cars. Just thought i would post a good story about a dct in a new focus.
 
#2,442 ·
problem is that even if problems don't manifest themselves right off the bat, they can still surface down the road as evident from all the posts about being fine then going to shiat at 15k, 20k, and beyond...so better knock on some wood.

You probably have one of the newest build dates of those who have stated them, and it sounds like yours is off to a good start, so hopefully it stays problem free for you!
 
#2,440 ·
I set up an appointment with my local dealer to drop my car off there on Wednesday for the DCT trans. It shifts fine sometimes, stutters sometimes, and from full throttle 1-2 and 3-4, sometimes the clutch slips near redline, causing engine RPM to surge around 7K RPM.

Not to mention the transmission is weeping a bunch of what seems to be oil...not any on the ground but literally from the top down there are huge black stains on the outside of the housing...

Plus some from the valve covers...and ridiculous engine shaking/vibration at idle up to about 1000 RPM.
 
#2,445 ·
Hey there BeepBeep2,

I'd like to connect you with your CSM, who'll work with you throughout this process. Please send me a PM with your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership.

Todd
 
#2,444 ·
I am knocking on wood for sure with this car after seeing all of the problems with the tranny. Hopefully Ford has worked the quirks out and I got one of the good ones! The tranny in my 2010 focus ses went out at 21,000 miles with no warning so i'm aware problems can appear later. FYI 91 octane is only $3.25 here in Des Moines and 87 is $3.00. I will gladly pay a few extra bucks if the engine runs better.
 
#2,451 ·
My Focus has about 13k miles, I bought it 8/12, it was built 6/12. Intermittently and with varying degrees of severity it has had the clutch shudder and other transmission issues since day one. By intermittent I mean there were brief periods the issues were almost nonexistent. At times it was just a mild shudder when taking off and at times it would jerk all the way through first and second gear. It has also had the grinding, slipping out of gear and other issues. Because it was never consistent and by keeping up with the forum, I figured that it probably would not get fixed until something actually broke and I have just put up with it.

A few weeks ago I pulled out into traffic on a wet road and needed to accelerate quickly. The right front tire started to spin and instead of the traction control taking over the wheel kept spinning and the whole car started a loud banging and jerking. It scared the crap out of me, I let off the gas (almost got rear ended) and the transmission acted like it was hung in a lower gear while decelerating. After a several seconds it seemed to recover and stated acting as usual again. I drove carefully to work with no further episodes. I thought about taking it for service, but figured it wouldn’t do it again and I would get some BS explanation, so I decided to wait.

Well it was raining again last Wednesday and I got off on a side street to see if it would do it again and it did. When I got to work the streets were still wet so I called the dealer and asked if I brought the car over could someone go for a ride so I could demonstrate. They said yes, so I took off work and went over. I met Steve at the dealer and he said someone would be out shortly. About ten minutes later the service manager walked out to go for a ride. I didn’t even need to go out on the street it did right there in the dealership parking lot. When it started doing it I think it scared him cause he reached out and grabbed the dash. He asked “it will do that on dry road?”, I said “I don't know, I’ve never tired”.

Needless to say I left the car there and Ford is picking up up the bill for a rental. I told them I had been putting up with the clutch since day one and could they see of they could fix that as well. And oh yea the media player skips when playing from the USB drive and over Bluetooth. And it seems like there is excessive vibration front the power train into the passenger compartment, could they check the motor mounts. It has already had one replaced.

Steve called me Thursday and said the media player was fixed (I doubt that), a new clutch has been ordered and they still didn't know what was causing the other deal.

I will follow up when I know more.

BYW I am driving a new Escape, 2.0 EcoBoost and I believe the same DCT as my Focus. Gobs of power and the transmission works perfectly. Now I understand how the people who post they experience no problems can actually feel good about their purchase. My desire would be to have mine work that well.

Another BTW I have looked to see if the seals were leaking and it was dry.
 
#2,453 ·
BYW I am driving a new Escape, 2.0 EcoBoost and I believe the same DCT as my Focus. Gobs of power and the transmission works perfectly. Now I understand how the people who post they experience no problems can actually feel good about their purchase. My desire would be to have mine work that well.
I believe Escape has the 6 speed automatic transmission (torque converter), not the double clutch transmission. I could be wrong, though. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
#2,461 ·
I was confused as well, and I stand corrected (somewhat, see below). Ford's marketing department should be more careful with naming conventions... When I read SelectShift, I read DCT, which I read as POS.

If you go to the Wikipedia page for the GM-Ford 6 speed auto trans, and read the article referenced on theautochannel.com site, it does sound like a hybrid transmission of sorts (clutch-to-clutch operation, contains 3 stationary clutches, 2 rotating clutches, etc). Doesn't sound like a traditional slush box.
 
#2,466 ·
Hi jdetzel,

I'd like to loop in your regional customer service manager to assist during this process. Please PM your full name, best daytime number, VIN, and servicing dealership.

Todd[/QUOTE]

Not to seem impolite, but this is gonna be. So try not to take it personally. Seriously what is the regional customer service manager going to do? Does he know how to fix the car? Because obviously Ford doesn't.
How about I PM you my mailing address and you loop me in to a check for $27,000 to buy back this piece of crap I been putting up with for the past year.
 
#2,467 ·
Not to seem impolite, but this is gonna be. So try not to take it personally. Seriously what is the regional customer service manager going to do? Does he know how to fix the car? Because obviously Ford doesn't.
How about I PM you my mailing address and you loop me in to a check for $27,000 to buy back this piece of crap I been putting up with for the past year.
Hello jdetzel,

Point taken. Your regional CSM has access to a host of resources that may expedite the process of getting your Focus back in order. If you're interested in assistance, please PM the previously requested info.

Todd
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top