I just started getting some light clutch chatter in 1st gear while accelerating from a stop. The car is a 2012 Titanium and has only 9K miles on it. I am very concerned. Clutch chatter is typically a wear and/or mechanical problem.
I don't know if I have the "updated" clutch programming in this car. I got it used with 2K miles on it from an Acura dealer, so probably not. I have actually been quite happy with the clutch/transmission behavior up until now. Based on reviews from others with the transmission updates, it wasn't clear to me it was an improvement.
I'm going to make an appointment with the Ford dealer. []
The major DCT transmission reprogramming up to now is in Ford's FSA 12b37. While some have reported this caused problems, it eliminated the cluch chatter my car had, so I wouldn't dismiss its value.
If you'd like to be prepared for your service visit, go to etis.ford.com and enter your VIN in the "vehicle" section. It will then show you all kinds of interesting stuff about your car, including any outstanding FSAs (like 12b37).
The trans update is not shown as outstanding for my car. Perhaps it already has it.
Reading further on this forum, I see that trans fluid leaks (I assume at the input shafts) are common, can wet the clutches, and would probably cause the symptoms I am seeing.
Given the sudden and dramatic onset of problems in what used to be a perfectly-working DCT I remain very concerned. I will accept no nonsense from Ford on this issue. It is major.
My 2013 ST has a small noise that the clutch makes when shifting from 1 - 2 and 2 - 3 Once the car wamrs up it stops making this noise. Other ST owners have said they hear it also in their cars.
Have you taken a look under the car for leaks? Oil oozing at the engine/tranmission junction is a really good indication of the kind of leak that causes clutches to go wonky. Of course one can still have a leaky seal without anything showing on the outside, but drips should make it an easy call for your dealer.
Basically you have a defective clutch system. Either oil is on the clutches or one of the actuators is not quite right. It is very difficult to get this problem corrected in my experience, but I haven't been stranded with over 9k miles since the problem arose. You can mitigate the problem by disconnecting your battery and forcing it to relearn the clutch parameters or by going in for transmission updates, but these things will not correct the underlying issue and they will reappear within 1000 miles. Good luck.
Basically you have a defective clutch system. Either oil is on the clutches or one of the actuators is not quite right. It is very difficult to get this problem corrected in my experience
This has been my experience as well. I had tried to get the dealership to fix it several times, but they didn't do TSB 11-12-13 until I pointed out that a tech at a previous dealership noted a possible oil leak 9 months previously. This was after telling them 3 or 4 times that I suspected my clutch was contaminated.
And after getting TSB 11-12-13 done (new oil seals and clutches), my car vibrates quite badly after the 3->4 shift, and will continue to vibrate for several seconds after the shift. I've been told that this is normal, even though the car didn't do it before, and no other Focus I have driven exhibits this particular problem.
Now the car is also doing many of the same behaviors it did when the clutches were oily. There are large gaps in power delivery between gears, especially on the 1->2 shift, accompanied by a crunching noise (some here have described it as grinding) and a fair amount of shift flare (as if the first clutch is disengaging quickly while the second one is slow to engage).
It is also becoming more reluctant to downshift, and the throttle seems very 'notchy', for lack of a better description. While the pedal moves smoothly, the throttle response of the car doesn't seem to be in step with it. Push the throttle a little and nothing happens... push it some more and then the throttle moves a bit. Then you push the pedal some more and nothing happens again... a little more and you can feel a bit more power. Etc. etc.
I'll leave out my problems with the suspension (also the result of poor dealership service work) since this thread is about the DCT clutches.
But yeah... I can confirm that getting Ford and their dealership network to fix these sorts of problems can be an uphill battle.
Definitely get that felt panel off the bottom of the car and check for signs of a failed seal. See link and comment below from the lemonlaw.com website.
My chatter (as you've described) started at 13,000 miles.
I did the hard acceleration thing using sport mode to make every shift at as much engine power as possible. Trying to make the clutches slip basically. It worked for me and I'm currently at around 17,000 without the problem. I'm not saying it'll work for everyone, but it's obviously worked for many.
I just brough my 2012 Focus SEL into Ford with transmission slippage at 9,500 miles. I was worried that I would get told thats just how it was designed. However, I took the service manager for a test drive to show him first hand my concerns. I explained to him I was aware that this transmission was designed differently and took time to learn the driver. That when I first got it, it did jerk a little until I got used to it. However, within the last few hundred miles the jerking has come back and was so bad I thought I would get whip lash. They put some sort of dye into the transmission and were able to see that fluid was leaking into parts of the transmission where fluid shouldnt be. That that fluid was leaking onto the clutch and that was causing the slippage. They replace 2 seals and the clutch. Now it works GREAT!!! Better than it did the day I drove it off the lot.
The chatter has mysteriously disappeared. I have been too busy crawling around underneath my other car (2004 Mercury Marauder) to crawl underneath the Focus. But I will, and I will see if any transmission oil is visible.
I cancelled my service appointment because the clutch was not chattering on the appointed day, so likely to have been a useless trip for service.
Out of sight does not mean out of mind for this Focus owner. I hope the clutch is fine, but I will keep an eye on it.
I have the same year and model as your have. I had the update done about 12months ago. That helped for a while but it started doing the same thing again in first and second gear. I took it to the dealer today. Answer is it needs a new clutch. [:0] They had to back order one and this tells me that they have a problem, at least with some 2012 models. I placed an early order for mine when they opened the ordering books so it was one of the first off the line back in 2011. We'll see what happens when they get the new clutch in and installed.
Side note: Mine is a lot worse when on a trip of 90 to 100 miles.
Mine shifted fine for 15,000 miles and started chattering. I took it in and they initially said it was normal and gave me the propaganda sheet from Ford. After my throwing the BS flag they reflashed the computer and did the adaptive learn and it worked better than ever. That was a month ago. Yesterday it started again... [facepalm] How can it be normal if its fine for 15,000 miles and then after a reflash its fine again for a while. Really wish they would straighten this out.
Yesterday it started again... [facepalm] How can it be normal if its fine for 15,000 miles and then after a reflash its fine again for a while. Really wish they would straighten this out.
I'd like to get you connected with your regional customer service manager, who is in the best position to assist. Please send me a private message with your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, and servicing dealership.
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