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Taking our lumps from Consumer Reports ...

12K views 107 replies 38 participants last post by  jamesy628 
#1 ·
The current Consumer Reports (3-series Bimmer on the cover) puts our Foci at the bottom of the chit list, with an ominous black circle as a prediction of the car if purchased either new or used.
For those unfamiliar with CR's symbols, this means a 'much worse than average' evaluation; in their 'best/worst' listings, the Focus is at the very bottom of the heap for 'small hatchbacks', with a reliability rating that tumbled by 170%.

This does not bode well for us now or at trade-in time.

A careful examination does explain some issues. All the other categories were either above or much above average with the exception of two: Transmission Minor, and Audio System.

The 'Transmission Minor' ('worse than average') largely seemed to address the electronic control of the tranny, altho' some of us have experienced troubles with the clutches themselves and larger problems.
The 'Audio System' ('much worse than average') took the worst of the beating, due to troubles with My Ford Touch; those of us who avoided it should be better served.

Absent the audio system rating, the car doesn't fare too badly, but for those of us who have already purchased a car, we're left holding the proverbial bag.

The magazine notes that, on page 20, "Only two years ago, Ford was Detroit's poster child for reliability. It cracked the top 10 among brands in our predicted reliability scores...Since then, reliability has dropped significantly and Ford is now next to last among the 28 brands in our survey..."

My own car has had work done on the clutches and electronic parts of the tranny, and I'm sincerely hoping that better days are coming.
Moon
 
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#2 ·
I may be contributing to the 'much worse than average' rating soon. Yesterday, on my way home from work at around 3:45pm, I looked down and noticed that my clock said 10:09. Re-set it when I got home and it sat all night.

Got in it this morning at 6:20am to go to work. It said 10:15. Re-set it again. Today at noon, it was still correct, so I'm wondering if it has something to do with passing the stroke of midnight. If it's wrong again tomorrow morning, to the dealer we'll go. All my station pre-sets are still there, and my phone connected, so this is a head-scratcher.
 
#3 ·
I am not a fan of CR for different reasons, but if I'd say "don't sweat about it", what would you say ?
If I'd go for what the guys from the CR are saying is great to have, I'd have to go for a Corola. Not my type, though. People who build / publish their opinions based on other people opinions... hmmm. What do you think you'll get ? I've not seen (yet) a CR report about a car that was against what their "buyers" said about that car.
 
#5 ·
While Consumer Reports isn't what it used to be, Ford should be downright embarrassed at the terrible quality of Sync and MFT. Neither should be in Fords' vehicles in their current state. Absent the failing seals, I think the DCT issues are people not understanding how non torque converter automatic works. While the DCT may not be perfect, at least it isn't the abortion Sync/MFT is. Dealerships don't seem to be helping the issue either.
 
#7 ·
While Consumer Reports isn't what it used to be, Ford should be downright embarrassed at the terrible quality of Sync and MFT...
I don't know if you really have or use MFT, but I suppose you haven't, because if MFT is terrible for you, I am affraid to ask how you find "Plans".
 
#6 ·
Had nothing but good times with my car (minus the MFT woes, but more often than not, even that system puts a smile on my face). So CS and anyone who quotes CS as a "reliable source" can suck it
 
#8 ·
A rather knowledgeable fellow once said that, before buying a car, we'd do well to read Consumer Reports and Car and Driver.

I've always thought this was pretty sage advice; CR for their hardheaded-to-a-fault evaluation and reliability statistics, and one of the Carzines for a more emotional look at the driving qualities and other factors that make car ownership fun, and far different than buying an appliance.

Whatever faults you may find with CR, it's also hard to argue that the current gen Focus doesn't have some faults of its own, faults that should have been better researched before the car was sold to customers.

So shoot the messenger if you must, but our little Fords are great cars with some issues that really need to be addressed. I'll give Ford some credit for actively trying to address them.
Moon
 
#9 ·
This is a very interesting subject you chose to write about. Like you, I read the reviews from Consumer Reports while doing my own research prior to buying my Focus. The sad truth is I haven't read one positive article written about our cars as it pertains to FMT or DCT. Without exception, every car magazine has trounced the Focus in that regard. The criticism isn't without warrant as we all know. However I think it's important to keep in mind that Consumer Reports does revise their ratings periodically and future reviews may prove to be kinder as Ford works through the issues. We'll have to wait and see.

As far as resale value is concerned, you're right, the poor ratings certainly won't help with that. On the other hand, I don't know anybody who'd argue that the Focus has good resale value to begin with.
 
#10 ·
I see a number of others have posted while I was responding.

Let me say that 'MFT' is the biggest sinner in the CR evaluation, with the proverbial Big Black Ball. Those of us who avoided the MFT (based on other evals we saw before purchase) are apparently better served.

There is a black half circle for 'Transmission Minor', apparently reflecting the computer issues some of us have experienced more than the clutch problems that have troubled my car and some others. 'Transmission Major' got a positive eval, leading me to hope that my own car problems are fixable.
We shall see.
Moon
 
#15 ·
Let me say that 'MFT' is the biggest sinner in the CR evaluation, with the proverbial Big Black Ball. Those of us who avoided the MFT (based on other evals we saw before purchase) are apparently better served.
I like MFT (a lot) and it serves me well 99% of the time. If I listened to their opinion and didn't get MFT, I wouldn't enjoy driving my car as much as I do.

Why do you hold the opinions of some CR writers so highly?
 
#12 ·
I do rely on the car mags for information, but so far, this forum has provided me with so much more specific information about the potential pitfalls of this car. It's a double-edged sword in some ways, because while my DCT is actually behaving well, I now find myself to be apprehensive about the future....specifically, that God-awful grinding noise that some people are experiencing when they get upward of 10,000 miles on it. That has nothing to do with driving technique or perception...it's plainly a defect. As far as the 'jerking' and 'lunging', I think some of that may be up for interpretation. I wouldn't always call the DCT 'smooth' or 'intuitive', and I think that people are expecting their automatic transmission to be just that...which is where the disappointment lies.

Speaking for myself, I haven't been able to pinpoint a single advantage to the DCT. It doesn't shift any faster or smoother than my 2011 Optima. I expected faster, but not smoother. I got neither.

I realize it was an attempt to achieve higher MPG, but I'm not even sure it's delivering on that front. I guess only Ford can say whether the endeavor has been worth it. If you ask CR, they'd clearly say "no".
 
#13 ·
halfmoonclip - I don't have to shoot the messenger. I don't need to and don't want to. You seemed a bit preoccupied over what CR said about the Focus and I only said you should not be.
In my opinion, we are no longer in the era where CR or C&D mean something, unless you are not very friendly with Google or you are totally a computer illiterate. Forums like this one is the place to go to find real information. And yep, even then, take it with a grain of salt. Because in forums like this one, people tend to complain more rather to praise. Make yourself an idea of your own, test drive the car. And yes, don't see your car as an investment, because it is not !
 
#14 ·
Cars are definitely an investment. They just don't yield positive returns...unless you bought a muscle car or exotic in the 60's or 70's and kept it perfectly-preserved. Otherwise, kiss thousands of dollars goodbye when you drive it off the lot, and a few more thousand when you trade it in.
 
#16 ·
For me, cars are simple appliences. Like the fridge or the washer. Yes, I want to have them for long time (at least 5-7 years) but nothing more. This is not even close to my understanding of an investment.
 
#18 ·
I once was a loyal CR follower, but over the years one can see that they are not without fault as well. Many times a black dot car one year bcomes a no dot car the next and vice-versa. Similar models with different nameplates (ie, chevrolet, pontiac, buick) ranked differently; things like that. I used to look forward to filling in the surveys. There is an art to asking the questions. I found theirs to be severely lacking and wide open to opinion. I don't recall questions specifically, but their questioning was generally vague. You were asked if a problem was major or minor without any guidelines as to what was considered major or minor; it was left to your own opinion. Therefore, a slight flaw to one person could be a major issue to another. In the end, they are trying to get scientific and minimize the judgement calls, but they still do rely on that too much in my opinion. I'd be willing to bet that in 3 years they will rank this car pretty high. My '13 is pretty flawless so far (touch wood) and once more of us learn/understand how the tranny works and Ford fixes more of those legacy 3rd party software issues, this car will be recognized for what it is; pretty damn good (I hope)!
 
#19 ·
Consumer Reports as a source reminds me of being back in college and my Professor telling us to use defendable sources. Obviously some hold CR to a high regard, but are they really... I prefer to look to MotorTrend and Car & Driver, both of which will tell you that MFT and the DCT are the only rough spots in the Focus. The Focus is still finishing in the top of the segment and gets tons of accolades for much of its design and tech.
 
#20 ·
Car and Driver has placed the Focus on the 10Best list for two years running now, with the caveat to avoid the DCT and MFT if possible. I believe it has beaten every other compact in C&D comparison tests as well.

And as far as the ST is concerned, I have yet to see it lose any comparison test, from any reviewer, even against the European competition across the pond.
 
#22 ·
Funny - since finding this site, I would consider everything on this site before any mag story where the writer only had a short period of time with this car.

And even after reading this entire site, I still went forward and purchased my '12 Ti with MFT.

And I'm still happy with that decision.
 
#23 ·
I've had 3 different versions of transmission software in my car, each update requiring a dealer visit. I've had 4 different MFT versions in my car, one requiring a dealer visit. I can't be the only one that's gone through this, and this is just the indisputable reliability issues where Ford comes out and admits problems and a fix. CR is spot on.

Those who argue the DCT is good are just buying what they're being sold by Ford. Just like in the 90's and early 2000's where Detroit kept focusing on gas guzzling giants despite the consumer market requesting something more fuel efficient. You're convinced you need the DCT just like people were convinced they needed large vehicles. Consumers want a fuel efficient smooth shifting transmission. The Fusion has it. The Camry has it. The Civic has it. Why not the Focus? "Well MY DCT works just fine!" -- Great, but when you pan out the problems with the Focus vs the competition, the Focus's DCT is terrible in the reliability segment, whether your car is fine or not.

And to those who try to discredit CR, whether CR's opinion is valid or not, millions of consumers reference CR as fact and use that when shopping. That influential power alone makes CR's opinions worth something.
 
#24 ·
So if I understand this correctly, the Focus scored well in areas like engine, body integrity, brakes, electrical, etc. but because of a small ding for the DCT and a big ding for MFT the entire car gets a full black spot? Even though MFT is an option? I've never understood this about CR and can't help but think there's a hidden agenda out there.

Actually, I'm delighted the DCT score that well, based on the posts here.
 
#26 ·
You are greatly underestimating the problems of the DCT. There is a reason almost unanimously EVERY car review gives the DCT a bad review. These are car mags that review hundreds of cars a year. There are other DCT's out there which do not act like ours. Not to mention the problems with the seals failing and the parts being backordered (because most likely thousands if not tens of thousands will have to be replaced). Yes, Ford is covering the repair, but this should not be happening in the first place. Even after the repairs people are experiencing a grinding sound. Not good. My family has owned many Ford's in the past, I myself owning 2 other Ford's (2002 explorer, 2006 escape) with no issues besides regular maintenance.

This Focus seems to have major problems transmission wise right out of the gate. Not a good start. As they say, first impressions are the most important.

I have not had a problem with my transmission yet at ~9,100 miles, but my steering is a POS after getting the new steering rack because of TSB 12-2-17. This too should not have happened.
 
#29 ·
You are preaching to the choir, and entirely right.
Now schedule some time to come teach my women to drive a stick. Believe me, I've tried; you may be more successful.
While the Jeep is strictly mine, there are times it would be hugely handy if someone else in the house could drive it, especially in an emergency.
Moon
 
#28 ·
Let me try to address several of the responses:
-Cars as 'investments'; my notion has always been to buy wisely, take care of a car, and hope for a decent tradein 5 years later...obviously, you're going to lose money on it, but the object is to minimize the loss
-Vehicles as 'appliances'; if you hold your car and your refrigerator in equal esteem (well, the fridge does keep my keg cold), you must not take much pleasure in driving, or else you really like your appliances. [:)]
I have always loved my cars, especially after the POSs I drove in my youth. There are Sciroccos, a fulie CRX and a much-loved Wrangler in my resume.
-Criticism of CR/Carzines; let me say that I'm not a huge Consumer Reports fan, but have always found it a useful tool when car shopping, along with several of the car mags. I do try to do my homework before buying a car; it's just too damn much money, and you're stuck with it too long, to not have due diligence before the purchase. The amazing thing is the degree of correlation among all three on problem areas of the Focus; the transmission and the infotainment system are common threads here; the Carzines have had issues with the DCT and (despite some supporters here) you're hard pressed to find a kind word about MFT anywhere. Whatever flaws there may be in everyone's methodology, when everyone has the same problems, chances are that they really are a problem.
-Why the black dot? The tranny/MFT excepted the rest of the marks were positive; the huge drop in the 'audio system' and the prevalence of problems in 'trans. minor' may have been enough.
CR opened the Good/Bad discussion by observing how good Ford's ratings had been in the recent past (among the best with domestics) to problems across Ford's line recently.
Moon
 
#35 ·
Let me try to address several of the responses:
-Cars as 'investments'; my notion has always been to buy wisely, take care of a car, and hope for a decent tradein 5 years later...obviously, you're going to lose money on it, but the object is to minimize the loss
If you call investment a deal where you lose by default (you only have some control over how much is the loss)... well, we have different views about what an investment is and it is just fine with me. No more comments here.

-Vehicles as 'appliances'; if you hold your car and your refrigerator in equal esteem (well, the fridge does keep my keg cold), you must not take much pleasure in driving, or else you really like your appliances. [:)]...
The fridge or the TV ... and the car, all are appliances in my view. (Like your computer also). I never said I don't like it or that I have no pleasure driving my Focus. You do have a narrow view about things if you associate "appliance" with "boredom". That’s also fine with me, but please, don't assume you know anything about me when I said nothing to make you feel that your assumption’s valid. [slap]
 
#30 ·
The DCT in mine smoothed out just fine around 7500 miles. It had to go through the learning process twice, when I bought it in March and after the TCM update around May/June.

As long as it stays the way it is I am happy to keep driving it.

As for MFT it's working ok, there's still a glitch here and there but it's fairly stable for the most part. I am glad I didn't get the NAV option because then I would probably really hate it.
 
#31 ·
The rest of the marks may be positive, but issues with the TRANSMISSION are huge! It is a major part of the vehicle, it is "the feel" of the vehicle. So If it got a black dot solely based on MFT, I would agree that is ridiculous. Since the transmission is junk though, I feel CR was right with their review. Once again, even if Ford is covering repairs, this should not even be occuring on someones brand new car. I am fed up myself with my steering problems...I do not have the time to constantly be going back to the dealer and I am sure most people feel the same way. When buying a new car a person expects for it to be (major)problem free for years. I personally do not care about the resale value as long as it works correctly for me. In my case, it does not. Now I am stuck with a car with issues and no resale value. great.
 
#32 ·
If I were to make a judgement call on the Focus, based on my experience, I'd say it is a fantastic car. I have Two of them and only one has given any trouble, the DCT, that was corrected with the update. Neither has MFT so I can't comment on that. But I can say there are oddities that they exhibit with the dual clutch system. Nothing that really distracts from the pleasure of ownership though. So my take would be very good value and reliability. Others on here will tell a different story from great to mostly great to not so great to terrible. Each is a valid opinion FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. CR must take each of these into consideration when evaluating the car and from their own impressions for the short time they test them. I can see how, when given a short test drive and combining that with what has been written about it that they would be oversensitive to the behavior of this DCT. A normal trany would be easy to ignore and not figure into the overall performance of the car or its rating. But with the DCT it does. The MFT also will get a mention both due to problems and complications with how it functions from the testers who don't know all the quirks of the system. So I think a certain bias is at work here as much as real issues with the two systems. Hypersensitivities to info on the two systems. Focus gets dinged for two items that are technically options but are in most of the Focuses sold. (at least the DCT is). Remove these options and evaluate the car as base model and I think it would do extremely well. Having so much new technology offered in a moderately priced car has caused it to suffer a bit in its evaluation. As it matures, it will be seen as a benchmark for future cars in its class.
 
#33 ·
I agree with both CR and Car and Driver. The car is a dream to drive. But I've had my fair share of MFT and DCT issues and from the looks of it, my clutch will have to be replaced out-of-pocket if it doesn't fall apart on its own accord before the 125k mile mark. MFT has been great with 3.2.2 and I imagine 3.5.1 is even better.

Those 2 things aside, the car is great and I don't intend to sell it - even with the weird noises coming from my transmission. It's really a love-hate relationship.
 
#36 ·
Consumer Reports is a god damn joke anyway.

Honestly, does anyone look to that trash for advice when purchasing a car? Really?

Not trying to defend my purchase, but it's pretty widespread knowledge that CR is garbage. Besides, who cares? Enjoy your purchase, in my opinion, its all a part of the car buying experience. You're going to lose money no matter what.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2
 
#55 ·
MJ-

You're right about the reality of losing money (depreciation) the moment you drive the car off the lot. That's true regardless of what make/model you buy, however the point I think that some are making is that the CR reviews only exacerbate the issue.

There is something else that I'd like to mention about C.R. though. As opposed to car magazines, what makes CR unique is that #1 they do not accept advertising #2 they are supported 100% by subscribers who pay for their analysis/reviews #3 CR actually PURCHASES all of the cars that they review, meaning CR owns the cars that they review. When they are done with their long term analysis, CR sells their cars. In comparison, car mags certainly have their share of subscribers, but the majority of their revenue stems from advertising dollars paid for by auto manufacturers. The manaufactures also "lend" the magazines automobiles to evaluate/review. So for those reasons alone, CR is seen as objective and unbiased in their reviews. If CR gives a bad review, what consequence is it to them? They lose nothing. On the other hand if a car mag pisses off the executives of some car company, who's to say that they wouldn't pull their advertising and move to a different publication? Having said all that I read Road & Track, Car & Driver, Automobile AND Consumer Reports.

In the case of the Focus I think all the publications are in agreement. The DCT and MFT are two problem areas which need improvement. I for one do not think MFT or DCT is the major distaster that some are making it out to be. Both need to be tweaked and refined somewhat, but overall I think both are worthy of keeping and can be perfected over time.
 
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