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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.
 
#612 ·
Kam327,
There could be some hope here. The service manager did say that he could replace the clutches, so that might improve things. I haven’t done that yet. Ford may even come out with an improved clutch design, although I am not an expert on clutches nor how they work so maybe this is wishful thinking (maybe someone out there on Focus Fanatics with a good knowledge of clutch design can chime in). In addition, Ford may develop better software for a TSB that may fix this completely. One thing I would recommend to all you tranny victims (like me) out there is to call the Ford service toll free number & get your tranny issue “elevated” to a service supervisor. You will get an individual reference number & the service supervisor will call you periodically & will communicate with your dealer’s service manager each time you bring it in. My reference number is tied to both my tranny problem & to my MFT problem. The car would probably be a lot more acceptable if just one of those issues was fixed; however, having 2 major problems just increases my frustration exponentially.
 
#613 ·
Yeah, I did have that hope until you said you have the same situation and several dealer trips have not fixed it yet. But if it doesn't fix itself in the next 500 miles or so and I do take it in, I'll follow your advice with the 800 number.

You know, I've bought several Fords in the first model year of a redesign or major refresh and have managed to dodge a bullet up to now. Maybe my luck has finally run out......
 
#614 ·
So after a couple hundred miles on the "12-4" updates:
1. milage is 23.4 instead of 24.6 in town ... ok maybe I have to kick in the gas a bit more to compensate for ... 2
2. now has a Lugging zone at 35-40 miles an hour ... and is annoying to keep up with traffic
3. driving down driveway to turn into street ... now has developed a 1-2 second no action hesitation, which is really a problem when thinking Ihave enough time to go ...
4. now have to keep brake on whenever car is in gear or it creaps ... [actually i like that]

I continue to be more astounded each day that Ford could be dumb enough to rely on a reactive software to run this transmission. I have the feeling it is using my driving to a transmission problem ... as the way I would be driving as if the transmission was good to start with ... my overall impression is that instead of getting better with use ... it is getting worse.

So the dealer says "we need 1000 miles" to see how the transmission has reset. That has to be the biggest crock of BS any car maker has ever put out. i drive a 100 miles a week ... I got to wait 10 weeks so they can determine if the transmission has computed in?????
 
#615 ·
"4. now have to keep brake on whenever car is in gear or it creaps ... "

It didn't do that before? Mine does that too, like a regular auto. But in another thread someone suggested that may be helping to overheat my clutches resulting in the shudder I get when accelerating from a stop after driving for 15-20 minutes (i.e. once the clutches get good and hot). Going to try not creeping like that (going straight from brake to a hard accel) to see if it stops the shudders.
 
#617 ·
Has anyone heard of, or experienced a shudder when 4th gear (and 4th gear only) engages? I have the DCT. Shudder lasts a second or so on a slight incline, and a big hill makes it shudder for quite some time, until I get PO'd and manually shift-down to 3rd, or up to 5th. RPM range can be anywhere from 2K to 3K, when 4th does this.

These same inclines, 5th gear pulls fine, and of course 3rd does. Gears 1,2,3,5, and 6 seem fine, at most any rpm.

I don't get the shudder on 2nd, or 6th gear, which use the same clutch.

I've had the Oct. 2011 tranny update, and very hesitant about taking the vehicle in for evaluation, until others have this same issue, with a clear resolution. I have 3K on the ODO. Have lots of hilly terrain around here, so the tranny clutches should be quite broken-in.

I've been driving around the problem with select-shift, but don't prefer to do that.

I'm flummoxed! Don't know why the DCT keeps pickin' a fight with 4th gear?

HELP!
 
#624 ·
Well. I spent an hour and a half in the hills and twisties, to better get a handle on the issue.

4th is the glaring problem. 2nd and 6th are affected, but much more subtle than 4th.

I just missed those two gears before, since I wasn't spending time starting and stopping and running through the gears over and over, especially in hilly terrain.

I'm guessing the shudder is all clutch related, for those common gears (sigh).

Over 3K on the ODO now.

I'm still waiting for someone who has the same issue, who got it resolved with a new clutch for those gears, or a reflash that took care of the issue. I don't want to take it in, only to be told they couldn't reproduce the problem (sigh).
 
#629 ·
I had my Focus' transmission reprogrammed a couple of weeks ago. The transmission was ok to start with, except that it went into neutral on two occasions when it was supposed to be in S3, an annoyance and a safety hazard. Mine was built prior to August, btw.

The differences after reprogramming are minor, but effective. The launch seems a little smoother and as of yet, the trans. has not gone into neutral on its own. Shifting may be a bit smoother than previously. Gears may be held a little longer but with a light throttle, the car still shifts at very low speeds, which is good. Kickdown seems to come with a little lighter foot on the pedal, now. In all, the driving experience is very nice, especially combined with the car's handling and ride.

Ford customer service reps., including Noemi, and the dealer treated me very well. The dealer had the car overnight to address a little rattle, in addition to the reprogramming, and they rented me a car, which I appreciated.
 
#631 ·
I went on a small road trip the other day and decided to play with the Sport mode. As others have pointed out, when I dropped into S at 55 mph it automatically downshifted from 6th to 5th gear. Hmm, not the desired result. I shifted back to 6th then floored it. Instead of staying in 6th gear it decided to shift down to 3rd and when it approached redline it automatically up shifted to 4th. Again not the desired result.

What the hell is the point of putting manual controls on there if the car doesn't let me decide what gear I want? It defeats the purpose.

I hope Ford addresses this issue in the next firmware update.
 
#633 ·
I completely agree. I noticed this almost immediately after getting my 2012 last May. Sometimes when it shifts for me in manual mode make no sense whatsoever. The only times I am OK with it shifting for me in this mode are if I'm banging off the rev limiter, or if it's lugging at too high a gear for the speed.
 
#632 ·
I think the automatic downshift from 6th to 5th is a good thing. I use that feature (in lower gears too) when I want a quick downshift for more power.

I haven't tried to floor it in 6th. I've done it in 2nd, and it stays in second.

I also think it's a good thing that it shifts up automatically. I know I wouldn't want to accidentally exceed the redline. Maybe if this were the SVT and I was on a road course, it would be a different story. But for a family car on the street, I like the way the transmission works.
 
#635 ·
Not sure what you mean by it "doesn't use 6th gear". If that were the case I wouldn't be able to up shift back into 6th manually.

I can certainly understand the safety features of having it automatically upshift at redline, but to have it automatically downshift defeats the purpose. This isn't a true sport mode.
 
#636 ·
They mean it doesn't automatically shift into or use 6th. Ever. You have to manually do it. Hence the "S auto mode" portion of their statement.
 
#639 ·
Just got the update last week and now I'm loving the car even more. The update from Ford was dated 12-2011.

The update had following improvements: Less stuttering when creeping forward or reverse, better launches, smoother shifting in 1 through 3 gears, quicker downshifts when I step on the gas, better choice by the trans of what gear to use at low speeds like in a parking lot.

Highly recommend trying to get the update from the dealers if you don't have the latest revision.
 
#642 ·
I'd also like to know if some of you have had multiple updates. I had the 11-10-1 one applied and it helped a lot, but still has some of the lingering shuddering and hesitation when accelerating from a start. It's tough to tell in this 50+ page thread whether some have had more than one update and whether they think each one showed additional improvement.

Thanks!
 
#643 ·
I think there are two subsequent software updates: one from December and one from January. If you have a good dealer, they should be willing to apply these if you can describe any relevant symptoms. Mine came with the December update, but the January one didn't make much of a difference.

After this, if you still have the shudder at launch, it may mean your clutches are still "green". Some have found that 5 or 6 full throttle launches in succession hasten the break-in process and can eliminate the problem. If the problem is only at launch, there's no need to accelerate to a high speed, just enough to put the first gear clutch under a bit of stress. Most of us tend to be gentle with our cars when new; while this may (?) be an OK long-term strategy, it looks like it can contribute to the shudder problem.

A bit of launch hesitation may just be the nature of the beast. I'm hoping a future software flash makes this a bit better.
 
#645 ·
There was an update to PowerShift programming before December. December was the second one. I had one done to my first 2012 Focus (totaled a couple weeks ago) before December. I was going to have the December one done. The dealer said it was more involved than the first one, requiring several hours and a tech driving the car after the update to properly train it or something like that. I waited (a short time) while they did the first update. That first update made a BIG difference in responsiveness in the PowerShift programming. It was very frustrating to drive in D mode prior to that update. With this new Focus (purchased 2/15/12), I made sure they checked that it had all the current updates, so it should have everything available as of that date. It's even better than my first 2012 Focus Titanium. After that first update, I noticed much more clutch chatter and/or stuttering. This new one still has a hint of stuttering during slow starts, but it's much better, and it's noticeably better at making smart shifts and is more responsive in shifting. I need to see if the manual mode is truly manual now. I doubt it. I haven't used it much, yet.
 
#646 ·
What is the exact update i need if I have the 11-10-1 update already and im expierencing slow throttle response and shuddering. The first update helped but did not solve the problem. I would like to know the exact name of the new updated version with the tsb number so I can take it to the dealer??
 
#651 ·
I brought my Focus in on December 1st to have an update applied to it. My car was built on April 26th 2011 and had all the original software on it- as well as the faulty, drifty steering rack which was replaced. The work list didn't show what updates they applied but afterward instead of shifting out of 1st and 2nd at 2300rpm, the engine revs up more freely. It was much better than it was, but the car still bogs down quite a bit and the tranny grinds occasionally. Seeing as how the work was done on the first of December does that mean I got an earlier update? Am I now two updates behind? If I am I may ask the tech to apply them next time I get my oil changed. (He knows me by name by now, as do most of the dealership staff[hihi]) Funny tidbit; whenever I go to have work done/defects fixed I've always noticed at least one other 2012 in the part of the lot they keep cars to be worked on, makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone.
 
#652 ·
Are these updates only for the sport versions of the transmission? I only ask because my dealer had no clue about these updates, but then again he also said they don't sell many cars with sport packages. I have an SE hatch with auto transmission and have no idea of I have this power shift. It sounds like some of you are talking about being able to shift on the fly like I can in my mom's VW so it's kind of an semi-manual automatic. If thy's the case then I definitely know I don't have this feature but would still like to be sure I have the most up to date software. I haven't noticed any of the stuttering or grinding that others have reported but I do drive it hard so maybe I've avoided this problem. Anyway, would still like to know if I should push for this update or if it's just for the sport packages.


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#653 ·
I think it works for both. But the sport model has more parameters to adjust for and the TSBs are to adjust for those. If you are not having problems you should not have it done. Your computer is handling the shifts fine and introducing new info will not help and could cause some issues to crop up as it has to start over. I have an august build and the sport model with no problems and will not get the update done. If in the future it does develop issues then I will see about it but until that happens I will leave it alone.
 
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