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My Transmission is Better for Now!!!

10K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  FordService 
#1 ·
Hello Forum,

I have just got my car back from the dealer yesterday after threatening "lemon-law." They were able to finally fix my transmission and it is working nicely, for now.

Here is the story:

I wrote a letter to Ford around Christmas and they called me two weeks from them. I was able to get a engineer to inspect the car when I bought the car in on 16 January 2013. It was in the shop until 31 January 2013. When I tried to pick up the car, it had a dead battery. I left the car in the shop one more day and I picked it up (finally) on 1 February 2013. It was a painful process and I drove a 2013 Nissan Cube that I did not like. I got 31.5MPG on it, but there are things in the car that I did not like. I hated the sytyling!

So far, the transmission is doing good. I only put about 100 miles on it. We will see what happens on the long term. I will put up a copy of my receipt tomorrow night, if you like. I got the BV6Z-7B546-B clutch assembly.

It has restored some of the confidence I lost in Ford in recent years. My concern of course is to see if it holds up. If it does, it will be good. If not.....

I also have more minor issues with the car, but I will continue to work with the dealer to resolve it.

It sucked that I had to go through the Lemon Law process, but I had no choice. The transmission needs to act safely and predictably (no matter if it is a stick-shift, torque convertor, CVT, or automated manual).

Let me know your thoughts. I also apologize to the board for not keeping updates, but perhaps it is best.
 
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#2 ·
i would agree it should as properly w/ no chatter, etc.... i'm a lucky one in that i've never had any DCT problems since day one, not a chatter, a grind nor a slip... silent , smooth and functions as it should... I know others have not had my experience and that's too bad.. Ford fell down on this one in that they did not sufficiently, imo, 'proof' the DCT before going to market w/ it.
 
#3 ·
I agree! I also think the 2013 transmissions are much better according to the board. Perhaps Ford realized they made a mistake and corrected it. I think technicians and customer service should be better educated on this transmission. I had two software updates (the 12-1-4A TSB and the 12B37 Customer Satisfaction) and it failed to correct the problem. I knew it was the hardware, which it why they had to replace the clutch. I did not ask (stupidly), but I would not be surprised if the gearbox might of leaked fluid.
 
#5 ·
It's good to hear that somebody got their car fixed!

But it's also disheartening to hear that lawsuits had to be threatened before it happened.

Nobody should have to go through that much effort to get an obvious problem corrected on a car still under warranty.

WTH, Ford?
 
#11 ·
Yes, the F assembly is the last one for that, are you having issues with it? I can't tell if 12B37 is the most current software version or not.

Auto trans mount bracket
Clutch input shaft
Shift cable bracket
CV/axle assembly (left and right)
Shift shaft seal
Powertrain control module (11/9/2012)
Body control module

and a couple oil gaskets on the engine as well as steering components.
 
#12 ·
Gaskets on the engine have nothing to do with the transmission by the way.

So far I'm not having issues with my transmission, which is why I'm saying that there does not appear to be any substantiated differences between my car and a 2013, ergo it should be exactly as reliable.

There was allegedly two versions of 12B37, an earlier version which kept the 6th gear shift point at 35 mph on light throttle, and a later version that only shifts to 6th at 40 mph or higher. But otherwise there has been no new revisions announced of the software.

Changing the axle shafts as far as service part numbers doesn't mean all that much unless some one could document what the precise changes were.

The input shaft seal changes were made to the 2012s as far as I am aware of, along with many other in process improvements as the year progressed.

Again what do changes to the pcm have to do with the transmission and the TCU? I know they talk to each other through the CAN bus but this seems like a minor change that may or may not do anything to the reliability of the components.

I guess I don't get it. Why is my car with a transmission built on or around March 30, 2012 exactly the same as the 2013 units supposed to be less reliable than cars built after the arbitrary date of 7/23/12 which was the start of Job 1 for 2013?
 
#15 ·
Can you elaborate on that? What exactly is the difference?
Other than the noted difference that the later 12B37 programming and the 13 seems to not shift to 6th before 40 mph I don't expect there to be any difference between a 12 that works and a 13 that works, except for the age of the vehicle.

This was something I was trying to gather and figure out also, and other than a few minor ancillary changes that don't directly affect the transmission itself per the other user's description which concurs that BV6Z-7000-F is the latest and greatest transmission assembly and from what I can see was used at least from the timeframe mentioned in the original 12B37 software calibration as being the production applied fix date of 3/28/12 or later.

Noting an axle shaft part number change without documenting what was actually changed as far as the actual part doesn't exactly mean much. Since as far as an engineering change notice something as simple as changing a dimension on the print can call for a new part revision, usually those are minor though like from rev AA to AB, etc. Especially when the main reported problems existed between the clutch plates and the input shaft seals as far as oil contamination was concerned.
 
#16 ·
Other than the noted difference that the later 12B37 programming and the 13 seems to not shift to 6th before 40 mph I don't expect there to be any difference between a 12 that works and a 13 that works, except for the age of the vehicle.

This was something I was trying to gather and figure out also, and other than a few minor ancillary changes that don't directly affect the transmission itself per the other user's description which concurs that BV6Z-7000-F is the latest and greatest transmission assembly and from what I can see was used at least from the timeframe mentioned in the original 12B37 software calibration as being the production applied fix date of 3/28/12 or later.

Noting an axle shaft part number change without documenting what was actually changed as far as the actual part doesn't exactly mean much. Since as far as an engineering change notice something as simple as changing a dimension on the print can call for a new part revision, usually those are minor though like from rev AA to AB, etc. Especially when the main reported problems existed between the clutch plates and the input shaft seals as far as oil contamination was concerned.
The 13's have an updated PCM and BCM as well as input shaft. Yes the -F is the updated tranny, but controlling the transmission is half of how it works... Most '13 owners are claiming smoother work. This could be due to lower mileage and that clutches take ~1k to fully bed in.

We still haven't been able to confirm if 13s are running 12B37.

Your argument about the different part numbers invalidates all of your claims. The engineers are way above your knowledge. Deal with it.

Not sure where else to go with this besides many claims of noting how '13s "feel" smoother. But I've also driven plenty of normal '12s.

So far, the '13s have no indication that they'll have DCT issues.
 
#24 ·
I could not find any sales figures but one thing to consider is that there are probably more 2012 models in service than 2013 models. I do not know when the 2013 Focus went on sale but the new year usually starts in September.
If the transmission has been improved or not, with less 2013 cars on the street you would see less complaints.
 
#32 ·
+1. Roughly speaking there are over 300,000 2012 Foci on the road and at the most 100,000 2013s. For that reason alone you'll see fewer 2013 complaints. But the '13s hit the ground running with the latest hardware and software updates that have been trickled out to certain '12s so you'll see fewer complaints for that reason too.

But there have been several '13 owners on here that have complained of some of the same things as us '12 owners.
 
#33 ·
I hate my car and the messages it sends me like.....
Transmission Hot Wait 8 mins.
Transmission too hot Press Brake <<<<< I like that one
Transmission overheating Stop safely

I have to factor in extra travel time just in case the car wants to rest and take a crap on the side of the road. All at below freezing temps .....
 
#35 ·
Oh, please, noooooo.....

2013 SE Sedan with 630 miles, pulled out into traffic and it hesitated bad. Just once, but now I fear the future with this tranny.... [mecry]
 
#36 ·
2013 SE Sedan with 630 miles, pulled out into traffic and it hesitated bad. Just once, but now I fear the future with this tranny.... [mecry]
That's not possible. You have a 2013. All problems have been fixed.

All kidding aside, good luck getting the problem rectified.

You better take it back to the dealership now and start saving your documentation.... you'll need it if it comes down to filing a lemon law claim.

I hope you don't have to go that route, but Ford dealerships have a very poor track record fixing these transmissions, so you might as well be prepared.
 
#37 ·
And that hesitation or whatever we may call it may cause an accident or worse kill someone. But what do we know ..... !? [xx(]

Kabigon ....it is random and more likely in city traffic or multiple stop signs or red lights or.............Just wish it would say Good Morning or something prior to all this or even Have a nice day after displaying such messages.Even better maybe this weeks winning lottery numbers!
 
#39 ·
...They were able to finally fix my transmission and it is working nicely, for now...I also have more minor issues with the car, but I will continue to work with the dealer to resolve it...
It makes me really happy your shifting is smooth now, danyall2010; I’m confident your dealer will continue to take care of you.

...i'm a lucky one in that i've never had any DCT problems since day one, not a chatter, a grind nor a slip... silent , smooth and functions as it should...
I have a 2013 titanium with DCT and it had a little hesitation at first but after 1500 miles it works great and gets great gas mileage.
I like seeing you guys taking the time to post your experiences.

...my jimmy rustles every time my car shifts into 4th gear...
Strix,

Shoot me a PM when you’re ready to get this fixed and I’ll assist.

I hate my car and the messages it sends me like...
I want to re-escalate your concern, gostinger. Drop me a line via PM with your current mileage so I can do that.

2013 SE Sedan with 630 miles, pulled out into traffic and it hesitated bad...
OPsDad,

Welcome to the forum! I can help by sending this over to your regional customer service manager. Please send me a PM with your full name, VIN, best daytime phone number, mileage, and dealer name/state.

Cory
 
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