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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.
 
#3,151 ·
Dropped my car off for the second time Saturday. First time I get everything replaced and it took 2 months, that was at 16k miles, but they gave me and Edge to drive. This time I made it 14k miles and I got a beat up 2007 Fusion loaner that was trashed. I get a call today stating that Ford is "unoffically" saying there is a problem but my dealership cant do anything about it. The Service guy called me and left a message right as he was leaving so I called back to try and catch him but had to leave a voicemail. [rant] I just want my car fixed, I got the 14M01 letter so I guess I'm failing to understand why I can't get repaired and back on the road....any help?
 
#3,154 · (Edited)
I called back with my letter and they told me my car is "within Ford's acceptable tolerance" Revision "F" is coming out soon which is supposedly going to fix the problem. I have to go get my car today and continue to drive it till it gets worse since "Ford" says it's ok. I drive my 2 y/o son to school everyday and also being a firefighter of 10 years this doesn't sit well with me but I can't do anything.

Picked up the ride and read the Tech notes:
No Codes and no leaks visible. TCM is at current level, Road tested 7 miles some shudder is normal and noises are normal. never exceeded 120 rpm shudder (max spec 250) advise customer of transmission characteristics and give info sheet
. Also advise that the after market air filter (green) can cause air flow issues creating bucking concerns.

Are you kidding me?!? Totally blown away here.
 
#3,164 ·
Funny story about that bold part. It looks like Ford took note of my case and used it as reference against you. I had issues with my car and they took the issue up with Ford in Michigan through ETIS, kept my car for several days, and even had someone drive down to assess the car. My car was completely missing redline shifts in 2nd gear and also dying / shuddering heavily on light acceleration when turning into traffic.

After TCM updates, that finally resolved itself after about 10,000 miles, but more recently I've noticed the car shudder / shake (500 RPM near-stall) violently when creeping or lightly accelerating on a couple occasions.

In the end I was told that all of my issues were to blame on my GREEN air filter and it was advised to me that I may be out of future warranty coverage because of it. Someone at Ford told my dealer over the phone not to service my car last winter and spring.
 
#3,155 ·
I just started to have some trouble with my car @47k. I did call the dealer and talk with someone who acknowledged there are some troubles and there is a 'program' in place to check/fix the problems.
I have an appointment to get my car 'checked', said I would have to drop it for the day, but they would not be able to get it in to work/fix until 04/2015.
I have high mileage because I do mostly highway driving, and am afraid I possibly may be over the 50k (or is it 60k) power_train miles before they get to it.
I have been very happy with the car so far, not too pleased with the thought of having to wait almost 6mo to get it fixed.
P.S. I have not received any recall/etc letters on my car, yet. I hope they can fix it and it lasts me at least as long as my last Focus (06 w/184k).
 
#3,157 ·
I see you mentioned your dealer isn't able to have you in until April. Have you checked for other dealers in your area? Take a look at our Dealer Locate tool, where you can find all the dealers in a ZIP code. :)

Please let me know if you find another dealer.

Started having grinding and shutter this month with about 10,000 miles on the new clutch. Stopped at the dealership last night after driving in from Chicago and had the service tech ride with me. He drove first and was really aggressive in acceleration and wasn't getting the shudder or grinding. When I drove as I normally do, he said he could definitely hear and feel it.

He's going to see if there is any oil leakage and run diagnostics to see if it is within the "accepted range for normal" according to Ford. He said that he's never seen a second clutch go bad and didn't expect it to be replaced again.

So I'm waiting to hear back from them today...
Keep me updated on what you hear back from your dealer. In the meantime, please send me a private message with your VIN, mileage, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location.

Meagan
 
#3,167 ·
Ouch

'14 SE's were going as low as $16,500 this year after rebates & before any extras.

That was a salesman's dream deal, sounds like every extra possible just like the last car my Wife bought...
 
#3,171 ·
Haha so after about 2 weeks since the clutches were replaced the trans is actually slipping going from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th. I swear this thing is POOP.
 
#3,173 ·
Hey Guys
I am not sure if you are experiencing the same , I called my dealer about a month ago to schedule an appointment to look at the trans. of my 2012 Focus ( same old shuddering, grinding, slipping, ..etc) and was told that , for transmission issues, they will have to put me in a waiting list . It has been a month and no word from them!

Ford : When this joke will come to an end?
 
#3,174 ·
Hey Guys
I am not sure if you are experiencing the same , I called my dealer about a month ago to schedule an appointment to look at the trans. of my 2012 Focus ( same old shuddering, grinding, slipping, ..etc) and was told that , for transmission issues, they will have to put me in a waiting list . It has been a month and no word from them!

Ford : When this joke will come to an end?
I took mine in last Friday and just got the call that parts are in and to bring the car up. Go to another dealer and see if they can do it faster.
 
#3,175 ·
Yesterday, I finally called the Ford dealer closest to me, which is Westway Ford, and made an appointment to have my transmission diagnosed. I go in Monday morning. From what the service advisor told me, he has another one coming in one hour before me. Luckily, the guy was really nice about my concerns.
 
#3,177 ·
I'd suggest trading it in now before the 2015s hit the market -- you have a few months, but when they do, the resale values of the 2012-2014s will take a hit.

Does your transaxle make that sound only between 15 and 20 mph?
 
#3,178 ·
It's been two weeks since my Focus with 9,763 miles had its transmission rebuilt (they also said the seals were leaking). It's now at 9,990 miles and I'm hearing the noise again. The shifting is still incredibly better after the rebuild, so that's good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkE8uEQ7muE

You can hear it a bit at 5-10 seconds, but mostly at 24-30 seconds (louder).

Tell me I'm not insane, please, and that it isn't "normal" (my dealership hasn't told me that, mind you -- but I'd love to get other owners' reactions) -- and that I should contact my service department again.

Here's what they did on 10/3:
Reprogram the PCM/TCM, Perform PinPoint Test per WSM Procedure, Replace Both Inner Input Shaft Seals and Clutch, Includes Post Road Test - clutch assembly, transmission fluid, and seal assembly. TSB 6.80 verified -- performed TCM reprogramming, adaptive learning, replaced clutch assembly and seals per TSB 14-0131. OK NOW.

I'm annoyed, to say the least, particularly since I'm coming from a lemon with Nissan 1.5 years ago. I have 2 years left on my loan (about 8K) and I can't believe I'm dealing with another car that has had to go into the shop with less than 10,000 miles again. I don't know if I should sell it or ask my dealership to buy it back and offer me something else -- I just can't handle car issues again so soon. It is driving me bonkers. It's probably my own fault for getting something with known issues, but my dealership had assured me the kinks were far better with the new models (I ordered my car) than the 2012s. :( Would love some guidance. Thank you.
 
#3,543 ·
Welcome back

It's been two weeks since my Focus with 9,763 miles had its transmission rebuilt (they also said the seals were leaking). It's now at 9,990 miles and I'm hearing the noise again. The shifting is still incredibly better after the rebuild, so that's good. ...

... I'm annoyed, to say the least, particularly since I'm coming from a lemon with Nissan 1.5 years ago. I have 2 years left on my loan (about 8K) and I can't believe I'm dealing with another car that has had to go into the shop with less than 10,000 miles again. I don't know if I should sell it or ask my dealership to buy it back and offer me something else -- I just can't handle car issues again so soon. It is driving me bonkers. It's probably my own fault for getting something with known issues, but my dealership had assured me the kinks were far better with the new models (I ordered my car) than the 2012s. :( Would love some guidance. Thank you.
It's been nine months since we last heard from you. After not seeing any comments from you for so long I thought you had given up on the car and moved on to someting else. Then I saw in another post that you're back (welcome back) so now I'm really curious how it went getting your transmission fixed. I sure hope your dealer was able to get it back working like it should.

I was also surprised that you did not get a reply to your request for guidance from strix with advice to sell it and never look back. (Nor from mr_cassandra suggesting that you get in touch with the Meagan.)
 
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#3,179 ·
I'll be looking at taking my car in again sometime in the next month. This will be the third clutch replacement in my 2012 Focus, both the previous are documented on here. This will probably be the last for me, a transmission rebuild shouldn't be part of my annual maintenance.

I started getting shudder mostly in second gear coupled with a rough shift & occasional hesitation going from 2nd to 3rd about 2-3 months ago. Took it in for another issue (steering rack replaced) and they said it was still below the threshold to replace the clutch at that time, so they reprogrammed it and that was that. Obviously no improvement since you can't re-program a hardware fault.

So now the shudder is doing nothing but getting worse, second gear is horrible when the car is warmed up and I do a lot of city driving for work so spend a lot of time going through second. I'm still getting a rough shift/hesitation going into third, and first is starting to show a little shudder now as well. The worst case scenario is when I've slowed to a 'rolling stop' and then hit the accelerator, (typically making a left had turn waiting for traffic) and I'm often met with a big hesitation before I get any power, and when it does finally come the power is barely there and the car shudders like crazy, I'm guessing since I didn't stop completely it has me in second gear. It's created one or two close calls squeezing across some busy intersections here in Toronto.

I'll again update once I take the car in. The dealer (Donway Ford) has been generally good about handling the issue and are quite aware and open about the transmission issues.

The big question here though, is there a frequent buyers club for transmission clutch packs? Like after 5 do I get a free transmission replacement? lol

EDIT: the sad thing about this car is that I would really like it but for the shoddy transmission. Should have gotten the manual, if only there had been a 6-Speed manual when I got it.
 
#3,180 · (Edited)
I'm feeling the same way... I have over 98k miles and while I'm happy that the car hasn't left me stranded, I was really hoping that this car was going to be one that I kept for 15+ years.

It's been 3 years and I'm probably due for my third clutch (haven't taken it in yet, but I better before the end of January since the customer satisfaction program is about to expire for me. I'm not looking forward to doing my own transmission repairs in 1.5 years because Ford didn't discover the cause of my issues until after my extended warranty expired.

Machines break - I get that. I don't mind fixing cars that suddenly break. But this is a scenario where the dealer turns us away for service when we have existing issues that they brush off until we're out of warranty. And I'm not talking about just the transmission. I paid for my rear bearing replacements out of pocket and I'm about to do both fronts out of pocket, I found my coolant leak myself, etc. And this is not just one dealer, either.

I guess I'm going to try to drive this car until I can't drive it anymore (physically or emotionally, whichever comes first) and then I'll either buy a new car or repair the transmission myself (if obvious solutions exist) or swap it with the manual transmission.
 
#3,182 ·
clutch update

The ford tech called me today and said that after pulling apart the car to put in the second clutch. He confirmed that 1 of the actuators had failed. He said there is no test for those so it almost has to be suspected then checked. He also said that hes done hundreds of focus clutches and mine is the first that hes seen the actuators fail in the way that they did. He had to order more parts for the actuators because he thought he had the parts in house based on how he expected the actuators to show failure. I asked him if there could of been a chance that the actuators may have been failing during the first clutch replacement and he said there was a good possibility. So i have my fingers crossed since its more than just a clutch change and good luck.
 
#3,190 ·
The ford tech called me today and said that after pulling apart the car to put in the second clutch. He confirmed that 1 of the actuators had failed. He said there is no test for those so it almost has to be suspected then checked. He also said that hes done hundreds of focus clutches and mine is the first that hes seen the actuators fail in the way that they did. He had to order more parts for the actuators because he thought he had the parts in house based on how he expected the actuators to show failure. I asked him if there could of been a chance that the actuators may have been failing during the first clutch replacement and he said there was a good possibility. So i have my fingers crossed since its more than just a clutch change and good luck.
Sounds like you are getting great service from that Tech/dealership.

I've suspected for some time that multiple clutch replacements are a result of another cause than JUST the clutches/seals in many cases. Only occasionally do I see posted a case like yours where someone looks deeper for the cause.

It's all too easy to say "that one didn't work, let's try it again" and end up with people on their third replacement before looking any deeper - if then.
 
#3,183 ·
I'm very happy to say that my focus is in service for the third time this time it is going to get the latest and hopefully greatest trans upgrade. I'm a tech at another dealership and I actually know the tech that's does the repairs on the focus's at this dealership. But the reason I took it on had nothing to do with the tranny or so I thought. I had my last trans update less than a month ago. Once I got the car back it had a terrible drive line vibration. But I thought maybe it was from the new update and would settle downtown. But after a month its gotten worse. So I called my tech and asked him what was wrong and he said it was from the new clutches and that they was expecting the updates too be released any day. And this past Friday he called and had me drop it off Monday. They've had it since then today he called and told me it would be ready tomorrow afternoon so I will definitely updating you guys after this hopefully last update. So if you are getting a crazy vibration at idle its not the motor mounts
 
#3,188 ·
I'm almost certain that slight shudder is normal. I pulled 2 focus from our lot mine which was a '12 and 2 '13's one had 4000 miles the other '13 had 22000 and neither had,had either tsb update the vibration was very prevalent in the dash and heart shifter in mine and the 22000 mile '13 focus. The other focus drove and idle fairly normal with no vibrating drone or much shudder at all. I could hear the grinding also on the higher model '13. The trans is designed to slip slightly. But too much slippage is what the look for when we take our vehicle in for diag. I couldn't feel the vibration in my car unless I was idle.
 
#3,195 ·
I picked up my car this evening.

According to the service invoice, even after they updated they transmission to the latest calibration, it still shuddered. It said the recording showed the shudder went beyond the 250 limit (318 rpm and 432 rpm). They found the outer input shaft seal leaking, but apparently, the dual clutch assembly was not contaminated. Still, they replaced the seals and the clutches.

So far, it drives very different but in a good way. Hope I don't have any problems with it in the future. :)
 
#3,375 ·
Well, after 4 months of reasonably good operation, I've had two or three issues arise within the last week. On one of them, I was turning on to a residential street, and once I got on it, about a second or two after giving it gas, the whole car lurched and then kept going on its merry way as if nothing happened. I haven't had anything like that happen since before Ford replaced the clutches and seals. I'm not going to complain about it yet; I'll wait until I'm certain I won't get any excuses.

I love my Focus, but I hate it when the DCT wants to act up.

Recently, a friend of mine allowed me to take a crack at driving a car with a manual transmission. I could use more practice, but I didn't do too bad. If I can get the hang of it, I might consider trying to find a used Mk3 Focus with the manual transmission, just so I don't have to keep dealing with the DCT's hiccups.

However, I'd hate to start over with another car loan. I'm 1/3 of the way paid on my current loan. I hope Ford is finding ways to improve on their current fix. Mine probably needs a software update as well.
 
#3,196 ·
I took my 2012 focus in because of the hesitation. The dealer performed tsb 14-0131 recal pcm and tcm and performed relearn strategy. They said that it was better but would always have problems. The hesitation is much better but now it acts like it is going to die when it is idling or shifting from second to first. What I can I do?
 
#3,200 ·
I recommend heading back to that dealer to have them look at it again. Once you have an appointment set up, please send me a private message with your VIN, mileage, best daytime phone number, full name, and dealer name/location.


I've had my 2013 Focus SE in to the dealer about 4 times with this issue (1st/2nd gear, lighter acceleration shudder/stutter. I've got about 28K miles on mine now. They've done resets probably two of those times and I had the latest reset done in early September based on the letter we received regarding the extension of warranty. It's "normal" every time I go in there...If I were to elect to go to another dealer to see if I have any better luck, do I bother disclosing my less than stellar experience with where I bought it?...
I recommend getting a second opinion, and doing a ride along with the tech. Once you have an appointment set up with a dealer, please send me the info requested above. :)

Meagan
 
#3,197 ·
2013 Focus SE grinding/shuddering

I've had my 2013 Focus SE in to the dealer about 4 times with this issue (1st/2nd gear, lighter acceleration shudder/stutter. I've got about 28K miles on mine now. They've done resets probably two of those times and I had the latest reset done in early September based on the letter we received regarding the extension of warranty. It's "normal" every time I go in there. Funny how I don't think it's normal, my wife, who occasionally drives it doesn't think it's normal, and even my bro in law had it happen and wondered what was wrong.

The dealer is pretty much incompetent. I even wanted them to fix something in the back (tailgate) that was rattling around for the last two months at 40+ mph, and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. Yet it still does it every time I'm up to speed. I'm convinced that they never drive it (of course, one time someone drove with me and I couldn't get the shudder to happen in the 15 minutes we were out), hand it to some flunky to hook it up to a computer and that's all that happens.

I've thought about a couple of things from here seeing as the issue doesn't get resolved to my satisfaction.
1) anyone know if my notoriously docile driving habits that probably caused this to start would be able to advance the problem to the point that the dealer would actually do something about it (besides reset a computer)? i.e. - if I can hold it in that suspended state where it does shudder, will it get worse? I keep thinking that lately it has been more noticable, so I hope it keeps going, eh?!

2) can anyone tell me if the 2014 Escape has a similar transmission? my wife is now leasing one and seems to shift and drive like my Focus wanted to be capable of.

3) If I were to elect to go to another dealer to see if I have any better luck, do I bother disclosing my less than stellar experience with where I bought it?

I thought about taking my Focus to a tranny guy (saved me $$$$ years ago on my old Mazda 3 when one mechanic told me I needed a new transmission) and have him try to diagnose what's wrong and write it up and take it to the dealer...or better yet bill his repair to the dealer. he he he.....

Dealing with this for nearly two years now, and seeing a couple of old Mazda 3's of somewhat similar vintage to what I had, makes me wish I had just paid to have body panels replaced that were rusting out. Dammit.
 
#3,198 ·
I've had my 2013 Focus SE in to the dealer about 4 times with this issue (1st/2nd gear, lighter acceleration shudder/stutter. I've got about 28K miles on mine now. They've done resets probably two of those times and I had the latest reset done in early September based on the letter we received regarding the extension of warranty. It's "normal" every time I go in there. Funny how I don't think it's normal, my wife, who occasionally drives it doesn't think it's normal, and even my bro in law had it happen and wondered what was wrong.

The dealer is pretty much incompetent. I even wanted them to fix something in the back (tailgate) that was rattling around for the last two months at 40+ mph, and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. Yet it still does it every time I'm up to speed. I'm convinced that they never drive it (of course, one time someone drove with me and I couldn't get the shudder to happen in the 15 minutes we were out), hand it to some flunky to hook it up to a computer and that's all that happens.

I've thought about a couple of things from here seeing as the issue doesn't get resolved to my satisfaction.
1) anyone know if my notoriously docile driving habits that probably caused this to start would be able to advance the problem to the point that the dealer would actually do something about it (besides reset a computer)? i.e. - if I can hold it in that suspended state where it does shudder, will it get worse? I keep thinking that lately it has been more noticable, so I hope it keeps going, eh?!

2) can anyone tell me if the 2014 Escape has a similar transmission? my wife is now leasing one and seems to shift and drive like my Focus wanted to be capable of.

3) If I were to elect to go to another dealer to see if I have any better luck, do I bother disclosing my less than stellar experience with where I bought it?

I thought about taking my Focus to a tranny guy (saved me $$$$ years ago on my old Mazda 3 when one mechanic told me I needed a new transmission) and have him try to diagnose what's wrong and write it up and take it to the dealer...or better yet bill his repair to the dealer. he he he.....

Dealing with this for nearly two years now, and seeing a couple of old Mazda 3's of somewhat similar vintage to what I had, makes me wish I had just paid to have body panels replaced that were rusting out. Dammit.
Try a different dealer? You dont have to go where you bought it. You can mention it but I wouldnt.

Different tranny in the Escape.

Doubt it was your driving habits, but some people say you should drive it like you stole it.
 
#3,201 ·
Mk3 tsb

Dealers should be adressing this issue under TSB 14-0197. MEAGAN you should know that!!!! Workshop manual and part replacement issues have completely changed. FORD SMT here... seeing it every day and procedures changing as we speak. Not sure if this will finally address and correct this issue, personally I'm not yet convinced. Love my 07 5 speed!!!!![woot]
 
#3,203 ·
Dealers should be adressing this issue under TSB 14-0197. MEAGAN you should know that!!!! Workshop manual and part replacement issues have completely changed. FORD SMT here... seeing it every day and procedures changing as we speak. Not sure if this will finally address and correct this issue, personally I'm not yet convinced. Love my 07 5 speed!!!!![woot]
I'm not a technician, so I'm unable to discuss TSB's. And by virtue of working via internet, even if I was a trained tech, I couldn't diagnose vehicles without being hands on - thus would be unable to determine what the best fix or possible TSB's would be. TSB's are assigned by VIN, but that doesn't mean the symptoms experienced are exactly the same as described in the TSB which may be solved through a different repair. These are all things the techs can determine via diagnostics, but I cannot. I also do not have access to workshop manuals.

Glad to hear you love your 07! :)

smtjpj - plz take it easy on Meagan, her position is NOT a technical one as YOU should know.

Hooking folks up with the right Ford reps who can assist them is a big enough job.
Thank you sailor! :D

Meagan
 
#3,217 ·
Congratulations. [thumb]

Now you have to change "What I Drive" in your profile so everyone doesn't get confused. (It's too bad the comment system can't leave the old info in old posts, though, and just put the new info in posts after it's changed. That sometimes gets confusing when reading old comments from people who have changed cars.)
 
#3,214 ·
Here is a one week update: as expected, the shudder is gone. Clutches still trying to break in and transmission still trying to learn my driving habits. A couple of weird shifts here and there but nothing to worry about at this point. Glad I took it in when I did.
 
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