I'm totally fine with a manual, actually I would probably prefer it....
how widespread are the DCT issues though? I mean is there a decent chance I get one that totally fine or is it something that will give me trouble eventually? I mean the idea of the DCT is cool, I know the VW ones are great, but I just don't know how the Ford one compare.....honestly though I'd rather just not have to worry. about it at all though....
The honest answer is that only Ford knows how widespread DCT issue are. There is a lot of complaining here, but of course this may not be the most-representative cross section of owners.
However, we do know that Ford has made a bunch of programming changes to the software that manages the DCT and is still making them, which says something. We also know that a number of clutches have become contaminated with oil because of leaking seals. There also seems to be a backlog in getting certain parts for DCT repair, which could be because there are a lot of repairs going on. And of course there are a number of owners here who have what seem to be real and obvious DCT problems that dealers just can't (or don't wanna) resolve.
The DCT is a bit of an orphan in the Ford service world. It's a new technology for Ford in North America and a new experience for dealers. It's a pretty small part of a Ford dealer's business, the service departments weren't trained very well, etc. creating a climate where all DCT behaviors are "normal" and getting a fix is frustrating. This is made worse because Ford's service departments are typically not industry-leasing in the first place.
VW does offer a lot of DCTs, but theirs differ from Ford's in one important aspect: VW uses a "wet" clutch (the clutch lives in fluid) while Ford uses dry. While dry clutches may be more efficient they typically have less torque capacity and are seemingly more prone to clutch chatter and the like.
On the good news side, the basic transmission part of Ford's DCT seems pretty bullet-proof and is almost maintenance free. We don't see many stories about total DCT failures. Symptoms of DCT misbehavior include: clutch chatter from a start, odd gear selection, grinding when shifting gears, clutch slippage and other stories you can read on this site. So the car is unlikely to strand you, but could become pretty unpleasant to drive.
All that said, your odds of getting a "good" DCT on a new Focus are pretty high, but still quite a bit less than 100%. The Focus transmission is a much higher risk than on an equivalent Honda, Toyota, Chevy or Hyundai I would guess. The rest of the car is so compellingly good that it's a risk worth considering, but I still advise friends to look elsewhere, at least if an automatic is needed.
