[jtab4994]

Bringing my 2014 Focus SE back to the dealer on Thursday to have them take another crack at fixing the transmission. Back in May they patched the software, but it still didn't run 100% smoothly. I brought it back 2 weeks later and they said they couldn't find anything wrong.

I took delivery on 12/16/13 and I now have 18,000+ miles on it. The warranty extension is welcome and is a sign Ford knows about the problems.

Look, the car is inexpensive and gets great mileage but the transmission on a brand new car should shift smoothly 100% of the time. It should not pick random times to "shudder" when accelerating slowly from 0-5mph as in a parking lot or in stop-and-go traffic.

 

[sailor]

Moved this to the MkIII TSB, Recalls & Problems section.

FWIW, the extension was from 5/60 powertrain to 7/100 on clutch/seals/programming for most DCT equipped cars.

Don't WANT to be a nay-sayer, but I doubt 100% smoothness every time when moving between 0-5mph is likely with any DCT type transmission. Some will be better than others, marked shudder will still be an issue (shouldn't happen) but none ever when changing speeds BELOW clutch full engagement speed is likely to be a long term issue for any trans. of the type (whatever the brand/model).

I'd have to take a Porsche for a test drive to be sure (their wet clutch DCT called PDK has been on the market the longest), but I think it would be difficult to try to make one move within that margin (0-5) for long.

Partial engagement/disengagement necessary to stay below 5mph isn't going to be totally smooth, even when the clutch doesn't chatter at all.

Opinion only, I could be proven wrong in the future.

 

[FordService]

Bringing my 2014 Focus SE back to the dealer on Thursday to have them take another crack at fixing the transmission. Back in May they patched the software, but it still didn't run 100% smoothly. I brought it back 2 weeks later and they said they couldn't find anything wrong.

I took delivery on 12/16/13 and I now have 18,000+ miles on it. The warranty extension is welcome and is a sign Ford knows about the problems.

Look, the car is inexpensive and gets great mileage but the transmission on a brand new car should shift smoothly 100% of the time. It should not pick random times to "shudder" when accelerating slowly from 0-5mph as in a parking lot or in stop-and-go traffic.

Hi there,

I want to see how I can best assist. Please send me a PM with your VIN, updated mileage, best daytime phone number, and dealer name/location.

Meagan

 

[jtab4994]

... I doubt 100% smoothness every time when moving between 0-5mph is likely with any DCT type transmission.

Don't take "0-5 mph" so literally. I'm talking about normal driving in a parking lot or in traffic where you're not accelerating much if at all.

The dealer tech already told me the car "doesn't do parade mode very well", yada yada. This is not "parade mode".

 

[jtab4994]

Hi there,

I want to see how I can best assist. Please send me a PM with your VIN, updated mileage, best daytime phone number, and dealer name/location.

Meagan

Thanks Meagan I'll get back to you in the morning with that info!

 

[sailor]

Don't take "0-5 mph" so literally. I'm talking about normal driving in a parking lot or in traffic where you're not accelerating much if at all.

The dealer tech already told me the car "doesn't do parade mode very well", yada yada. This is not "parade mode".

Sorry, 0-5 has been discussed a lot & that's a speed range you wouldn't want to use more than necessary. IIRC 5-7 is about where full engagement is reached, varies with circumstances/eyeballs on the meter & is worth checking out for individual cars to know a good "slowest" speed to use regularly.

Regular manual trans gets touchy below 10 mph (light throttle to keep it smooth) and there's a point below which you need to disengage/engage clutch repeatedly & partially to keep moving. That's the range I thought you were referring to for the occasional slight shudder mentioned.

 

[FordService]

Thanks Meagan I'll get back to you in the morning with that info!

Thanks! I saw your message & I'm looking into it.

Meagan

 

[jtab4994]

Dropped my car off at the dealer this morning. They say 95% of the time the intermittent shuddering is software. Fingers crossed that they fix it this time, whether hardware or software.

From the times when the transmission technology works, I can see that the Focus has the potential to be a good car.

My loaner car is a Toyota Corolla and I found that I actually prefer the feel of the Focus when accelerating. The only catch with the Focus is it doesn't perform well 100% of the time!

 

[Tubeway Army]

Ford knows they have a problem, but from what I was told they won't fix 100% of the cars and only if they fail a threshold test which I'm guessing is done via software.

 

[jtab4994]

So far, so good. Picked up my car this morning and it seems OK.

Don't worry, they'll hear from me if it's not 100%.

 

[jtab4994]

Just a quick update. I got my Focus back from the dealer on Friday 9/12/14. I wanted to give it some time before I passed judgment on how well the latest software patch addressed the problem.

I would say the low-speed shudder is only present about 2% of the time. Not perfect, but better.

The transmission working correctly 98% of the time is enough to stop me from setting the car on fire and shoving it thru the dealership window.

98% working is not enough to make me recommend the car to others, and certainly not enough to make me want to buy another one. That's actually too bad, because I do enjoy the feel of the acceleration.

 

[2013MKIII]

So far, so good. Picked up my car this morning and it seems OK.

Don't worry, they'll hear from me if it's not 100%.

Glad you're back on the road. Keep us all posted in the coming months.

 

[jtab4994]

Well, nice try Ford. The transmission shudder is back. Is it the warm weather? Makes no sense.

 

[mjb457]

Is there a fix or is there not? Who knows for sure? HMMMMMM?

 

[FFhb13]

Don't take "0-5 mph" so literally. I'm talking about normal driving in a parking lot or in traffic where you're not accelerating much if at all.

The dealer tech already told me the car "doesn't do parade mode very well", yada yada. This is not "parade mode".

There a thread on here, how to drive with a DCT, I think you need to read it...driving in a parking lot or stop and go traffic you will experience some jerking and shudder, it's not avoidable in situations where you are low speed and need to let on and off the throttle.

 

[Scougar]

Go get it looked at again.

 

[Cubedtothex]

Since my revision F low speeds have not been a problem for me. It's not quite as smooth as an Autobor CVT, but no longer jerky like a novice driving a stick.

 

[jtab4994]

There a thread on here, how to drive with a DCT, I think you need to read it...driving in a parking lot or stop and go traffic you will experience some jerking and shudder, it's not avoidable in situations where you are low speed and need to let on and off the throttle.

It's ludicrous to suggest that you need special training to drive a $20,000 car, but if you find that link post it and I'll take a look at it.

 

[mjb457]

I agree.... maybe we can all sign up for a class.......

 

[FFhb13]

[8)]

It's ludicrous to suggest that you need special training to drive a $20,000 car, but if you find that link post it and I'll take a look at it.

Easy guys, I'm not saying you need training to drive a car with this transmission!! All I'm saying is there is a thread started by a guy that figured out how to drive to DCT to avoid some of the jerking and shuddering... now this is just regarding a proper functioning transmission, obviously if you have a defective or problematic one, this may not help at all.

I thought there was something wrong with my transmission at first, but after I read through the thread, I understood how it operated better, adjusted my driving style and now don't really notice the quirks of it.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/...sion-info-use-guide-new-owners-look-here.html