Going to lemon our Focus - what to expect...?

[ElscottHavoc]

So Friday I brought the car to the dealership per Ford CS. At first the advisor thought everything sounded normal, right up until I went up a hill and the car shuttered and grinded obnoxioudly.

He said "oh, I heard that one" and said he would email Ford and see where they wanted to go from here.

Fords responses: this is normal break in noise, should disappear in 4000 miles.

That's BS and this is what I told Charles Gabus Ford. A.) Every time I hear the noise we have clutch problems upon tear down. B.) Surely, if it was normal break in procedure, the service advisor wouldn't have thought it odd enough to contact Ford. C.) If this was so normal, why not inform me upon picking up the vehicle or better yet, why does the service department consider the vehicle fixed once the noise is gone. D.) If this noise was so normal, hotline would have said this the first 3 fixes instead of tearing it apart.

Were looking at trading it in, but now they refuse to fix it at all, and I'm afraid I'm going to get shit on trade in for it.

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[Torch10th]

So Friday I brought the car to the dealership. At first the advisor thought everything sounded normal, right up until I went up a hill and the car shuttered and grinded obnoxioudly.

He said "oh, I heard that one" and said he would email Ford and see where they wanted to go from here.

Fords responses: this is normal break in noise, should disappear in 4000 miles.

That's BS and this is what I told Charles Gabus Ford. A.) Every time I hear the noise we have clutch problems upon tear down. B.) Surely, if it was normal break in procedure, the service advisor wouldn't have thought it odd enough to contact Ford. C.) If this was so normal, why not inform me upon picking up the vehicle or better yet, why does the service department consider the vehicle fixed once the noise is gone.

Were looking at trading it in, but now they refuse to fix it at all, and I'm afraid I'm going to get shit on trade in for it.

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Trade it in to the same dealership. They have it from the horses mouth that it's "normal." Let it be their issue.

 

[sleek98]

Trade it in to the same dealership. They have it from the horses mouth that it's "normal." Let it be their issue.

This bring in the documentation that Ford says its normal and cause a big scene, would be best on a Saturday when they are busy.

 

[rjs281]

Do all the newer focuses use that transmission? Was looking into getting a slightly used one, but not now.

 

[Torch10th]

This bring in the documentation that Ford says its normal and cause a big scene, would be best on a Saturday when they are busy.

When I was going through the replacement on my 2011 GT, I threatened just that. I told the service writers I was going to trade my car in to them and wondered how they felt about it being normal. They had field engineers our to look at the car the next day.

 

[ElscottHavoc]

Do all the newer focuses use that transmission? Was looking into getting a slightly used one, but not now.

I'm not sure. We have a 2013 Titanium and its the 6 speed DCT "auto". I think its the same from 2012-2014. I'd recommend going with a manual transmission if that works for you, because aside from our DCT issues this has been a superb vehicle.


I'll take our car in next Saturday about trading it in. Maybe that will get them going! Either that or they'll accept the idea of trading in. My wife really likes the new Edges but that might be a bit beyond what we can afford at the moment...at least depending upon what we find used. Otherwise, if my wife had it her way, we'd never buy another Ford except for a Mustang - but that's not going to be good daily car for her and clients.

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[mrlrd1]

Do all the newer focuses use that transmission? Was looking into getting a slightly used one, but not now.

The 2012+ Focus and Fiesta use the same shitty DCT. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

 

[James Snover]

My 2014 Focus has the same transmission, I've got 4500 miles on it and no problems so far. I'm sorry the OP is having such a nightmare with his, but mine has been fantastic.

+1

Ford simply CANNOT "fix" the transmission because the design itself is a complete failure. Ford opted to use a dry clutch to mask their inefficient engine lineup to stay competitive in fuel mileage, and then compounded the problem with calibrations written by a team of inept retards. Their updates generate far too much heat, and slightly improve driveability at the expense of the clutch, which is the main problem to begin with!

What Ford is good at however, is getting around the lemon law by stating that the shitty driveability is completely normal and claim no fix is required. They've been doing this for years.

Also, RDJ is delusion. His car has transmission problems. THEY ALL DO.

 

[thomas91169]

My 2014 Focus has the same transmission, I've got 4500 miles on it and no problems so far. I'm sorry the OP is having such a nightmare with his, but mine has been fantastic.

You are that one in 20. And you still have pretty low mileage.

 

[ElscottHavoc]

So Ford CS has been of no help. Any way I can get their recording of our phone conversation? Would that require a subpoena?

I plan to bring the car in to see about trading in with their dealership, but I don't think they'll bend over backwards and I can't really afford to take a normal trade in hit. When I talked to the GM recently, all he said was just keep driving it and if it gets worse bring it back in - that there was no reason to jump to trading it in.

I straight up asked her the regional service rep, Lisa "Does Ford consider a vehicle that stutters and nearly stalls in the middle of an intersection from a stop normal behavior?"

Lisa's response was "Yes, your vehicle will act as a manual transmission and so that would be normal behavior."

So then I asked "So, last year when my wife was taking off from a stop sign with my little girl in the car and the car sputtered to the point she thought it was going to stall out and get rear ended, that's considered normal?"

Her response," These vehicles are equipped with adaptable learning transmissions. Yes, that could be considered normal if the vehicle was learning her driving style or if it became confused from multiple drivers."

Then I inquired if it should be normal that a cars computer would become confused if a husband drives differently than a wife. She said yes and told me I should research the transmission.

So from this, what I've learned is, Ford considers it normal for a vehicle to suddenly lose speed in an intersection because thats what manual trannies do and as long as the "engine light doesn't turn on and the engine doesn't stall out" its fine.

Also, I learned Ford considers it normal for a vehicle to get confused if there are multiple drivers. So the assumption I make is that the car is trying to make assumptions about what I want to do as a driver even if I'm a different driver and if the situation at hand isnt appropriate for that assumption.

Also, check this news article about cases in Pennsalyvania;

http://m.wtae.com/news/investigation-finds-hundreds-of-complaints-about-ford-transmissions/24333878
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[lowflyn]

I feel your pain. My father bought a 2013 se with dct. After leaving the car at the dealer for 45 of the first 90 days of ownership he has decided to just turn the radio up and drive it like a teenager. Do both of those and it's an enjoyable vehicle.

My 07 se gets within 1 mpg of his car by the way...

 

[ElscottHavoc]

My wife can't necessarily do that. A good portion of her job includes transporting mentally disabled and intellectually disabled adults from place to place, so keep the vehicle calm and music on normal level is important...plus is this what were supposed to result to as a consumer. The ghetto fix of out of sight out of mind.

Her company has GPS implementation to track mileage for reimbursement, but rumors suggest they can also ensure drivers are not driving erratically to make sure clients are okay. Off topic, they're also considering inward cameras during business hours in the event a wreck occurs for liability purposes.

I'm going to try again to be persistent about a fair trade in on Saturday, but thus far the dealer is standing their ground and doesn't really even act like they want it back and I don't think they mind my pestering as now they have this letter from Ford that basically says "don't even diagnose it". Things that make you say "hmm". I take that back, they'll be happy to do a trade-in, but nothing on their lot entices me and I'm not quite ready to upgrade to a much higher price range. I'll be patient and wait for something I want to buy before just haphazardly trading in for something random in my budget.

I feel your pain. My father bought a 2013 se with dct. After leaving the car at the dealer for 45 of the first 90 days of ownership he has decided to just turn the radio up and drive it like a teenager. Do both of those and it's an enjoyable vehicle.

My 07 se gets within 1 mpg of his car by the way...

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[thomas91169]

I would hope if a company goes to these extents, they are providing the vehicle as well.

 

[rjs281]

I talked to a manager and he said it was a hit or miss problem. He didn't sound to surprised when i asked about it. There are complaints all over the net about the problem and a bunch of videos on YouTube of it happening. I have lost alot of respect for Ford for releasing something so missed up for 3 years and not even trying to fix the problem.

 

[ElscottHavoc]

I would hope if a company goes to these extents, they are providing the vehicle as well.

No she provides the car and gets paid like a few cents per mile on her check to cover gas. The rest is covered as a tax deduction. So technically, I'm supposed to be getting reimbursed for wear and tear and gas consumption for her company use (not personal use), but its not a 1:1 reimbursement.

Mileage reimbursement used to be on an honor system, but it was getting abused so they purchased some IPads or smart phones or what not with some sort of fleet tracking feature that calculates mileage and such - I'm not sure if the GPS tracking feature is rumor or not. Two years ago, someone got in a wreck at a different office and it was alleged the driver was texting.

After that incident they've attempted to implement some employee monitoring, but the whole inward camera thing may beva rumor and may not be approved as it could cause breaches of privacy since they're technically personal property vehicles.

Anyways, got a little off topic. There are quite a few complaints on NHTSA website too including those who suggest they got in wrecks as a result.

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[thomas91169]

I would just laugh if a company I worked for made me use my own vehicle, for company functions, then told me they were going to put a camera inside. If you want to go to that extreme, you give me a vehicle, you pay for gas expenses with a gas card. Thats how my boss does that, anyone that needs to go to any jobsite/function/etc gets a company vehicle and a gas card.

 

[James Snover]

I wonder if anyone has checked that in the OP's car. Everyone is looking at the transmission, but could the source of the problem actually be something like what you have described? It wouldn't be the first time I've seen a problem in one area of a system make another area look like it has a problem when it really doesn't. If it's bad enough, that alone could be tearing up the transmissions.

my brother had this issue on his 6f35 fusion....turns out the tps sensor in the throttle body was going haywire and would change its readings at random so the car would think you floored it or let off the gas when you didnt.

 

[mrlrd1]

I wonder if anyone has checked that in the OP's car. Everyone is looking at the transmission, but could the source of the problem actually be something like what you have described? It wouldn't be the first time I've seen a problem in one area of a system make another area look like it has a problem when it really doesn't. If it's bad enough, that alone could be tearing up the transmissions.

He already stated that the throttle body was replaced. And a faulty TPS could NOT cause the problems he is having.

If you think Ford's dual clutch transmissions are bad, wait until you see how awful their electronic throttle bodies are!!! LOL

 

[10fore]

Sorry to hear that you're having issues with your car, OP. I hope that everything will be resolved without issue. I will dig around my file cabinet and see if I still have the service records for my Focus. If not, I'll try to pull its service history when I go to my office next. I had a 2012 that was the worst car I have ever driven, but thankfully it was only a lease. The transmission was garbage and was in for service countless times. The car was plagued with electrical issues. It honestly sat more at the dealership than in my driveway. I'm glad that it's gone, that's for sure, as it was getting to be a safety hazard every time it was on the road. It actually stalled on me in the middle of an intersection and I came within inches of being t-boned by some chick that ran a red light.