The saga of the ill-fated Ford Powershift transmission has been well documented in recent years, with numerous lawsuits filed after select 2011-2016 Ford Fiesta and 2012-2016 Focus models experienced a number of issues that prompted Ford to extend warranty coverage for those models a few years ago. Ford wound up settling a U.S.-based suit and paid out $77 million to customers in April of 2020, but the automaker continues to dish out more money as it seeks to settle all of the claims it’s facing regarding the Powershift transmission. Now, that headache continues to grow as a new Ford Powershift transmission lawsuit has been filed for newer models, according to Car Complaints.
This new lawsuit – Barnes, et al., v. Ford Motor Company, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware by Capstone Law APC, and Berger & Montague P.C. – covers 2017-2019 Ford Fiesta and 2017-2018 Ford Focus models equipped with Ford’s Powershift DPS6 dual-clutch transmission. The suit alleges that these models are experiencing the same problems with slipping, jerking, bucking, delays in downshifts and acceleration, and sudden acceleration as previous models.
“The Transmission Defect is caused by design, material, manufacturing, and/or workmanship defects of the transmission’s ‘dry’ clutches system which cause clutches to overheat and fail, as well as damage other transmission components,” the lawsuit says. “Moreover, the Transmission Defect may be exacerbated by improper programming in the Transmission Control Module (TCM), the computer which controls the automatic shifting of the Powershift Transmission.”
According to the lawsuit, Ford is unable to provide a true fix for these issues as the inherent design of the transmission is faulty, and notes that replacement parts can take months to arrive and are also defective. It also claims that Ford is aware of this fact, yet continues to tell affected customs that these defects are “normal driving conditions.”
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Comments
I guess I was lucky…had a 2015 Focus with the PowerShift, and had 95K miles with zero transmission issues! Upgraded to a Fusion as I wanted a larger car.
Compared to the current “problem a day” FMC this was the only significant dark spot on the Mulally tenure. For the millions spent of trying to fix an unfixable problem, Ford should have quickly replaced the dual clutch with a torque converter unit.
Not hating on him, because in total he did the company a lot of good. Particularly by putting them on solid financial ground allowing them to avoid bankruptcy. But from a product perspective, besides the PowerShift transmission, the 4 cyl. Ecoboost coolant intrusion defect is itself a major problem that started under his watch (and sadly allowed to continue afterwards). The “all-new” 2013 Escape was recalled an embarrassing number of times in its first year. MyFord Touch was a glitchy nightmare. The combo of problems took a significant toll on Ford’s quality rankings for several years straight.
Mrx: easy to say, and on its face it’s a sound idea. Where the problems begin are Our Betters In Washington. The EPA, and CARB in California, would likely demand all new smog certification due to the change in the drive train. Each drive train combination needs extensive testing due to rules, rules, rules.
Ours is mostly highway driven, waiting for the final failure.
The way this company treats their customers after the sale should be more than enough reason not to ever buy their products.
My car a 2013 Focus was at the dealership since May. I got it back and it refused to start again the next day. I was treated so badly by the service manager. I was embarrassed in front of other customers. I’m only dealing with the Top Dog of the Dealership. He can walk me over to service to arrange another rental. The cat will not start and was not starting intermittently since I picked it up last Wednesday.
I’ve bought three green Fiesta hatchbacks with the 6-speed Powershift: a 2011 SE (for my daughter), a 2013 SES, and a 2019 ST Line. The 2011 and 2013 Powershifts were made by Getrag Ford Transmissions. I don’t know who made the 2019.
Honestly, I don’t know what the fuss is about. The 2011 and 2013 took a few weeks to get used to. But the 2019 Powershift shifts so predictably, I barely notice.
You aren’t alone. I have a 2011 fiesta with the DPS6 transmission. I bought it used and knew that it had a complete replacement transmission and controller in late 2015. I have had zero problems with the new transmission.
I believe that some of the problems stem from the operator having never driven a manual transmission and they have no “discipline” with their feet on the pedals. The people I know who had few or no problems with the powershift transmission had a lot of prior experience with manual transmission cars. It sounds crazy but I think that it is relevant.
Yes it shifts different then automatic because has dry clutch . Takes some time to get used to it . I have 2012 fiesta with 200k on original clutch and 2018 focus 90k just replaced clutch and actuators myself . Will see how long will last.
How hard was it to do the job your self and did you have to reprogram the transmission afterwards?
I have a 2015 Ford Focus. It has 81,000 miles on it. I purchased the vehicle in Feb. Of 2023. Its at the dealership because of transmission issues and it wouldnt start. They replaced the clutches in May of this year. Im very frustrated with this nightmare. I hope they can get my car running right.
I have a 2011 Ford focus se and it has all the exact same issues and yet this and everything I’ve researched says it’s 2012 Ford focus and up doesn’t any one have any Input