Ford Tells U.S. Dealers to Fix Balky Transmissions

Ford Motor Co. told its U.S. dealers earlier this month to provide free transmission repairs for owners who complain about the gearboxes in their 2011-2017 model Fiesta and Focus small cars.

The July 12 memo followed by one day a critical article in the Detroit Free Press about severe drivability problems reported by thousands of owners over the past eight years. Automotive News says the free repair program is due to end today but may be extended.

The Free Press story cites internal company documents that indicate Ford knew about quality and performance problems with its DPS6 PowerShift dual-clutch transmission but introduced the unit anyway.

The dual-clutch design combines automatic shifting with the more direct engagement typical of a manual. But FP says some owners say the transmissions in their cars lurch uncontrollably, hesitate upon startup and may shift out of gear while under way.

Ford has acknowledged initial quality issues but says they were soon remedied. The company asserts that the newspaper’s conclusions are “not based in fact.”

Ford settled a U.S. class-action lawsuit in 2017 covering 1.9 million PowerShift transmissions. But the scope of the agreement is being contested in a federal court in California. A separate lawsuit on behalf of thousands of owners is pending in Michigan.