NHTSA Complaint #10422423 — 2011 FORD FIESTA

THIS IS IN REGARDS TO A NEW 2011 FORD FIESTA WITH THE POWERSHIFT 6-SPEED DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION. 3 TIMES NOW I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE TRANSMISSION HESITATE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE ENGAGING. EACH TIME IT HAS HAPPENED I HAVE BEEN COASTING IN TRAFFIC AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 15-25 MPH OR SO, WAITING FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC TO PASS AND THEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ACROSS LANES OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT GETTING HIT. WHEN DOING THIS, INSTEAD OF ACCELERATING QUICKLY TO AVOID GETTING HIT BY TRAFFIC THE CAR WOULD ACT LIKE IT WAS REVVING BUT NOT ENGAGING THE CLUTCH SO I WOULD END UP JUST COASTING ACROSS LANES OF INCOMING TRAFFIC. TO AVOID HAVING THIS HAPPEN I HAVE LEARNED THAT I HAVE TO QUICKLY AND FULLY STOMP ON THE GAS PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO REALIZE I'M IN NEED OF QUICK ACCELERATION. USING ONLY MODERATE PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL YIELDS THE SCARY HESITATION THAT HAS LEAD TO NEAR IMMINENT COLLISIONS. LIGHT PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDAL TENDS TO MAKE THE CAR BARELY ACCELERATE AT ALL AND SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE IT'S ABOUT TO STALL. IT SEEMS TO ME THE COMPUTER GETS CONFUSED IN THIS SCENARIO SINCE YOU ARE FIRST DECELERATING, THEN COASTING, THEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AGAIN ALL WITHIN A SHORT TIME-FRAME. *TR