NHTSA Complaint #10582949 — 2014 FORD FOCUS

TROUBLE WITH THE DUAL CLUTCH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FROM THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP. THE CAR NOW HAS 6K MILES AND THE PROBLEMS PERSIST. THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS ARE EVEN WORSE DURING COLD WEATHER: THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS POORLY, ROUGHLY, MISSES SHIFTS, CHOOSES THE WRONG GEAR FOR THE VEHICLE SPEED, DISENGAGES AND SENDS THE ENGINE TO REDLINE THEN DROPS INTO GEAR WITH A BANG AND EITHER SLOWS THE VEHICLE WITH ENGINE BRAKING BECAUSE THE GEAR IS TOO LOW, OR LUGS THE ENGINE WITH NO ACCELERATION BECAUSE THE GEAR IS TOO HIGH. THE TRANSMISSION IS ALWAYS SHIFTING, AND SEEMS 'CONFUSED' AS TO WHAT GEAR THAT IT SHOULD BE IN. IN CITY DRIVING, IF I NEED TO SUDDENLY BRAKE, WHEN I RE-APPLY THE THROTTLE AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION HANGS BETWEEN GEARS AND THE ENGINE REVS TO REDLINE THEN DROPS INTO GEAR AND CHIRPS THE TIRES. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO MAKES GRINDING NOISES WHEN CHANGING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. ALSO VERY SLOW TO DROP TO A LOWER GEAR WHEN THROTTLE IS PRESSED FOR QUICK ACCELERATION. TAKES ABOUT 2 SECONDS FOR IT TO DOWNSHIFT AND THEN ACCELERATE. ALSO, THE GEAR INDICATOR ON THE CONSOLE (PRNDS) DOESN'T LINE UP WITH THE SHIFTER OR ILLUMINATE TO SHOW WHICH GEAR IS SELECTED, SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL WHETHER I'VE SELECTED REVERSE, NEUTRAL, OR DRIVE. IN ADDITION, THE DISPLAY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT SHOWS THE GEAR SELECTION SOMETIMES TAKES OVER 30 SECONDS TO ILLUMINATE OR 'BOOT UP' TO INDICATE WHAT GEAR IS SELECTED. I OFTEN END UP IN NEUTRAL WHEN I THINK I'VE CHOSEN REVERSE OR DRIVE WHILE I WAIT FOR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATOR TO 'BOOT UP'. THE DEALERSHIPS SAY THAT I HAVE THE CURRENT SOFTWARE, AND, "THEY ALL DO THAT." DANGEROUS, AND WILL PROBABLY ADD UP TO VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS AS IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE RELIABLE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. *TT