NHTSA Complaint #10606047 — 2012 FORD FOCUS

ABOUT 1 MONTH AFTER PURCHASE I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE TRANSMISSION SLUGGISHNESS, SLOW ACCELERATION DUE TO GEAR SLIPPING, AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION. NOT ALWAYS, BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. I CHALKED IT UP TO THE NATURE OF THE DTC AS THE DEALER INSISTED THAT IS HOW THE TRANS WORKS. AFTER SEVERAL MORE MONTHS I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR TRANS PROBLEMS. HAD TRANS REPROGRAMMED. AFTER ABOUT 3 MONTHS, ALL PROBLEMS RETURNED ALONG WITH A GRINDING SOUND WHEN IN LOWER GEARS. TOOK TO DEALER FOR REGULAR 7500 MILE CHECK AND SPOKE AT LENGTH WITH TECHNICIAN. HE HAS SAME CAR AND STATED THAT MY CLUTCH PLATES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH SOME OTHER HARDWARE. UNFORTUNATELY, TRANS TECH WAS BOOKED FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND A HALF. MADE APPT AT OTHER DEALER AND AFTER THEY CHECKED THE CAR, STATED THAT ALL I NEEDED WAS TO HAVE THE TRANS REPROGRAMMED, GOING SO FAR AS TO TELL ME THAT THE NEW PROGRAMMING WOULD "LEARN" MY DRIVING STYLE AND ADJUST AFTER A TWO WEEK PERIOD. CAR SEEMED OK FOR A FEW MONTHS, AND THEN ALL PROBLEMS RETURNED AGAIN. I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR REGULAR ESP SERVICE THIS EVENING AND ASKED FOR THE TRANS TO BE LOOKED AT AGAIN. TECH TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE BOOKED FOR OVER 2 WEEKS FOR TRANS WORK, AND 80% OF THAT WORK IS ON THE FOCUS AND FIESTA MODELS. TECH ALSO SHARED THAT AS OF 3/1/14, FORD INSTRUCTED ALL DEALERS TO STOP REPLACING THE CLUTCH PLATES AND SIMPLY REPROGRAM THE TRANS. TECH STATED THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF REPLACING THE CLUTCH PLATES; ANYWHERE FROM $1800 - $2100. HE ALSO STATED THAT INTERNALLY, FORD CORPORATE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS TRANS IS A FAILURE. IN ORDER TO GET NEW CLUTCH PLATES, TECH STATED THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE TRANS REPROGRAMMED AND THEN DRIVE FOR 2 WEEKS. THEN RETURN TO DEALER FOR ANALYSIS. TECH STATED THAT FORD WILL ONLY REPLACE CLUTCH PLATE IF SLIPPING OCCURS AT OVER 2100 RPM. FEARFUL FOR SAFETY AS TRANS PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME! *TR