NHTSA Complaint #11230502 — 2017 FORD FOCUS

MY 2017 FOCUS DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER SHIFT DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AT LOW SPEEDS. IT WOULD LAUNCH WELL INITIALLY, BUT THEN START TO SHUDDER AND SLIP UNTIL 2ND GEAR WAS FULLY ENGAGED. THE PROBLEM WAS MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN TURNING ONTO A ROAD WHILE ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC, AND THE SHUDDERING WAS STRONGER AT THE END OF A DRIVE THAN AT THE BEGINNING. GRADUALLY THE SYMPTOMS BECAME MORE SEVERE, UNTIL I DID NOT FEEL SAFE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AT NORMAL SPEEDS. AT THAT POINT I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER DID A ROAD TEST AND INSPECTION AND CONCLUDED THE CLUTCH NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACKORDER AND TOOK 8 WEEKS TO ARRIVE; IN THE MEANTIME I HAD TO CONTINUE DRIVING MY FOCUS WITH ITS DEFECT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CLUTCH AND HALF-SHAFT SEALS UNDER WARRANTY AT NO CHARGE. THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED, AND HAS NOT REOCCURRED.