Ford has reportedly instructed dealers in the United States to repair defective PowerShift dual-clutch transmissions of its Fiesta and Focus models for free; that is, provided owners notify the company and dealers of any issues with the said components. The announcement follows a report made by The Detroit Free Press claiming that Ford was aware there were problems with its transmissions from the time the Fiesta and Focus were launched.
According to the report, owners claimed the transmissions were “shuddering, slipping, jerking, or hesitating” when changing gears, causing parts to wear out too quickly, as well as delayed or sudden acceleration.
Ford, however, clarified that sudden acceleration is not an issue attributable to the DPS6 transmission. It also said that the shuddering reported by owners is mainly caused by the company’s intent to target better fuel economy for the vehicle. Additionally, Ford acknowledged that the transmissions are prone to slipping into neutral, but the issue is blamed on a defective control module and not the PowerShift transmissions.
The free repairs will be offered to vehicles from the 2011 to 2017 model years, some of which would have already been out of factory warranty.
In 2017, a class-action lawsuit related to the PowerShift transmission was filed against Ford, covering a total of 1.9 million car owners. It was settled by the company for $35 million, but a California court is presently re-evaluating the settlement on grounds that it is not enough to compensate owners.
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