2011 Ford Focus Sport, Transmission Shudders :(

[marg99]

these new gearboxes are too risky if you keep a car past warranty It may drive me to cars with the old fluid autos which at least seem more reliable

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by marg99

these new gearboxes are too risky if you keep a car past warranty It may drive me to cars with the old fluid autos which at least seem more reliable

Document all your paper work and trips and complaints and if you have issues after warranty we have good consumer laws in this Country, if a known problem persists and hasn't lasted a reasonable amount of time there is coverage.

======================
I was informed that as of December 2013 the cars being built are having the clutch system built with a change of parts, these are the same parts being used in the rebuilds of the problem cars.
I doubt we would sell ours, we love the car and hopefully the fix will see many MORE years of pleasurable driving.

The word is the Corolla is plagued with trans problems also.

[C0ncrete]

Just got back from the dealership where I had a revised clutch installed/replaced in my MII 2012 Focus Sport.

My contact/mechanic advised that the clutches going in now are revised, more specifically there has been work done to the seals. He mentioned that they are leaking fluids which is causing some type of slipping etc.

He did mention that mine did not appear to be leaking.

At any rate, the car is completely different to drive now. I rrrrrreaally have to concentrate hard to get/feel the shuddering. It's drives almost perfect. Within a few weeks I can see myself not even thinking about it or looking for it.

You can still hear the transmission make the awful sounds it does when going around roundabouts etc, but it I doubt that will ever change considering the ways its designed.

So everything reset, new revised clutch. I will continue to monitor.

I had almost learnt to live with the shudder, but the final straw for me was the four separate incidents where the car simply did not go into the next gear when accelerating. Extremely dangerous and nearly caused me to be rear ended. Very scary. Had to limp it home in gears 1/3/5

I did some research and some people mention this was the gear selector rails. I did asked for this to be looked at however the mechanic stated the new clutch should fix that issue also.

We will see, but for the time being I am......"satisfied"

[rooford]

As I reported in earlier posts, I had the dreaded grinding noise coming from the transmission, in my 2012 sport auto which was rectified when a new clutch assembly was installed under warranty, that was 2,000 klm ago, since the new clutch was fitted the gear changes are smooth and silent.
Maybe the new clutch assembly the dealer fitted was one of the new 2013 versions, if this is the case then if any of you are suffering from this problem and the car is still under warranty get it back to the dealer and insist on having them fix it, as it is obviously possible, and you should not be fobbed of with " its normal"
I'm glad I did as I now have a car that is a pleasure to drive, and I am hopeful that should the new clutch have any inherent issues they would have shown up during the 2,000 odd klm traveled since it was installed.

[alokin123]

I've got an auto Focus Sport 2012 Thailand built purchased in Aug 2012.
Is this problem just happening in manual or auto as well? Because my car has been doing this since I got it. I told them when I got it service last year and they said they reset the computer and the car needs to learn how I drive. It was ok for a bit but has just gotten worse over the last the 6 months. I have done 14000KMs.

Is this the problem:

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2038685&p=5

[rooford]

My Focus is the same as yours, same year, auto, built in Thailand.
The shuddering problem which a lot of owners have experienced is different to the grinding noise which happens when you accelerate after a gear change and the gearbox makes a grinding / clanking noise, its like the gears are not engaging properly and the cogs are slipping ( best description I can give) mine never suffered from the shuddering or hesitation problem, but they are two separate issues.

[alokin123]

Originally Posted by rooford

My Focus is the same as yours, same year, auto, built in Thailand.
The shuddering problem which a lot of owners have experienced is different to the grinding noise which happens when you accelerate after a gear change and the gearbox makes a grinding / clanking noise, its like the gears are not engaging properly and the cogs are slipping ( best description I can give) mine never suffered from the shuddering or hesitation problem, but they are two separate issues.

So should I be concerned about my problem? Was yours anything like in this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9TB-13GUik&noredirect=1

Mine is similar but it doesn't have the rattling sound this guys car had.

[rooford]

Thats exactly the noise I had, I first noticed it when I was visiting Canberra, it just came out of the blue one day, driving back to Melbourne ( non stop) there was no noise at all, and then 2klm from the freeway when changing gears it came back, a software upgrade from the dealer did not fix it, only a new clutch did.
But as I said I had never experienced the shuddering or hesitation that a lot of owners have , just the rattling noise.

[C0ncrete]

There is most definitely a fix for the shuddering.

Don't accept software resets, software updates, "another 2,000 k's"

Demand it get's fixed!

My wife messaged me today saying it was like a brand new car....so I guess it passes the test!

[alokin123]

Originally Posted by C0ncrete

There is most definitely a fix for the shuddering.

Don't accept software resets, software updates, "another 2,000 k's"

Demand it get's fixed!

My wife messaged me today saying it was like a brand new car....so I guess it passes the test!

Where did you get yours sorted out at? Might have to consider other dealerships if i cant get any joy out of mine.

[C0ncrete]

Morley Ford in Perth

[alokin123]

Originally Posted by C0ncrete

Morley Ford in Perth

bugger. I am in Sydney. Anyone in NSW with these issues get a helpful response from a Ford service centre?

[kevino]

Sunshine Ford Southport Gold Coast..a little out of sydney.

[alokin123]

ok so I have managed to get an archived copy of the TSB. Is this the issue?

[going nowhere]

Is there any way to tell if a late model 2013 Focus Sport would be affected, or have the updates fitted?

Currently in the market for an Auto Focus Sport and am trying to take advantage of the driveaway special on at the moment.

What are the chances that Ford is using the promo to flog off affected stock?

[going nowhere]

Also has anyone had/heard of any similar issues or other problems with the diesel engine?

[SpoolMan]

diesel powered have wet clutches its a different auto trans and it has no known issues.

[going nowhere]

Excellent, thanks for that.

Sounds like it might be worth paying the extra.

I'll ask the dealer today and see what sort of PR spin I get.

[fordomatic]

Thanks to this thread i wont even consider buying a Focus as the MRS next car. Currently looking for a medium sized auto runaround, probably 1-2 years old. Was seriously considering the focus but it is most definitely not on the cards anymore.

EDIT: any known issues with the 2011/12 diesel focus?

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

EDIT: any known issues with the 2011/12 diesel focus?

Only the extra cost of purchasing the diesel engine.
They drive great and the torque of the diesel pulls the car through the gears very swiftly.

[fordomatic]

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

Only the extra cost of purchasing the diesel engine.
They drive great and the torque of the diesel pulls the car through the gears very swiftly.

Thanks mate, after looking on carsales and just making a few calls, can easily get an 11/12 diesel for 15 with less than 40,000 on the clock.

[marg99]

Gee they drop in value a lot,when I would not have expected the diesels to drop as much as the petrol engined version

[martinijosh]

Originally Posted by marg99

Gee they drop in value a lot,when I would not have expected the diesels to drop as much as the petrol engined version

One does not simply buy a Ford, and expect to have good resale value.

[damo76]

Hey guys, i noticed the thread says 2011 Ford Focus Sport, Transmission Shudders well mine does it in 2013 focus sports. Anyway i told ford when it went in for its 30000km service that transmission was doing some strange things. The mechanic said there were a couple software updates for the transmission. Anyway when i picked up the car that day the transmission was smooth, no shuddering, it was nice.
Next couple days strange things are happening again, like its shuddering high end 3rd gear and overly sensitive acceleration, it feels like st*t, it is the most indecisive piece of ***** i have ever driven. the car is crap. my c6 transmission in my 1982 bronco drives a lot better than this new crap, the transmission in the focus doesnt know what its doing.
Bottom line software updates are crap.
Anyone else got problems with 2013 focus?

[Imolator]

Well my 2013 is going fine, its 12 months old on the 22nd. Some have reported clutch contamination, might be worthwhile checking for a leak between the engine and gearbox.

How old is yours? You sure do a lot of K's.

[kyoshipete]

Had it from new with my 2012 titanium..just as you explain..exactly..told them instantly..there was clutch smell despite lightly driven..all raised with Ford and all denied s an issue..they insisted it was a very clever gear box and needed time to learn..raised time and again..no support..traded it under a year old..sick to death and that's from a Ford fan...having paid a reasonable amount of money for an RSpec!! Not good when your trying to compete against other brands!

Sent from my GT-I9210T using Tapatalk

[kelvinyhm]

Just had my 2012 LW2 petrol serviced last few days. An update of firmware has applied to the powershift.

The car shudders and grind more than before. Not very bad still tolerable and was told to drive for 3-4 weeks for around 1k to see how it goes. So far I found the gear respond is better....felt like the gear is right for the speed.

Mech told me if not good after 3-4wks or 1k, bring it to them and they'll do further investigation while providing me a loan car.

So, will update again this time again next month.

[KosCo]

Had similar problem on my vehicle (Titanium LW2 now 15 months old) and you can see some of my story detailed in this forum.

Found that the software upgrade helped but was still left with a shudder. It wasn't till they replaced parts in the clutch that the shudder has now gone and car running like new. After new parts were installed, immediately there was no shudder - didn't need any running time for the shudder to disappear.

Please note - the shudder is NOT normal - it can be fixed by them and should be done under warranty. Don't accept the shudder - complain until they fix it.

If they say the shudder is "normal" ask them for a drive in one of their demo vehicles and get them to show that the shudder is apparent in that vehicle - bet there is never any shudder in any of their vehicles used for demo rides.

Again - DON'T ACCEPT THE SHUDDER - keep on their back - hope you get it sorted out.

[kevino]

Our 2012 Fiesta after 3 software upgrades achieved nothing has had a new clutch.(at 19500kms)
Result
-no shuddering
-no grinding noises
-very smooth auto

[SpoolMan]

Ours is being dropped off at the dealers on Tuesday they have it for just over 2 weeks while we are away, lets hope when we come back its all 100%.