WT Fiesta Powershift - worst gearbox ever

[Fiestaman]

I have now had my Fiesta for 9 months and have to say the Powershift is the worst transmission I have ever had. Just what is it with this erratic piece of under-developed crap? From first gear clutch shudder to a double thump changing from 1st to 2nd, indecisive downshifts, holding onto gears until the car shudders, holding onto gears even going downhill. I now have one hill and corner that causes the tranny to hold onto 2nd even though you have crested the hill and eased your foot off the gas - but only this hill/corner - WTF? Under light throttle, but keeping a constant speed up a slight rise, one of the clutches engage/ disengage like it is deciding whether to upshift or downshift. I also keep the radio on so I don't hear all the strange noises the box makes which I have been assured is "normal".
Have already had ECU reflashed for gearbox problems and Ford dealer cannot suggest any solution to jerking.
As for the "L" range option this appears to be a way of turning petrol into noise and wear and tear by increasing revs. Why no 123 so you can hold a gear??
Gertrag and Ford have have tried to put expensive and complicated technology in a cheap car and have failed miserably and I am pretty sick of hearing that "this is what these boxes are like" and "it will learn to behave correctly" blah, blah, blah. I have tried to live with it and accept it but it justs irritates the hell out of me.
When you drive a torque converter box you get predictable shifts and characteristics - drove my wife's City auto for the first time in months and what a pleasure compared to the Fiesta.

[Buttnekid]

speak with Ford, I read an article about there being a flash for this

[Caydus]

I've driven many a car with a torque converter auto gearbox and yea, they are smooth. They're easy to drive and no matter how you drive, there will always be smooth linear gear changes.
My PowerShift Fiesta is exactly 9 months old now exactly today and i've done ~13,000kms in it and I ran into alot of your issues early into my ownership. The strange indecisive shifts in traffic, the jerking, the strange gear holding, etc.
I've found that precise throttle control goes a long way to smoothing it out and refraining from mashing the throttle when you want it to 'just go'.

There shoulnd't be any strange noises out of it, any more than a torque converter box should, other than how it changes down when you're slowing down.

Now and again, i get a shudder or two but that's rare and far in between. I've pretty much acclaimatized to it.
I dont know how much it's me changing my driving to suit the gearbox, or the gearbox changing to suit my driving style, maybe a bit of both.

It's not without it's problems for me either... Tomorrow I'm taking it into my dealer to have the gearbox looked at again.
You're absolutely right about a too complex technology being crammed into a cheap car, but for the fuel savings and the lack of power loss compared to a torque conver, personally, i think it's more good than bad.

Some of the stuff you're experiencing doesn't sound anywhere near normal though, have you tried disconnecting the battery for an hour or so, reconnecting and trying again.

[4.0i OHC]

Nothing out of the ordinary for a DSG type transmission, I'm afraid. I know it's not a Powershift, but my mother's DSG in her Passat seems to behave in a similar manner. Low speed jerkiness is just the nature of the beast.

If I were you, I'd get it converted.

[break]

Sounds to me like you're driving the Powershift transmission like it's an auto. All the things you do on an auto do not apply to any automated manual box.

Jerkiness in 1st is common in all these boxes (VW are notorious for it), and it's caused by the car trying to decide if it should shift to 2nd or stay in 1st at low speed. You can resolve this by putting the selected down into 'L' when in slow stop/start traffic as 'L' will hold onto gears longer, and avoid the 1st to 2nd jerkiness (then, of course, switching it back into 'D' as soon as you're out of the slow traffic)

The box should hold onto gears downhill, like a manual does when you take your foot off the accelerator. It is called engine braking, and when your foot is off the accelerator you will actually use no fuel at all. This is one of the reasons the Powershift achieves the same fuel economy as the manual (when traditional auto gearboxes fail to do this as they don't keep gears engaged when off throttle).

Your throttle input will determine what the gearbox does most of the time, and you really need to use that throttle as you would in a manual (ie. very light throttle will cause jerkiness in just about any manual car).

Do you have a manual license, and have you driven a manual in the past? If so, drive your car exactly as you would drive a manual in terms of throttle input.

[ads266]

Well said @break. It is not a traditional auto and therefore should not be driven like one.

[Fez WQ]

Yep thats the fact drive it like an maunal

[Fiesta_Man69]

Exactly why I would never get a DSG gearbox (I have a manual WS). Yes, they are complicated and no doubt 'superior' in shift speed and sportiness compared to 'old' torque converter autos; however, as people have found in many cars (VW GTIs too) in real world surban driving they are rubbish.

Most people (especially those driving Fiestas) drive in heavy traffic, often on a daily basis. For this purpose the old torque converters are far superior because they are so much smoother. Wow, so they use a tad more fuel - big deal, I'm sure Fiestaman wouldn't care if he used more fuel and got a smoother driving experience. Again, I have no doubt that on an open, flowing road like through Wiseman's Ferry or the National Park a DSG gearbox would be far better (though not as good as a proper manual, mind). Ironically, in city traffic, the old 1.4 4 speed auto Fiesta would be a better and smoother drive (not as quick nor as fuel efficient, I agree, but smoother and easier to live with every day).

Several other members have had similar experinces to Fiestaman's on this forum. I believe some contacted Ford and were just told that such behaviour was 'a characteristic' of the gearbox. As I have found out, when Ford use the word 'characteristic', it means there is something majorly wrong and they have no idea how to fix it.

My mate did his DGS gearbox in his Mk 5 GTI, out of warranty, and VW wanted just shy of $10K to supply and install a brand new one: ouch. I believe he went elsewhere.

To those who suggest you have to drive the gearbox like a manual I would like to know: doesn't this make the extra cost and point of the 'automated' manual pointless? Part of the reason behind DSGs is, in theory, you can (or should) be able to drive it like a straight auto when you choose.

DSGs/other clutchless autos are clever, efficient but useless in surburbia: that's why the three pedal car (which continues to be a huge seller in Europe in the Fiesta/light car segment) will always be the best and the choice of a true driving enthusiasts - you can't double clutch in a DSG and I don't need a computer to 'bleep' the throttle for me either. The great shame of the new 458 and Lambo is the lack of a real manual box (a point lamented by many motoring journalists: listing this as the only drawback to the cars).

Anyhow: Fiestaman - take the car back to a dealership, demonstrate the car's behaviour to the service manager, ask him if he thinks its acceptable (which he no doubt will) then ask for it to be fixed. I've heard mixed reports on the PCM update 'fixing' the problem.

To anyone else considering buying a DSG car (not just in a Fiesta) buy a manual instead - they are so much more rewarding becuase you can balance the car with so much more control.

[somers181]

I have noticed similar problems earlier on in my WT which is now 11 months old with 14000 kms completed, its a pig in peak hour traffic when you are in that slow stop start mode and it wants to do more, i did the same and complined to Ford who said the same thing that this is a charcteristic of this box and after reading other forums of cars with same type of box it appears correct. You do tend to drive differently to suit the box, particularly in Sydney peak hour where it can take up to 2.5 hours to drive 25kms.
But it is great to drive everwhere else, its got great pick up and electronic power steering is fantastic, would recommend anyone considering buying a new car to ensure this is an option available, IMO it is one of the best new technologies available for cars in the past 20 years......

[In Focus]

From my experience of this box, it is definitely geared up for fuel economy. It's keen to get up into the higher gears asap, where the fuel use is naturally reduced. It's a matter of getting used to its idiosyncracies and accepting that it is "different" to the traditional torque converter automatic.

[Caydus]

It definitely does learn your driving style though. I drive it pretty hard so my powershift now holds onto gears for alot longer than out of the box. Test drove a demo car lately and yea, they change pretty quick, but mine doesn't let go of 1st and 2nd still over 3k rpm even under medium throttle.

[Fiestaman]

Thanks for all the replies. Driving the car "like a manual" is not an option. When there is traffic in front of you their speed determines your throttle input unless you are first on the the road.

Ford marketed this box as an automatic box superior to torque converter boxes and nowhere in the press releases, owners manual or salesman's splurb is there any mention that you should or can drive it differently. Besides if you have to use more throttle to smooth out changes then there would be heavier fuel consumption.

Some press comments from Ford:

“The goal for PowerShift was delivering a fuel-efficient, smooth-shifting transmission that makes Fiesta fun to drive,”

"In normal driving it exhibits the behavior of a traditional automatic gearbox."

"Ford engineers also worked to improve low-speed responsiveness and smoothness in response to customer feedback.

"Ford’s latest automatic transmission advancements have reversed the decades-old scenario, using advanced technology to provide customers with exceptional efficiency and the convenience of an automatic transmission."

As for the fuel efficiency my comparison car is our Honda City auto which, with harder driving, still shows less fuel comsumption than the Fiesta despite being a torque converter box and the car being of similar power and weight. Ford may tout the Fiesta as fuel effecient but compared to which vehicles? My guess is that in a controlled head to head comparison many light cars with super efficient engines and conventional autos like the Honda will come out on top.

[In Focus]

Started new thread instead.

[will2011]

Does anyonehave an update on the Powershift gearbox?

My “WTFiesta CL” 2011 model is scheduled for its 15,000km service in a couple of weeks. On booking I have asked for them to pay attention to the gearbox. My wife has learning to drive and I can tell you that this gearbox is causing a multitude of problems. As she pulls away with a top speed of 40km the gearboxis constantly searching for the next gear and if she breaks it doesn’t want to let go of the gear and over revs the engine. With gradual acceleration the car changes up to3rd gear before is hits 22kms/h. that can’t be right? While practicing hills and bends the gearbox is totally confused.
I read on a US Ford forum that a service bulletin was released towards the end of 2011 for the Fiesta to address "drivability as slow speeds" problems in America. The WT was assembled inThailand from European parts built to Fords specs so what is happening to carsin the US can happen globally.
Has anyoneheard about this service bulletin?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by break

Sounds to me like you're driving the Powershift transmission like it's an auto. All the things you do on an auto do not apply to any automated manual box.

Sort of defeats the whole purpose of an "auto" car then doesn't it? The auto you buy when you don't want an auto gearbox.

Auto gearboxes are crap, including DSGs, give me a gear lever and a clutch any day, I'll do my own gears, because I know which gear I want to be in and when.

Plus I know from my WS Fiesta its pretty slick and nice to drive in manual, it has a better shift action and nice clutch than my Focus.

[4.0i OHC]

The day that manuals are no longer offered in Ford's range is the day that I stop buying Fords.

[barra240t]

Manufacturers put these boxes into cars because consumers want lower fuel consumption. (hence the same consumption as a manual in the auto for the Fiesta 6.1L/100km, it always used to be auto's using more fuel) This isn't an excuse but it seems it is the characteristics of a dual clutch box in most makes not just Ford.

[Fiestaman]

At my last service the dealer "reprogrammed the gearbox computer to better suit day to day driving" Couldn't notice any difference at all. I think the jerky part is inherent in the twin clutch design - mine is ok in traffic as long as there is no sudden acceleration then foot off in quick succession.
Obviously to promote fuel economy the gearbox changes to the 4th, 5th and 6th ratios as soon as possible which means if you need power quickly the box takes its time to shift down to the appropriate gear.
Also have inconsistent changes - some days box changes ok then next day it will hold onto gears on light throttle or round a corner???
I can see the benefits but needs refinement to match a torque converter box. As per everyone else the dealer has described this as "normal".

[wombat66]

I must be lucky. Mine doesn't have any of these issues.

[WUB913]

There should be DSG driver training coarses at eastern creek.......