Monthly Archives: August 2015

2012 -2015 FORD Focus and Fiesta Transmission Problems

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Does your new Ford Focus jerk, shutter, bump and grind from a stop or when up-shifting?

 

Have you been told by the service department;

 

  • Can’t Duplicate the Concerns
  • No Problem Found
  • You’re not putting it into gear fully
  • We had to re-program the ECM and you will be OK
  • We had to replace the clutch but it is under a Good Will repair

   After you left the shop everything seem to be OK, several days go by and you notice a slight jerking. You call the dealership and you are told;

 

  • We will have to re-program the ECM with a newer version so come back in
  • During the service re-program you are told you need to service the transmission, you agree

You pay for the service and leave thinking alright finally they got it and all seem to be well. A few months go by and you notice the transmission seem to be slipping, at times the engine RPM will race up then drop down and it feel like you’re not moving faster when you accelerate or move slowly.

You call the dealership and tell the service person what’s going on and he tells you to come in as soon as you can. You go to the dealership and after two hours you are told the transmission will have to be replaced because something broke and it will be under warranty.

You feel a sigh of relief thinking now with a new transmission I can move on and forget I ever have to see the shop again. You get your car back and several weeks pass and nothing has happened and you decide to take a long trip using the old highway so to see a lot of small towns.

You are driving several hours in stop and go traffic and you have an overnight stay in a small town. The next morning you get up to continue on your happy drive and as you are pulling out of the Motel lot the car starts to jerk and grind and you say what is going on and feel like your heart dropped out of your chest. You call the dealership and they tell you to bring it in as soon as you can but you’re 75 miles away from them.

They say no worries it will just jerk when you’re pulling away or up shifting so be easy on the gas and you will make it. You start out to the dealership and all seem to be well until you come to the next small town. Just your luck at the last stop out-of-town the transmission starts to slip and grind and then it stops moving, you’re 55 miles away from the dealership and you have to call a tow truck. When you get to the dealership you told some fluid leaked out and you must have hit something in the road. You explode and say I had no problems and there were no fluid leaks when I left this morning. and then the next morning it broke, you told me to drive it to you. Finally the service persons come back and say’s OK we will replace the transmission under a Good Will repairs this time but you must pay for the fluids, not wanting to you agree.

What is a FORD Transmission DPS6 what does it mean and how does it work.

DPS6 means:

D —Dry Dual Clutch

P — Power Shift

6 — 6-speed transmission

S — Synchronized

The transmission is two transmissions in one transmission case using several gears and actuator motors for smother shifting characteristics and reliability. This has not proven to be the case with this transmission, it is not very reliable and there are constant complaints of Jerking, Shuttering on pull always, slipping and grinding.

From understanding this transmission it is my opinion the problems lie in the clutch and pressure system. I have repaired many vehicles over the years and from what I am seeing the clutch system is where the problem is. The one thing that makes me think this is the point of the problem is based on the heat and problem that start after the car is hot.

The transmission works off a double clutch system. The front clutch operates the 1st, 3rd, 5th gears and the rear clutch operates the 2nd, 4th, 6th and R gears. The clutch works off the same drive disk which operate like a brake rotor it gets heat from both sides. Heat causes warpage and in turn warps, warpage will cause vibration and slippage on a clutch. Hopeful FORD will see this and fix the problem.

Is there a current repair for this transmission? Not Yet but it is my understanding FORD is working on a repair fix as we speak, maybe they will see my suggestion.

What can you do if you own one of the FORD Focus or Fiesta or have any make of vehicle with a transmission problem?

You can call a good attorney to help you get a refund, replacement vehicle or your money back which should include your down payment as well and attorney fees paid by the other side when he settles.

The California Law provided for this kind of service and you pay no up-front fees, the fee is paid after you settle. Pass it on if you like it, any question please ask.

On the front page of this web site at the bottom, several Lemon law and Personal Injury attorneys I have worked with over the last 14 years, I have had over 5,000 customers use one of these law firms and I trust each one of them.

Thank you and GOD bless you.

Jackie Winters

Did your Attorney tell you about DIMINISHED VALUE?

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What would you do if you found someone owed you thousands of dollars would you ask for it?

Was the Diminished Value included when you signed the release of Liability?

I think the answer to the first question is “Yes” and the second is “NO” and are the same answer as everyone else has. You can make a change.

These questions are related to cars and trucks that have been in an accident, repaired and then returned to the customer with the loss of unseen value.

As a legal expert witness for Lemon Law, Fraud and Appraisals I can speak in full truth about the money I am speaking about and that is the loss of value you get when your car or truck has been in an accident, repaired and then returned to you with nothing said about the loss of value owed to you.

The vehicle is towed to a shop and then repaired according to what the Insurance wants to pay. If it is cheaper to Total Out your vehicle then it is Totaled Out whether you like it or not. Some high-end vehicle will pass the Maximum Allowable Damage and get repaired so that amount will pass. They do this with the body shops getting Estimates of repairs, the estimate of repairs will show what work need to be done.

This is supposed to be followed up by a secondary estimate of repairs and should never have a third or fourth estimate of repairs but some do. This third and or fourth estimate of repairs will make the loss of value over the Maximum Allowable Damage amount to be exceeded but because all the work has already been started, the repairs are approved and you lose even more.

This is made possible by the Insurance appraiser and the body shop. After the repairs have been approved the vehicle is repaired then returned to the owner.

By the way you will not see any estimate of repairs until the job is done and you get the vehicle back. You will have to ask for a copy of those and be sure to ask for a copy of all estimates of repairs made, it is your right to have a copy.

When your vehicle is returned to you and although it may look like it did before, beware there are unseen damages you may not be able to see. These unseen damages may not show you for some time down the road, you don’t want problems to sneak up on you.

First if the vehicle was in a major accident where it sustained Frame or heavy body damages such as the roof, A/B/or C pillars or the rocker panels have damages and had to be straightening or replaced, watch out. This means the body and frame alignment will be off because it is bent, twisted, crushed, ripped or torn. With this kind of damages it is most likely the tires will by your first sign showing abnormal wear within the first year and wear sooner as the years pass by. If it is body pillars or the roof, water leaks and wind noise is most likely with possible shorts in wiring that was not seen during a repair or replacement part.

The vehicle can never be put back to original position as it was when it left the factory and this is where the loss starts.

Where is the loss of value?

When you go to trade or sell the vehicle. A Car Fax or Car Check company will have a copy of the police report showing the vehicle was in an accident, Dealerships will not take a vehicle in trade when Car Fax or car Check is showing an accident. If you sell it on a private sell and the buyer knows it was in an accident he will want to pay up to 50% less than Blue Book Values.

If you sell a vehicle that was in an accident and you did not disclose that accident damages to the buyer. You have broken the law and you can be made pay everything back for the vehicle and possible more if he or she contacts an attorney.

What Can a Person Do to Get That MONEY?

Make sure if your vehicle is getting repaired, inform your attorney you want Diminished Value separate from your Personal Injury Claim so he will know to be asking for it separate from the personal injury claim.

  • Make sure he knows how to get that Money for you and tell him you have a company that is willing to work with him or her and is able to give Expert Witness testimonial to the loss of value with a strong foundation.

You will need a Diminished Value report and at Lemon Protection I writes those kinds of reports, they have been approved by several courts, I also work with several law firms that will pursue Diminished Value for you.

Go to my web site front page and at the bottom and side, there I have listed the names of several of California’s best attorneys for Personal Injury and Lemon Law. They will answer your questions free.

If this information has helped you, please pass it on and tell a friend.

Thank you and GOD bless you,

Jackie Winters

Lemon Protection