Tag: warranties

2012 -2015 FORD Focus and Fiesta Transmission Problems

 

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

How do you identify a Lemon car or truck?

How do you identify a Lemon car or truck?

A vehicle breaking down and needs repaired often?
The same repair keeps coming back?
The A/C has a foul odor that keeps returning? 4 repair attempts for the same non safety issue?
The SRS or ABS Warning lights coming on 2 times and not fixed?
These are just a few of the things that get people wondering “Did I get a Lemon”.

First if you have purchased a new or used vehicle in Ca. and are having problems with it then you may be entitled to a full refund, a replacement vehicle or some compensation. The first thing you need to do is contact an attorney who specializes in Lemon Law.

He or She will ask you for a clear copy of all your past repair orders and purchase agreement or contract. So be ready to have a clear copy of all your paper work, make two copies because the Inspector will also need a clear copy to write your report with.

The attorney may ask you to have an independent contractor who specializes in vehicle inspection do an inspection, he will write a full report they can read. This will tell the attorney the current condition including Trouble Codes found and will show the past records as well as the Diminished Value you have lost.

Identifying a Lemon is done by professionals who have experience in all areas of a vehicle.

First an inspection is done to the vehicle and this is followed by a road test and on board computer test for trouble codes.

The inspector then takes all the information he has gathered during the on-site inspection and starts to write a report. The report will also include the past repair history of everything that has been done to repair the vehicle.

The report will also include research on several web sites that is with industry standards and that would include Government sites.

The report would also include the Diminished value of a vehicle meaning how much value has been lost based on the current blue book, past repairs and current repairs needed.

The report when finished with all research including the photos and or video taken during the inspection and road test will be sent to your attorney.

The attorney will read the report and make sure the information is correct and may even call the Technician for any clarification if need. The attorney will contact the other side’s attorney and submit that information to them, starting the negotiation for a settlement.

You may be asking to give a deposition and if that happens, you will need to be ready. Be sure to read all your papers and know them. When you speak to the attorneys be nice, there is no need to have animosity. The attorneys are there to help settle your case. Your attorney will be there if the asking attorney gets a little abusive.

Always be straight forward and honest, a lie will cost you the case. I have seen it happen, so be very honest no matter how bad it sounds be honest. The fact is the attorneys are looking to know all they can about the experiences you have had with the vehicle.

There are not that many Lemon cars and trucks but when you get one it is painful. The engine light coming on, the brakes make noise, the steering is clunking, the A/C has a very foul odor from its vents and the list can go on and on.  The time involved can be as much as two years. I have seen most cases settle within 11 months.  Trial will go from five days to three weeks. The just can be out one hour or less and or out for days. I had a case where the just was in deliberation for three days. That is nerve wrecking but when you got the right evidence you can win.  I had a video showing the problem and the customer complained about that same problem several times. The Technician kept saying he could not find anything wrong, a very common problem.

You may get an offer to settle after your deposition and if not they may want to depo’s your mechanic who did the written report on your vehicle. They will ask him what he did and to show the evidence he has. He will be ask to explain the inspection and how it is done, he will be ask to speak about the repair orders. After his deposition you may get an offer to settle and if not then your attorney will continue an attempt to work with the opposing side’s attorney and if an agreement cannot be reached you may go to trial.

If you go to trial always be clean, polity and look at the person speaking to you. Read over your deposition and read all your paper so you can have a clear memory of the problem you have had. Always be honest and do not get mad, it doesn’t look good and it doesn’t help you anyway.

I hope this helps you if you have gotten a lemon or know someone who has got a lemon. The lemon law applies to all new and used vehicle purchased from a car or truck dealer.

Tell a friend

My web site is lemonprotection.com