Ford Intentionally Hushed Up Powershift Transmission Issues in Focus, Fiesta Models for Years
The recent investigation on Powershift
transmission issues in Ford Fiesta and Focus models, conducted by Detroit Free
Press, revealed that the company was fully aware of issues with the gear
shifting unit even before both models hit the market. Thanks to the use of
internal documents, emails and court records, Free Press established numerous
facts that the automaker had been misinforming its customers about the real
state of affairs around the problematic Powershift (also known as DPS6)
solution.
Fiesta and Focus
models equipped with the Powershift transmission
Both models equipped with the flawed
transmission unit went on sale in 2010-11 when the US started recovering from the
financial crisis, thus these low-cost vehicles caused a huge demand among
customers, who had not a clue about the problems awaiting them. In many cases,
the euphoria of getting a new car very soon turned into great disappointment caused
by transmission issues, which manifested themselves in sudden speed-ups, sputtering,
and slipping into N gear at highway speed.
It is assumed that numerous issues with the
Powershift unit were due to the fact that the automaker made a decision to use
the DCT solution too late, and the fact that Ford hadn't try this transmission
on models offered at the US market before. The investigation materials say that
before the sale launch of both cars, Ford engineers warned the company’s
officials that the transmission had numerous shortcomings, but Ford management
insisted on the release and simply chose to provide needed fixes along the way.
The owner of 2014 Ford Focus shares his thoughts on transmission issues in his car
After the official launch, Ford was bombarded
with numerous complaints from the customer regarding the abovementioned
transmission issues. More than four thousand complaints were sent to NHTSA
regarding the transmission. For many years, the company tried to find an efficient
solution for the abovementioned issues, but to no avail – and complaints and
costs piled up. At some point, Ford even considered the possibility of replacing
the Powershift unit with another transmission, but abandoned the idea, because
it turned economically unviable. Eventually, Ford had to face numerous lawsuits
and issued a recall of 2012 Fiesta and Focus models.
In response to the scandal, Ford representative T.R. Reid acknowledged that the company had some issues with the Powershift unit when both models went on sale, but he emphasized the fact that the cars were safe to drive. Reid also pointed out that the company would love to deal with issues faster than it did. In regards to the published investigation, Reid described it as "extensive" but "incomplete". Reid also claimed that the paper gave Ford advance notice on Monday about the report, but gave the company a matter of several hours to provide a response. Reid has noted that the company works on a class action lawsuit settlement.
