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- Ford Fiesta and Focus owners are voicing how frustrated they are about long wait times for transmission repairs, via a report in Detroit Free Press now (subscription required).
- Problems with Ford’s faulty PowerShift gearboxes, found in its 2011-2016 small cars, began a decade ago and led to a 2020 fix of more than $30 million.
- Ford told the Free Press service and repair the delays were due to a lack of transmission control modules, but this problem was preceded by supply-chain issues, which expressed the belief of some customers that the company was indifferent.
Ford’s infamous PowerShift transmission problem continues to plague the automaker. As the Detroit Free Press reported this week, many current owners of 2011–2016 Fiesta and 2012–2016 Focus models who are still experiencing problems are furious. Their frustration at delays in getting repairs for their vehicles is understandable, as many have told them Free Press they waited months to get their gearboxes fixed.
Highlighting more than two dozen experiences, the newspaper cited months-long wait times and said Ford was ignoring customers seeking updates on the status of their repairs. In 2019, the paper also reported claims that some Ford dealerships were refusing to fix their defective transmissions.
A Decade-Old Debacle
Ford’s defective PowerShift dual-clutch automatic transmissions were recognized almost as soon as they went into production in 2011, with the first lawsuit filed against the company just a year later in 2012. The transmissions are prone to rough that change and require frequent repairs, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has never reported evidence that they pose a safety hazard.
In 2019, an investigative piece by Detroit Free Press revealed that Ford knew about the problems with the PowerShift transmissions during development and decided to go ahead with production anyway. The rest is history, including the company extending the powertrain warranty on affected models from five years or 60,000 miles to seven years or 100,000 miles. Ford also eventually agreed to a settlement in 2020 that required it to buy back the defective Fiesta and Focus models as well as pay at least $30 million in cash.
Ford Says: Call Our Help Line
While it stands to reason that supply issues have played a part in the long wait times Fiesta and Focus owners are currently facing, as the Free Press pointed out, the problems with Ford’s PowerShift transmissions were preceded by a shortage of semiconductors. Combine that with the owners’ personal stories of hardship, and it’s no wonder that customers who receive poor service may begin to believe that the company doesn’t care.
The current situation, Ford says, is due to a lack of transmission control modules required for repairs. Speaking to Free Press, Ford spokesman Said Deep said the company is aware of the delays and is “desperately trying” to get the modules. He also encouraged people who need help while their vehicle is in service to call Ford’s customer support line at 800–392–3673. Car and Driver Deep has been contacted for further comment on this story, but we have not yet received a response.
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