Ford Owners Speak Up About Faulty Focus And Fiesta Transmissions

A host of Ford Focus and Fiesta owners have reached out to The Detroit Free Press shortly after it emerged that Ford knowingly launched and sold these models with defective dual-clutch transmissions.

Mark DaGraca, who used to own a 2016 Ford Focus, purchased the car after he was offered a 1.9 per cent interest rate from a dealership in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His Focus required no less than five clutch changes during his ownership, and in one instance where the transmission refused to work, he had to drive a few blocks home in reverse because the car wouldn’t shift into drive.

DaGraca repeatedly tried to have Ford take the defective car back but they refused. Instead, the only alternative he was offered was to trade in the car for a new Escape – which is what he did. He now has a $30,873 car loan that includes a balance of $11,500 from the Focus he traded in.

“Trust me, I didn’t want to do it but the car was not safe and the dealership told me ‘They are instructed to not take any more Focuses to work on.’ I was told to drive the car even though it was an unsafe car and that the part was on national back order,” DaGraca said.

Shocking: Did Ford Knowingly Launch Focus And Fiesta With Defective PowerShift Transmissions?

60-year-old Darlene Burns has experienced similar issues with her 2015 Ford Focus. As recently as December 19, the dealership that she purchased the car from encouraged her to trade in the vehicle as opposed to fixing the problem.

“I’ve had problems since I’ve owned this car. Safety concerns more than anything,” Burns said. “Merging onto I-65 or changing lanes and the car just doesn’t move. Gears don’t engage though it revs the RPMs. When you hit the gas, the car should move. It’s awful frightening. Now my gear clutch assembly has to go in for a second time.”

Just two weeks ago, The Detroit Free Press revealed that numerous Ford employees were aware of issues with Ford’s PowerShift transmission and tried to speak out about it during the development of the Focus and Fiesta, but the car manufacturer went ahead with the launches of both models anyway.

Despite been hit with a class-action lawsuit, the Blue Oval hasn’t issued a recall. Nevertheless, a judge awarded a couple $23,000 over the faulty transmission of their 2014 Focus, which might have set a precedent.