2016 Ford Fiesta SE Ford allegedly pressed on with the development and manufacture of its six-speed PowerShift automatic despite internal complaints and a cavalcade of repair issues, according to a new investigative report from the Detroit Free Press.The newspaper mid-July published a lengthy feature on its exploration of transmission problems experienced by owners of Ford Fiesta and Focus small cars.According to the report, problems with the transmission also called the DPS6 reared their ugly heads in testing, well before finding their way into the hands of unsuspecting customers.The PowerShift is a dual-clutch transmission that utilizes parts resembling a manual gearbox but is operated by the driver like a traditional automatic. Lighter than their conventional slushbox counterparts, they were intended to reduce weight and provide fuel economy advantages.They certainly achieved those goals, but it was apparently at the expense of smooth and reliable operation. Using a dry-clutch system, unlike modern dual-clutch units which use a wet-clutch system that bath the clutches in oil, the transmission quickly became notable for jerky shifts and the propensity to slip out of gear, even at highway speeds. Internally, this was apparently called an Unintended Neutral.The Freep reports:“As years wore on, Ford would make the case in emails, internal documents and an affidavit that if the steering, turn signals and other power worked in the car, then the situation couldn’t be considered dangerous. In theory, people could turn on a blinker and steer to the side of the highway if the car slipped into neutral at 70 mph.”Yikes. As costs and complaints piled up, Ford kept trying to find a fix while creating talking points for the poor souls unlucky enough to be in customer-facing positions and bearing the brunt of their complaints.Ford told the Detroit Free Press in a statement that conversations during development about challenges common to innovative new technology were normal exchanges.After the new transmission was on the road, other problems developed. We acted quickly and determinedly to investigate the problems, said the statement.While we eventually resolved the quality issues, the solutions were more complex and took longer than we expected. We regret the inconvenience and frustration that caused some consumers. Heres the kicker apparently, none of this was a total surprise to those on the dev teams. Six months before the 2012 Focus began shipping to dealers, a product development engineer expressed We also cannot achieve a driveable calibration that will get us to production, he wrote in an email to colleagues. The clutch torque delivery MUST BE IMPROVED.When a veteran engineer uses all caps in an email, you know theyre serious.Yet the company pressed on, producing cars equipped with a transmission that has been the catalyst for class-action lawsuits and countless hours of repair work. For many owners, there is still no resolution. Head over to The Freep for its entire
Origin: Ford sold transmissions it knew were faulty, claims report