Ford gets the PowerShift dual clutch transmission right, but is it too late?

[Biker16]

 

 

I want to disagree, but I found another instance of fitment issues on my Focus yesterday that I never noticed before. The passenger side front door is badly misaligned. It sticks out about 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch at the bottom farther than the rear door behind it. I never noticed it until now (when there was some road salt on the paint and made the gap really stick out). I googled it and a bunch of posts from Focus forums said this was pretty common unfortunately. That and some very disappointing interior fitment issues makes me wonder if rattling is going to start sooner rather than later. The hatch is off-centered too.

 

Granted, the car has been drama free and rides solid. So, I cannot complain about the quality of the parts...just how some of them were put together.

 

I don't want to complain...as this is my first Ford in a while and I do love the car despite the quality issues it has. As long as it doesn't break down on me, I can live with most of them. BUT, it was stuff like this that drove me away from Ford back 10-15 years ago.

 

What was worse about being a Ford fan is how some People will make it seem like fit and Finish problems on the Focus and other products are OK. because the Company is making money.

 

My car had misaligned hatch, repaired twice by the dealer, and a rattle in the dash and headliner that the Dealer could not fix.

 

The power-shift was an poor implementation of the the technology. The tech itself works it was poorly implemented, by Ford. The next DCT will resolve 97% of the issues of the current DCT.

[AlRozzi]

How bad is it? I bought my 12 & 13 with manual. Never driven one with automatic. Besides, isn't it fixed now?

 

The small car market is depressed along with fuel prices so I think the new Cruze comes at a bad time.

[coupe3w]

My 2012 has the passenger side front door alignment issue also. The dash rattle I fixed myself with a small piece of rubber. My transmission is a manual,, but the clutch has chatter on takeoff in first gear, 72K miles on it.

[Anthony]

My 2012 has the passenger side front door alignment issue also.

 

 

Down at the bottom? I guess this may be an inherent feature on the cars.

[coupe3w]

Yes at the bottom. Funny mine is a 2012 and yours is a 2014 and they still don't have it fixed. I though the had to use a gauge to measure them (go, no-go). Maybe the inspector is a tall dude / dudet and can't bend down that far. LOL

Edited January 14, 2016 by coupe3w

[aneekr]

 

The power-shift was an poor implementation of the the technology. The tech itself works it was poorly implemented, by Ford. The next DCT will resolve 97% of the issues of the current DCT.

 

Yes indeed! To cite one example of DCT technology implemented properly, the 7-speed unit developed in-house by Hyundai/Kia recently seems to be first rate. Car and Driver said that the tranny "credibly mimics the smoothness of a torque-converter automatic at low speeds and delivers well-timed shifts under acceleration" in the 2016 Kia Optima LX Turbo.

Edited January 15, 2016 by aneekr

[Michael Reynolds]

I loved everything about my 12 Focus, except for the Powershift transmission. It ruined a perfectly good car. The fit/finish, handling and feature content rivaled some of these so called premium brands.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Michael Reynolds

[Pioneer]

I loved everything about my 11 Focus, except for the Powershift transmission. It ruined a perfectly good car. The fit/finish, handling and feature content rivaled some of these so called premium brands.

2011 didn't have the Powershift. It had a conventional hydraulic automatic or manual.

 

2012 was the redesign.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Pioneer

[jpd80]

Ford has no choice but to continue with Powershift for the rest of this product cycle, they won't change this late.

 

Hopefully, the upgrades will allow new car buyers to enjoy their vehicles and trade them after three or four years

without experiencing much of the early problems. If Ford can do that and keep the fit and finish quality acceptable,

then getting through to the next product cycle should be far less painful than the last four years.

Edited January 15, 2016 by jpd80

[coupe3w]

Ford has no choice but to continue with Powershift for the rest of this product cycle, they won't change this late.

 

Hopefully, the upgrades will allow new car buyers to enjoy their vehicles and trade them after three or four years

without experiencing much of the early problems. If Ford can do that and keep the fit and finish quality acceptable,

then getting through to the next product cycle should be far less painful than the last four years.

Unfortunately the damage has already been done. This DCT has left a bad taste in the mouths of the consumer. It's really to bad the Focus is a real nice car and Ford took to long to get the transmission right. Most people that are not loyal Ford consumers will not buy another Ford (at least not a Focus) they will shop at Kia and Hyundai instead at this price point.

[jpd80]

Yes there will be those people who swear off Ford for life but there will also be those that also come in and give them a chance.

It's not like Ford has a static number of buyers who return sale after sale, and Ford does not have the market cornered on

bad product decision that drive buyers away for one reason or another.

 

How often have you heard the phrase that no one will ever buy these products again,

yet come the next product cycle, all is forgiven and buyers are back.

 

The market is more forgiving than we can ever imagine, build quality products and buyers return..

 

(This time last year FNA had something like 57,000 clutches on back order, it's nothing like that now..)

Edited January 16, 2016 by jpd80

[AlRozzi]

Brand loyalty and company loyalty were reported friday in auto news and Ford brand still has the highest loyalty at 60% (thanks in large part to F-150).

 

I want to mention that I saw a new, 2016, Cruze sitting in a parking lot today. I suspect it was an early production model.

 

I was sitting at a stop light and I noticed the Cruze sedan sitting there with no other cars around it.

 

At first I thought it was a Corolla but then it seemed a bit different so I focused on it more closely. I finally noticed a Chevy emblem on the front and it confused me because I thought it odd that a Toyota would have a gold emblem.

 

When I realized it was the new Cruze I told my wife to look at it. She said the front end styling is "very ugly."

 

I think the styling is uninspiring and confusing. There is a lot going on and it looks Asian. There is Corolla and Elantra to it and nothing else about it. Big step backward for Cruze.

 

All in all, I feel the current Focus is much better looking than the new Cruze. I do like the 2015 update to the Focus. When it first came out I wasn't sure if I thought it was an improvement but now I feel it is vastly improved.

[ANTAUS]

Only thing I've been interested in relation to GM is the massive diets their new vehicles are having. I believe the new Cruze lost about 300lbs it's being reported.. Same with Malibu and such.

 

Again, Ford for years harped "We are cutting weight", yet GM implements it faster, or at least takes it and runs.

[jpd80]

Unfortunately the damage has already been done. This DCT has left a bad taste in the mouths of the consumer. It's really to bad the Focus is a real nice car and Ford took to long to get the transmission right. Most people that are not loyal Ford consumers will not buy another Ford (at least not a Focus) they will shop at Kia and Hyundai instead at this price point.

I remember a previous post of yours where someone you knew (work colleague?) purchased a Focus and has probalems with the Powershift. About that same time a friend came to me asking about Focus for his daughter, I couldn't in good conscience recommend that car to him, instead pointing him to a Mazda 3 with a nice little auto trans - the car has been fuss free and zero issues but sadly others I know have had no end to the problem with powershift, much to the point that Ford Australia has since extended warranty to five years, so I'm betting most will trade in for a 1.5 EB Focus before then and leave PS problem with Ford and 2nd hand buyers...

 

If Ford NA is offering similar warranty extension, that may be a point of consideration, especially now that the oil seal issue seems to be a thing of the past, clutch dust build up and module failures may still plague those cars later in life but hopefully, the frequency of problems becomes far less or much later in life as in beyond four years...

Edited January 18, 2016 by jpd80

[jpd80]

Only thing I've been interested in relation to GM is the massive diets their new vehicles are having. I believe the new Cruze lost about 300lbs it's being reported.. Same with Malibu and such.

 

Again, Ford for years harped "We are cutting weight", yet GM implements it faster, or at least takes it and runs.

Yet no one mentions the shorter life cycle of the former Cruze or Malibu that never really sparked in the market.

The best GM could do is copy Ford's longer wheelbase in fusion and its downsize and turbo strategy for similar

or slightly better economy with an 8AT.

 

And yeah, Ford chose to prioritize light weighting its money earning trucks ahead of lighter cars, that's a purely

commercial decision based on the fact that higher fuel economy in cars is more of a CAFE compliance tool

than an immediate demand of actual buyers. If compacts can get ~ 38-40 mpg then most buyers are happy.

 

Last year Ford sold close to 1 million Focus world wide across all C1 variations, I think that speaks of the good

will towards those vehicles, Ford has time to ready the new/upgraded platform in 2018.

[StangBang]

Maybe not, but it could be the reason people never buy a Ford again.

I personally know two people who have been burned by those Focuses! They got rid of those cars quickly!

[jpd80]

I personally know two people who have been burned by those Focuses! They got rid of those cars quickly!

It's such a shame, had Ford simply used a 6f in there until the Powershift was ready, things would have been a lot different.

 

Oil leaks onto clutch linings, a build up of clutch debris that can't be released and a control module exposed to heat.

Three things that should have been quickly picked up in extended field evaluation long before the cars were released.

Did Ford look past some possible shortcoming with eyes transfixed on the fuel economy goal of an affordable 40 mpg?

..

Edited January 18, 2016 by jpd80

[30 OTT 6]

It's such a shame, had Ford simply used a 6f in there until the Powershift was ready, things would have been a lot different.

 

Oil leaks onto clutch linings, a build up of clutch debris that can't be released and a control module exposed to heat.

Three things that should have been quickly picked up in extended field evaluation long before the cars were released.

Did Ford look past some possible shortcoming with eyes transfixed on the fuel economy goal of an affordable 40 mpg?

..

I'm sure goals were reached and bonuses were paid in Dearborn

[Biker16]

Only thing I've been interested in relation to GM is the massive diets their new vehicles are having. I believe the new Cruze lost about 300lbs it's being reported.. Same with Malibu and such.

 

Again, Ford for years harped "We are cutting weight", yet GM implements it faster, or at least takes it and runs.

 

I agree

[Fgts]

Yet no one mentions the shorter life cycle of the former Cruze or Malibu that never really sparked in the market.

The 13-15' Malibu maybe (let's not forget it's platform mates) but 08-15 Cruze was a best-selling world-wide car that been on sale since 08'and out-sold Focus in the US only to be beaten by Civic and Corolla.

The best GM could do is copy Ford's longer wheelbase in fusion and its downsize and turbo strategy for similar

or slightly better economy with an 8AT.

 

I don't know about copying Ford since 13' Malibu was on sale with turbo/4 cly only a full year before current Fusion debut, the complaints about the small backseat and remedy with the current car was on the drawing board when current Fusion debut.

Ford chose to prioritize light weighting its money earning trucks ahead of lighter cars, that's a purely

commercial decision based on the fact that higher fuel economy in cars is more of a CAFE compliance tool

than an immediate demand of actual buyers. If compacts can get ~ 38-40 mpg then most buyers are happy.

That's good that Ford did do that but GM was still behind the curve with it's volume cars and that had to get taken care of after GM got the money-earning trucks on the streets.

[papilgee4evaeva]

Only thing I've been interested in relation to GM is the massive diets their new vehicles are having. I believe the new Cruze lost about 300lbs it's being reported.. Same with Malibu and such.

 

Again, Ford for years harped "We are cutting weight", yet GM implements it faster, or at least takes it and runs.

 

Prior to the '16 redesign, the heaviest Focus was maybe only 30 lbs heavier than the lightest Cruze. I'm not as impressed with that accomplishment.

 

Malibu, I can at least golf clap to that one.

[Michael Reynolds]

2011 didn't have the Powershift. It had a conventional hydraulic automatic or manual.

 

2012 was the redesign.

 

My bad....I mistyped 11 vs. 12

[jpd80]

The 13-15' Malibu maybe (let's not forget it's platform mates) but 08-15 Cruze was a best-selling world-wide car that been on sale since 08'and out-sold Focus in the US only to be beaten by Civic and Corolla.

Global Cruze sales still pale in comparison to global Focus sales.

 

I don't know about copying Ford since 13' Malibu was on sale with turbo/4 cly only a full year before current Fusion debut, the complaints about the small backseat and remedy with the current car was on the drawing board when current Fusion debut.

Gm wouldn't have been game to uit a 1.5 DI turbo in a Malibu before Ford did it ion fusion, that's the point

and the only way GM could straighten out the lack or rear leg room was to lengthen Malibu's wheelbase,

similar to what Ford did four years ago by going from CD3 to CD4 Fusion.

 

That's good that Ford did do that but GM was still behind the curve with it's volume cars and that had to get taken care of after GM got the money-earning trucks on the streets.

It's about priority and protecting your primary income earners, the role of cars in that respect is much less these days

[Fgts]

Global Cruze sales still pale in comparison to global Focus sales.

 

With Focus 11 year head start I'd hope so, still the Cruze by itself sold 3 million cars by late 14'.

 

Gm wouldn't have been game to uit a 1.5 DI turbo in a Malibu before Ford did it ion fusion, that's the point

and the only way GM could straighten out the lack or rear leg room was to lengthen Malibu's wheelbase,

similar to what Ford did four years ago by going from CD3 to CD4 Fusion.

 

And again it still had nothing to do with copying Ford it was already stated that long ago the Malibu was getting longer for space issues, where's the awd Malibu if that's copying?, Cruze no-longer have n/a motors, who they copy?, did the Koreans and VW copy Ford also since they did the same thing before the 13' Fusion debut?.

 

It's about priority and protecting your primary income earners, the role of cars in that respect is much less these days

Wow, so focus on trucks and totally forgetting cars is "copying" out the 90's- early 00's Detroit playbook of how to not prepare for market shifts. GM spent/ spending billions on the K2's alone, what more do you want?. Edited January 19, 2016 by Fgts

[jpd80]

Wow, so focus on trucks and totally forgetting cars ........

What part of prioritize do you not understand....