Just out of warranty Ford Focus 2012 transmission problem

MadMaxBargainRoad on 09/09/2014 - 16:53

Hi all,

First of all, I am completely noob about cars and I will try to make the story short.

My mom bought a 2nd hand Ford Focus Titanium (2012) and she has been complaining about the car shuddering in gear shift. We brought the car back to dealer within warranty period but they said there's no problem and showed us the door basically. After that, she bought another car and basically leave the Ford for my wife and I to use. I have been driving the car for 6 months now and the shuddering is getting worse everyday. I finally put in some effort to google around and I found out that there are quite a bit people out there having the same issue (See this whirlpool thread - http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2038685). I also found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxcRiZTbNe8.

However, the 2 year warranty is expired and I guess if I bring the car back to the dealer they are going to charge whatever they want for it. In the Whirlpool thread some mentioned they got a letter from Ford which acknowledges the problem and extends their transmission warranty to 5 years/160,000km. Maybe that's a way out?

It would be great if you guys can shed some light.

Thanks a lot.

Automotive

Comments

  • isthisreally_me on 09/09/2014 - 17:24
    +1

    Is yours powershift, which may have problems, as Ford haven't acknowledged any from what I read quickly.
    Also you need someone to confirm that it is a problem with the powershift transmission, like a mechanic.
    Then you may have a case for Ford to extend warranty and fix it.

  • Shadowsfury on 09/09/2014 - 17:28
    +2

    I thought all new cars at a minimum come with 3 years warranty, not 2? First I'm hearing of 2 years.

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 09/09/2014 - 17:31

      Im not 100% sure but it's dealer model according to the receipt from the first owner.

      • Cheeper on 09/09/2014 - 23:02
        +1

        Ford warranty goes with the car when resold no matter how many times.

  • gbak17 on 09/09/2014 - 17:36
    +2

    It is a known problem by Ford. Don't let them fob you off.

  • StewBalls on 09/09/2014 - 18:27

    Ford have acknowledged this issue & have extended the powertrain warranty for all affected models to 5 years…just contact Ford, they shouldn't dick you around with it.

  • me786 on 09/09/2014 - 18:31

    Call Ford Customer Service. Then go from there..
    http://www.fordforums.com.au/

  • chloden on 09/09/2014 - 18:39
    +1

    If it's a 2012 model it is still under warranty

  • Ether on 09/09/2014 - 19:02
    +3

    Yes they have. I got my letter today saying the warranty for the transmission has been extended.

    Mine's a newer model and I already have my transmission replaced once during the first year service. Mine's not shuddering, but the idea is that if you don't know anything about cars, and even YOU can hear something, then its got to be wrong.

    You should be able to take it back to a dealer asking for a warranty extension and they should do the paperwork for you.

  • lisss on 09/09/2014 - 21:08

    Bad luck buying a Ford, I'm sorry :( My sister has been having ongoing gear shuddering problems with her (bought new, and in warranty) Ford Fiesta. There is plenty of info on people having these problems with both the Fiesta and Focus, not just in Australia but worldwide. Basically Ford can be very unhelpful about the problem and the only fix they can really offer is a complete gearbox change, which may or may not be effective - my sister has had 2 so far (under warranty), and these are VERY costly so she's concerned about what might happen once the car is out of its warranty.

    It's a known issue (although some dealers will probably deny this, as ours did). If my sister's experience is anything to go by, Ford will do everything possible to avoid helping - saying 'there is no problem', that it's 'supposed to do that' and 'it's just the type of gearbox'. Basically they SHOULD test the amount of shuddering and if it's above an acceptable level, they will need to replace the gearbox.

  • Nutrino on 09/09/2014 - 21:48

    Where does the Acl come into play here?. Eg warranty should be a reasonable time frame outside the stated warranty period.

    • Cheeper on 09/09/2014 - 23:03

      Its not outside warranty.. yet.

  • MadMaxBargainRoad on 10/09/2014 - 10:14

    Thanks heaps everyone! I got a lot of useful information from all the replies. I will confirm my warranty status first then give Ford Customer Service a call.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/09/2014 - 17:15

    Two things for future reference Maxhu.

    (1) Just because something is out of a manufacturer's warranty (not the case for you it seems) doesn't mean it's out of warranty full stop. Read up on statutory warranty.

    (2) If you previously reported the issue and no remedy was provided then you have a good basis for pursuing them anyway. Don't let them fob you off, always ask to speak to the manager - in person preferably. Be courteous, but firm in your resolve. Takes effort and persistence in some cases but you'll usually get a result.

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 15/09/2014 - 14:19

      Thanks for the advice Possumbly esp p2 =)

      • [Deactivated] on 15/09/2014 - 20:27

        No probs. Had a similar thing happen (clutch shudder in my case) years ago with Holden. Fortunately as soon as I mentioned the fact that I'd previously reported the problem they checked and said all good we'll fix it under warranty (expired). Mind you I had to take it back twice more because they apparently put a seal in backwards.

  • rigby75 on 06/10/2014 - 08:14
    +1

    All fords have a 3 year 100000km warranty some times they have been extended to 5years during some sales. The warranty start date will be from the day it was first registered not the build date, they normally keep this information on a national data base.
    In saying this I trouble with a ford 10 years ago and the dealer didn't want to help at all in the end I traded it on a another car and would never recommend ford to anyone.

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