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Ford Focus Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • rpc81053rpc81053 Member Posts: 2
    I test drove the automatic-equipped Focus and Fiesta at this week's San Diego Auto Show. I was expecting to experience the various transmission maladies that have been widely report. Both cars drove perfectly, with absolutely no noticeable tranny glitches. Hmmm. . .
  • kingnick213kingnick213 Member Posts: 12
    Well of course not, the ones you drove are brand new. It's not until you sign the paper work and drive 5 miles down the road that the transmission falls out. No but seriously the MTX-75 tranny is not that bad it just has issues with the solenoids wearing out around every 30 to 50 thousand miles, if you can replace them yourself is only about $140 which is not bad for maintenance costs, if you can't do it yourself, your looking at around $500.
  • dno36dno36 Member Posts: 71
    Are you serious....you drove brand new selected cars at the Auto Show.....Seriously...How long have you worked for FordMoCo??
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    I HAD JUST PURCHASED A NEW 2012 FORD FOCUS TITANIUM. I WILL STATE THAT THE DESIGN INSIDE AND OUT IS REALLY NICE AND ENJOY TREMENDOUSLY. THE SYNC SYSTEM IS VERY NICE BUT A BIT QUIRKY AT TIMES. THE SYSTEM DOES FREEZE UP EVERY NOW AND THEN WHICH IS VERY FRUSTRATING BUT, AS WITH ANY COMPUTER THIS DOES HAPPEN. WITH TAT SAID THERE IS NO MASTER RESET SO YOU JUST DRIVE UNTIL IT RE SETS ON IT'S OWN. THE RIDE IS VERY NICE AND WITH UPGRADED SUSPENSION HANDLING IS CRISP AND TIGHT ALSO 18 INCH RIMS. I WILL GET TO THE EXTREMELY BAD PROBLEMS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. NOW I WILL SAY I HAVE ONLY 500 MILES ON THIS CAR. THE GAS MILEAGE IS QUOTED AS ABOUT 34-40 MPG. THEY MUST HAVE ACHIEVED THIS BY DRIVING DOWNHILL FOR 500 MILES. I AM SURE THERE WILL BE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AS TO ADDRESS THIS POINT. MY BIGGEST PROBLEM IS WITH THE DUAL-CLUTCH TRANSMISSION. WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP THIS IS. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PICKUP OFF THE LINE. WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PETAL YOU GET A SHUTTER FOLLOWED BY A GRINDING NOISE THAT MAKE YOU VERY NERVOUS. THIS COULD PRESENT A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IF YOU ARE PUT IN A POSITION THAT REQUIRES A FAST START OR QUICK JUMP-YOU WILL BE IN TROUBLE. JUST TO SAY I SAID IT FIRST THERE WILL BE A LAW SUITS JUST AS WE SAW WITH THE HONDA. NO ACCELERATION IS JUST AS BAD AS TOO MUCH ACCELERATION. JUST FEEL TAKEN AND WENT AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGMENT. IF ANY FORD CORPORATE PEOPLE ARE READING THIS PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CAR. I LOVE THE COLOR AND STYLE AND IT DRIVE GREAT AFTER 15 MPH. PLEASE HELP ME THE DEALER IS SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS.
  • puffin1puffin1 Member Posts: 276
    What a great car. I'd try ,then compare to Focus.
    Puffin
  • 2fast4ubabeee2fast4ubabeee Member Posts: 1
    I know this was quite a while ago but I was just wondering if you ever got this fixed. I have replaced solenoid A and C. The car ran fine for a day or two then the same thing. Hits third and then just revs up but wont move. When I turn the overdrive off though it shifts just fine. Tested the solenoid C that was removed and it was blown.. So now I will take it apart again and see if the new C is also blown. If so then where do I look for the problem?? Thanks
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    i hate to burst your bubble here but recently i test drove a 2012 ford focus SE with the convienence package that included cruise control and MFT as well as the sync system. this car according to the door still plates was recently built on 11/28/11..the salesman assured me before the test drive that all the bugs have been worked out with the dual-clutch tranny issues and have been re-programmed.with this in mind i took the focus out for a test drive and couldn't believe what i was feeling right off the bat...jerking,grinding,pulling,..infact,i almost got rear-ended pulling out of the dealership because of the lack of low end power due to the tranny.needeless to say,the salesman felt embarreseed after he had just told me that the issues with the tranny have been fixed.i returned the focus to the dealer and this test drive for me was over and i have made a vow to never again either test drive or even consider another ford product.
  • numenanumena Member Posts: 3
    Last night my OD light started flashing orange so i went to AutoZone, they tested my Focus and it came back saying: Solenoid A stuck closed. Is this the same problem that everyone else has been mentioning, or is this something diferent all together. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance
  • tony1956tony1956 Member Posts: 1
    Hi i have a 04 focus and have hit a problem with my transmission. When putting the car into drive
    the car pulls away ok but then the car over revs at the top of first gear` seems to loose drive then suddenly shoots into the remainder of the gears and then drives without a problem until you again slow down into the lower range or come to a stop can anyone outhere help me please :confuse: d the problem returns.
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    I hate to burst Steven39's bubble, but Thunderbird is absolutely right. I just bought an 2012 SEL yesterday and the transmission works fine. Worked fine during the test drive, but just to be sure I asked them before taking delivery to ensure that all software updates have been made. They said after checking into it they realized one was just issued with TSB 12 1 04 so they made that update. They apparently then drove it for a while so the transmission re-learned or whatever because the car had 34 miles on it when I took delivery. But it drove great on the 50 mile drive home. The best part of this transmission (besides the claimed 5-10% increase in efficiency, or decrease in losses, however you want to look at it) is that power delivery is uninterrupted during acceleration. Even with a true automatic you get some interruption, but this one's is imperceptable. Granted, I just got it so I'll post an update in a couple weeks but so far the car drives and looks great!
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    Sorry I should've said Tim156 is absolutely right.
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    I've read that with the dual clutch transmission the clutches are supposed to disengage when you hit the brakes and coast. I've had mine for about a week now and I haven't noticed the engine RPM drop immediately after I hit the brakes and coast. RPM reduces gradually as if the clutches are still engaged. My car was built in 12/11 and has the latest software update (01/12) and I wonder if Ford eliminated this feature to help fix the low speed clunking and hunting problems in early builds. My only concern being that while they improved the smoothness of the transmission they may have hurt fuel economy. Anyone have any knowledge on this?
  • markus5markus5 Member Posts: 102
    I do not have any Knowledge specific to the design parameters of Fords new Tranny. However I do not believe that in just touching the brake ever so slightly that the engine would become diengaged ( auto matic neutral ) from the wheels. I cannot believe that any transmission in this day and age would be set up that way. It is unsafe and you would wear out your brakes very soon.
    I did have a 1965 SAAB which had that feature ( actually it was designed to disengage as you lifted off the throttle). The driver had the option of using this or not, in hilly country this was definitly not a good thing to do. I'm not sure why they had this feature, I would imagine that because we were dealing with a 2 cycle engine on the SAAB, and the nature of its throttle action deceleration was a bit wierd with the transmission locked up. Acceleration was not great feature but I loved the engine building from "piddling" torque through screaming revs, similar to the Motorcycles of that era.
    Now considering This new Ford tranny, we have a much more sophisticated device, enabled with dual clutches, and a computer doing thousands of calculations. Evidently there are upgrades to the computers' program which are being applied to earlier cars coming off the line. It is possible as well that the programming will also adjust itself, at least this is what one of the reps told me. :confuse:
    As some of the contributers to this blog have argued, they do not feel comfortable not being in complete control of the tranny . "Each to their own " :D
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    It's not the same as a true automatic going into neutral since an automatic doesn't have a clutch. In this case the clutch would disengage when tapping the brakes and coasting, just like depressing the clutch pedal on a true manual except that on the Focus's dual clutch automated manual the computer is doing it. Here is how Ford described it in their 2009 press release on the transmission:

    Neutral coast down – The clutches will disengage when the brakes are applied, improving coasting downshifts and clutch robustness as well as reducing parasitic losses for increased fuel economy.

    I remember reading on a blog somewhere someone talking about that, tapping the brakes and the engine rpm's going down to idle even if you're coasting at 50 mph, and I guess as soon as you depressed the accelerator again the clutch would reengage and the engine rev.
  • rockdog77rockdog77 Member Posts: 2
    2012 Focus Titanium (built 12/2011). I have noticed a marked difference when starting from a standstill that if I immediately go from Brake to Gas (even gently) it takes a second to engage then seems to jump once the brakes disengage/clutch engages as I have almost applied to much throttle anticipating a response. But if I am just a bit patient and release the brake give it a second then apply the throttle there is almost no lag or drag, just a normal feeling of acceleration. Just wondering if this is the Hillside Assist being too helpful and if there is a way to disengage it. It can be irritating when you want to be sporty, or try to be economy conscience and don't time it right.
  • sportmansportman Member Posts: 23
    Steven,
    Over the holidays I spent considerable time looking at vehicles for my grandson. Mazda3, Civic, Subaru Impreza and the new Focus were considered.
    I had concerns about the Focus transmission from what I had read. I drove all the vehicles, including three different Focus models and never felt any transmission problems like yours.
    Grandson is now driving 2012 Focus, first 1,000 miles have been trouble free and he loves the vehicle.
    What did you end up buying?
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    haven't purchased anything yet.still researching.from what i have read on these forums is that all 2012 focuses that were built after november 2011 have the new flash update for the transmission and those that were built before that date have to get it done from the dealers.don't know when your focus was built but most people on this forum who are complaining about the transmission probably had there cars built before november 2011.
  • tavanetavane Member Posts: 1
    We have been having the same exact problem. We have had it serviced 3 times and is presently in the shop right now. The first time they replaced a solenoid (I'm sure I'm not spelling this correctly). Seemed to be okay but then my daughter took to to school and started to act up again. Apparently, all the metal shavings were not cleaned out. Got that taken care of but then it started acting up again. Changed another solenoid, fine for two weeks. Now it's in the shop again.
    I am very aggravated but they have assured me that they are doing a thorough cleaning and replacing the original solenoid and a gasket. We shall see.
    One thing I did notice, it needs to "warm up" before it acts up in our case.
  • jay80009jay80009 Member Posts: 6
    Problem. When driving at highway speeds over 50 to 55 mph, once in a while a very hard downshift occurs out of overdrive. I can prevent this by anticipating when a downshift is likely to occur (when I am approaching a long sustained up grade ahead) What I do is let up on gas pedal slightly to relieve strain on drive line and disengage overdrive manually by pushing the overdrive button on the shift lever. I might add that the hard downshift has never happened under 50 mph.
    The shifts (under 50) are always very smooth as are all of the other shifts are always very smooth.

    Anyone out there have any ideas or have experienced a similar situation? Thanks, jay80009
  • grosstonnagegrosstonnage Member Posts: 1
    Carb,

    I had a similar problem with my 01 ZX3. Seemingly arbitrary electrical events would cause a downshift, or it would downshift hard during decel. Turns out a tranny control module was fried. We replaced the module, which promptly fried again. By a stroke of luck, the electrical guy discovered a bad ground wire in a tail light. which was causing the light to ground through a path of opportunity that included the control module. Fixing the tail light fixed the transmission.

    I'll bet you've got a bad transmission sensor or control that may have broken through no fault of its own.
  • jay80009jay80009 Member Posts: 6
    thanks for your input. not exactly same symptoms but VERY similiar. will bear investigations of similiar type fixes. could be very dificult to find. OH for the days of the 1939 ford (my first car) things were so simple then. jay80009
  • carburetor1carburetor1 Member Posts: 3
    grosstonnage, ...your experience might help us with the continuing saga of Focus issues. I have been meaning to post the following: .....
    On or about Jan 21, 2012, I removed the battery terminals and cleaned them and the cable clamps with backing soda. I also used a wire brush tool that was made for the purpose and cleaned the clamps and terminals to bright shinny metal. The clamps were put in place and the connections were sprayed with silicone spray...
    It is now Feb 4, and the car has been driven on around town trips about 6 times and we believe the transmission problem has not re-appeared yet...
    It is now March 4, 2012 and a strange think happened to the Focus today. I was driving... The car started fine, I backed it out of the driveway and made it down our street to a stop sign. The engine died at the stop sign or when I pushed on the brakes, it died, I shifted out of Drive and into Neutral and tried to start it--I forgot that the shift lever had to be in Park before starting. I shifted into Park and tried to start it,...nothing, no response from the starter. Tried to activate the Hazard lights and nothing, My wife looked at the brake lights from outside the car as I pressed the brake pedal, ...nothing, The shift lever would not come out of park, the car could not be pushed because it was in Park-gear. We asked the Lord Jesus Christ to help us because we were headed for Church and choir practice. We could not leave the car dead at a corner intersection. I walked back to the house and got my car, a ford Escort, and jumped the Focus battery. Praise God, the Focus started. My wife drove it back to our garage and we took the Escort to church. When we came home I decided to try and start the car and it if did start, I intended to back it into the garage so that a tow truck could access it more readily. The car started up perfectly and I drove it into the street and turned it around and backed it into the garage, no problem--clearly we have an intermittent problem. We intend to take it to our local automotive repair garage, we trust them. My wife does not want to end up stuck some where, especially on the freeway so she will call AAA and have the car towed to the garage. We will have them run a diagnostic or the charging system and I will ask them to check the replaceable relays for signs of malfunction..and I intend to byy for my wife one of those "Battery Booster" portable things--I will report what the auto guys find out.... carburetor1 signig off
  • jay80009jay80009 Member Posts: 6
    To grosstonnage. And I think I have problems. Bear in mind that my problem only occurs on the highway over 50-55 mph. So I doubt that it is related to your problem. If my situation doesn't get worse I can control the problem. Being that my car has 104,000 miles on it and there are other issues that are going to have to be addressed eventually (timing belt, front struts and who knows what, I am considering selling the vehicle. Keep me posted if you finally find the answer. These things seem to very hard to figure out. Cars are way too complicated these days. I sure miss the days of my '39 ford.
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    YOU ARE CORRECT 3 MONTHS REPLACED BERRINGS AND TRANNY IS CRAP
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    My 2012 is now in the shop for berring replacement. 2213 miles had it for 4 months. I am going to trade it in for 2013 focus perhaps it is different or something else. Honda Mazda. When the dealer drove my car their answer was push on the gas petal harder. As for the 40 mpg I will be one of the class action lawsuit for misrepresentation. You will see
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    you can send me a message if you would like to get together me address is my name plus verizon.net
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    bearing replacement at only 2200 miles on a 2012 ford focus???doesn't suprise me and i wouldn't purchase a ford car if you gave it to me....
  • mistywhitbeymistywhitbey Member Posts: 1
    My 2012 Focus has 9300 miles on it. Today while driving down a normal road at 30 mph it started cutting out while accelerating. Each time it would shift it would rev up like I put it in neutral. Plenty of gas in it too. Out of the blue it just started happening. Was fine when I got up to 60 mph on the freeway. Got to the office and turned it off. Didnt do it again on the way home but the check engine light is still on. Very irritated about this since it is a brand new car. And I too am interested in the class action, checked my focus MPG today...only 30 and that is freeway time. Not happy about that either.
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    Have you gone to the dealer to have the tranny software reflashed? It's usually an easy process and many have reported much improved results afterwards.
  • jay80009jay80009 Member Posts: 6
    THANKS
  • lawsons93lawsons93 Member Posts: 1
    My Focus has started giving me problems changing gears. Going uphill it really hesitates and also on the highway, its hard to get it over 45 miles per hour. Sometimes when it hesitates for a while it acts like it wants to overheat. It is also making a screaming noise when it is trying to change gears. If i am on flat land and back roads the car runs fine, sometimes the screaming will start but not as bad as when i am trying to get over 45 mph or on an incline. Please let me know if you have the same problem or if you know what the problem is.
  • jay80009jay80009 Member Posts: 6
    That's a new one on me. I just think that Focus transmissions have inherant issues. I guess I am actually lucky as I seem to be able to control my problem. I suspect that in my case the problem could rest in the internal celonoids. In-as-much as mine has quite a few miles I think I am going to sell it. Good luck with your issue. Let me know if you eventually find a cure.
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    had the tranny updated and still having the same problem. we need to get together and find out how many ither people are affected. my e mail is just2muchfun at verizon dot net. had to write it out won't let me leave my address thanks
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Yep, we really don't encourage users to post their email addresses (there's always someone or something farming for valid emails to spam or scam) but if you want to allow other Edmunds forums members to contact you by email, just click on the Forums Preferences link on the right side of this page and you can set your email to "public". That way, registered forums members, and ONLY registered forums members, can click on your username to find your email addy to contact you.
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    That's a lot more effective than trying to find everyone by email. You can file your own report, and also search existing reports.

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  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    recently test drove a focus SE with the auto tranny and the same problem occured on the test drive which lasted about 20 minutes.needless to say the test drive was over for me right then and there.didn't want to be bothered with the [non-permissible content removed] update's to the tranny and still have the same thing happening such in your case.purchased a 2012 hyundai elantra with a auto tranny as smooth as butter.
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    FWIW I had a shuddering problem with my '12 Focus's tranny within the first 1,500 miles or so but now at 3,300 miles and it's shudder free and pretty smooth. Feels like a quickly shifted manual. No power loss issues.

    On a certain other forum for Focus owners, many report that they LOVE the tranny and quite a few others have gripes with it. Some who had gripes had the updates applied and it was successful.
  • maciuomaciuo Member Posts: 1
    Hello,
    I have problem with my tranny, this problem is shoving only when it is really hot outside. When i ride in traffic or at low speed ride on 3rd gear and speed is going up but suddenly i need to brake, transmission is going on 4th gear (i suppose it should stay at 3rd). There is jerk and pulling. There is no souch problem when it is not hot or when riding continousely. This is my first car with auto transmission-what can cousing problem? Overheating, soleniods or internal elements, mileage is 133000 miles, oil was replaced in october 2011.
  • focufilfocufil Member Posts: 1
    I pulled up in my 1.6 auto focus, put into park & handbrake on the car rolled back slightly. I used the foot brake, restarted the car Put into R then back into park & switched off.
    Went back to the car 30 mins later started it put into reverse, nothing! The lever moves but does not select D or R. Does anyone have any ideas?
  • melm1melm1 Member Posts: 6
    My hassle with Ford re our Focus SEL involves the dual-clutch on several levels. I understand a LOT more after joining the Forum however and doing some research in Edmunds on the tranny in our Focus that I did not learn from Ford or the Ford dealer.
    We were QUITE surprised when starting up on a slight hill to find that our Focus IMMEDIATELY started to roll backwards when I took my foot off the brake! I expected it to behave like any other "automatic" tranny but what I experienced was more like a manual transmission where I still had my foot on the clutch or had been popped into neutral. I was doubly surprised given that the literature talked of an automatic hill-holding feature. Whe I read the manual, the feature was explained for models "...if equipped..." But at no time had the dealer warned me or informed me that my car might not have this feature and, if not, what that meant!
    Only by browsing etc did I stumble on the fact that, apparently, Ford includes the hill-holding feature on the BASE Focus S and the slightly upscale SE, but discontinues it for reasons entirely unexplained on our SEL or the top-of-the-line Titanium model.
    Now that I know this, I will either use the very handy handbrake on a hill or resort to left foot braking. Either will work, but Ford should not blindside it's customers like that!
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    AT 3200 MILES AND MY SPEED SENSOR WAS SOMEHOW BROKEN. DEALER FIXED THIS BUT STILL NOW 3D TIME IN THE DEALERSHIP. AS FOR THE TRANSMISSION I AM S.O.L. THE DEALER SAID THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. FEEL REAL STUPID. WE DID NOT TEST DRIVE THE CAR WE BAUGHT. THIS WAS WAS ORDERED!!!!!!! WE WANTED THE YELLOW TITANIUM. THE DEALER SAID WE WILL PUT A BACKUP CAMERA IN FOR YOU. WELL IT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS AND NO CAMERA. THEY OFFERED 1000 DOLLARS BUT, WE REALLY WANTED THE CAMERA. BEEN A TOTAL DISSAPOINTMENT. FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT. MY MOM SAID DON'T BUY NEW BUT, I WANTED A NEW CAR. 443 EIGHT 24 NINE 243 IS MY NUMBER SO ANYONE CONTACT ME SO WE CAN GET ON THE SAME PAGE AND PERHAPS HAVE SOME LEGAL RECOURSE. JUST2MUCHFUN AT VERIZON DOT NET. MY NAME IS CRAIG. HEY OTHER THAN THAT THE CAR IS ACTUALLY NICE. I WILL SAY THERE ARE SEVERAL POSITIVIES. RIDES GREAT ON THE HWY. AND THE SYNC IS GREAT AFTER THE UPDATE. SEVERAL NICE FEATURES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS OR COMMENT LET ME KNOW AND VOICE YOUR OPINION THANKS. HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS YOUNG OR OLD
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    edited May 2012
    link title
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    Wow I just typed this massive response and when I hit the post my message button it wiped it all out :cry:
    I researched the Focus before buying. I had a manual shift Fiesta that no one else in my family could drive but me. I knew that the Focus was not a traditional automatic. It is an automated manual As far as the hill assist feature I think you will find out that your Focus has this feature but you have to know what triggers it into action. 1. you have to be stopped with your foot on the brake. 2. you have to be on a hill of 20% or greater. 3. when you take your foot off of the brake the hill assist will hold the brake on for 3 seconds or when you push on the gas. I love my Focus because It a manual that anyone can drive (after I explain it) But I was shocked that my Ford dealer told me nothing about this car being an automated manual so I can see if you have never driven a stick and you purchase a Focus you are going to be very disappointed.
  • melm1melm1 Member Posts: 6
    edited May 2012
    First, I LOVE the idea of this transmission, once I learned about it. But, as with you, the dealer told me NOTHING about it. As far as I knew, based on the Ford literature, it was a 6 speed automatic with a select-shift feature. Initially, I did not fully understand the significance of the dual-plate clutch v. the usual torque converter. I knew that I could select the gear I wanted with this tranny.
    The dealer seems to still know very little about the Hill Assist, which I am now noticing as a feature on a number of other vehicles. By the way, I thought I read in the manual that the hill has to only be a 5% for the assist to kick in.
    But I also read that the assist comes on the S and SE models and NOT on the SEL and Titanium. It seems to make NO sense tying this to any trim level, given what it does, and even less sense when it's apparently not available on the more "upscale" models. If someone could clear that up, I'd appreciate it.*
    My wife, who uses the car mostly, drives with both feet, using the left to brake. In fact, she does not even need the hill assist by driving this way. Because I am kind of long legged and the steering wheel sometimes interferes, it's often more difficult for me to get my left foot onto the brake. But I am working at changing this longstanding habit.
    In the meantime, now that I know about it the behavior of the Ford transmission (which does not pay the fuel penalty associated with having torque-converter drag when standing still), I am making more use of the handbrake on the Focus as I would on any car with a manual transmission and easy-to-access handbrake.

    *I am reminded of my 1989 Ford Probe, with its large, sloping rear window. Ford has always, IMHO, tied features to models and option levels in a very mysterious way. In this case, one needed to buy a supercharged GT model in order to get a rear wiper, a feature needed on ALL the Ford Probes. Even in a rainstorm, rear vision was severely hampered without a rear wiper. Made NO sense to me!!
  • hackattack5hackattack5 Member Posts: 315
    You could be right about the 5% slope. I have a SEL and it does have the hill assist. If I am on a hill completely stopped with my foot on the brake then it works like it should (holds the brake on for 3 seconds after you take your foot off of the brake) but there are situations where you do not use your brakes to come to a complete stop or it takes you more than 3 seconds to get going and that is when its going to roll like a car in neutral. Its really not bad but I wonder how many people have fender benders because they roll backwards at a red light? I had a 1990 Probe GT that was a cool car.
  • ohtoncohtonc Member Posts: 1
    edited May 2012
    I have an 07 Focus SES. Has about 62,000 miles on it and is an automatic. Recently the o/d light began flashing and it started shifting hard. The speedometer stops working and where the mileage and trip meter is blanks out and shows ---------- in its place. It does this for maybe a minute then resets and all things are restored and begins operating fine. It set the engine light off once and said it was a speed sensor, replaced it and still does the same thing.

    Sometimes when i accelerate the speedometer stays at 0 then jumps up to my current speed without any shifting problems. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    Hill start assist activates at a 4-deg slope or greater according to the manual. It activates on my driveway which is about 4 degrees. I've never heard it depends on the trim level - my SEL has it.

    You should never drive with both feet on the pedals. This transmission should be operated similar to a manual transmission except there's no clutch pedal and the computer shifts for you. But you don't drive a manual with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake, do you? That's a recipe for disaster (foot/pedal confusion), or at least increased manintenance (brakes, clutch, etc.).

    Again, a car with a manual transmission rolls back on a grade before taking off, and this one will too sometimes. It's perfectly normal. Just quickly move your foot from the brake to the gas and you'll be fine.
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    "Its really not bad but I wonder how many people have fender benders because they roll backwards at a red light?"

    It's no worse than a manual car and there are plenty of those on the roads. And you don't hear about tons of accidents due to manual cars rolling backwards. As long as you don't lollygag between taking your foot off the brake and applying the gas (and assuming the HSA hasn't engaged for some reason) the most you'll roll back is maybe 6 inches (from my 5,000 miles of experience with the car). If someone has stopped less than 6 inches behind you at a light then you've got other problems.
  • just2muchfunjust2muchfun Member Posts: 7
    I am in the process of having ford buy my car back. The car is 7 months old 4200 miles and in the shop 4 times for all reasons. Check previous posts. The transmission continues to give me fits. Sounds like a grinding noise at slow speeds. It's like the gears are too low for the required speed. The transmission is built for economy not performance. With that said over 15 mph the car is fast and I mean fast especially in stick mode. So, I am a dissapointed I will be giving this car up. Perhaps in 2013 ford will fix the bugs. If any of you are having problems calling ford is the way to go they have been very helpful. Two week ago my speed sensor went up and my dealer said I hit something. HA HA. Come on the car is spotless 4200 mile at 7 months the car is babyed. Good luck to all. to the other posts never noticed the hill assist. With this car you better keep your foot on the brake hard.
    `
  • kam327kam327 Member Posts: 115
    Sorry to hear about your troubles. My DCT had some growing pains early on but is now operating almost perfect at 5,000 miles. Did you get the 12B37 software update? Many have reported that that update fixes all the problems.
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