Ford's dual-clutch transmission continues to be a disaster

Ford's dual-clutch transmission, code-named DPS6 and used in its Fiesta and Focus, has been troubled for years. It is the subject of a $ 4 billion potential lawsuit. Ford had secretly told the dealers to fix it. Worse, Ford knew it was bad for years and failed to make a mistake. Ford said today that it would extend guarantees on some fiestas and Focuses because of that, in what has surely been a completely humiliating episode for Blue Oval.

Here are the details, per Ford:

Extend coupling guarantees for even more customers from five years / 60,000 miles to seven years / 1[ads1]00,000.

This covers 2014 to 2016 model year focus (built from July 4, 2013 , until November 5, 2015) and Fiesta vehicles from 2014-1015 years (built from July 4, 2013 to October 15, 2014).

Ford will repay customers in this new group who receive extended warranties that have paid for clutch repairs out of pocket.

The act means that the warranty coverage for these vehicles is the same as has been in place since July 2014 for previous Focus and Fiesta models.

Ford took this initiative based on the latest in continuous analysis of customer satisfaction and quality data.

Ford will also reach a small percentage of remaining affected customers (~ 165,000 owners, 16 percent of the original, in the United States) and give them another opportunity to get an important free software update. Eighty-four percent of the affected owners have already received the update.

The update provides an enhanced warning if a transmission control module starts to fail. Where necessary, Ford will replace modules for this customer group free of charge for up to six months, even though the 10-year warranty has expired.

And here is part of Ford's statement on the matter, attributed:

First, we extend the warranty on coupling and related hardware in certain year models from 2014-2016, and reimburse customers for repairs that would now be covered. Secondly, we give the small remaining population of owners who have not already made it an extra chance to get an important software update.

While these vehicles have always been and remain safe to drive, we regret the inconvenience our customers have experienced.

"Inconvenience" is a euphemism in this context, as the transfer, according to the lawsuit, can result in "shuddering, slipping, bucking, jerking, hesitation while shifting gears, premature internal wear, delays in shifting, and in some cases, sudden or delayed acceleration, ”according to the Detroit Free Press.

About 560,000 customers will be affected by the warranty extension, according to Automotive News, and it will also cost Ford some cash, though we don't know exactly how much before the company will report its third-quarter revenue. Ford previously made a similar extension of the warranty with the 2011-2013 model cars in 2014.

And while the transfer – labeled PowerShift – is still a headache, you can still, somewhat amazingly, get it on a 2019 Fiesta today. It has been over eight years since some of the first complaints started. I suppose the warranty for that car and others will also be extended in a few years, long after Fiesta and Focus have been phased out of existence.