Once upon a time, Ford sold sedans and hatchbacks in America. The Fiesta and the Focus were two entry-level options that delivered good value and solid fuel economy, at the cost of catfish-like looks. Throughout the 2010s they stood as fantastic commuter cars for millions, while enthusiasts reveled in turbocharged, ST- and RS-badged performance models. I owned one, and I absolutely loved it.
But as the 2020s approached, a singular problem reportedly began to plague a great many of these otherwise pleasant hatchbacks and small sedans. Unless you were smart enough to opt for the stick shift, your Fiesta or Focus was equipped with a six-speed “Powershift” dual-clutch automatic transmission.
This gearbox was allegedly faulty, leading to a class-action lawsuit involving nearly two million current and former owners. Here’s how it went down.
The Legend Of Ford’s Economical Dual-Clutch Emerges
Ford’s intentions with the Powershift were pure, of course. Because there’s no torque converter to spin, dual-clutch transmissions often deliver slightly better fuel economy and quicker shifts versus a traditional automatic gearbox—the type of things you’d want in a car like a Focus.
Except, the Powershift also felt like a dual-clutch, rather than a torque-converter automatic. It slipped the clutch to get the car moving, and it shuddered when you crept in traffic. Sometimes, you’d have to put your foot on the gas to get rolling. It was like you were driving a Porsche with an early PDK with a lot of miles on it, except you were in an economy hatchback.
The transmission used a dry-clutch setup instead of a wet-clutch setup to keep efficiency up. That means the clutches operated independently of the transmission oil in a—you guessed it—dry environment, which means there was no fluid to dampen the gears’ engagement. This simply exacerbated the dual-clutchness of it all, leading to owners voicing concerns.
Where It All Went Wrong
I have an unusual amount of first-hand experience with these first-generation Powershift transmissions. My dad bought a 2014 Focus hatch new from the dealer, and while he liked the car, I slowly saw the joy from his eyes fade the more he drove it. He complained constantly about the transmission, noting its shuddering and rough shifts, especially at low speeds. I probably put around 1,000 miles on the car myself and had similar complaints. It often didn’t react how you wanted it to, and wasn’t ever consistent with its shifts or delivery.
And it’s not like replacing parts or changes in the software did much to help, at least according to Car and Driver:
Owners have reported replacing clutches, output shafts, and entire transmissions. They’ve come back for software updates. More often than not, as described by owners we’ve spoken to and on forums across the internet, the problems reappear even after service technicians claim the transmission is within normal factory limits.
All of this culminated in a 2017 class-action lawsuit affecting roughly 1.6 million current and 400,000 former owners of 2011-2016 Fiestas and 2012-2016 Focuses equipped with the Powershift transmission. Ford eventually settled in 2020, giving beneficiaries the option to sell their car back to Ford, receive a cash payment up to $2,325, or receive a discount certificate of up to $4,650 on the purchase of a new Ford, depending on each owner’s situation, according to the settlement’s official website. The Detroit Free Press reported back in 2020 that the settlement payout could eventually exceed $100 million, depending on how many people step up and make a claim.
And as Car and Driver points out, this wasn’t the only lawsuit Ford had to deal with regarding the Powershift. The company also had to pay out 291 owners in Thailand a combined $720,000 over the same problems. Unlike the settlement in America, Ford issued a formal apology to its affected Thai customers, according to Detroit News:
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the Powershift transmission problems and we reiterate that we will work earnestly to take responsibility for fixing them according to our customer service procedures.
Though Ford never formally admitted fault for the transmission’s problems, an investigation published in 2019 by the Detroit Free Press claimed the company knew of the gearbox’s flaws, yet continued to sell them anyway. From the report:
A high-level, confidential analysis by Ford in 2012 acknowledged rushing the cars to production, taking shortcuts to save money and apparently compromising quality protocols instituted with fanfare by then-CEO Alan Mulally. That review, obtained by the Free Press, also said the transmissions would be phased out and a different technology used going forward, but that didn’t happen. The Focus went out of production after the 2018 model year; the 2019 Fiesta is the last of the line.
By the time of the 2012 review, which was labeled “Lessons Learned,” Ford had sold more than half a million of the cars.
“There is no fix at this time,” system testing engineer Tom Hamm wrote separately in an October 2012 email to four colleagues. “We have a task force working on the issue but they haven’t identified any fixes at this time.”
By then, Ford had known for some time that the transmissions had significant problems.
So What Happened to These Cars?
Of course, because there was never a huge recall or crushing campaign, many of these Fiestas and Focuses still exist on the roads today. Ford sold hundreds of thousands of each model, and a quick perusal of Facebook Marketplace in my area lists dozens as running and driving just fine, despite a real, concrete fix never being issued.
I get asked all the time about beater car or commuter car recommendations, and oftentimes I want to recommend something like a Focus or Fiesta of this era. They look fine, and the interior is a perfectly nice place to spend an hour-long commute. Plus, they’re small, maneuverable, and fuel-efficient. With prices (at least in my area) hovering between $4,000 and $7,000 for Focuses and Fiestas of varying miles, they’re super tempting. But knowing this transmission issue exists, I can’t possibly tell someone it’s worth the trouble. And that’s a shame. An otherwise lovely duo of small, affordable cars made essentially useless.
Years after my dad sold his Focus, my uncle picked up a version of the same car, just in red instead of black. While he never complained about how it drove, he remarked about having a tough time selling it because people would constantly try to lowball him over the perceived transmission problems. In the end, he ended up keeping it. I wonder how many other owners have faced the same hardships.
The Best Solution Is Also The Most Enjoyable
By now, I’m sure you’re screaming into your screen about how whoever wants one of these cars should just buy a manual version. I agree! I learned to drive on a friend’s five-speed 2012 Focus sedan; it was an excellent car. I’ve also spent some time in a base, manual Fiesta, and it was lovely. But this is America, which means most people don’t want to row their own gears. Manual versions are slightly harder to find, and because they don’t have the Powershift’s issues, they’re usually priced slightly higher. It shouldn’t be that way.
There’s another side to this coin, obviously, if you are willing to row your own gears. The base cars are great, but personally, I’d always spring for an ST model. I bought a Fiesta ST new and drove it throughout college. I took it to autocross events, rallycross events, track days, and even ice racing. Not only was it great to drive, but it never once gave me even a hint of any problems (being a new car, I didn’t expect it to).
These days, used Fiesta STs and Focus STs are dangerously affordable. Clean, later-year cars painted in a cool color with the desirable Recaro buckets can be had for around $15,000. If you’re the type who doesn’t care about the number on the odometer, clean-title, running Fiesta STs can be had for as little as $6,000. Focus STs are similarly priced. This one has just 78,000 miles on the clock, and it can be yours for under $9,000. For being world-class hot hatches, these prices are enticing. From a fun-per-dollar perspective, I’d wager the STs are right up there with most Miatas.
There’s also the Focus RS. The all-wheel drive super-hatch ended up dealing with a manufacturing debacle of its own involving incorrect headgaskets, and while most of the cars were fixed via a recall issued by Ford, it still carries the weight of that reputation. Still, they’re excellent cars. For around 20 grand for an average example with 100,000 miles on the clock, the Focus RS isn’t nearly as affordable or value-for-money oriented, but I wouldn’t dismiss it if you were in the market for a proper, supercar-hunting canyon carver.
My whole point here is, if you or your loved one is considering a used Focus or Fiesta, buy one with a third pedal. Otherwise, you may regret it.
Top graphic images: Ford
Owned a 2013 bottom of the line fusion since new, only one repair that cost $100 to replace a hose assembly last year, 200k miles and sold it to a friend, car is still driving strong with no issues.
Fusion did not use crappy Ford dual clutch transmission
They should have left the “f” out of the name for the sake of accuracy.
Oh man, the PowerShit. I bought a 2013 Fiesta SE new right out of college, my first new car. I was hoping for a newer version of my previous bulletproof Escort ZX2. What I got was 8 warranty claims after the car hit 20k miles, none of which were properly solved. 4 claims for the transmission, three for the brakes, and one for a dash wiring harness that shorted out. I traded it in for a new Kia after that and swore off new Fords for the rest of my life. My now wife had a 2014 Focus when we met in 2019. She bought hers to replace her beloved 1st gen Focus. She suffered through the same transmission problems, several recalls, and hers actually stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. At 100k miles, Ford finally replaced her clutch due to the class action. The car drove great for 5,000 more miles, before going right back to shuddering. She traded it for a new Impreza. Ford has lost out on 6 new car sales between the two of us because of those cars. And probably many more, I was constantly shit talking Ford for years!
Catfish looks? Have you seen modern Toyota and Lexus sedans?
My son has a ’15 Escape and the transmission has been fine. But the HVAC system has gone all wonky and the cost to tear the dash apart and replace whatever is misbehaving was alarming. It’s now their backup car and generally only gets driven when the weather is nice.
I misspoke. Or mis-posted. I’ve been corrected by someone on this site before that Escapes of his vintage had a conventional TC automatic. But the HVAC is still messed up.
I’d take a powershift Focus/Fiesta over a comparable CVT-equipped competitor or a chevy crude/sonic/spark/etc., were I forced into that strange scenario where such a choice were required. For economy cars they’re not bad places to be, look decent, handle well, and are generally easy to work on. The audio module tends to be a more frequent failure point than the DCT, but replacement isn’t difficult nor that expensive.
Allegedly these transmissions perform better if they are both 1: “driven like it’s stolen” (aggressively), and 2: never “creeping”, like queueing at a stop light and inching forward, or going less than about half a car length or so like in a drive-thru or similar queue.
My sister in law has a Focus with transmission and by all accounts likes it. I drove it briefly (approx. 10 miles at suburban speeds) and experienced the shuttering at slow speeds. Mind you, she drives less than 20 miles per day in about a 10 mile bubble from her house. She has already had to replace the transmission once.
I agree that these on surface are appealing commuters. But the travesty of that transmission kills it.
I bought a 2014 Fiesta with one of those transmissions a couple years ago, put almost 2500 miles a month on it, crossing the 200,000 mile threshold partway through owning it for a mere 8 months. I sold it to my mom, and she got another several thousand miles out of it before deciding she wanted to upgrade to something bigger. Neither of us had any issues with the transmission, aside from maybe a little bit of the shuddering from a stop occasionally.
Unfortunately when my mom went to sell it, the reputation of the transmission (and some existing cosmetic damage that neither of us had cared to fix with anything more than zipties) meant it took quite a while to sell, and for about 1/3 off asking price.
I should have just bought it back from my mom, but I didn’t really have a need for it, or space for another car, which is even more true now.
I had several of these cars as rentals, and yes, they were annoying while going parking garage speeds, but the rest of the time, they were fine.
I rented a ’24 or ’25 Nissan Sentra last week and they have significantly upped their CVT game. I actually liked driving it!
I would need to see how they hold up before buying a used one, but it actually could get out of its own way and got phenomenal fuel economy. The rest of the car was pleasant as well. The lane departure nanny was a little sensitive, but it shook the wheel and not the seat (ahem Cadillac) which I found more helpful and less disturbing.
It had more than 12K rental miles on it. It didn’t have any rattles. I couldn’t find the button to awake cruise control and ventured into the glove box and found the factory sealed manual. After that, it did that very well as well.
I know Nissan is going through a tough time, but I really was impressed by that Sentra compared to a baser level Corolla I rented a month prior. I genuinely hope they manage to make these next few years alive.