- Clutch coverage extended to 7 years/100,000 miles
- Move is in response to dual-clutch transmission concerns
- Will reimburse owners for out-of-pocket repairs
Ford is extending the powertrain coverage on certain 2014-16 Focus and 2014-15 Fiesta models equipped with dual clutch automatic transmissions. The move is in response to customer complaints over transmission problems with the gearboxes. Previously, Ford addressed some of the problems with software updates and is now moving to extend clutch coverage from the current 5-year/50,000-mile coverage to a 7-year/100,000-mile plan.
About 560,000 vehicles affected
This initiative, according to Ford, is “based on the latest ongoing analysis of customer-satisfaction and quality data.” The longer coverage will be applied to about 560,000 vehicles. Ford said it is reaching out to 165,000 owners who have yet to receive the transmission software updates that will warn of a transmission control module failure. The other vehicles, representing 84 percent of the affected units, have gotten the update.
“Ford understands and regrets that many customers have been inconvenienced and frustrated by the performance of the DPS6 transmission,” said Dave Filipe, Ford’s vice president of powertrain engineering in a statement. “While these vehicles always were and remain safe to drive, we regret the inconvenience our customers have experienced.” Ford said it is also covering the transmission control module for 10 years and 150,000 miles and will also reimburse owners for out-of-pocket expenses for previous repairs.
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