Originally Posted By: KCJeep
Haven't heard much about those...could it be even worse than FCA's 9 speed? Is that even possible?
Ford's dual clutch transmission is used only in the Focus and Fiesta in the U.S., so the damage is somewhat contained. It's from Getrag and built in Mexico. The Fiesta started using the DCT in 2011 and the Focus in 2012 and both are still DCT-equipped.
Ford's DCT is a dry-clutch version, which is unusual and likely a big part of the problem. Because of heat (not such a big deal in wet-clutch DCTs), the clutches can and do glaze and begin to chatter, sometimes violently, and slip. Programming for all conditions is difficult and Ford has has countless reflashes available over the years, some of which were "mandatory". Ford was also on version "F" (starting with "A", I assume) of clutches when I stopped paying attention.
At least most of the clutch issues were (huge) annoyances rather than things that left you stranded. But there's a solution to that bit of good news: the shifting itself is controlled by the Transmission Control Module (TCM), which are prone to premature failure. This will leave you stranded.
Ford upped the warranty coverage on the clutch to 7/100,000 and the TCM to 10/150,000. This is helpful, but still leaves open the possibility of being stranded by a TCM failure. But Ford also passed off behavior owners complained about as "normal" and made no other goodwill concessions. And even after all this, clutch failures continue and, at $1,500-$2,000 apiece when out of warranty, are not cheap. As noted, Ford has been held responsible in a class-action lawsuit and owners may get a few bucks or refunds for their trouble.
In any event, I got tired of dealing with it and dumped it. After this experience and with Ford's reluctance to assemble any passenger car in the US, I doubt I'll ever go back to the brand.
With the hard push to meet CAFE standards there is a lot of new technology coming out the factory door and consumers are being put in the role of beta testers, like it or not. Ford's DCT fiasco isn't the only resulting failure, but it is remarkable in that it affected really a lot of cars over long product cycles and is still not fully resolved.