Drivers Fear Some Ford Transmissions Pose Serious Safety Concern

NBC 5 Investigates uncovered hundreds of complaints from drivers across the country who said the transmissions in their
2011-2015 Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta made them feel unsafe enough to feel scared to drive their cars


They jerk, they stutter, they stop without warning.

Those are just three of more than 1,000 complaints NBC 5 Investigates uncovered from drivers across the country who said
the transmissions in their 2011-2015 Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta pose a serious safety concern.

The suspected culprit is a dual transmission that purportedly would offer the economy of a manual transmission with all
the ease of an automatic one. Priced at around $1,000, many drivers now say Ford’s factory-installed “PowerShift” transmission
ended up costing them much more.

Ron and Ann Surace, an Evanston husband and wife, said their 2013 Ford Focus was the first car they ever bought brand-new,
but it’s been nothing but trouble, breaking down every 4,000 miles.

“Something is not working out right here,” Ron Surace said. “Something is wrong, seriously wrong with this vehicle.”

The Suraces say they repeatedly took their Focus to the dealership and were told the transmission’s stuttering, jerking
and shaking was normal.

“They even said the computer had to get used to me,” Ron Surace recalled. “And that’s when the hair on the back of my neck
stood up.”

The same make and model resulted in the same story in Country Club Hills where Donna Chancellor said her troubles started
the day she drove her used 2013 Focus, with 10,000 miles on it, off the lot. Chancellor said she took the car to the dealer
five times in four months, and each time she heard a different excuse.

“Oh that’s the characteristics of the transmission. It’s supposed to do that,” Chancellor recalled. “I just knew it wasn’t
right.”

NBC 5 Investigates found nearly 1,400 complaints on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, filed
over the last five years from Ford Focus and Fiesta drivers across the country. Many said they feel unsafe and are scared
to drive their cars.

Chicago attorney Greg Moss said these complaints now sound very familiar.

“Out of nowhere the phone was literally ringing off the hook and …what we saw was every single vehicle had the same complaint,”
Moss told NBC 5 Investigates. “It was a transmission shutter, or a jerking,”

Moss said he has filed 130 lawsuits in several states.

Ford issued around 100 Technical Service Bulletins connected to transmission in the fleet and has offered extended warranties
for some drivers.

“They’re not interested in extended warranties,” Moss said. “They’re interested in having their vehicle fixed immediately
and being able to use it safely.”

For its part, Ford told NBC 5 Investigates that all affected owners are now in line for a transmission software upgrade
but acknowledged it is still in the process of telling many of them.

In a statement to NBC5 Investigates, the carmaker told us:

Ford is committed to providing our customers with top-quality vehicles. Ford’s PowerShift automated-manual transmission
uses an advanced configuration that provides exceptional powertrain efficiency, along with a potential for unique shift-feel
compared to conventional automatics.

We take customer concerns seriously. We have taken action to ensure customer satisfaction, including updating the transmission
software and providing an extended warranty for the transmission control module, clutches and transmission input shaft
seals. In many cases, customers have already received notification of these programs; we are in the process of notifying
our remaining customers.

Reference URL :
http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/Drivers-Fear-Some-Ford-Transmissions-Pose-Serious-Safety-Concern-351257321.html

Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® is pleased to comply with state regulations concerning client statements and testimonials:

In order for you to see our client video or read our client statements, please click the green button below. You will be taken directly to the video or client statements.

If you are interested in viewing information about the lawyer/firm’s past results and testimonials about the lawyer/firm, please read and acknowledge the information below.

The information in this section contains information about the lawyer/firm’s past results, testimonials about the lawyer/firm, and statements regarding the lawyer/firm’s quality. The information has not been reviewed or approved by Bar Associations of the states in which the law firm practices.

The facts and circumstances of your case may differ from the matters in which results and testimonials have been provided.

All results of cases handled by the lawyer/firm are not provided and not all clients have given testimonials.

The results and testimonials provided are not necessarily representative of results obtained by the lawyer/firm or of the experience of all clients or others with the lawyer/firm. Past results are no guarantee of future results. Every case is different, and each client’s case must be evaluated and handled on its own merits.

The testimonials or endorsements do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.