Ford has long claimed that all its vehicles are ‘Built Ford Tough.’ But just how tough are the transmissions? We review some of the transmission issues, recalls, and complaints that have plagued some of its vehicles.
An integral part of any vehicle’s powertrain is the transmission. It does not matter how much horsepower your engine makes. If your transmission can not reliably put that power to the ground, what you have is a paperweight.
Some auto manufacturers build transmissions that are considered nearly bulletproof, like Porsche’s PDK or Volkswagen’s DSG, but unfortunately, Ford is not on that list.
Throughout the last 10 years or so, Ford has had issue after issue with its transmissions in a variety of vehicles, leading to class action lawsuits and recalls on multiple continents. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about Ford transmission problems.
Ford’s Powershift Debacle
The Ford DPS6 Powershift transmission has a notorious reputation for being unreliable. The unsuccessful attempt at a twin-clutch transmission is equipped on several vehicles, but the most affected models are the Ford Focus and Fiesta.
Ford began producing the twin-clutch Powershift transmissions in 2010 to compete with the German variants from Volkswagen and BMW. The main benefits to this style of transmission over a traditional automatic with a torque converter are better fuel economy and blistering shift speeds.
The compromise in this transmission design is they do not operate as smoothly as a traditional automatic.
To put it simply, this is because a twin-clutch transmission is actually two manual transmissions joined together with a computer controlling the clutches.
One part of the transmission controls half of the gears like first, third, and fifth while the other half controls second, fourth, sixth, and reverse.
In most twin-clutch transmission designs, also known as “how the Germans do it,” the clutch packs are submerged in hydraulic fluid. This has the effect of smoothing out the gear changes and extending the life of the clutch.
Ford, with its ample experience in building pickup trucks and passing off drunken horses as sports cars, decided to use dry clutches.
This dry clutch design tends to exacerbate the inherent characteristics of twin-clutch transmissions, making the transmission slip off the line and shift roughly when it finally decides to change gear.
On top of the slipping and vibrations, the Ford Powershift also has an issue where the vehicle can just randomly pop into neutral while driving.
Surprisingly, the Detroit automaker has stated this is not a safety issue. Ford gets away with this claim because safety features like power steering and anti-lock brakes continue to function. These are just a few of the common issues with the DPS6 Powershift, but the story goes much deeper than that.
Has Ford Fixed its Powershift Transmission Problem?
You are probably thinking to yourself, if the Powershift transmission is so bad Ford must have fixed it, right? The best way to answer that is yes, but technically no.
Ford has released updated part numbers and fixes for the DPS6 Powershift that address minor problems. One of these fixes includes new seals to stop hydraulic fluid from dripping onto the clutches making the transmission slip.
However, they have not addressed the elephant in the room: the fact that they poorly designed the transmission in the first place.
Class action lawsuits have been filed in several countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia as early as 2012. These lawsuits have gone on for years but, in 2019, internal Ford documents were published by the Detroit Free Press that showed Ford knew about the Powershift’s design problems before they even started building them.
Instead of going back to the drawing board, Ford decided to ship the DPS6 anyway. To make matters worse, the documents also show that Ford basically told the dealers to pretend that everything was normal when they received complaints.
In 2020, a federal judge in the United States approved Ford’s offer of $30 million to settle one of the suits. Ford agreed to buy back thousands of defective Focus and Fiesta models built between 2011 and 2016 for as much as $22,000 apiece.
All in all, the DPS6 Powershift transmission is a big stain on Ford’s reputation. If you’re in the market for a Ford, it is advisable is to stay away from any vehicle with a Powershift. It is also important to note that, despite its shortcomings, Ford continued to produce some versions of the Powershift until 2019. So, keep that in mind.
Ford 10-speed Automatic Issues
The second entry on our problematic gearbox radar is the Ford 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox is relatively new, hitting the market in the 2017 Ford F-150 but has gone on to grace the Ford Expedition and the legendary Mustang.
The 10-speed 10R80 was created out of a partnership between Ford and its mortal enemy, General Motors.
At first glance, this cooperation between titans seems like a good idea, but it turned out like the Empire and the Rebels joined forces to build the Death Star.
The way the partnership was supposed to work was that Ford would design and build a 10-speed longitudinal automatic transmission for use in rear-wheel drive vehicles.
On the other side, GM would design and manufacture a nine-speed transverse automatic transmission for use in front-wheel-drive vehicles. Unfortunately, for all parties involved, it did not work out that way.
Shortly after the 10R80 transmission began hitting the streets, Ford started receiving complaints. Customers complained that the transmissions on their brand-new vehicles would change gear randomly and jerk aggressively.
Some customers went as far as to say that some of the shifts were so violent that it could give the occupants whiplash.
Two lawsuits have been filed against Ford over problems with the 10R80 transmission. Both lawsuits allege that Ford knew that the problems with the 10-speed could be a danger to consumers but chose to ship them anyway.
One of these court cases was dismissed in late 2020, citing the plaintiff did not properly allow Ford to try and fix the issues before bringing the complaint to court.
In essence, what the two Detroit powerhouses tried to do was reinvent the wheel. The goal was to create a transmission that could shift fast like a twin-clutch but be as smooth to drive as a traditional automatic. What we got was a transmission that feels great when it works properly but those morsels of satisfaction are few and far between.
Has Ford’s 10-speed Transmission Problem Been Resolved?
Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission has been out for a few years now, and it has had Ford’s phone ringing with complaints since day one. So, the question remains: Has Ford fixed the 10-speed? The short answer is they are working on it.
The Motor City Mustang maker states that the majority of issues customers are experiencing are related to the 10-speed transmission’s adaptive learning software.
In short, what Ford is referring to is a process in which the transmission “learns” your driving habits to help improve the economy and ride quality. A problem occurs if the system gets reset for any reason and has to learn your habits again, which causes rough shifting for a short time.
Ford’s first attempt to remedy the problem with the 10R80 came in 2018 when they issued a technical service bulletin or TSB. A TSB is essentially an internal memo sent to dealerships from the manufacturer as the official procedure for problems that are not in the manual yet.
This particular service bulletin states that if customers are experiencing rough operation of their 10-speed transmission to reprogram the control module. The update seems to remedy a lot of customer complaints but some are still not happy.
Ford has offered a number of other fixes for the 10-speed such as an updated clip for the shift cable and even replacement of the first planetary gear in some models. So, the good news is it appears that Ford is finally taking the complaints seriously and actively trying to solve them.
Ford Transmissions and Their Overall Reliability
From the shaky starts of the twin-clutch Powershift to the random gear changes of the 10-speed automatic, it is pretty safe to say that Ford has had more than its fair share of transmission problems. In the last 10 years, the reputation of some of Ford’s most beloved models has been tarnished by transmission issues.
To be fair, not all Ford’s are going to have transmission problems. Some models may go their entire lives without an issue, while others might be in the shop once a month. After many years of complaints and a few lawsuits, Ford does seem to be taking the problems seriously and working to fix them.
Hopefully, they iron out the issues with the 10-speed because it shows real promise in concept but only time will tell if they get it figured out. We do not recommend you write Ford off as a whole, just be cautious on your search, and don’t be surprised if the transmission has to go under the knife.
Photos: Ford
