Ford Sued in U.S. Over Dual-Clutch Transmission

Almost 7,000 owners of Ford Fiesta and Focus small cars in the U.S. claim the dual-clutch transmissions in their cars are defective.

The so-called PowerShift gearboxes are designed to work like an automatic transmission or be manually shifted without the need for a clutch. But the lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, says the units can shudder, slip, jerk and hesitate.

The PowerShift gearbox is a 6-speed unit co-designed by a venture owned by Ford, German transmission maker Getrag and Schaeffler Group’s LUK unit.

The complaint, which was filed last month by Stern Law pllc in a metro-Detroit circuit court, seeks an unspecified settlement that would pay each owner according to the damages and inconvenience incurred.

The lawsuit covers owners of 2011-2016 model Fiesta and Focus cars. The lawsuit says Ford acknowledged in a 2011 service bulletin that the 6-speed gearbox could surge, hesitate lose power, interfere with throttle response and break down. Ford subsequently issued more than 20 bullets suggesting various remedies but found no reliable cure, according to the new lawsuit.

Automotive News notes that in 2012 Ford settled an earlier complaint involving the same PowerShift transmission. That lawsuit, which was filed by Los Angeles-based Capstone Partners, was settled last month.