Ford Fiesta Sport

[Goldieinkathu]

The video above re: clutch shudder. Load of BS. Been driving manuals all my life, 3 to 18 speeds. They do not shudder, buck, jump, make noise. This is a Ford problem, which they are not willing to own up to, and replace the defective Transmissions, which may be all of them due to a design Fault. Look at the hoops they make the dealers jump thru - saying " It's a manual transmission, you will have noise, shudders. " All untrue. but this being the corporate world, they are beholden to no one but their shareholders. Customers - who cares ! Another will walk in the door in a minute !

You've hit the nail right on the head as far as I"m concerned

It was sold to us as being this fantastic transmission system, much better than anything else the sales guy told us.

[bearpolar]

Where are you guys when people recommend the fiesta as a small entry car

All the replies are always the same "its fun to drive"

[Goldieinkathu]

Where are you guys when people recommend the fiesta as a small entry car

All the replies are always the same "its fun to drive"

It is fun to drive - until it isn't

[Goldieinkathu]

Picked it up this morning as it's been with them 2 days and they've done nothing to it, seems it's in a queue even though they told us to bring it in last Thursday

At the moment it's driving fine, not a single problem all the way home.

They told me to take it back on Monday.

[aslimversgwm]

As canathai said, the letters talk only about the control unit for the gearbox (TCM - the electronic controller) or clutch assembly seals - its a dry clutch, so the seals are to stop something leaking in, and contaminating the clutch assembly.

They must have a reason to take this opinion; test drive, inspection, whatever, but seeing as you've had the clutch worked on before, and at only 52k km, then they must be assuming the seals are at fault, again.....

And its beyond the time limit for this to be under warranty

you could try to argue that the last clutch assembly replacement should reset the 5 year clock, but good luck with that!

My point about the battery before was that, seeing as the gearbox needs a healthy power system to operate correctly, and you've said you're on your 3rd battery (which seems excessive - should last 3 to 4 years) there could be issues there - I googled stuff about the gearbox previously and read that ford had issued technical bulletins to improve the earth connection from the battery - if you look at where the black lead on the battery connects to the car body you'll notice the small post is painted - the TB from ford instructed to file away the paint to provide an improved electrical connection. Bad earths can cause a sh*t load of problems on cars. and for the sake of borrowing a spanner and some emery cloth, it might be worth trying.

I'm not saying this is the answer, as if your symptoms follow what they say, i.e. juddering at slow speed, then they're probably right, but if it was more that the car wasn't in the right gear, then it could be something else.

These are worth watching:

Great videos! I am now going out to check my battery earth as I have a 2011 Ford Fiesta S which has and a new battery and 2 clutch replacements [under warranty]. Its going ok as of now with +70,000 kms on the clock but wonder for how much longer!!. this seems like a simple enough thing to check in any event - even for me - non-mechanically minded bod!

Hope the originator of this issue finds a good, free solution to his issues - my sympathies, understanding your frustrations and worse!

[aslimversgwm]

Just been out to check my battery earth and assembly is different to the one in the video!

It looks like this - and it's also painted!

Oh dear - how do I insert a picture?

[seedy]

Insert a Pic - type your reply. Scroll down to bottom RH side - more reply options. Click. Browse. Add. Add to Post. Viola !

[sandrabbit]

We have the 1.6 Fiesta S and have had no trouble in the 3 years we've owned it and we received the extended warranty letters for the gearbox ( hope I haven't jinxed myself). I seem to remember reading something when we bought the car that the auto box is an adaptive gearbox, i.e. that it learns your driving style and there were problems if you didn't use enough throttle when pulling away from a standing start. Both of us have heavy right feet so it was never a problem, the only thing I don't like is being unable to switch the stability control off as sometimes when it's being pushed fast through corners you can it feel it kick one of the back brakes when I wanted to slide the rear end a bit. It's a pity they didn't sell the ST model here.

[kkerry]

Seem to remember the cost of replacing the transmission for our 2011 Fiesta was 100,000 baht according to the dealer. It was an insurance job (not faulty) so I don't have an invoice to check.

There are some lengthy topics in the archives about Fiesta clutch and transmission problems, might be worth reading. Ours initially had problems at low speed, poor low gear selection, juddering, but then they did something to the computer at the 3000km service and problems ended. There was a software update also discussed before. When they replaced the transmission at 4k everything was still okay. Car has done about 35k now, drives well, no complaints. Just had it serviced this week, no problems reported. Had one battery replacement in five years so probably average for Thailand. The one thing we did get replaced was something I've never had to have on a car before, the radio aerial. Car is usually parked undercover but the rubber was cracked very badly so got a new short stubby aerial to replace it.

We have the same problem with the areal.

3 sets of new tyres made the mistake of replacing originals with the same make - much better now we've switched to Bridgestone.

Numerous wheel nuts as the originals are in two parts and the covers fall off.

We only got about 30,000km out of the original tyres, replaced with Dunlop Sports. We don't drive much so would probably be replacing every four years anyway.

I'd forgotten about the wheels.... the Ford logo covers started falling off soon after we got it. Dealer replaced the first few and then put a dab of glue to keep them from falling off. The small caps kept coming loose so we put some different ones on and they've stayed on since.

Another problem we had early on was with the automatic windows not working but had the motor replaced under warranty.

The original Ford dealer we used always managed not to put back together properly anything they took apart, like door panels, glovebox etc. resulting in annoying rattles. There seemed to be at least one mystery plastic screw left lying on the floor after each service. Hasn't been a problem since we changed dealers..

It is fun to drive

[Goldieinkathu]

Seem to remember the cost of replacing the transmission for our 2011 Fiesta was 100,000 baht according to the dealer. It was an insurance job (not faulty) so I don't have an invoice to check.

There are some lengthy topics in the archives about Fiesta clutch and transmission problems, might be worth reading. Ours initially had problems at low speed, poor low gear selection, juddering, but then they did something to the computer at the 3000km service and problems ended. There was a software update also discussed before. When they replaced the transmission at 4k everything was still okay. Car has done about 35k now, drives well, no complaints. Just had it serviced this week, no problems reported. Had one battery replacement in five years so probably average for Thailand. The one thing we did get replaced was something I've never had to have on a car before, the radio aerial. Car is usually parked undercover but the rubber was cracked very badly so got a new short stubby aerial to replace it.

We have the same problem with the areal.

3 sets of new tyres made the mistake of replacing originals with the same make - much better now we've switched to Bridgestone.

Numerous wheel nuts as the originals are in two parts and the covers fall off.

We only got about 30,000km out of the original tyres, replaced with Dunlop Sports. We don't drive much so would probably be replacing every four years anyway.

I'd forgotten about the wheels.... the Ford logo covers started falling off soon after we got it. Dealer replaced the first few and then put a dab of glue to keep them from falling off. The small caps kept coming loose so we put some different ones on and they've stayed on since.

Another problem we had early on was with the automatic windows not working but had the motor replaced under warranty.

The original Ford dealer we used always managed not to put back together properly anything they took apart, like door panels, glovebox etc. resulting in annoying rattles. There seemed to be at least one mystery plastic screw left lying on the floor after each service. Hasn't been a problem since we changed dealers..

It is fun to drive

I'd forgotten about the electric window - had problems too, it was making such a noise when it went up and down, I sprayed WD40 down the cracks and it stopped . Doesn't matter what is taken apart here it seems it is NEVER put back to how it was - air cons, tv's you name it . As you said, there's always some screws that they leave on the floor after the job

Anyone want to buy my Fiesta

[Mudcrab]

[Will27]

Does anyone know if the Ecosport has the same transmission problems or does it have a different set up?

[kartman]

Crystal Balls say lots of Toyota swaps ahead

[misterphil]

Ford

Found

On

Roadside

Dead

Fix

Or

Repair

Daily

Ford are complete garbage in Thailand.

Should of got shot of it after the first clutch pack failed.

[Ace of Pop]

[Goldieinkathu]

^^^^

actually that's not really true, this car doesn't like slow speeds at all, when it's over 80 it's at it's best

[Goldieinkathu]

Ford

Found

On

Roadside

Dead

Fix

Or

Repair

Daily

Ford are complete garbage in Thailand.

Should of got shot of it after the first clutch pack failed.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing

[Goldieinkathu]

If we want a 2nd opinion is it possible to take it to a non Ford garage, will another garage have the equipment to check it - software for instance?

[misterphil]

Seem to remember the cost of replacing the transmission for our 2011 Fiesta was 100,000 baht according to the dealer. It was an insurance job (not faulty) so I don't have an invoice to check.

There are some lengthy topics in the archives about Fiesta clutch and transmission problems, might be worth reading. Ours initially had problems at low speed, poor low gear selection, juddering, but then they did something to the computer at the 3000km service and problems ended. There was a software update also discussed before. When they replaced the transmission at 4k everything was still okay. Car has done about 35k now, drives well, no complaints. Just had it serviced this week, no problems reported. Had one battery replacement in five years so probably average for Thailand. The one thing we did get replaced was something I've never had to have on a car before, the radio aerial. Car is usually parked undercover but the rubber was cracked very badly so got a new short stubby aerial to replace it.

We have the same problem with the areal.

3 sets of new tyres made the mistake of replacing originals with the same make - much better now we've switched to Bridgestone.

Numerous wheel nuts as the originals are in two parts and the covers fall off.

We only got about 30,000km out of the original tyres, replaced with Dunlop Sports. We don't drive much so would probably be replacing every four years anyway.

I'd forgotten about the wheels.... the Ford logo covers started falling off soon after we got it. Dealer replaced the first few and then put a dab of glue to keep them from falling off. The small caps kept coming loose so we put some different ones on and they've stayed on since.

Another problem we had early on was with the automatic windows not working but had the motor replaced under warranty.

The original Ford dealer we used always managed not to put back together properly anything they took apart, like door panels, glovebox etc. resulting in annoying rattles. There seemed to be at least one mystery plastic screw left lying on the floor after each service. Hasn't been a problem since we changed dealers..

It is fun to drive

I'd forgotten about the electric window - had problems too, it was making such a noise when it went up and down, I sprayed WD40 down the cracks and it stopped . Doesn't matter what is taken apart here it seems it is NEVER put back to how it was - air cons, tv's you name it . As you said, there's always some screws that they leave on the floor after the job

Anyone want to buy my Fiesta

I'll do you a swap for my 2012 Yamaha Nouvo SX and you give me 5,000 baht and we have a deal.

[Goldieinkathu]

^^^^^^

Sounds like a good deal, what color is it?

[jay1980]

Crystal Balls say lots of Toyota swaps ahead

what about honda ones

[Goldieinkathu]

^^^^

Can someone explain to the dummies

[commie]

Clutch problem is common on all Fiestas (esp. early ones) and in most cases can be fixed by updating the TCM module software. There are dozens of these updates since Ford has introduces this gearbox. If you have an OBD2 code reader and experience similar problems check if your transmission returns a P0606 code - that's a sure sign for it. I had it popping out of nowhere 4 times in few months, applied TCM update, recalibrated the module and the problem disappeared. Asking Ford Phuket was useless - they wanted me to replace the TCM, so I did everything myself.

[Familyonthemove]

^^^^

Can someone explain to the dummies

In addition to the post from Commie above - here's my 'dummy' understanding ...... (The engineers on the site can correct any miss-information - but here's my layman's view based on the experience of the one we use at work)

Normal automatic cars use oil (transmission fluid) rather than a traditional mechanical clutch - and the oil is used to disconnect the drive from the wheels when you are not moving or when the car changes gear - so it's like when you press in a clutch on a manual/stick shift.

With small engines the 'oil' type auto system is horrible as the engine does not have the huge torque (twisting power/grunt) of the big engines that were traditionally used with auto boxes - so the little cars rev their brains out when accelerating and generally make a lot of fuss whilst not going anywhere quickly.

To fix this - Ford used a mechanical system for the auto boxes on their smaller cars. It's basically a 'robot' version of a traditional clutch which uses two normal mechanical clutches and an electric motor to change gear. A computer tells the motors when to change gear. This is the same as the system on some very, very expensive supercars - so it's kinda cool to have it available on a small car.

The result is a sportier drive than the old 'oil' type auto box and it's much better suited to smaller engines.

The computer can be re-programmed by dealers (or smart engineers with the right magic box) to alter the shifting pattern. Early Fiestas tended to shift jerkily at lower speeds - so driving in a car park for example was an uncomfortable experience as it shifted between first and second seemly at random. An update to the cars' 'brain' sorted this out.

Unfortunately some Ford dealers are not very focused (should that be Fiestered?) on customer service - so fixing what should have been a simple upgrade to a new gear change system became a protracted battle that spread to the internet with unhappy customers, class actions and general web-based whining.

But really it's a good system for smaller cars that just needed some teething problems fixed in an efficient and courteous way (not a strong point for Ford dealers) - and the actual experience of driving these cars is much more 'sporty' and connected than the old style auto - that is really only suitable for huge V8's made out of pig iron and boulders.

But the good news is that you can get a nice 'drivers car' at a huge discount now - which is how we ended up with one at the office. I prefer driving it to the equivalent cars from Toyota and Honda - and unlike the Honda City the Ford has suspension that moves when you hit a bump and there's enough legroom for a normal sized driver.

[Goldieinkathu]

Familyonthemove, Thank you so much for the detailed explanation and your time to write the post , it's really helped me to understand the problem.

After finally dealing with Ford in Bangkok they say they are speaking to their "team warranty" whoever they are and will get back to us about the dispute.

The latest software has been updated and at the moment the car is driving better than it has since we bought it.

It doesn't explain though the estimate of 24.000 for new clutch parts.

They were not expecting us to pick up the car over the weekend before it was due to have the work done on Monday, it doesn't make sense.

My "Can someone explain to the dummies" was really about the picture above, was Jay1980 advising an engine swap?

[Goldieinkathu]

Clutch problem is common on all Fiestas (esp. early ones) and in most cases can be fixed by updating the TCM module software. There are dozens of these updates since Ford has introduces this gearbox. If you have an OBD2 code reader and experience similar problems check if your transmission returns a P0606 code - that's a sure sign for it. I had it popping out of nowhere 4 times in few months, applied TCM update, recalibrated the module and the problem disappeared. Asking Ford Phuket was useless - they wanted me to replace the TCM, so I did everything myself.

Thanks commie,

The latest software from Ford is 15B22, it was updated in Feb.

Why would Ford want you to replace the TCM ( very expensive, yes?) if it was something so easy to correct?

Why are they telling me I need to replace the "clutch assembly" when the car seems to be driving fine now?

[JaseTheBass]

Clutch problem is common on all Fiestas (esp. early ones) and in most cases can be fixed by updating the TCM module software. There are dozens of these updates since Ford has introduces this gearbox. If you have an OBD2 code reader and experience similar problems check if your transmission returns a P0606 code - that's a sure sign for it. I had it popping out of nowhere 4 times in few months, applied TCM update, recalibrated the module and the problem disappeared. Asking Ford Phuket was useless - they wanted me to replace the TCM, so I did everything myself.

Thanks commie,

The latest software from Ford is 15B22, it was updated in Feb.

Why would Ford want you to replace the TCM ( very expensive, yes?) if it was something so easy to correct?

Why are they telling me I need to replace the "clutch assembly" when the car seems to be driving fine now?

You have to remember that Thais are way smarter than us Farang. We'll never have their level of wisdom, so just get used to it.

[commie]

Clutch problem is common on all Fiestas (esp. early ones) and in most cases can be fixed by updating the TCM module software. There are dozens of these updates since Ford has introduces this gearbox. If you have an OBD2 code reader and experience similar problems check if your transmission returns a P0606 code - that's a sure sign for it. I had it popping out of nowhere 4 times in few months, applied TCM update, recalibrated the module and the problem disappeared. Asking Ford Phuket was useless - they wanted me to replace the TCM, so I did everything myself.

Thanks commie,

The latest software from Ford is 15B22, it was updated in Feb.

Why would Ford want you to replace the TCM ( very expensive, yes?) if it was something so easy to correct?

Why are they telling me I need to replace the "clutch assembly" when the car seems to be driving fine now?

I can see various reasons for TCM replacement, even when it *seems* to work correctly. It has 6 electric motors inside, coils or armature might be damaged or worn. Or it can be wear in small shifting gears inside TCM. However I doubt any dealer garage will go into inspecting any module that deep. Hell, normally I wouldn't do it myself

As for clutch assembly it might be a damaged/worn fork, disc or TCM itself, hard to say (plus language barrier, how do you know what they really mean). Ask them for part numbers they say they want to replace, look them up (I can help with that) and then ask again what the problem is with these parts.

[JAS21]

After reading through this topic I am wondering what to do. In June 2015 we bought a Fiesta Ecoboost that daughter drives. I know that it was built late 2013 or early 2014.

I used it for a short holiday once and had to drive slowly up a fairly steep rough road with four up … what a problem it couldn’t make up its mind what gear to use it was like GO-STOP –GO-STOP something like a learner driver with a manual clutch.

I basically never get to drive it now as it lives away. Should I pester Ford to put the latest software in??....

Really wish I’d chosen something different as it’s to be kept long term. Definitely going to do the extra two year warranty.

Edited April 27, 2016 by JAS21

[JaseTheBass]

After reading through this topic I am wondering what to do. In June 2015 we bought a Fiesta Ecoboost that daughter drives. I know that it was built late 2013 or early 2014.

I used it for a short holiday once and had to drive slowly up a fairly steep rough road with four up … what a problem it couldn’t make up its mind what gear to use it was like GO-STOP –GO-STOP something like a learner driver with a manual clutch.

I basically never get to drive it now as it lives away. Should I pester Ford to put the latest software in??....

Really wish I’d chosen something different as it’s to be kept long term. Definitely going to do the extra two year warranty.

Yes. It should totally transform the car.