Recall/transmission

[ctg492]

I have posted about my fab mpg the last year of crazy commuting. 2012 sFe Focus. I have "only" had transmission issues. Ford recalled it or offered a fix from the shuttering, I took it in with in the first weekish of owning it. Through the 70,000 miles (crazy) miles in the last 30 months 50,000 in the last year, it has kept the issue and I got used to it. I got a recall letter a few months ago and got the car in this week. I won the lottery I guess, my car was on the rebuilt Transmisson List. Transmission/Clutch fluid will leak together. SO it is "fixed" now. The warranty was extended to 100,000 miles.

My ??? is, How do you feel about this? Would you feel comfortable to continue the commute in this car and feel secure that it is ok? I have reduced my drive to hopefully 3,000 ish a month. But still just me and my three dogs. I need new tires in 20,000 miles. I bought 60K mile tires at 30K. I tell myself it is a waste to get a new car as I am going to just mile it out again. I had a qoute for trade in at the dealer and also another dealer. I picked out a new car actually two different ones. But am I just worried about more issues with this car for no reason? I know the trade in value will just drop to nothing if I make it to 100,000 miles.

Did I mention I hate driving and cars!!!!

[Float On]

We had a Ford F150 that needed a new transmission at 30,000 miles. That rebuilt transmission we put in lasted until the truck was wrecked at 320,000 miles.

[Packy]

Hot Rodding costs money---how fast do you want to go? I think you kids are just too hard on your transmission--it sounds like you do a lot of drag racing, on the street and at the track. Doing those extended smoky burnouts, trying to show off doesn't help. Neither does neutral drop starts, or shoving a load of nitrous down the motor. You may have to buy a completely prepared, beefed-up racing version of your transmission from an aftermarket supplier that specializes in drag racing transmissions, so start saving your $$.

[ToomuchStuff]

I would feel better about it since the dealer who has to work on it if it fails, rebuilt it. I would have felt more secure about it, had they given you a better warranty, since your close to 100K miles now.

[jp1]

Personally I'd trust it. Any car can break down at any time. Yes, maybe they didn't do the work right again. But even a new car can have problems. I'd just make sure I had a phone charger with me so that I could call AAA if need be and not worry about it.

[SteveinMN]

I would drive it till it drops. The car has value to you; at 70,000+ miles in three years, it has little value in trade or retail sale to anyone else. If the car does what you need it to do, and if you're doing the required maintenance (by mileage, not time), then keep driving. It certainly would be smart, though, to make sure you've got a working cell phone and some sort of road-assistance plan (Better World, AAA, insurance co.).

Especially at the rate you're putting miles on this car, getting to 100,000 miles is not going to leave you with a rusting hull of a vehicle. Most cars these days can hit 100,000 with some attention paid to maintenance. No one will guarantee that you won't have another problem. There are too many variables (previous owner, tiny manufacturing defect, driving conditions). But if you trust the car so far and you're taking care of it, it should be good for another few years at your present mileage rate. That 30,000 mile warranty extension they've provided would be three years of driving for many drivers; neither you nor your dealer nor Ford can help that you'll cover that much in just a few months.

[mschrisgo2]

Well, for a years now and over many different models there have been transmission problems in domestic cars/trucks, and they used to say it was because they were the bigger models, i.e. longer, heavier, etc. Sad to hear the little ones have issues, too. At any rate, every one that I know of, and there have been a lot because I know a lot of people who have been staunchly "Buy(ing) American made" once the transmission was re-bulit, it literally went forever, 200K+. So I'd say you're probably safe in keeping it. [however, FWIW, my rule of thumb about my car is: if I don't feel safe driving it, where ever, it's time to replace it. But my last 3 cars have gone 210,000+ miles]

[Packy]

I worked at a company who started in the 50's as a local repair shop that specialized in automatic transmissions, and the owner grew the company into a production-line rebuilder of engines and transmissions. Twenty years ago, the companys' major customer was the domestic car maker who first marketed the front-wheel drive minivan, and soon all of their passenger cars were front wheel drive. Anyway, the company I worked for rebuilt minivan trans-axles for the manufacturer as oem replacements for warranty claims on their 7/70,000 drivetrain warranty. One day the plant manager told us that that car manufacturers' bean-counters just factored in the cost of replacing the transmission in most of their cars before the warranty was up! He was in a position to know, as that company worked very closely with their main customer. Some of the used core transmissions that were supplied to us(from dealership returns) were not even rebuildable due to a broken case or a "burnout" --an internal fire in the transmission due to bad bearing or broken planetary shell igniting the AT Fluid. They literally blew up from too much stress on weak parts! Anyhow, 20 years later, the company I worked for is kaput, and the auto manufacturer we rebuilt transmissions for is probably the one-and-only maker of domestic rear-drive sedans, now that (competitor) Ford has dropped the Crown Vic & Town Car. Unless, you want to count the mustang, Camaro & corvette. But, consider that they are peripheral sports models with powerful engines, not family sedans. My conclusion: FWD is only suited to small, very lightweight, i.e. under 3,000lbs( or less) cars, with low-torque output engines. Many modern FWD sedans weigh as much as or more than their counterparts of the 60's & 70's.; well in excess of 4000lbs. So do "mini" vans(ha), which weight close to 5000. For those applications, you really need a beefy transmission with hefty internal components that can disperse heat readily, and cramming the entire drivetrain, (with downsized internal components) completely under the hood, as is done in FWD cars, is not at all conducive to that. As soon as the consuming public figures that one out---20+ years too late at this point, and ALL of the car makers act accordingly-- things will be a lot better. So, that's what I'd suggest you keep in mind when you car shop.

[ctg492]

Thanks all. I have no ill feelings towards Ford as they fixed the issues that were thiers to begin with. I just have never driven this much in my life. I got over the fact of breaking down in the aloneness of nowhereville along time ago. I know I can break down just down the street. I joke and have said for a year I have Ford insurance, they will come get me. I have never missed an oli change, tire rotation, schudled maintenance on this car, check Gramin my speed in low, so I suppose I have done all I can. Husband does not feel the same, we don't see eye to eye on cars. He drives far different type cars then I. Cars are evil necessity to me, they are are thrill ride for him.

[Packy]

Some of you kids may disagree with littlebittymee, saying: Yeah, but my Dad's 78 Chevy pickup trans failed at 93,000 miles and my Grampa's Oldmobile or Lincoln or whatever from the 60's did, too. But see--back then rear-wheel drive passenger vehicles were set up to shift very, very smoothly. This smoothness was caused by some intentional slipping that caused accelerated wear on the clutch pack. Transmission failure was gradual. Well, the fluid would be black and smelly, it would slip in drive, & the LOCAL transmission shop would pull the transmission, and install one they had already benched or redo the one your car had. But, the 3-speed GM hydramatic or Chrysler Torquefight or Ford Cruiseomatic wasn't "blown up" and needing a new case or a number of expensive internal parts to restore it. Nope, the service tech just disassembled the transmission, washed it in solvent, inspected the major components, installed new clutch packs and reassembled it with new seals and O-rings. Maybe install a case bushing or a band, once in awhile. Just clean it out, and replace "soft parts" with a $50 kit, for $300 m/l., a lucrative business at that. And, it was ready to go back to shifting smoothly for another 75,000-100,000 miles. They were heavy-duty, to begin with, and adapted to meet consumer expectations. But still, a whole lot cheaper than a total rebuild on a FWD transaxle on a minivan, or whatever.