Ford Fiesta and Focus with the DPS6 Powershift dual-clutch (built 2009-2016, US documentation): input shaft seal leaks, clutch shudder and control module failures

At a glance

Severity

Major risk of being immobilised, or replacement of a major component.
Severity follows the worst documented outcome, not the average case.

Safety-relevant

Not flagged as safety-relevant.

In the Elgarde checklist

Ordinary entry: it does not cap the verdict by itself.

Documented in

US

Which cars this covers

Only Fiesta and Focus with the DPS6 dry dual-clutch automatic. The Ford programmes cover builds from 3 November 2009 (Fiesta) and 1 August 2010 (Focus) to 5 November 2015; the US class action covers model years up to 2016, so the window here runs to the end of 2016. Manual cars are not affected. No document was found for European-market cars: this record is based on US documents only.

Models in scope

Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus

Conditions on top of the model

• All of these must hold:
  • Gearbox: Ford 6-speed dual-clutch with dry clutches (DPS6, Powershift)
  • Production date: November 2009 to December 2016

Notes on scope

The gearbox record has no gearbox code. The court class covers model years 2011-2016 Fiesta and 2012-2016 Focus with the DPS6; the build window follows the Ford programmes and is extended to the end of 2016 to cover those model years.

How to check whether a particular car is affected

Elgarde reads the conditions above and gives one of three answers for a car:

• Applies: every condition is confirmed for the car.
• Possible: at least one condition cannot be confirmed yet. The entry stays on the checklist, with a note on what to find out.
• Not applicable: a condition is clearly not met (for example a manual gearbox on a DSG entry). The entry is left off the checklist.

What to look for, and where

• Model: one of the models listed above
  The model name as on the registration document, e.g. Golf, 208, 320d.
• Gearbox type
  Manual or automatic? On VW group cars a dual-clutch gearbox usually shows 'DSG' or 'S tronic' on or near the gear lever.
• Gearbox code: Ford 6-speed dual-clutch with dry clutches (DPS6, Powershift)
  Stamped on the gearbox housing and returned by a dealer VIN query; on VW group cars also printed on the vehicle data sticker.
• Production month: November 2009 to December 2016
  The month the car was built (on the VIN plate or in the registration papers). It only matters when the year alone does not settle it.

When in doubt, treat the car as possible: asking one question too many costs less than missing a defect.

How the fault arises, as reported

The DPS6 is a six-speed dual-clutch automatic with dry clutches. Ford's own programmes name three problems. First, leaking input shaft seals may contaminate the clutch with fluid and cause shudder on light acceleration (14M01). Second, the clutch itself can judder or shudder on light acceleration, and Ford revised the clutch material (19N08). Third, electrical circuit failures inside the transmission control module can cause intermittent loss of transmission engagement while driving, no-start and lack of power (14M02). The wording is Ford's; the court settlement did not find the cause.

Reported symptoms

Early signs

• Shudder or judder on light acceleration, especially from a stop
• Transmission warning light or intermittent loss of drive

Later signs

• No-start, lack of power or loss of gear engagement while driving (Ford)

What to check when inspecting a car

• Documents and records. Ask for the service history: clutch, input shaft seal and control module work, software updates and any Ford programme 14M01, 14M02 or 19N08 repairs.Red flag: Repeated transmission visits with no clutch or module record.
• Diagnostic read-out. Read the transmission fault memory and check the software calibration level.Red flag: Stored clutch or control module faults.
• Listen. On a test drive, pull away gently from a stop several times, uphill and in traffic speeds.Red flag: Shudder, shaking or hesitation when moving off.

Repair and cost

Usual remedy

Replacement of the input shaft seals, the clutch (revised material for later builds) and the transmission control module, plus software calibration updates, as the Ford programmes describe.

No published repair cost is recorded in this dossier.

What the manufacturer and regulators have said

Manufacturer programme

US programmes: 14M01 (seals, clutch and calibration, 7 years or 100,000 miles), 14M02 (control module, 10 years or 150,000 miles) and 19N08 (clutch, 7 years or 100,000 miles). The court settlement added buyback arbitration, cash for three or more repair visits and clutch reimbursement. None is known for European-market cars. Sources: [1], [2], [3]

Official records and rulings

• Warranty extension · Ford Motor Company · Ford 14M01 / TSB 16-0109 · 2016-08-16
  Ford dealer programme hosted by NHTSA: extends the DPS6 input shaft seals, clutch and software calibration to 7 years or 100,000 miles on Fiesta MY2011-2014 (built 3 November 2009 to 5 June 2013) and Focus MY2012-2014 (built 1 August 2010 to 5 June 2013). Ford states the reason is shudder on light acceleration that may be due to fluid contamination of the clutch from leaking input shaft seals, and that builds from 6 June 2013 have improved seals. [1] static.nhtsa.gov
• Warranty extension · Ford Motor Company · Ford 14M02 / TSB 16-0044, 16-0129 · 2019-08-26
  Ford dealer programme hosted by NHTSA (supplement 4): transmission control module warranty extended to 10 years or 150,000 miles on Fiesta MY2011-2015 (built 3 November 2009 to 30 June 2015) and Focus MY2012-2016 (built 1 August 2010 to 5 November 2015). Symptoms listed: intermittent loss of transmission engagement while driving, no-start, lack of power; Ford says these may be caused by electrical circuit failures inside the module. [2] static.nhtsa.gov
• Warranty extension · Ford Motor Company · Ford 19N08 · 2019-08-14
  Ford dealer programme: clutch warranty extended to 7 years or 100,000 miles on Fiesta MY2014-2015 (built 9 July 2013 to 15 October 2014) and Focus MY2014-2016 (built 9 July 2013 to 5 November 2015), for clutches that may exhibit intermittent judder or shudder on light acceleration. Remedy: revised clutch material. [3] static.nhtsa.gov
• Court ruling · Berger Montague · C.D. Cal. 2:12-cv-08388
  Plaintiffs' law firm page on the US class action over the DPS6 in 2011-2016 Fiesta and 2012-2016 Focus. The settlement class has about 1.9 million members; final approval was granted on 5 March 2020 with a court-found minimum payout of 77.4 million USD. Terms: buyback arbitration, cash for three or more repair visits, clutch reimbursement. Party page, so cited for the settlement only. [4] bergermontague.com
• Court ruling · Public Citizen · C.D. Cal. 2:12-cv-08388 · 2019-09-13
  Public-interest group page on the same case: the Ninth Circuit vacated the first settlement approval on 13 September 2019, before the 2020 final approval. Used only for that procedural fact. [5] citizen.org

A recall or campaign record describes the vehicles in its scope, not a confirmed failure in any given car.

How common is it?

Evidence and sources

Each statement above traces to the sources below. Review status is shown for every source.

Automated source check: the source was opened and its claims, dates and figures were compared with this dossier by an automated check. It is not a human sign-off.

Reuse, attribution and corrections

Text and data: Elgarde, licensed under CC-BY-4.0, canon release 2026.10.1. Credit “Elgarde”, link to this page and say if you changed the text.

If you reproduce this dossier in a report on a specific car, show the disclaimer next to it.

Suggested citation

Elgarde, “Ford Fiesta and Focus with the DPS6 Powershift dual-clutch (built 2009-2016, US documentation): input shaft seal leaks, clutch shudder and control module failures”, known-defect dossier powershift, canon release 2026.10.1, CC-BY-4.0, https://elgarde.com/defects/powershift/

Machine-readable version

• This dossier as JSON https://api.elgarde.com/api/v1/defects/powershift?lang=en
• Catalogue of all dossiers https://api.elgarde.com/api/v1/catalog?lang=en

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