Ford Focus LW Mk2 (2012-2015) Questions & Answers

Theo, I think you'd best find a reliable auto electrician. It will probably save you a lot of time and frustration. Your local Ford dealer might be worth a quote, and remember you don't need to have it fixed there if it will be too expensive. Sorry I can't help more.

Run... Dont buy one is my advice to you...
It is a gamble to buy a ford focus and one i woukd not ever take again or suggest anyone to make...

Mine is basically a garden gnome a decaration for the complex i reside in

I heard the Focus diesel had a wet clutch and did not have problems like the dry clutch model used for the petrol Fiestas and Focus's from the 2012-2014 era.

What does MK 2 stand for. I have 2012 focus LW trend. Is my transmission faulty

im.experiencing the same problem. how does it get fixed?

I had to return it back to the Ford dealership where I live and had it repaired. Ford CRC did contribute to the repairs. But again; they replaced the mechatronic unit in the transmission. So, two major repairs have been made. Even though it drives well now, I still feel at times that the car doesn't act as it used to when it had its genuine parts from the factory. I have found that a car is never the same as factory bought, once parts begin to be replaced. But that's my opinion.

I own a Ford Focus Sport 2017 model that also leaked coolant into the engine. It is currently getting repaired and they are replacing the engine block. Apparently this is a recurring issue every 20 000km?

If this is occuring in neutral as well then it's more likely to be a fault within the electrics so would recommend to have the car towed to a ford australia service centre workshop or perhaps a reasonable auto electrician workshop may be able to help. It could be a problem somewhere else in the car in which case a reasonable mechanical repairs and servicing workshop may be able to help.

Tcm module

This one has a belt

I am looking to buy a sp25 or a focus LW MK2 and have driven 2 focus's in the past few days. They both seem to be a little but laggy on accelleration but i think its to aid in keeping fuel consumption down. Both got up and going around 3500 rpm. When accellerating at a very moderate rate it drives fine but if you put the boot into it, it takes a bit to get going.
Both were identical year models and 50-60k so im thinking its a characteristic. The sp25 on the other hand felt a bit more punchy down low but fuel consumption figures from memory arent quite as good.

I have one. No problem yet with transmission but need to replace computer. It’s only done 59 thousand k’s. Pathetic.

Hi, the Focus Trend does not include the Navman.

excellent thanks

You can easily buy a global positioning device from any reputable electronics store. Alternatively you could try ebay australia

I do not own one, however I was in the same boat as you for a long while and was really tempted to get a 2014 tdci and researched them heaps. From what I have gathered, even though they are a wet clutch bathed in oil they are not immune to problems. Sure, they have far less problems than the dry clutch found in the petrols but they can still be a headache and would cost almost as much as the price of the car to replace it if something goes wrong. If you want my opinion, I would still avoid it. The ford focus tdci is the nicest looking and most appealing diesel in that price range, however you can still get a very nice diesel with a 6 speed conventional auto: The hyundai 2012+ i30. I have researched the i30 just as much and posted on the forums for a few months asking question after question, and plenty of people swear by them and have had trouble free motoring.

Thank you!! You've helped me decide to steer clear of the Ford Focus

The transmission on the LV/LW series TDCi is a completely different unit from that on the petrol engined models. Whilst the transmission on this vehicle will not be any more or less of a problem than any other automatic vehicle, one thing I'd suggest if you live in an urban area and do a lot of inner city driving is to look at a petrol engined option (obviously not a Focus with the power shift transmission) as the calibration required to meet new EU emissions standards actually, or more to the point ironically, dramatically reduces fuel economy under these driving conditions and frequent DPF regeneration cycles will eat into that economy yet again.

On the other hand, if you live in a regional centre and/or do a lot of highway driving then a diesel is a great option to consider.

To put a short answer to the question of "will the transmission be a problem?" - No, it will not.

If you want a vehicle that will allow you to travel vast distances between transmission services, get a Nissan or Toyota with a CVT.

Hi LW MK2 are the ones with clutch problems whether auto or manual I have a LV mk 2 with the bare bones basic 4sp gearbox the LW's are subject to lawsuit and ongoing consumer issues due to their power shift 6sp gearbox. This was corrected in the LZ (2015-onwards)which has a standard 6Speed gearbox no power shift. tread carefully!

Ok thanks.. The clutch did get replaced in April this year and a warranty for 7 years added.. The lady had no problems with the car at all before hand. But it got recalled so she got it fixed . I'm torn in what to do now .

Hi Kaz 21, Saw your review regarding ford focus LW Mk2, in auto / petrol. Mate don't bother look elsewhere. The TCM ( Transmission Control Module) are unreliable and that so called shudder can't be fixed. Just recently got rid of mine. Got a letter from ford saying that they're aware of the problem and gave me an extra year warranty. Big Woop, warranty runs out and you'll be up for big $$$ to fix it. Powershift is Powershit. Look elsewhere as I know you will not want to be disappointed later.

You do not say what engine is in the "sports"?
My thoughts are; Diesel- Yes, Petrol - No! Because of the problems with the dry clutch - DCG, fitted to the Petrol models.
Ensure you have a mechanic check this out, otherwise the Focus is a good car

I'm not sure but the petrol does have it's problems

Don't even think about it! If it's got Powershift and Dual Clutch it's a lemon.

Check my review I've had one for 4 years

The Diesel has a different Transmission to the Petrol and doesn't suffer from the shuddering issues. The only thing is that transmission in the Diesel does need to be serviced every 60,000km which is an expensive service. The transmission in the petrol version doesn't need servicing.

Shuddering happens for a few reasons. On the earlier model Fiesta and Focus, the DPS6 had a design flaw with both input shaft seals. These seals would allow transmission fluid to leak out and soak the dry clutch's. Like an manual transmissions, this would cause slippage and clutch failure. This issue is also covered by Ford's extended warranty. In some cases, the point of leak turns out to be the rear main oil seal which leaks engine oil all over the clutch unit.

The other reason for shuddering is because of excessive clutch dust build up. This is the result of normal wear but can also be because of consumers driving the vehicle wrong. Yes, I blame you. Excessive clutch wear is caused by creep. Creep on a manual transmission is when you are, for example, sitting in a drive through or traffic and you allow the car to "creep" forward just by letting off the brake pedal without apply throttle. On the DPS6, once you release the brake pedal, the car will start to release the clutch after a second or two. Just like you would be letting your foot off the clutch pedal.

On an automatic transmission, creep is fine. But on a manual, the only way to keep the engine running is to purposely slip the clutch. Clutch slippage leads to clutch friction material wear, which leads to excessive clutch dust. Owners need to be aware that they need to drive this car as if it was a manual. It is really hard to explain, as many young drivers have never experienced a manual and older drivers have long forgot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa3CR-7-uoo
This video expalians what Ford have done to address the issue

This is the best car we have ever purchased, runs beautifully and is very good on fuel

If it has the powershift gearbox then yes there is. These problems are in the 2011-2014 models. The 2015-2016 models aren't that much better as they still have the shudder

Yes they have a major design fault in the transmission. Stay away from them or you will regret it. Ford will not help you. There is a class action in progress at present in many countries

Didnt have that trouble but then didnt have the car verh long. Sorry cant help. Try other forums for clues. Google the ptoblem and sed ehat comes up. Good luck

This is a guess as i am not a motor mechanic.
As the cooling system is pressurised it is more likely for water to contaminate the oil in the sump.
The sump is not pressurised so it seems impossible for un-pressured oil to enter into the coolant system if there is a fault (Cracked head)
My guess would be somehow oil has been added to the coolant system either by mistake or deliberately?
Naturally oil being less dense than water would be on top of the reservoir reserve and would spurt out when released. This also indicates the water reserve has been overfilled by the addition of oil

That seems like there's likely a damaged gasket somewhere. I would recommend to take the car to a Ford Australia workshop or perhaps a reasonable mechanical repairs and servicing workshop may be able to help.
I also found ultratune experts at diagnosis and repairs of faults.

No problem with st or manual or turbo diesel these cars are fantastic.

No problem with st or manual or turbo diesel automatics these cars are fantastic.

I own a lw mk11 2014 Titanium turbo diesel auto and a 2015 lw mk11 sport diesel auto both have the wet clutch system no problems.I hear the early model petrol models not good.
cheers
David

coz I did not find any review regarding 2014 ford focus trend lw mk2 body type 4D sedan.

Hi johnny, just contact your local ford service centre. The staff are now very well versed in which models have the power shift automatic transmission (i.e. the problematic ones) so they can advise you. I was at my local service centre last week and they told me they see upto 3 cars with the clutch issue every day, so they know what's what. Good luck.