Q: My car shudders sometimes when I'm changing speeds.
My car is an automatic but it shudders and feels like it might die (but never does) when I'm speeding up or slowing down - almost as if there's a lag between different speeds. I got the car new with zero miles and I don't drive it hard or accelerate too quickly. What causes this and how concerned should I be?
The problem you are experiencing is most likely an internal transmission clutch failure. You should be very concerned. The transmission could potentially fail completely at anytime. This is a common problem with your vehicle as well as the fiesta. The problem is premature shaft seal wear that allows the clutches to get contaminated. Once contaminated, the transmission begins showing the symptoms you described. The failure rate is so high that Ford has released a technical service bulletin TSB15-0043. The TSB describes the issue and the repair required. Ford has also been generous enough to take the blame and voluntarily extend the original warranty for 7 years or 100,000 miles. This can be handled by your local Ford dealership. Reference Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14M01 when calling to see if your vehicle qualifies for coverage.
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