2nd gen. Focus auto problem

xkxlxm · 14-02-2022, 06:02 AM

A friend's mother has a Focus. I am pretty sure it's a second generation Focus. Recently it has failed to proceed. Seems to be a transmission problem and is at a repair shop after being towed there by the RACV. I haven't heard back from him yet.

Is this model's transmission known to be problematic? Do the problems tend to be difficult/expensive to resolve?

**russellw** · 14-02-2022, 08:01 AM

Depends what you mean by 2nd Gen - if you are referring to those built between 2004-2010 (LS to LV) then some have conventional auto transmissions but petrol models built from 2008 onward may well have the notoriously unreliable PowerShift transmission - THIS article explains what the issues are and there are remedies available to you. Cost of fixing the issue will range from $2-4k and it won't be a permanent fix.

Talk to Ford or your State consumer body before paying for a mechanic to fix it.

xkxlxm · 14-02-2022, 01:26 PM

Thanks for your reply.

I spoke to him this morning. It's a 2005 Focus sedan (petrol). It had been towed to a mechanic/transmission specialist who could find nothing wrong with it, so they picked the car up. His mum drove it away and in a few hundred metres it was playing up. My friend then drove it and he had the same problem in a short distance, with the car seeming like it's stuck in first or second gear with no power. They called the RACV; RACV bloke calls tow truck. RACV bloke took it for short drive; seems like he might have put the boot into it as he drove away; he found no problem.

Since then his mum has driven it on a couple of 50 km round trips with no problem. My friend was wondering if a floor mat might be creeping up and getting in the way of the accelerator pedal so he is going to remove the mat.

He will be wondering if the problem is going to pop up again.

ToyotaCorolla · 21-02-2022, 08:19 PM

Basically the 2nd gen auto tran is a timebomb?

DeKa · 24-02-2022, 06:55 AM

Mk2 Focus Petrol (known as LS, LT and LV in Australia) has a 4sp torque converter auto. The car the OP discusses sounds like one of these.

The Mk3 Focus (known as LW) petrol has the PowerShift dual clutch transmission.

The Mk3.5 (known as LZ) has a 6sp torque converter.

xkxlxm · 24-02-2022, 04:15 PM

Thanks. I will be interested to hear from my friend if his mum has any more problems with it, or not.

Crazy Dazz · 24-02-2022, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToyotaCorolla

Basically the 2nd gen auto tran is a timebomb?

Far from it.
The 2nd gen Focus was and is a brilliant little car, at the time probably the best in the world in its class.
Daughter had one (yes I have a lot of daughters) and it was superbly reliable.
I'd be interested to know where the OP's came from? Australia got a lot from South Africa, but some models came from Europe.
(I have this vague recollection that my daughter's was built in Belgium?)

The infamous PowerShart really only became a fixture with the Mk3.
Whilst it was used in some markets from the LV (mk2.5) onwards, I've never come across one in Australia. (Possibly weren't fitted to the SA built models?)
Imports from SA finished with the LV, and for a while with the LW (mk3) we switched back to Europeans, until Thailand got up and running.

xkxlxm · 25-02-2022, 05:38 PM

What info would be needed to determine where the Focus was built? VIN number, or build plates on the body, or both? I can ask him for those details.

marg99 · 25-02-2022, 06:07 PM

usually first letter of the VIN number has the country code of manufacture many of the ls & LT series focus were made in South Africa

Crazy Dazz · 25-02-2022, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

What info would be needed to determine where the Focus was built? VIN number, or build plates on the body, or both? I can ask him for those details.

It may say on the build plate, or the VIN may give it away.
(I don't know about Ford, but with some manufacturers there's a bit of jiggery, where they are actually allowed to base the VIN on the destination country.)

But it's probably not relevant.
As a 2005 Model it most definitely does not have a powershart tranny.

It's difficult to suggest diagnosis without more details of the system.
Being "stuck in gear" is a tranny fault, however having "no power" could simply be the engine.
A relatively common fault with these engines is the stupid flaps Ford put in the inlet manifold. It might pay to check they are moving freely, and check the solenoids are functioning correctly.

Also check the throttle body. Pretty sure the mk2 Focus got the electronic version, but they can still be prone to sticking, so give it a good clean.

xkxlxm · 27-02-2022, 10:49 AM

Like you said, the VIN is probably irrelevant but it is: WFOFXXWPDF4Y85452

(Not sure if third character is a the letter O or a zero.)

Car has done 167,000 ks and is not having any problems at the moment.

The possible remedies you mentioned are not things my friend would attempt himself but I will tell him what they are, anyway.

Thanks.

DeKa · 27-02-2022, 10:56 AM

post changed, OP has stated it is a 2005 model so it is a MK2

Crazy Dazz · 27-02-2022, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeKa

WF means made in Germany. If it’s the age you mention, that makes it a Mk3 (European name) or LW (Australian), as only the first year or two of the LW series was made in Germany for Australia. It has a powershift transmission.

OP clarified above that it was a 2005

DeKa · 27-02-2022, 04:10 PM

Which part?
WF is definitely Ford Germany.

The LS to LV series (aka Mk2) were made in South Africa (except the XR5, which wasn’t auto so won’t be the car the OP refers to.

The LW (Mk3) was made in Germany to start with, then transitioned to Thailand as per https://www.goauto.com.au/amp/ford/f...-03/17701.html

Crazy Dazz · 27-02-2022, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

Like you said, the VIN is probably irrelevant but it is: WF0XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Not sure if third character is a the letter O or a zero.)

Car has done 167,000 ks and is not having any problems at the moment

Not that it matters, but the car is actually a Mk1, albeit the facelifted version sometimes called Mk1.5
I imagine it was first sold in 2005, and may even have a 2005 compliance plate, but it was built in 2004.

and it definitely has the 4F27E 4spd Automatic transmission
If it is indeed a transmission problem, there are a couple of known issues with this model, mostly related to age.

Hopefully it was just something sticking, and "putting the boot in" has freed it up for now

If your friend wants to learn more there are plenty of youtube videos

DeKa · 27-02-2022, 04:24 PM

Apologies! Something made me think those were also South African made. Glad we got to the bottom of it.

xkxlxm · 05-03-2022, 01:25 PM

My friend supplied this info: build date OCT 04; compliance date 01/05.