Ford Clutch not lasting?

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rogerk

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I own a 2016 Ford Focus, Manual, 1.5T with around 40 000km on the clock. clutch gone and now have to fit a bill of R 13 000 to have it replaced. apparently this is due to driving style... interesting enough I've owned in excess of 10 vehicles each with well over 100 000km driven and I've only ever replaced one clutch in my lifetime.

So I guess habits change over 20 years of driving lol

This thread is really just to try and establish a pattern, should there maybe be one. During discussion with the dealership I managed to pick up that there were currently 4 Ford Kuga's (one possibly a focus but can't know for sure) in the workshop currently with the same issue. It would appear that a Ford clutch will simply not last past 50 000km in normal Johannesburg driving conditions.

Problem i experience only really manifests on pull-away when the hill assist doesn't engage from time to time and makes a horrible grinding noise. doesn't slip or shudder but would think that this will happen soon enough if not seen too. on occasion you can even smell it burn.

So if there are any other ford owners of the new Focus, EcoSport or Kuga with manual transmission that are experiencing similar issues please feel to drop me a line as i am not taking this one lying down. I can only form my own opinions at this point and given Ford's recent KUGA nightmare it does fit...
 
Do you drive with your foot on the clutch? That could be the only thing wrong with your driving style as the clutch might not release completely and thus more wear.
Stealerships overcharge, a clutch repear doesn't cost that much.
 
It's a Turbo, so it's the driver, not the Clutch...

Don't ride your clutch to keep the boost up /facepalm
 
2016 model EcoSport - also experiencing clutch problems.
 
My Fiesta 2014 took me to 45 000km before I traded her in and that clutch was fine.... My dad's ranger had an awful clutch from new, there was barely any "slip" range if that makes sense, the clutch was either in or out, when it caught, no matter how gentle you were it was extremely jerky and quite unpleasant to drive actually... But, he's got 90 000km on it and the clutch has recently started to smooth out and is still going strong no slipping...
 
I see plenty people riding the clutch instead of using the handbrake on inclines especially in traffic.
That said, I think it's difficult to prove abuse or defect as the majority of cases are likely abuse.

The clutch is cheap, maybe 4k tops, it's the damn dual mass flywheel that has become the norm that costs 10k+
 
Pitbull said:
It's a Turbo, so it's the driver, not the Clutch...

Don't ride your clutch to keep the boost up /facepalm
Click to expand...

Not the first Turbo I've owned either. The focus Turbo kicks in around 2000rpm so don't see a need to ride the clutch to keep it there. Not my driving style as mentioned but per Ford it is - not sure how that is a proven point simply because they say so.
 
NodeCore said:
2016 model EcoSport - also experiencing clutch problems.
Click to expand...

Are you having similar issues or something different. Have read on other forums that there are also problems with engaging the clutch properly which makes shifting difficult.
 
TrueETO said:
So how many launches have you done or are you racing the car from light to light ? Buddy drove a ST and now a RS and he's never had a problem with his (you pray all the way when driving with him)
Click to expand...

Believe I'm past the need to reduce the time I spend between red lights as there is no long term benefit
 
2014 focus 80Mm, never had a problem until that one time I drove in Joburg. now the clutch is also making a grinding noise.
 
reactor_sa said:
I see plenty people riding the clutch instead of using the handbrake on inclines especially in traffic.
That said, I think it's difficult to prove abuse or defect as the majority of cases are likely abuse.

The clutch is cheap, maybe 4k tops, it's the damn dual mass flywheel that has become the norm that costs 10k+
Click to expand...

Spot on with the price, but then don't forget the 3k labour in addition. So I get most people riding the clutch but with the hill assist I've grown accustomed to stop doing this in general. What I know about a worn clutch is that it would first start with the shudder problem which would eventually lead to slipping but neither of these have happened yet either which makes it even more strange.
 
rogerk said:
I own a 2016 Ford Focus, Manual, 1.5T with around 40 000km on the clock. clutch gone and now have to fit a bill of R 13 000 to have it replaced. apparently this is due to driving style... interesting enough I've owned in excess of 10 vehicles each with well over 100 000km driven and I've only ever replaced one clutch in my lifetime.

So I guess habits change over 20 years of driving lol

This thread is really just to try and establish a pattern, should there maybe be one. During discussion with the dealership I managed to pick up that there were currently 4 Ford Kuga's (one possibly a focus but can't know for sure) in the workshop currently with the same issue. It would appear that a Ford clutch will simply not last past 50 000km in normal Johannesburg driving conditions.

Problem i experience only really manifests on pull-away when the hill assist doesn't engage from time to time and makes a horrible grinding noise. doesn't slip or shudder but would think that this will happen soon enough if not seen too. on occasion you can even smell it burn.

So if there are any other ford owners of the new Focus, EcoSport or Kuga with manual transmission that are experiencing similar issues please feel to drop me a line as i am not taking this one lying down. I can only form my own opinions at this point and given Ford's recent KUGA nightmare it does fit...
Click to expand...

Same car over 45k and no clutch problem. Only front brake pads changed at 40k.
 
Even if you ride the clutch every damn day it shouldn't be broken so early in the car's life.
 
So how about a Honda with 397 000 km on the clock and no clutch problems? Is this a target for all of you to strive towards? My Car? No, my daughter's car and yes it has been fully serviced according to the correct schedules. And the car is used in the Gauteng area all day everyday. She is a sales rep.


I can't believe that there are vehicles out there that develop clutch problems under 100 000 km on the clock these days.
 
rogerk said:
Spot on with the price, but then don't forget the 3k labour in addition. So I get most people riding the clutch but with the hill assist I've grown accustomed to stop doing this in general. What I know about a worn clutch is that it would first start with the shudder problem which would eventually lead to slipping but neither of these have happened yet either which makes it even more strange.
Click to expand...
Pretty accurate symptoms.

My golf tsi dsg clutches had to be replaced at 45,000km. The driver doesn't even control the clutch (no clutch pedal). Now when crawling in traffic I put it in paddle mode and select first so it doesn't auto ride the other clutch while in second gear.
 
rogerk said:
Not the first Turbo I've owned either. The focus Turbo kicks in around 2000rpm so don't see a need to ride the clutch to keep it there. Not my driving style as mentioned but per Ford it is - not sure how that is a proven point simply because they say so.
Click to expand...

This actually confirms my suspicions tbh.

You need to have owned a Turbo to know how to keep the boost up by riding the clutch so you don't have Turbo lag between shifts. :p

Edit: Kicks in at 2k rpm? No way that is right...
 
Long live plain old fashioned manual cars without stooped frills!

So what is the advantage of having a "turbo" and "Hill Assist" then?

Sound like all these gimmicks do is teach everyone bad driving habits .....
 
Geoff.D said:
Long live plain old fashioned manual cars without stooped frills!

So what is the advantage of having a "turbo" and "Hill Assist" then?

Sound like all these gimmicks do is teach everyone bad driving habits .....
Click to expand...

Hardly gimmicks!
 
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