Durashift transmission problems on Fiesta '03

[Chengo]

I have 2003 Fiesta 1.4 Durashift. Got it this September and having trouble from day one.

First problem I had was that the gearbox very often got stuck in 3rd gear and failed to shift up. I accelerated and then took my foot off the pedal waiting the box to shift up – nothing happened; only the revs were very high. Then I accelerated again and released the pedal, but no change. Only way to shift up was to use the manual mode. When switched back to automatic mode, it worked again.

Brought it to a dealer who sent the car to Ford garage – got the car back after 2 weeks and gear changing seemed ok. They told me that gears were remapped and ECU reset. Now the gearbox sometimes gets stuck in 2nd gear, but it is very intermittent. Took the car back to dealer, we went on a test drive, but I wasn’t able to replicate the fault. They said they can’t do anything unless they see the fault in action.

Sometimes when I stop and change the gear to reverse, the box doesn’t respond. I have the letter R blinking on the LCD, but the car remains in neutral. I have to put it back to N and then R again to get the reverse gear to engage.

I also experience a judder when pulling away from the standstill. It feels like something is popping out and in again at the front right wheel.

It is not constant; I mostly have it when I start driving. During the drive it disappears; until I stop somewhere and let the car cool down a bit.

I don’t know if it’s related, but I can’t seem to get a smooth takeoff from the standstill at all. It’s either the described judder or the car just jumps from the place.

The last thing I want to mention is that when I’m stopping on the hill, I can’t continue driving without sliding back a bit. It seems that when I release the brake, the gearbox is too slow to engage. I either have to use the handbrake or be very quick to hit the accelerator in which case the car jumps forward.

Any comments or insights to my problems?

[mintalkin]

without inspection its hard to say what the problem is, a few possabilitys are the electronic clutch control signal intermittant, a faulty electronic probe or a warped clutch plate

[Dan62]

From my own experience I would recommend trying a few easy things first;

Change the spark plugs ! I found that after a plug change and or service the car behaves itself (no judder).

Try a premium grade petrol, my car doesn't like asda petrol but loves Tesco premium grade.

Lastly I would suggest you dont change your foot position on the accelerator to change gear, use the pedals more like start /stop buttons and let the engine management system do the work.... You are probably confusing it by accelerating and then taking your foot off the pedal making the car think you want to slow down rather than change up.

Hill starts are a technique you will need to master, try using the handbrake rather than the foot brake when pulling away, again if you have "the judders" it not smooth.

Mine occasionally flashes R or 1 and just needs putting back to N clear.

Been driving mine for 6 years now but remember it did take some getting used to.

[Kate86]

I had tonnes of problems with the gearbox on my fiesta LX, I went to a few different garages that never really fixed anything, but I took it into a garage last month in Surrey and touch wood I've had no problems since. I would recommend them if your having issues: Automatic Transmission Services 01342 842229 / 07979493697. :)

[Chengo]

Thanks for the info. I'm in Republic of Ireland so have to find someone reliable here.

Today the car didn't start. Also the brake pedal felt very hard to push. Finally, after trying to start the car several unsuccessful times, I pushed the brake pedal down as hard as I could with my left foot and used right foot to press the gas. The car started.

Is there some sort of switch behind the brake pedal that has to send the signal to the system that it's OK to start the car?

Also another question - it seems that the gearbox is a bit slow to engage in general. Whenever I approach a roundabout and see my opportunity to enter, I very often loose my slot because when I accelerate the car needs a second to respond and shift to gear. By that time traffic on the roundabout has changed already.

Is this the normal behaviour of said gearboxes?

[mikael]

i belive to start the car you need to have the break pedal depressed. also you need to have your foot on the break pedal before it engages the gear or reverse. think its a safety feature so you dont roll off without noticing. also dont take the foot of the pedal when you accelerate. it automaticly changes it for you. it automatically takes the car out of gear when you apply the hand break. iv only had my 03 fiesta with duratec thing for a few months now, but it seems to do the same as yours. it can be a bit sluggish to get into gear at times, and i also get a bit of a clunk when im starting off. if you need more acceleration depress the accelerator pedal quickly. it then automatically switches down a gear you give you a bit more of a push. hope its been helpfull. i belive it mentions some of these things in the manual. :)

[Dave tid]

Hi just got my 2003auto festa only got 39,888 on the clock mine stuck in 4gear the other day and then stuck in 3gear yesterday day car is perfect in manually I thank I need to get used to this funny gearbox it’s very annoying after having a Volvo XC60 auto before.after some advice