Hi all

In a bit of a pickle.

Bought my new 2012 mk3 Focus 1.6 Ti  about a week ago, everything to date has been fine within reason.

I decided to get one of those stereo head units on amazon and upgrade it, so yesterday i changed it over, which involved me taking the old one out, reconnecting and plugging the new one in place - plug and play kind of job.

This morning i took the car for a short run to the shop, everything seemed fine, on the return leg, the message on the dash popped up saying TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. SERVICE NOW.

Its an automatic and from then on when i start the car it shifts from gear one to gear 2 but then it doesn't go any higher than gear 2. Luckily i was very close to home so i had to drive very slowly in gear 2 for a few minutes.

Could changing the stereo be the cause of this? or is it something else?

Please help, and what is generally the cure/fix for this? 

Any help/advice/previous experience in this area would be appreciated. 

Thanks

Hello again 😀

On a 2012 car the automatic gearbox could very well just need the transmission fluid changed. I understand your concern about having just changed the stereo but I think it unlikely.

It's probably just a coincidence.

Oh thank you, yes i really cannot see how changing the stereo would be connected to the transmission either but then again it does display the rear parking sensors when in reverse and i just thought maybe i'd buggered things up by messing with that area. 

So interestingly, the person i bought it from told me that they had recently had the gear box fluid changed (but also had no paper work to prove it). The car in other areas seems sound in my gut feeling, but i am starting to question why this message about 'transmission malfunction' has suddenly appeared a week after buying it. 

Thanks again

 

 

It is pretty unlikely to be anything to do with the new head unit - but as it is plug and play why don't you try putting the old unit back in and see what happens - you don't have too much to lose.

Assuming that it is not that then I am afraid that there is a problem with the transmission and will need to get the codes read. Whilst not changing the fluid earlier may have contributed to a failure now, a fluid change now is unlikely to cure the fault. Find out what is wrong and what the fix is - then decide whether to change the fluid at the same time (if the fix does not already require that anyway)

PS from what you said about the previous owner changing the fluid - the cynic in me would say that this fault message probably popped up before you bought the car......

Maybe check with him who did the fluid change and what fluid has been used + check it has the right quantity in it.

Also a cynic in me.  Sounds like he may have sold it because it was playing up.  On this forum I have often seen people say get it working and sell it quick before it goes wrong again. But as said, needs fault codes reading