Thank you. Thought I was going to be into weeks of issues. Went out and tried your fix on a 2013. They still are painting the ground location. 5 minutes work. Back in business. This is what the internet is all about, practical people solving problems.
feckless22 you’ve done this on your 2013 and it worked? I have one and the trans is starting to make some odd grinding noises and only shifts when I let off the throttle. Wonder if this could at least prolong the disaster until I can afford a manual civic/accord
@@savysinz606 Of course it will start messing up. Clutch kit and forks need replacing and programmed. After 20k miles you will have the same issues all over again because of poor design of these transmissions.
@@nationalmotorco.9044 Crazy question for you. My 2011 fiesta is MINT. Leather and tons of extras but the transmission chatter at low speeds. How much trouble would it be to change the motor and transmission? Put something faster and that shifts correctly. Maybe even something that doesn't have a class action lawsuits on it. Hah thoughts on swapping the motor and tranny all at once? I love this little car otherwise.
@@afdave7 I wouldnt take that route if i were you, just sell your fiesta and buy an ST (fiesta or focus) with stick shift. it will definitely be cheaper.
Thanks for sharing this fantastic tip and video. My wife's 2012 Ford Fiesta was shifting gears erratically upon acceleration from first gear and up. I removed all 3 of the 010 bolts show in your video. Neither of the 3 had the 4 little dots for the bolt you recommended. I could not find the the bolts with the dots online, so I cleaned the 010 bolts the car came with using carburetor cleaner spray to clean off dirt, grime and then used some sand paper to remove the little bits of rust and corrosion around them and the holes they were bolted to. I stripped the paint off all 3 holes. I sprayed them with carburetor cleaner and used Q-tips to clean the debris inside the hole threads. I also cleaned off the acids and corrosion on the battery terminals and used sandpaper to clean the negative battery cable ends for better contact. I put everything back together, and took the car for a 5 minute drive. The gears shifted smoothly, no hesitation, acceleration was quicker than in the past. Overall the car performed better than ever. Thank you FordTechMakuloco. You are the man.
Hi ! Thanks for this. Found a similar situation with my daughters Trend 2 litre here in Australia which lost reverse and surged in drive. Used my hand held code reader to find the error and found this UA-cam as a result. The bolts (in fact I could only see one easily) are in a different location yet close to the battery. Took it out, soaked it in coffee machine de-scaler fluid until fluid turned cloudy, then wire brushed with my BBQ wire brush and rinsed and dried and re-installed and all good again. Engine light went back off and now all gears working, thanks so much, you have saved us potentially a lot of time and money.. Best regards from Australia.
I performed this fix from this video to the ground cable when my 2013 Fiesta was still very low mileage; It instantly made an improvement to the shifting. Throughout the years, it had received Ford's reflash of the trans computer and it's shifting is pretty good! It now has 177,000 on it and is very consistent with 39-40 mpg with a mix of driving and with the A/C on! Thank-you sir for sharing your advice with us.
Worked on my 2013! I didn't rub the paint off, but used star washers and plenty of torque on all 3 bolts. The two smalls were the right ones, the big one was the wrong bolt. I didn't replace it, but tried the star-washer method instead (on all 3,) and it fixed the problem of the laggy, fidgety, temporamental tranny. (Hope I don't get Googled for saying "tranny.") Shifts great now. BTW - I did plenty of di-electric, cleaned all contact surfaces AND also cleaned both of my battery terminals & cable surfaces well while I was at it. THANK YOU FORD TECH guy!
I have a Ford Fiesta 2014, since was in the maintenance service for 15K i idvised about this problem, there was request by the dealer the replacement part for the power shift transmission, since 2 months ago, now the part have not arrived yet and i made the same fix showing on this video and i fell greatly appreciatted due the the problem in transmission dissapear on low spead, thayk you for this video and the advised.
i just tried it. and the magic happened 🤩 now i dont have jerking my transmission drive smoothly. and the biggest difference is my voltage. i got a reading of 13.4-8 always. and i just thinking that my alternator was bad. when i do this my voltage is now normal. i got 14.2-4 now all accessories are running.. tomorrow ill do a long drive. then i will update you guys.. thank you for this video.. by the way i have focus 2012
@@jasminelanders3177 sorr for the late reply,,, i already sold the focus,, the problems are still coming back after so many alternative solutions. i got kia rio now.
Did this to my 2012 Ford focus and it really helped.they were gonna charge me 1800$ to fix it I'm glad I saw this video first.thank so much for posting this 🤘
So, I'm back to recap my experience. I did this to my Fiesta along with cleaning the battery terminal corrosion. I also cleaned up the MAF sensor and throttle body. Wow. I just have to say infinite thank yous. My transmission is still acting funny, and Ford is supposed to flash the TPM when I bring it in. But I'm not sure if they were just jerking me or if they were serious, but they said they couldn't do the TPM without me replacing my throttle body, MAF sensor and alternator (my reason for trying this). I went from 17 codes down to 3 (p0300/340/365 - camshaft pos sensors/misfire codes) which is definitely an improvement. Ford quoted me $1600+tax parts and labor for those 3 things. Something that took me about an hour to do (in the dark... and I scrubbed everything super clean), they told me would take 7 hours of labor. I spent $23 at autozone getting MAF sensor cleaner, throttle body cleaner and a wire brush and grease. My Fiesta was running really loud and revving high (about 1200-1500 idle and like 3000-4000 going at 20mph or so) and now idles really quiet and at about 750rpm, it doesn't shudder or grind at really low rolling speeds. Aside from the cam sensor issues and the TPM that I can't do anything about, I'd say the surgery was a success. I wish I could shake your hand. You are the man. For the record, I had ZERO prior experience working on cars. Total n00b. Before last week, I had no idea what I was looking at under the hood lol. I am just frugal and have a lot of curiosity in how things work and confidence (or stupidity) to try things myself.
They were ripping you off. Throttle body has nothing to do with TCM flashing unless its also defective. Get a code reader of your own or go to an honest dealer to check.
bn880 yea I know. I fixed that issue myself because I didn't trust them one bit. they just fixed the TCM and then told me my engine is bad (cel is on. I knew that) and that i needed to tear down the engine (8 hrs) to get in and figure out whats wrong. then who knows how much to fix whatever nonsense they supposedly find, then put it back together (8 hrs). I'm getting rid of the car because its too much of a burden and I am due for an inspection which I will fail with that check engine light and I'm not gonna drop ~$3k to fix a car with this many known issues. I doubt ford will be getting my business anytime in this decade.
Yeah they seem to have dropped the ball on the small stuff, causing big issues for people. (as the small stuff can be hard to diagnose and replace... thus $$)
Thanks for this. Took mine to the dealership 4 times and they wouldn't touch it because it wasn't throwing codes. It died over and over at stoplights and stop and go traffic. I went ahead and sanded the base of the ground bolts (2) behind the battery, one under the driver side fender and the one right by the battery that you recommended. I really appreciate it!
my wife just had a no crank issue yesterday and today it left her stranded at a stoplight, car was running but wouldn't move, she was able to put it into low gear and it sputtered to the curb and then started going fine again. I'm gonna check this out when she gets home thank you so much
I took one of these cars as a demo, back in 2011 and of course I had a transmission engagement issue while picking my daughter up from skating one day. I got it going while playing with the wires under the hood (like I knew what I was doing). I remember our Dealership mechanic saying there was too much paint on the ground! Very simple fix.
I can't believe in the agency they changed the TCM and it broke again and has been in there for months, I got tired took it home, I did this and the key reprogramming and now the error disappeared and everything works perfectly fine again, I can't thank you enough!
Dude thank you, wife and kids were stuck with me 60 miles from home. Was gonna have to go on a journey to get to the dealership (just bought the car) and then home. But I was able to jiggle it into reseting and it came out of limp mode. Will be doing the sanding tomorrow. Again thank you for this code.
I bought a brand new Ford fiesta ses in 2011 & it's almost 2020 & I'm still driving it ,put over 200,000 miles on it so far and still going strong, & I don't drive easy, ever , I'm a heavy foot driver, hard on vehicles
And thats what a powershift needs, good firm acceleration not pussy footing it around town. In another video this GUY(who really knows his stuff) says to take the car out to a deserted road and do 4 or 5 hard acceleration pulls 0 to 60mph. This is to clean the friction plates and reset the computer shift points. These are NOT an automatic torque converter transmission but a "robot" shifted manual. BIG difference. Town,city congested conditions is NOT good for them . Gas pedal to the floor every so often. REDLINE a day keeps the MECHANIC away!!!!!! 40% of the powershifts problems ARE related to the design,computer program, but some 30% are down to just a BAD earth and the other 30% are to the owners driving style, lack of understanding that this is NOT a regular automatic. AS you have high mileage you might start to experience shift problems. Its the shifter motors wearing. They are basically electric window type motors The carbon brushes wear out, Strip rebuild and put new brushes in. same as for any other auto 12v electric motor. Ford will never tell you that or do it for you just charge a fortune for new shift motors
I don't know if this video heloed or not. I was stuck at work this morning. I cot the engine to turn over, but only barely. Then, my 11 fiesta simply would not slip into gear. At all. It just acted like it was stuck in park. No mantenence lights, no squat. I cast around the internet for a couple minutes looking for a fix and happened upon your video, so I got into my tool box and found the right socket, and gave the grounding bolt about a quarter turn. No sooner had I fiddled with it, it began spitting medium heat sparks, (in the dark orange-bright orange range) At that point I figured I had either fried my batery, or incinerated the corosion, so I got back onto the car and everything worked just fine. This is a great video man. Cheers.
it was amazing .I was involved with this issues and spent $500 and then wanted to change whole transmission as mechanic said, but I was thinking it isnt because of transmission cause i felt its voltage ,this video saved my $3k .THANKS
Omg thank youuu! I have a ford ecosport 2015 premium and i have been struggling with turning on the car and sometimes the reverse wont work from time to time and this solution has helped now the car turns on everytime.... It seems like its a problem from ford itself
Taterly Saladman I hear that all the time. I have a 1992 740 Volvo with 450K miles. It has been in my family since new. It has never left anyone stranded or needed a tow. It has always been maintained meticulously. It spent all of its life in Ohio until the last four years here in southwestern Florida. The transmission is original and the engine has never had any work done. The valve cover has never even been removed. The alternator and starter are original as well. The interior except for the edge of the driver seat is in excellent condition. The outside is excellent too with absolutely no rust despite spending most of its life in the salt belt. I daily drive it and regularly drive it on road trips of over 1500 miles. It has outlasted many Honda’s and Toyota’s in my family. Since it is rear wheel drive maintenance and repair is easy and I’m able to perform myself. I will be driving my car as long as it lasts. Which shirt of an accident should be many years to come.
Just had my 2013 fiesta with 120k just throw check engine light and service trans now. 6 codes stored. All trans related. Removed negative cable from battery and car connection. Dipped both in Coca cola, scrubbed with sand paper, sanded ground connection on car. Fixed all issues. Thanks a ton
Great vid!!. purchased a 2012 fiesta auto and noticed slight grind/rattle when clutch warmed up coming from passenger side when in low gear.Tried this and noise is gone for now. taken a few long trips and also driving around town. Will update if any probs come back.Thanks.
Hey FordTech, Nice video. I've worked on Helicopters, Jets, Cars etc. I've also had extensive training in wire repair and corrosion control. I partially agree with your fix. Here's what my training has told me about what you should do: 1. DON'T remove the paint. Here's why. The reason is that over time the dielectric grease with begin to fail and attract dirt. The more exposed metal with dirt will cause moistue to set up in the joint on the bare metal and cause excelerated corrosion that will creep into the threads. Well you know the rest of the story there. So how do you fix it, here goes. 2. Clean the cable contact with a wire brush as before, and degrease with brake cleaner. 3. Clean the bolt mating surface and threads as before, and degrease with brake cleaner. 4. Clean the threads in the anchor nut, tap if particularly nasty, and degrease with break cleaner. 5. Now where the cable mates with the anchor nut use an internal serated heavy duty lock washer. 6. Apply your dielectric grease on the washer and mating surfaces, YES LEAVE the paint ON! 7. Install a second grounding strap to the block from the same position, on the BOLT side of the NEG cable. 8. Tourque the bolt down to specs. When the bolt is torqued the new lock washer will cut through the grease and into the paint all the way to the metal, but only where the lock washer teeth meet the paint. Remember before the paint prevented the cable mating surface from making any ADDTIONAL contact at all. It only allowed contact with the anchor nut on the bolt side, through the cable and onto the anchor nut threads. With the addition of the new lock washer you now have two surfaces contacting the body. Leaving the paint on leaves less of any area for corrosion to set up, "it's a matter of when not if". Even if you cleaned the paint off and didn't use the new lock washer, the grease would still limit contact to some degree. The teeth on the washer ensure GOOD solid contact in multiple areas. The added ground cable also ensures additional contact for electronics and the Starter. This is what I was taught in wireing and corrion control school. I also used to run a corrosion control repair shop for electronics as well. Been doing this stuff for years. So trust me you'll have less returns if you follow this. It takes more time to explain it than it does to do it. Also, although not a FORD story, here was a simple solution to an electrical problem with Dodge Caravan Headlights. Here's how I fixed it. ua-cam.com/video/TP4slx2pLQw/v-deo.html I've found on vehicles: airplanes, cars, boats etc. If it has intemitant electronics in it, the problem usually is a bad, dirty or intermitant wire/contact. You'ld be supprised how much stuff I fix just by cleaning, reseating electrical connectors/connections. Good grounds and contacts are a must in electronics. Cars are the worst because the electrical standards aren't as stringent as aircraft so they fail sooner. Best Wishes/Blessiings Keith.
Keith Noneya If you think you shouldn't remove the paint to make a better connection for the ground than you clearly are full of shit about knowing anything about electrical.
Hey Nuke, I agree with you for the most part but go ahead and read the whole comment and it will make more sense when you read the explanation and why I said that. Here's part of my explanation from my post: Quote, "an internal serrated heavy duty lock washer", "the new lock washer will cut through the grease and into the paint all the way to the metal", making the extra ground without exposing more metal than is needed. By the way I have over 37 years experience doing just this kind of work. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith
I'm no expert but wouldn't one have to be weary of using dissimilar metals for the lock washer? As far as I know there's potential for corrosion there. Oh, and not to be a dick Keith but it's accelerated x).
So I did this trick and it worked great. But this weekend it happened again and could not get it to fix. It is still a problem with the ground from the battery which i had to get it towed. :-(
Yeah I just had one that it seemed to be a ground issue but another dealer already performed it. It ended up with a TCM very expensive but covered by Ford.
Dude, you almost bored me to death until you got to the solution. OMG you were exactly 100% correct. It fixed the car. We have had two warranty clutches put in the car and now it's out of warranty and I was sweating the $3000 decision. Thank you very much
I'm in the same situation, but with my 2018. Ford couldn't learn from their mistake apparently! So they just decided to give up making sedans altogether 😆. Hahaha. Oh, wait ... this is terribly un-funny and clearly we're all dreaming and nothing I'm doing right now is real and these thoughts I'm typing will never leave my brain since this is most definitely a nightmare that I'll eventually wake up from... Oh. Wait. Nevermind 😑 I really did, like in real real real life, buy a total lemon? F*$#ing sh*#balls BAHHH. Well at least we got FordTech kicking ass and all the helpful comments!! 🩷🧠🩵🙏
I did the battery terminal fix.. I am three weeks in and cannot believe the results! It is drives & shifts perfect and I have 58K on my 2011 SES. ( I did have the seals replaced under warranty at about 20K and probably 3 more flashes) I also did the clutch reset trick you showed in another video,, If you have not tried it, DO IT, the total battery re-grounding cost me $1.49 for the terminal grease and one of my wife's nail files. She was not about that.
Thanks for the video, man. Mine didn’t mess up until 156,000 miles. My problem coincided with the battery dying. That gives me hope. Right now it’s still broken, but it only screws up between 1st and 2nd occasionally. When it does it goes into neutral. Lucky my 2012 is within Ford’s new recall thing and I have two more years to bring it in.
I would also love to know how long this fix worked for you. I have a 2011 fiesta experiencing transmission problems right now and looking for any and every fix. If it worked please lmk
I have a 2013 Ford Focus and it's doing the same thing with all these transmission codes I'm just going to clean the ground and hopefully it works out ,thank you so much for posting all your videos .
Fordtechmakuloco, is there anyway I can email you a question? You seem like the only ford mechanic that's honest and knows what he's talking about. Just left chino hills ford, and I'm having a hard time believing his diagnosis. Thank you for your informative videos, and time.
Beautifully explained. I'm on my 2nd fried TCM in 3 years. Currently Ford has about 44,000 TCMs on back order so no fix anytime soon even under warranty... they really did a number with this one.
@@moctezumaalava552 so I just replaced my battery today and got it from O’Reilly. I wonder if i’m having the same issue. It fit like a glove so I didn’t think anything of it but at this point ill try anything. I appreciate the insanely quick response, thank you!
Most likely, the dielectric grease - or ANY kind of grease, such as petroleum jelly, axle grease, Korode Kure, etc. - is the key. Cover the contact area with grease and re-torque the bolt, and the electrical connection should be reliable. I learned this from my dad in the 1950s. He would put a blob of grease on the base of tail light and turn signal bulbs before putting the bulbs into their sockets to prevent intermittent electrical problems, especially when driving in areas where roads are salted in the winter.
I'm an auto technician I too have seen these car have transmission problems that is caused by a bad or loose ground. That when repaired fixes every problem. But there is also a recall on alot of transmission control modules(TCM) but they are back ordered for months
I had an no crank issue with a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. Lights on the dash was flickering. A friend of mine told me that slot of manufacturers are using cheaper metals which is causing these problems. My case was the ground bolt was corroded and I replaced it with a new one.
dude thanks for doing this video i just bought a 2012 ford focus yesterday and i experienced a delayed park the first day i took it out I drive up to 200 miles a day and there is times i can be 110 miles from home ill be taking a look at the grounding this weekend to put a stop to any future problems that may come up the last thing i need is to be away from home that far and be stuck. I was surprised to not see a ground wire not going to the engine on this thing the norm would be chassis to battery and also battery to engine 2 ground sources. Is ford really getting that cheap the ground and hot line have to feed the electronics i suppose the engineers forgot about this or maybe they are lacking an electronic engineering degree.
Thanks for video. My car has 141,000 on it and I just had problems this morning. It does not want to go into 2 gear and accelerates on it's own a bit when I'm on the brake. reverse seems fine and never had issue until now..
You pretty much listed all the problems my wifes car is experiencing, i tried everything you said even cleaning off the terminal, but still no reverse and it makes that choking sound wjen it tried to start.
I just bought a salvaged 2011 Fiesta w/manual transmission. Were they having shifting problems with this trans as well? Excellent information and video. Thanks.
Hello, thanks for sharing the video, i have a ford fiesta 2012 S, the dealership have ordered a new clutch but not sure when will arrive and if that would solve problems of jerking at slow speed or the delayed speed up when hiting the gas, they didn't suggested me the fix u show in ur video, also my car makes a noise when I turn off the engine like something metallic that hit idk if that's related to the clutch but gets me worried, have u heard something similar? thanks again
I had a no start no crank on my 2010 Focus. I did this and it fixed that issue but the right after I was throwing a bunch of transmission p07** codes and it would only start off in second or third gear and stay. Would clearing the PCM fix this?
Thanks for the video. I've had a 2012 Fiesta for a few years now and it has around 32k miles on it today. I've had shifting problems since day one and have already had the transmission seal replaced due to leakage. I'm going to check my ground-point sometime this weekend to see if paint needs to be scraped, but do you have any other suggestions? It's extremely hard to get any dealer at all to look at this vehicle, they all say "Oh that's normal, it's supposed to do that" when I tell them I have slipped shifting or jerking. They then tell me that "if you ever drive a manual someday you will see that the transmission in your car is operating normally"... joke is on them, this is the first automatic car I've ever owned! When I say this, the service techs are always just silent and change the subject. I suspect I need to check the ground points since I notice my headlights dim whenever there is a hard shift, so I appreciate your video very much and will do this soon. Just the other day my Fiesta did something completely new and frankly, a little scary. Pulling out of the driveway, it went full jackrabbit on me. With traffic coming at me and me sitting in the middle of the street, I had to sit there and wait for the car to come to almost a complete stop and for the RPMs to go to idle before I could get it to move. But no big deal, "it's supposed to do that". Honestly, this is the first and likely the last Ford I will ever own, and it's a shame because I honestly like this vehicle aside from the transmission.
There are multiple reflashes and clutch updates, when was the last time you had it actually worked on where they actually fixed something. If you send me your vin I can do allot more research. They should do like I do replace the clutch the actuators center bearing unit and of course the seals. These units are hard to work on also and require a person to know the trans or else you will have new problems afterwards, or worse yet a misdiagnosis. Have they given you the customer info sheet say what is normal sound wise with this trans? This trans has been a nightmare for all of us dealers fiesta or focus and while new parts and reflashes are making the performance tolerable I truly believe they will abandon this trans soon like they did witrh the cvt and just make an 8 speed fwd trans. Let me know, also what is your exact concern most of the time?
After I had the transmission seal replaced (they didn't replace the clutch plates, just cleaned them. I saw in the TSB this is normal) it seemed to get better for a month or two and then right back to the same issue as before. I moved states in this time and the new shop I'm going to checked the trans for leaks and said it's dry as a bone. I can send you my VIN in a private message, I will copy it down when I fix the ground point tomorrow (it is indeed painted, but has the correct bolts so I'm just going to do the fix myself). I have received the info sheet more than a few times, being handed that thing was pretty much the default response for a year every time I complained about any loss of power/shifting problems. My exact concern with this is as said above: no power when trying to accelerate (especially on toe-in while the vehicle is decelerating) and crappy shifting from a dead stop. Now, it seems like the clutch slips hard on acceleration from a stop (this is rare but has started recently). The best way I can describe it is the slipping you get in a manual when the clutch is going out. I really appreciate you getting back to me and I apologize if it seems like I'm complaining or angry; I'm really not mad I'm just frustrated that I've owned this vehicle for years and I can't get a dealer to agree to take a look or concede that there's anything wrong. That's not your fault or anything and, again, I really really appreciate you taking the time to make this video and provide some input on this issue.
Oh yeah from your info I can tell you need a clutch and the latest reflash for sure now to find a dealer to do it. Thing is recently Ford is requiring us to record that the slippage is 250rpm or higher or they will not pay the claim so if you know when it slips the worst hot cold etc you need to relay that very specific information to the service advisor so they can record that over slippage. I feel all of these need the latest design clutch and is a shame many complain about this trans and have to live with it because of these dealers. When this trans works it is great. Have you called the Ford customer service line? We had one lady come in howling up and down about the other dealer pushing her off etc got Ford involved and they said please fix this for us and make this customer happy it wont count against our warranty numbers etc because they see on our customer satisfaction scores when we do the clutches the problem is resolved and customer satisfaction scores go up as a whole so it really does matter to Ford and there are fixes in place that seem to work now. FYI Dodge has the same trans setup in the Dart and is having similar issues.
My question is if the Ford Fiesta & Focus are pulling so many amps via the engine, transmission, etc. why don't they install extra heavy duty batteries in their cars with high CCA values ?
I recently bought a 2012 ford focus off a small dealer ship and didn't do my homework till after the fact 😃 what good is that right ?so first two weeks car runs fine then one morning i go to start and car wont start then when it finally does start it wont shift into gear so i put it in neutral and rolled it back my self drive seemed ok but i did notice the gears where shifting slightly harsh and whenever car would come to a stop it would begin to shudder like it was about to bog out any way i was pretty bummed paid in cash and 2 weeks later im having these problems so i did some research and come to find there s a class action law suit on models 2011/2012/13/14/15/16 and just about everyone experiencing same technical issues so i saw your video on the ground connection and i did exactly as instructed in the video and what do you know all the problems i described went away check engine light went off no more harsh shifts and car fires right up so im keeping my fingers crossed it continues to run the way it is Now thanks for sharing you saved me a ton of money 🙏👍🙂
My 2014 Ford Focus had a "transmission malfunction" error shown and would not even start. Changed the battery even before the 16month productive period was up. Was told by a Ford technician that the transmission uses up power before everything else in the system. I even observe a slight flickering of headlights and room lights. Electrical shop says my alternator charges fine at 13-14 v. So I am going to inspect the grounding as you recommend. Thanks a lot!!!
Did this work? I'm having the same issue on my 2015 Fiesta SE, Trans malfunction light comes on when I start it after changing my battery but the car drives mostly fine. I'll be doing this fix anyways but wanted to see if it helped you!?
hi Ford tech, i have a ford focus Sf 2012. it shows the error message u0101 which is almost always trigered by the following message "Hill start assist is not available". it has spent more months in the shop fixing it than i have driven it and still the issue hasnt been resolved. what do you suggest will be the fix to this issue? thanks
something happened to my electrics on my 2011 ford fiesta after the automatic transmission was repaired. The dashboard lights up without the ignition key. If we remove fuse 26 under the hood, the dashboard goes out. What could be the reason? and when the ignition is turned on, the instrument needles shake for several seconds
Hey Makuloco, I purchased a 2011 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback today with 52,000 miles on it. I have 7 days to return the car for any reason. I'm planning on taking the car to a mechanic tomorrow to get an inspection. I haven't noticed any signs of transmission / any problems. What should I look for exactly? Is there any way to find out if my car is going to be a suspect of this transmission problem or any problems for that matter? Thanks!
@Sam S I've got the 5 speed MTX-75 transmission on a 2014 Focus Titanium. It isn't the best thing in the world, but once you get used to its oddities, it works very reliably.
I have a 2011 fiesta and it shutters and bucks a lot, it does have the dual clutch on it and it’s out of the warranty period. It’s pretty much undriveable because the rpms are everywhere and it’s shifting a little late. The transmission service light is on. So my question is, is it worth getting it fixed?
I have just purchased a 2012 Ford Focus with 18,000 miles from a Ford dealer , the initial pick up from a stop is not that hot dangerous when entering a parkway acceleration lane , it shifts normally until I attempt to down shift with my right foot as one would any automatic transmission but this transmission will just rev high in protest until I remove the pressure from the gas pedal then it will shift normally and accelerate , I don't even think that it is down shifting when I put my foot into it , any idea what gives , could it be a slipping clutch ? it came with a one year power train warranty. I also feel some vibration in the steering wheel when up at parkway cruising speeds.
May i ask Right now my car has gear problems. Has gone to the car repair center Try to change the handle, press clutch, and then the TCM gearbox control box is changed Gear symptoms will not disappear. After driving for a while, the transmission shows up as before. If the transmission code is up and warns the gear heat The car will not be able to move. What causes it?
I think it might be my Groud then. I'm not only having the Check Engine Light on but now I'm having issues with the Slipping and Buckling. On top of that my Cigaretter Lighter Fuse blew and fried my inverter. Now my speakers stopped working after making tons of crackling noise even when the radio wasn't on. Now I have no radio access either. What should I do? Please help.
I took mine in for the recall door latches when I 1st bought it 8yrs ago and they said they were doing the transmission recall too. I started having this issue just now and I see the main ground bolt was changed but the other 2 were not. Do you have a part number on them so can order them? She is just around 300 shy of hitting 200,000 and in great shape, hoping to keep her going a while longer, I love this little car.
Hey I have a question I have no reverse even after the new tcm because they do a one time replacement got it done by a ford dealer but the problem is still there no reverse and in gear it jerks and shifts hard and no crank I did this and nothing helped !!
A question for you, FordTech: You showed two other bolts/grounds further down in the engine compartment - What are they for? It looks like those points have too much paint as well!
Thanks for the video. I have the manual trans but am having grounding issues with my car. I've cleaned the ground discussed in this video & the 2 lower ones behind it on the crappy plate, also another on passenger fender. All bolting points were painted. I dont get different Service Engine Light when its warm but get when its cold. My double click up & down drivers window works again but my car will shut off at idle sometimes when idling. Do you know where there are additional grounds on the 2011 Fiesta? Ford wont help. Thanks
While google searching my issue I came across this video and I thought I would have a great easy fix. I have a 2013 Ford Focus that was driving just fine but occasionally it would not engage the reverse gear. If I wait, sometimes hours, and try again it will work like nothing is wrong until it surprises me by getting me "stuck" in a parking spot I've nosed into. I had the recall work performed on it years ago, that reprogrammed the TCM I believe, and never had issues until this month. I attempted this fix the other night but didn't have the extra wire with alligator clips, so I did what one commentor suggested and turned the key to drain power that way. It could have been placebo, but I really felt like it was driving and shifting better...the next day it didn't shift into reverse again. Do you have any recommendations? (additionally my OBD reader is showing the error codes P087A, P287A, & P1450)
Hi My brother's Fiesta MK7 1.4dtci. And it has been sometimes in safe mode and and went to three cylinders and the writing of the display engine failure but it has not some fault codes DTC. And we have been able to turn off the ignition and drove back to normal but now it is completely mad now will not at start and when you put ignition on lights engine failure light. Do you have a solution many greetings Rober
I have a 2014 Ford Fiesta same issues but problem is i already clean that area and still have the same problems, i just bought the car not even a month ago history has they’ve change the clutch once and right now a mechanic told me i have to change it again, money out of my pocket because ford doesn’t want to extend the warranty it had before, now i want to know if once i change the clutch how can i make it last longer, how can i take proper care of it?
I've had issues of a supposed 'dead battery' for two weeks...hit and miss. Battery was6 months old, and we brought it in and had it tested. It tested over 12V, so we know its not that. I've had to get a boost 6 times in the last 2 weeks. Tonight, coming out of work to once again needing a boost, it starts right up, as it has been...BUT tonight, after the car was running, it wouldn't go into gear. Just stayed in a neutral position. So we left it at work, and got a ride home. Hubby watched this video, thought "what the hack", and we drove back to my workplace and took off the ground wire, sanded it (didn't have any of that grease), just put it back on, and although I needed a boost to get it running again, it went into gear, so I drove it home. Shut it off, restarted it, and it started! Hopefully this solves our problem..we'll find out in the morning. Thanks so much!!
Is it safe that i will disconnect the negative wire to do that...i have a 2022 ford focus. I am worrying if i remove some electical/computer and reconnectes may not work
My friend's mom has a 2012 Ford Fiesta that had the same problem luckily at the time it still had a warranty so it got replaced free it ended up being a shift solenoid or something like that
Hi, my 2012 ford fiesta experience this event outside the standard warranty. the issue happen to me away from home. Car transmission stop suddenly shifting, with the following additional issues grinding noise, no crank, check engine light on, crazy car cluster, and all lights went on interior and exterior. After it cool down, I was able to drive at speed no more than 40 mph to the nearest ford dealer( 100 miles away) the tech required a new battery (I had to pay for it). re-flash the TCM and removed the paint on the wires ground area, but did not exchange the old bolds for the new bolds with the dots. It took them a week to perform this. Walking for a week is not fun at all. Should I ask ford to exchange the old bolds for the new bolds with the dots?
I have a 2010 LX Ford Focus 4 Sp Auto Whilst driving around roundabouts it loses gears flares like its in neutral have to back off slightly until it picks up a gear .. When using the same roundabout but in sports shift mode it does not do it at all . have been constantly going to local ford dealer they say nothing wrong with it ? Had a Ford rep from Brisbane check it nothing wrong with it . Well if I am involved in an accident due to this fault u will know about it. its not safe . feels like its low on trans oil but had it checked its fine had a service on the auto also any ideas? Sometimes feels like the handbrake is on . Not safe to pull out in traffic
Thank you. Thought I was going to be into weeks of issues. Went out and tried your fix on a 2013. They still are painting the ground location. 5 minutes work. Back in business. This is what the internet is all about, practical people solving problems.
feckless22 you’ve done this on your 2013 and it worked? I have one and the trans is starting to make some odd grinding noises and only shifts when I let off the throttle. Wonder if this could at least prolong the disaster until I can afford a manual civic/accord
Hello do you have any updates on how the transmission is ? Or months after did it start messing up again ?
@@savysinz606 Of course it will start messing up. Clutch kit and forks need replacing and programmed. After 20k miles you will have the same issues all over again because of poor design of these transmissions.
@@nationalmotorco.9044 Crazy question for you. My 2011 fiesta is MINT. Leather and tons of extras but the transmission chatter at low speeds. How much trouble would it be to change the motor and transmission? Put something faster and that shifts correctly. Maybe even something that doesn't have a class action lawsuits on it. Hah thoughts on swapping the motor and tranny all at once? I love this little car otherwise.
@@afdave7 I wouldnt take that route if i were you, just sell your fiesta and buy an ST (fiesta or focus) with stick shift. it will definitely be cheaper.
Thanks for sharing this fantastic tip and video. My wife's 2012 Ford Fiesta was shifting gears erratically upon acceleration from first gear and up. I removed all 3 of the 010 bolts show in your video. Neither of the 3 had the 4 little dots for the bolt you recommended. I could not find the the bolts with the dots online, so I cleaned the 010 bolts the car came with using carburetor cleaner spray to clean off dirt, grime and then used some sand paper to remove the little bits of rust and corrosion around them and the holes they were bolted to. I stripped the paint off all 3 holes. I sprayed them with carburetor cleaner and used Q-tips to clean the debris inside the hole threads. I also cleaned off the acids and corrosion on the battery terminals and used sandpaper to clean the negative battery cable ends for better contact. I put everything back together, and took the car for a 5 minute drive. The gears shifted smoothly, no hesitation, acceleration was quicker than in the past. Overall the car performed better than ever. Thank you FordTechMakuloco. You are the man.
Did it stay that way or return after a period of time? Follow up is the best science we have
seriously, any follow up would be greatly appreciated
Hi ! Thanks for this. Found a similar situation with my daughters Trend 2 litre here in Australia which lost reverse and surged in drive. Used my hand held code reader to find the error and found this UA-cam as a result. The bolts (in fact I could only see one easily) are in a different location yet close to the battery. Took it out, soaked it in coffee machine de-scaler fluid until fluid turned cloudy, then wire brushed with my BBQ wire brush and rinsed and dried and re-installed and all good again. Engine light went back off and now all gears working, thanks so much, you have saved us potentially a lot of time and money.. Best regards from Australia.
I performed this fix from this video to the ground cable when my 2013 Fiesta was still very low mileage; It instantly made an improvement to the shifting. Throughout the years, it had received Ford's reflash of the trans computer and it's shifting is pretty good! It now has 177,000 on it and is very consistent with 39-40 mpg with a mix of driving and with the A/C on!
Thank-you sir for sharing your advice with us.
Saved me a ton of headache. Fixed the ground issue and replaced the battery, all active codes went away. Thanks a lot!
Worked on my 2013! I didn't rub the paint off, but used star washers and plenty of torque on all 3 bolts. The two smalls were the right ones, the big one was the wrong bolt. I didn't replace it, but tried the star-washer method instead (on all 3,) and it fixed the problem of the laggy, fidgety, temporamental tranny. (Hope I don't get Googled for saying "tranny.") Shifts great now. BTW - I did plenty of di-electric, cleaned all contact surfaces AND also cleaned both of my battery terminals & cable surfaces well while I was at it. THANK YOU FORD TECH guy!
I have a Ford Fiesta 2014, since was in the maintenance service for 15K i idvised about this problem, there was request by the dealer the replacement part for the power shift transmission, since 2 months ago, now the part have not arrived yet and i made the same fix showing on this video and i fell greatly appreciatted due the the problem in transmission dissapear on low spead, thayk you for this video and the advised.
i just tried it. and the magic happened 🤩 now i dont have jerking my transmission drive smoothly. and the biggest difference is my voltage. i got a reading of 13.4-8 always. and i just thinking that my alternator was bad. when i do this my voltage is now normal. i got 14.2-4 now all accessories are running.. tomorrow ill do a long drive. then i will update you guys.. thank you for this video.. by the way i have focus 2012
Does it still go ?
Does it really work or is it a placebo effect
Update?
@@jasminelanders3177 sorr for the late reply,,, i already sold the focus,, the problems are still coming back after so many alternative solutions. i got kia rio now.
Did this on my 2015 Focus... Clutch "A" was stuck... today she's running smooth. You're a life saver bro.. Thanks!
Is it still running good today? Just got an ‘11 Fiesta, and while it shifts good now I’m considering doing this
Thank you for the video, it fixed my problem. I appreciate you taking the time to help us non-mechanic types.
Did this to my 2012 Ford focus and it really helped.they were gonna charge me 1800$ to fix it I'm glad I saw this video first.thank so much for posting this 🤘
I'm having the same issue with my 2012 focus. Has the issue returned?
I’m also having this type of problem but I’m going to try thugs
So, I'm back to recap my experience. I did this to my Fiesta along with cleaning the battery terminal corrosion. I also cleaned up the MAF sensor and throttle body. Wow. I just have to say infinite thank yous. My transmission is still acting funny, and Ford is supposed to flash the TPM when I bring it in. But I'm not sure if they were just jerking me or if they were serious, but they said they couldn't do the TPM without me replacing my throttle body, MAF sensor and alternator (my reason for trying this). I went from 17 codes down to 3 (p0300/340/365 - camshaft pos sensors/misfire codes) which is definitely an improvement.
Ford quoted me $1600+tax parts and labor for those 3 things. Something that took me about an hour to do (in the dark... and I scrubbed everything super clean), they told me would take 7 hours of labor. I spent $23 at autozone getting MAF sensor cleaner, throttle body cleaner and a wire brush and grease. My Fiesta was running really loud and revving high (about 1200-1500 idle and like 3000-4000 going at 20mph or so) and now idles really quiet and at about 750rpm, it doesn't shudder or grind at really low rolling speeds. Aside from the cam sensor issues and the TPM that I can't do anything about, I'd say the surgery was a success. I wish I could shake your hand. You are the man.
For the record, I had ZERO prior experience working on cars. Total n00b. Before last week, I had no idea what I was looking at under the hood lol. I am just frugal and have a lot of curiosity in how things work and confidence (or stupidity) to try things myself.
They were ripping you off. Throttle body has nothing to do with TCM flashing unless its also defective. Get a code reader of your own or go to an honest dealer to check.
bn880 yea I know. I fixed that issue myself because I didn't trust them one bit. they just fixed the TCM and then told me my engine is bad (cel is on. I knew that) and that i needed to tear down the engine (8 hrs) to get in and figure out whats wrong. then who knows how much to fix whatever nonsense they supposedly find, then put it back together (8 hrs). I'm getting rid of the car because its too much of a burden and I am due for an inspection which I will fail with that check engine light and I'm not gonna drop ~$3k to fix a car with this many known issues. I doubt ford will be getting my business anytime in this decade.
Yeah they seem to have dropped the ball on the small stuff, causing big issues for people. (as the small stuff can be hard to diagnose and replace... thus $$)
@@larrybe2900 It's a design issue.
It's bad enough it's a design error. But if you take it to the wrong place you're screwed. Either they soak you. Or they just can't fix it. 😒
Extremely helpful video! This helped our Fiesta run much more smoothly.
Thanks for this. Took mine to the dealership 4 times and they wouldn't touch it because it wasn't throwing codes. It died over and over at stoplights and stop and go traffic. I went ahead and sanded the base of the ground bolts (2) behind the battery, one under the driver side fender and the one right by the battery that you recommended. I really appreciate it!
my wife just had a no crank issue yesterday and today it left her stranded at a stoplight, car was running but wouldn't move, she was able to put it into low gear and it sputtered to the curb and then started going fine again. I'm gonna check this out when she gets home thank you so much
I took one of these cars as a demo, back in 2011 and of course I had a transmission engagement issue while picking my daughter up from skating one day. I got it going while playing with the wires under the hood (like I knew what I was doing). I remember our Dealership mechanic saying there was too much paint on the ground! Very simple fix.
I have a Fiesta 2014 and it had the same problem. I managed to fix it with this video.
I can't believe in the agency they changed the TCM and it broke again and has been in there for months, I got tired took it home, I did this and the key reprogramming and now the error disappeared and everything works perfectly fine again, I can't thank you enough!
Dude thank you, wife and kids were stuck with me 60 miles from home. Was gonna have to go on a journey to get to the dealership (just bought the car) and then home. But I was able to jiggle it into reseting and it came out of limp mode. Will be doing the sanding tomorrow. Again thank you for this code.
Did you buy it new or used? What year was it?
I bought a brand new Ford fiesta ses in 2011 & it's almost 2020 & I'm still driving it ,put over 200,000 miles on it so far and still going strong, & I don't drive easy, ever , I'm a heavy foot driver, hard on vehicles
And thats what a powershift needs, good firm acceleration not pussy footing it around town. In another video this GUY(who really knows his stuff) says to take the car out to a deserted road and do 4 or 5 hard acceleration pulls 0 to 60mph. This is to clean the friction plates and reset the computer shift points. These are NOT an automatic torque converter transmission but a "robot" shifted manual. BIG difference. Town,city congested conditions is NOT good for them . Gas pedal to the floor every so often. REDLINE a day keeps the MECHANIC away!!!!!!
40% of the powershifts problems ARE related to the design,computer program, but some 30% are down to just a BAD earth and the other 30% are to the owners driving style, lack of understanding that this is NOT a regular automatic. AS you have high mileage you might start to experience shift problems. Its the shifter motors wearing. They are basically electric window type motors The carbon brushes wear out, Strip rebuild and put new brushes in. same as for any other auto 12v electric motor. Ford will never tell you that or do it for you just charge a fortune for new shift motors
@@mac4boys541 Great info and very well put! Thank you
Good deal I just bought 11 Ford Fiesta from the auction and I am doing the same thing. Thank you Sr have a wonderful weekend.....
I don't know if this video heloed or not. I was stuck at work this morning. I cot the engine to turn over, but only barely. Then, my 11 fiesta simply would not slip into gear. At all. It just acted like it was stuck in park. No mantenence lights, no squat. I cast around the internet for a couple minutes looking for a fix and happened upon your video, so I got into my tool box and found the right socket, and gave the grounding bolt about a quarter turn. No sooner had I fiddled with it, it began spitting medium heat sparks, (in the dark orange-bright orange range) At that point I figured I had either fried my batery, or incinerated the corosion, so I got back onto the car and everything worked just fine. This is a great video man. Cheers.
it was amazing .I was involved with this issues and spent $500 and then wanted to change whole transmission as mechanic said, but I was thinking it isnt because of transmission cause i felt its voltage ,this video saved my $3k .THANKS
What codes were you getting?
Omg thank youuu! I have a ford ecosport 2015 premium and i have been struggling with turning on the car and sometimes the reverse wont work from time to time and this solution has helped now the car turns on everytime.... It seems like its a problem from ford itself
just had one today,some of the glue from the heat shrink was under one of the ground eyelets. good video
Was it a 2011 also?
wish I had never purchased this vehicle
Buy a Honda if you want something dependable.
Crash it
@@taterlysaladman9377 Kia....not Honda
Taterly Saladman
I hear that all the time. I have a 1992 740 Volvo with 450K miles. It has been in my family since new. It has never left anyone stranded or needed a tow. It has always been maintained meticulously. It spent all of its life in Ohio until the last four years here in southwestern Florida. The transmission is original and the engine has never had any work done. The valve cover has never even been removed. The alternator and starter are original as well. The interior except for the edge of the driver seat is in excellent condition. The outside is excellent too with absolutely no rust despite spending most of its life in the salt belt. I daily drive it and regularly drive it on road trips of over 1500 miles. It has outlasted many Honda’s and Toyota’s in my family. Since it is rear wheel drive maintenance and repair is easy and I’m able to perform myself. I will be driving my car as long as it lasts. Which shirt of an accident should be many years to come.
FORD= F ix O r R epair D aily
Thanks for this video, got my friends focus back on the road.
What year focus
Just had my 2013 fiesta with 120k just throw check engine light and service trans now. 6 codes stored. All trans related. Removed negative cable from battery and car connection. Dipped both in Coca cola, scrubbed with sand paper, sanded ground connection on car. Fixed all issues. Thanks a ton
Great vid!!. purchased a 2012 fiesta auto and noticed slight grind/rattle when clutch warmed up coming from passenger side when in low gear.Tried this and noise is gone for now. taken a few long trips and also driving around town. Will update if any probs come back.Thanks.
This solved my problem! Saved me big money! Many Thanks!
Underneath the battery coming off of the transmission going to the body is another ground cable that needs to have the same thing done to it
Hey FordTech, Nice video. I've worked on Helicopters, Jets, Cars etc. I've also had extensive training in wire repair and corrosion control. I partially agree with your fix. Here's what my training has told me about what you should do: 1. DON'T remove the paint. Here's why. The reason is that over time the dielectric grease with begin to fail and attract dirt. The more exposed metal with dirt will cause moistue to set up in the joint on the bare metal and cause excelerated corrosion that will creep into the threads. Well you know the rest of the story there. So how do you fix it, here goes. 2. Clean the cable contact with a wire brush as before, and degrease with brake cleaner. 3. Clean the bolt mating surface and threads as before, and degrease with brake cleaner. 4. Clean the threads in the anchor nut, tap if particularly nasty, and degrease with break cleaner. 5. Now where the cable mates with the anchor nut use an internal serated heavy duty lock washer. 6. Apply your dielectric grease on the washer and mating surfaces, YES LEAVE the paint ON! 7. Install a second grounding strap to the block from the same position, on the BOLT side of the NEG cable. 8. Tourque the bolt down to specs. When the bolt is torqued the new lock washer will cut through the grease and into the paint all the way to the metal, but only where the lock washer teeth meet the paint. Remember before the paint prevented the cable mating surface from making any ADDTIONAL contact at all. It only allowed contact with the anchor nut on the bolt side, through the cable and onto the anchor nut threads. With the addition of the new lock washer you now have two surfaces contacting the body. Leaving the paint on leaves less of any area for corrosion to set up, "it's a matter of when not if". Even if you cleaned the paint off and didn't use the new lock washer, the grease would still limit contact to some degree. The teeth on the washer ensure GOOD solid contact in multiple areas. The added ground cable also ensures additional contact for electronics and the Starter. This is what I was taught in wireing and corrion control school. I also used to run a corrosion control repair shop for electronics as well. Been doing this stuff for years. So trust me you'll have less returns if you follow this. It takes more time to explain it than it does to do it. Also, although not a FORD story, here was a simple solution to an electrical problem with Dodge Caravan Headlights. Here's how I fixed it. ua-cam.com/video/TP4slx2pLQw/v-deo.html I've found on vehicles: airplanes, cars, boats etc. If it has intemitant electronics in it, the problem usually is a bad, dirty or intermitant wire/contact. You'ld be supprised how much stuff I fix just by cleaning, reseating electrical connectors/connections. Good grounds and contacts are a must in electronics. Cars are the worst because the electrical standards aren't as stringent as aircraft so they fail sooner. Best Wishes/Blessiings Keith.
Keith Noneya If you think you shouldn't remove the paint to make a better connection for the ground than you clearly are full of shit about knowing anything about electrical.
Hey Nuke, I agree with you for the most part but go ahead and read the whole comment and it will make more sense when you read the explanation and why I said that. Here's part of my explanation from my post: Quote, "an internal serrated heavy duty lock washer", "the new lock washer will cut through the grease and into the paint all the way to the metal", making the extra ground without exposing more metal than is needed. By the way I have over 37 years experience doing just this kind of work. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith
I'm no expert but wouldn't one have to be weary of using dissimilar metals for the lock washer? As far as I know there's potential for corrosion there. Oh, and not to be a dick Keith but it's accelerated x).
Who cares if it corrodes? That fiesta will be in the junk yard long before it has a chance to corrode and cause any problems.
I WAS THINKING EXACTLY THAT Alex's Bikes and Motors
The ground mod works. It also Improves performance somewhat.
I had this exact problem this weekend on my fiesta 2011. Worked like a charm!! Thank you so much for the video and for the help!
Ernesto Ochoa Good to hear!
did you every get it fixed
So I did this trick and it worked great. But this weekend it happened again and could not get it to fix. It is still a problem with the ground from the battery which i had to get it towed. :-(
Yeah I just had one that it seemed to be a ground issue but another dealer already performed it. It ended up with a TCM very expensive but covered by Ford.
any chance if you know if its covered by FORD even if its out of the warranty period? car only has 34K miles
Dude, you almost bored me to death until you got to the solution. OMG you were exactly 100% correct. It fixed the car. We have had two warranty clutches put in the car and now it's out of warranty and I was sweating the $3000 decision. Thank you very much
+David Raburn yup technical videos don't have much glitz or glamour that's for sure.
I'm in the same situation, but with my 2018. Ford couldn't learn from their mistake apparently! So they just decided to give up making sedans altogether 😆. Hahaha. Oh, wait ... this is terribly un-funny and clearly we're all dreaming and nothing I'm doing right now is real and these thoughts I'm typing will never leave my brain since this is most definitely a nightmare that I'll eventually wake up from... Oh. Wait. Nevermind 😑 I really did, like in real real real life, buy a total lemon? F*$#ing sh*#balls BAHHH. Well at least we got FordTech kicking ass and all the helpful comments!! 🩷🧠🩵🙏
I did the battery terminal fix.. I am three weeks in and cannot believe the results!
It is drives & shifts perfect and I have 58K on my 2011 SES. ( I did have the seals replaced under warranty at about 20K and probably 3 more flashes) I also did the clutch reset trick you showed in another video,, If you have not tried it, DO IT, the total battery re-grounding cost me $1.49 for the terminal grease and one of my wife's nail files. She was not about that.
John Veltre Nice!
@@FordTechMakulocowill taking the negative cable loose and sanding the surface mess the computer up because the ground was disconnected?
Thanks for the video, man. Mine didn’t mess up until 156,000 miles. My problem coincided with the battery dying. That gives me hope. Right now it’s still broken, but it only screws up between 1st and 2nd occasionally. When it does it goes into neutral.
Lucky my 2012 is within Ford’s new recall thing and I have two more years to bring it in.
Thanks for the video. I bought a 2011 Fiesta and saw that someone ran a second ground and now I know why.
Worked for my wife's 2011 Fiesta. Thanks a ton!
Did it really tho after all these years?
I would also love to know how long this fix worked for you. I have a 2011 fiesta experiencing transmission problems right now and looking for any and every fix. If it worked please lmk
@@Wy-itdid you try this fix yet? Doesn’t seem too bad to do
I have a 2013 Ford Focus and it's doing the same thing with all these transmission codes I'm just going to clean the ground and hopefully it works out ,thank you so much for posting all your videos .
Did it work for you?
@@dianamoreno6232 yes it did
Fordtechmakuloco, is there anyway I can email you a question? You seem like the only ford mechanic that's honest and knows what he's talking about. Just left chino hills ford, and I'm having a hard time believing his diagnosis. Thank you for your informative videos, and time.
Great information. Sand that paint off, maybe add secondary ground from that point to transmission case? Just a thought.
It fixed my problem. Thanks for the good video.
Does it still work?
Beautifully explained. I'm on my 2nd fried TCM in 3 years. Currently Ford has about 44,000 TCMs on back order so no fix anytime soon even under warranty... they really did a number with this one.
Learn a lesson. Stop buying gasoline cars
it happens even on diesel cars 😄
I do own a Ford fiesta 2011 and definitely this is a valuable content for me thank you so much. God bless you!.
did you try this and it worked for you? Having issues with my 2011 fiesta right now and absolutely in panic mode
No.. the problem in my case was the battery, I didn't have the correct one!.
@@moctezumaalava552 so I just replaced my battery today and got it from O’Reilly. I wonder if i’m having the same issue. It fit like a glove so I didn’t think anything of it but at this point ill try anything. I appreciate the insanely quick response, thank you!
There is a class action suit being filed in California over the Fiestas transmission issues
Hector Nevarez It’s not just fiestas, 80% of all ford cars share this stupid semi auto failing dual failure clutch that also fails
Yup and the settlement was a joke.
thank u makuloco im a mechanic in mich gut did a head gasket thought it went wrong but it was the pant on ground saved a lot of time
Most likely, the dielectric grease - or ANY kind of grease, such as petroleum jelly, axle grease, Korode Kure, etc. - is the key. Cover the contact area with grease and re-torque the bolt, and the electrical connection should be reliable. I learned this from my dad in the 1950s. He would put a blob of grease on the base of tail light and turn signal bulbs before putting the bulbs into their sockets to prevent intermittent electrical problems, especially when driving in areas where roads are salted in the winter.
I'm an auto technician I too have seen these car have transmission problems that is caused by a bad or loose ground. That when repaired fixes every problem. But there is also a recall on alot of transmission control modules(TCM) but they are back ordered for months
I had an no crank issue with a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. Lights on the dash was flickering. A friend of mine told me that slot of manufacturers are using cheaper metals which is causing these problems. My case was the ground bolt was corroded and I replaced it with a new one.
dude thanks for doing this video i just bought a 2012 ford focus yesterday and i experienced a delayed park the first day i took it out I drive up to 200 miles a day and there is times i can be 110 miles from home ill be taking a look at the grounding this weekend to put a stop to any future problems that may come up the last thing i need is to be away from home that far and be stuck. I was surprised to not see a ground wire not going to the engine on this thing the norm would be chassis to battery and also battery to engine 2 ground sources. Is ford really getting that cheap the ground and hot line have to feed the electronics i suppose the engineers forgot about this or maybe they are lacking an electronic engineering degree.
Thanks for video. My car has 141,000 on it and I just had problems this morning. It does not want to go into 2 gear and accelerates on it's own a bit when I'm on the brake. reverse seems fine and never had issue until now..
Excellent explanation many thanks for sharing valuable information 👍
You pretty much listed all the problems my wifes car is experiencing, i tried everything you said even cleaning off the terminal, but still no reverse and it makes that choking sound wjen it tried to start.
This worked on my 2013 Focus .
Life saver
You are the best, u save my life to many times thank you
I just bought a salvaged 2011 Fiesta w/manual transmission. Were they having shifting problems with this trans as well? Excellent information and video. Thanks.
I wish we could all tip you. Was really pissed when all the dash lights would turn on and lights would dim while driving.
I can't find my engine to chassis ground on my 2010 focus. I seen a green painted bolt under my car but nothing goes to it.. any suggestions?? Thanks
How to fix the sound of electric contact in the engine transmission vector in the Ford Focus
anyone know how Id go about getting the correct ground bolts?
Awesome job, the contact for the ground so ever tiny,
Hello, thanks for sharing the video, i have a ford fiesta 2012 S, the dealership have ordered a new clutch but not sure when will arrive and if that would solve problems of jerking at slow speed or the delayed speed up when hiting the gas, they didn't suggested me the fix u show in ur video, also my car makes a noise when I turn off the engine like something metallic that hit idk if that's related to the clutch but gets me worried, have u heard something similar? thanks again
great post I did exactly what you did and AOK thank you!
My solution for Ford Fiesta transmission problems: buy a Honda or Toyota.
Should I disconnect battery? Tried to turn the first one above batter and it started to spark
I had a no start no crank on my 2010 Focus. I did this and it fixed that issue but the right after I was throwing a bunch of transmission p07** codes and it would only start off in second or third gear and stay. Would clearing the PCM fix this?
Could this be the reason my 2012 SE 5 speed manual randomly stalls on the highway then starts right back up? Too much amperage draw
Thanks for the video. I've had a 2012 Fiesta for a few years now and it has around 32k miles on it today. I've had shifting problems since day one and have already had the transmission seal replaced due to leakage. I'm going to check my ground-point sometime this weekend to see if paint needs to be scraped, but do you have any other suggestions? It's extremely hard to get any dealer at all to look at this vehicle, they all say "Oh that's normal, it's supposed to do that" when I tell them I have slipped shifting or jerking. They then tell me that "if you ever drive a manual someday you will see that the transmission in your car is operating normally"... joke is on them, this is the first automatic car I've ever owned! When I say this, the service techs are always just silent and change the subject.
I suspect I need to check the ground points since I notice my headlights dim whenever there is a hard shift, so I appreciate your video very much and will do this soon.
Just the other day my Fiesta did something completely new and frankly, a little scary. Pulling out of the driveway, it went full jackrabbit on me. With traffic coming at me and me sitting in the middle of the street, I had to sit there and wait for the car to come to almost a complete stop and for the RPMs to go to idle before I could get it to move. But no big deal, "it's supposed to do that".
Honestly, this is the first and likely the last Ford I will ever own, and it's a shame because I honestly like this vehicle aside from the transmission.
There are multiple reflashes and clutch updates, when was the last time you had it actually worked on where they actually fixed something. If you send me your vin I can do allot more research. They should do like I do replace the clutch the actuators center bearing unit and of course the seals. These units are hard to work on also and require a person to know the trans or else you will have new problems afterwards, or worse yet a misdiagnosis. Have they given you the customer info sheet say what is normal sound wise with this trans? This trans has been a nightmare for all of us dealers fiesta or focus and while new parts and reflashes are making the performance tolerable I truly believe they will abandon this trans soon like they did witrh the cvt and just make an 8 speed fwd trans. Let me know, also what is your exact concern most of the time?
After I had the transmission seal replaced (they didn't replace the clutch plates, just cleaned them. I saw in the TSB this is normal) it seemed to get better for a month or two and then right back to the same issue as before. I moved states in this time and the new shop I'm going to checked the trans for leaks and said it's dry as a bone.
I can send you my VIN in a private message, I will copy it down when I fix the ground point tomorrow (it is indeed painted, but has the correct bolts so I'm just going to do the fix myself).
I have received the info sheet more than a few times, being handed that thing was pretty much the default response for a year every time I complained about any loss of power/shifting problems.
My exact concern with this is as said above: no power when trying to accelerate (especially on toe-in while the vehicle is decelerating) and crappy shifting from a dead stop. Now, it seems like the clutch slips hard on acceleration from a stop (this is rare but has started recently). The best way I can describe it is the slipping you get in a manual when the clutch is going out.
I really appreciate you getting back to me and I apologize if it seems like I'm complaining or angry; I'm really not mad I'm just frustrated that I've owned this vehicle for years and I can't get a dealer to agree to take a look or concede that there's anything wrong. That's not your fault or anything and, again, I really really appreciate you taking the time to make this video and provide some input on this issue.
Oh yeah from your info I can tell you need a clutch and the latest reflash for sure now to find a dealer to do it. Thing is recently Ford is requiring us to record that the slippage is 250rpm or higher or they will not pay the claim so if you know when it slips the worst hot cold etc you need to relay that very specific information to the service advisor so they can record that over slippage. I feel all of these need the latest design clutch and is a shame many complain about this trans and have to live with it because of these dealers. When this trans works it is great. Have you called the Ford customer service line? We had one lady come in howling up and down about the other dealer pushing her off etc got Ford involved and they said please fix this for us and make this customer happy it wont count against our warranty numbers etc because they see on our customer satisfaction scores when we do the clutches the problem is resolved and customer satisfaction scores go up as a whole so it really does matter to Ford and there are fixes in place that seem to work now. FYI Dodge has the same trans setup in the Dart and is having similar issues.
My question is if the Ford Fiesta & Focus are pulling so many amps via the engine, transmission, etc. why don't they install extra heavy duty batteries in their cars with high CCA values ?
I recently bought a 2012 ford focus off a small dealer ship and didn't do my homework till after the fact 😃 what good is that right ?so first two weeks car runs fine then one morning i go to start and car wont start then when it finally does start it wont shift into gear so i put it in neutral and rolled it back my self drive seemed ok but i did notice the gears where shifting slightly harsh and whenever car would come to a stop it would begin to shudder like it was about to bog out any way i was pretty bummed paid in cash and 2 weeks later im having these problems so i did some research and come to find there s a class action law suit on models 2011/2012/13/14/15/16 and just about everyone experiencing same technical issues so i saw your video on the ground connection and i did exactly as instructed in the video and what do you know all the problems i described went away check engine light went off no more harsh shifts and car fires right up so im keeping my fingers crossed it continues to run the way it is
Now thanks for sharing you saved me a ton of money 🙏👍🙂
I've never had a bracket from my negative terminal to my chassis on my 2011 focus, is something missing? Or is that just not standard on this model?
My 2014 Ford Focus had a "transmission malfunction" error shown and would not even start. Changed the battery even before the 16month productive period was up. Was told by a Ford technician that the transmission uses up power before everything else in the system. I even observe a slight flickering of headlights and room lights. Electrical shop says my alternator charges fine at 13-14 v. So I am going to inspect the grounding as you recommend. Thanks a lot!!!
Did this work? I'm having the same issue on my 2015 Fiesta SE, Trans malfunction light comes on when I start it after changing my battery but the car drives mostly fine. I'll be doing this fix anyways but wanted to see if it helped you!?
@@jesseeposey3543 after doing both- cleaning of terminal contact and change of battery, all is up and running.
Thanks for the video. It fixed my car!
What can you do after you have done a reset on the transmission and the light comes on?
hi Ford tech, i have a ford focus Sf 2012. it shows the error message u0101 which is almost always trigered by the following message "Hill start assist is not available". it has spent more months in the shop fixing it than i have driven it and still the issue hasnt been resolved. what do you suggest will be the fix to this issue? thanks
something happened to my electrics on my 2011 ford fiesta after the automatic transmission was repaired. The dashboard lights up without the ignition key. If we remove fuse 26 under the hood, the dashboard goes out. What could be the reason? and when the ignition is turned on, the instrument needles shake for several seconds
Hey Makuloco, I purchased a 2011 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback today with 52,000 miles on it. I have 7 days to return the car for any reason. I'm planning on taking the car to a mechanic tomorrow to get an inspection. I haven't noticed any signs of transmission / any problems. What should I look for exactly? Is there any way to find out if my car is going to be a suspect of this transmission problem or any problems for that matter? Thanks!
Can Ford just drop a manual transmission in my focus instead of trying to "fix" the auto-manual. if they did that, i would stop bugging them!
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@Sam S I've got the 5 speed MTX-75 transmission on a 2014 Focus Titanium. It isn't the best thing in the world, but once you get used to its oddities, it works very reliably.
Excellent question, let me know if you find out.
I have a 2011 fiesta and it shutters and bucks a lot, it does have the dual clutch on it and it’s out of the warranty period. It’s pretty much undriveable because the rpms are everywhere and it’s shifting a little late. The transmission service light is on. So my question is, is it worth getting it fixed?
You da man! I'll try that as soon as I get back from Borneo :)
I have just purchased a 2012 Ford Focus with 18,000 miles from a Ford dealer , the initial pick up from a stop is not that hot dangerous when entering a parkway acceleration lane , it shifts normally until I attempt to down shift with my right foot as one would any automatic transmission but this transmission will just rev high in protest until I remove the pressure from the gas pedal then it will shift normally and accelerate , I don't even think that it is down shifting when I put my foot into it , any idea what gives , could it be a slipping clutch ? it came with a one year power train warranty. I also feel some vibration in the steering wheel when up at parkway cruising speeds.
is this an issue on 2013s as well? My GF car, when engaged in reverse, is going forward and all the dash lights are on
May i ask Right now my car has gear problems. Has gone to the car repair center Try to change the handle, press clutch, and then the TCM gearbox control box is changed Gear symptoms will not disappear. After driving for a while, the transmission shows up as before. If the transmission code is up and warns the gear heat The car will not be able to move. What causes it?
My just started to do this today hopefully I can resolve this issue
Just did this to my 2016 and no luck,.I can reset the transmission but it won't stay reset. Thanks for the video
I think it might be my Groud then. I'm not only having the Check Engine Light on but now I'm having issues with the Slipping and Buckling. On top of that my Cigaretter Lighter Fuse blew and fried my inverter. Now my speakers stopped working after making tons of crackling noise even when the radio wasn't on. Now I have no radio access either. What should I do? Please help.
I took mine in for the recall door latches when I 1st bought it 8yrs ago and they said they were doing the transmission recall too. I started having this issue just now and I see the main ground bolt was changed but the other 2 were not. Do you have a part number on them so can order them? She is just around 300 shy of hitting 200,000 and in great shape, hoping to keep her going a while longer, I love this little car.
Hey I have a question I have no reverse even after the new tcm because they do a one time replacement got it done by a ford dealer but the problem is still there no reverse and in gear it jerks and shifts hard and no crank I did this and nothing helped !!
A question for you, FordTech: You showed two other bolts/grounds further down in the engine compartment - What are they for? It looks like those points have too much paint as well!
Thanks for the video. I have the manual trans but am having grounding issues with my car. I've cleaned the ground discussed in this video & the 2 lower ones behind it on the crappy plate, also another on passenger fender. All bolting points were painted. I dont get different Service Engine Light when its warm but get when its cold. My double click up & down drivers window works again but my car will shut off at idle sometimes when idling.
Do you know where there are additional grounds on the 2011 Fiesta? Ford wont help. Thanks
Can you possibly tell me the name of the screw you need to make this worth and the length pls :)
While google searching my issue I came across this video and I thought I would have a great easy fix. I have a 2013 Ford Focus that was driving just fine but occasionally it would not engage the reverse gear. If I wait, sometimes hours, and try again it will work like nothing is wrong until it surprises me by getting me "stuck" in a parking spot I've nosed into. I had the recall work performed on it years ago, that reprogrammed the TCM I believe, and never had issues until this month. I attempted this fix the other night but didn't have the extra wire with alligator clips, so I did what one commentor suggested and turned the key to drain power that way. It could have been placebo, but I really felt like it was driving and shifting better...the next day it didn't shift into reverse again. Do you have any recommendations? (additionally my OBD reader is showing the error codes P087A, P287A, & P1450)
Hi
My brother's Fiesta MK7 1.4dtci. And it has been sometimes in safe mode and and went to three cylinders and the writing of the display engine failure but it has not some fault codes DTC. And we have been able to turn off the ignition and drove back to normal but now it is completely mad now will not at start and when you put ignition on lights engine failure light. Do you have a solution many greetings Rober
I have a 2014 Ford Fiesta same issues but problem is i already clean that area and still have the same problems, i just bought the car not even a month ago history has they’ve change the clutch once and right now a mechanic told me i have to change it again, money out of my pocket because ford doesn’t want to extend the warranty it had before, now i want to know if once i change the clutch how can i make it last longer, how can i take proper care of it?
I've had issues of a supposed 'dead battery' for two weeks...hit and miss. Battery was6 months old, and we brought it in and had it tested. It tested over 12V, so we know its not that. I've had to get a boost 6 times in the last 2 weeks. Tonight, coming out of work to once again needing a boost, it starts right up, as it has been...BUT tonight, after the car was running, it wouldn't go into gear. Just stayed in a neutral position. So we left it at work, and got a ride home. Hubby watched this video, thought "what the hack", and we drove back to my workplace and took off the ground wire, sanded it (didn't have any of that grease), just put it back on, and although I needed a boost to get it running again, it went into gear, so I drove it home. Shut it off, restarted it, and it started! Hopefully this solves our problem..we'll find out in the morning. Thanks so much!!
Can I please get an update??
Is it safe that i will disconnect the negative wire to do that...i have a 2022 ford focus. I am worrying if i remove some electical/computer and reconnectes may not work
My friend's mom has a 2012 Ford Fiesta that had the same problem luckily at the time it still had a warranty so it got replaced free it ended up being a shift solenoid or something like that
Hi, my 2012 ford fiesta experience this event outside the standard warranty. the issue happen to me away from home. Car transmission stop suddenly shifting, with the following additional issues grinding noise, no crank, check engine light on, crazy car cluster, and all lights went on interior and exterior. After it cool down, I was able to drive at speed no more than 40 mph to the nearest ford dealer( 100 miles away) the tech required a new battery (I had to pay for it). re-flash the TCM and removed the paint on the wires ground area, but did not exchange the old bolds for the new bolds with the dots. It took them a week to perform this. Walking for a week is not fun at all. Should I ask ford to exchange the old bolds for the new bolds with the dots?
I have a 2010 LX Ford Focus 4 Sp Auto Whilst driving around roundabouts it loses gears flares like its in neutral have to back off slightly until it picks up a gear .. When using the same roundabout but in sports shift mode it does not do it at all . have been constantly going to local ford dealer they say nothing wrong with it ? Had a Ford rep from Brisbane check it nothing wrong with it . Well if I am involved in an accident due to this fault u will know about it. its not safe . feels like its low on trans oil but had it checked its fine had a service on the auto also any ideas? Sometimes feels like the handbrake is on . Not safe to pull out in traffic