DouglasC
Summerdale, AL
Senior Member
Joined: 04/03/2005
View Profile
 Offline
|
After towing my 2012 Focus for over 2,500 miles without a problem I experienced a problem while traveling northbound on I-69 in Michigan last Sunday. I felt a couple of "tugs" and pulled over to investigate. When I got back to the car smoke was billowing out around the hood and it smelled like burnt clutches.
Long and short of it, the car was towed to a nearby Ford dealer and the transmission torn down. Both clutches need to be replaced and Ford will cover the $1,600 cost. The question remains, "why did it happen"? - - since I followed all the procedures as outlined in the Owners Manual.
I will continue to follow up with Ford and hope to determine the cause of this problem - - and will report back to this Forum.
Doug
2006 Jayco Greyhawk Model 27DS
Towing 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid with Brake Buddy
|
Richert
Pennsylvania
Senior Member
Joined: 04/11/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Please keep us informed, just bought a 2012 so that I could tow it 4 down. About to get the baseplate installed, going to wait now!
Blake
2000 Kountry Star 3565
98 Jeep Wrangler Toad
Wife in passenger seat.
|
garym114
Bluff Dale, Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 07/24/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Ford changed their mind on 4 down towing with the Fusion and Escape. The put out a supplement to the owner manuals that said no 4 down towing, only two wheel down on a dolly.
Think this was in Feb of this year. To many smoked transmissions.
2000 Sea Breeze F53 V10 - CR-V Toad
Some RV batteries live a long and useful life, some are murdered.
Get a Digital Multimeter and Learn How to Use It
|
Richert
Pennsylvania
Senior Member
Joined: 04/11/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
I just talked with Ford customer service at 1-800-392.ford there are no changes for the Focus yet.
|
Rainman6
Canada
New Member
Joined: 06/19/2011
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
I just picked mine up this weekend after getting the baseplates installed and it towed fine..so far. I would be very interested to see what the outcome of this is.
|
|
|
charles
Ohio
Senior Member
Joined: 08/11/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
I haven't had the base plates put on mine yet as my wife likes it so much she always leave me with her car but I'll get them on in a couple weeks. Question, I was thinking of disconnecting the positive cable at the battery and the negative at the firewall instead of the negative at the battery. Do you see any problem in doing it that way, it's seems to be much easier? Someone mentioned that disconnecting the negative at the firewall alone won't do the trick. I'm not familiar with all the new electronics involved in todays cars so I'm looking for a safe but easier way to go and as you well know the negative terminal is buried.
Nick
|
smlranger
Virginia
Senior Member
Joined: 06/23/2004
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Are you folks towing a 2012 Focus with auto transmission? My dealer says the only 2012 Focus flat towable is any with the 5 speed manual tranny.
2007 Country Coach Allure 470, 2012 Honda CR-V toad. SMI Air Force One braking system. Lucy the rescued lab/springer mix; Dixie rescued beagle mix. Smith Mountain Lake, VA
|
charles
Ohio
Senior Member
Joined: 08/11/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
The automatic is towable for 2012. Not only does it describe the procedure in the manual, I checked with Blue Ox, Remco, the Ford factory, and the dealer,who gave me a copy of the procedure. The 2011 and older models with automatic are not towable 4 down. Your dealer might have been talking about the Fusion as it is not towable 4 down.
Nick
|
DouglasC
Summerdale, AL
Senior Member
Joined: 04/03/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
UPDATE: I picked up my Focus today from the dealer and after 9 days of being without the vehicle, I now have a NEW automatic transmission. Seems that when they went to tear the old one down, they discovered that many of the parts were fused together from the extreme heat generated when the clutches engaged as I was going down the road.
I spoke with the Service Manager and he cannot tell me what caused the transmission to "burn up". Therefore I will not ever tow this vehicle again as I do not know what caused the transmission to fail and I cannot take the chance of it happening again. I have been towing vehicles 4 wheels down for 19 years (6 different vehicles) and over 130,000 miles without any problems. I will look for a replacement vehicle that I know can be towed 4 wheels down without any problems - probably a Ford Fusion Hybid - as my vehicle previous to the Focus was a Mercury Mariner Hybird which I towed for over 20,000 miles without a problem.
As has been mentioned on this forum before, in addition to disconnecting the negative battery cable at the ground (which I always did), it is probably a good idea to disconnect the other 2 small wires that come off of the negative battery terminal (which I never did). If not disconnecting those 2 small wires somehow contributed to my transmission failure, then my only response is "why did it not happen sooner as the failure occurred on the 12th time that I towed my Focus?"
To those of you on this forum who may have been infuenced to purchase a Focus due to my previous "good news" postings, I profoundly appologize. As previously mentioned, I have had extensive experience towing vehicles 4 wheels down and never expected to have any problems with the Focus - - and early indications were that it was a good choice.
|
Richert
Pennsylvania
Senior Member
Joined: 04/11/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Thanks Doug for responding. Now we new owners of the 2012 Focus have a decision to make.
|
|
|
