New Ford Focus Auto Tranny?

[Diesel_Clatter]

It looks like I will be buying a new car Monday.

I want something cheap, reasonably safe, long lasting, and easy to maintain.

What's the scoop on the automatic transmission in the 2007 Ford Focus?

Are they durable?

Can I expect it to go 200,000 miles with reasonable maintenance?

Do they have drain plugs and dipsticks for the transmission fluid?

I have heard many times about the Malibu Tranny's lack of dipstick or drainplug and wonder if Ford has copied them.

Funny thing is I was reading my Escort service manual (I have a manual escort) and it sounds like the good ol escorts did have drain plugs for the automatics. I'm betting some ________ bean counter did away with them!

 

[brianl703]

The Malibu's 4T40/45 has an "undocumented" drain plug. Actually, it's documented, since they warn you that removing it without the engine running will result in the loss of several quarts of transmission fluid.

Doesn't that sound like what happens when you remove a drain plug?

 

[KBFXDLI]

I was looking at a Malibu for my daughter and noticed the lack of dipstick. I asked my service guy I have known for years and he said the factory service on the GM trans is 100,000 miles and they are using dexron IV. He said that you can increase the OCI if you want (LOL) and said if he was spending the $$ he would change it every 50k. But he made a good point that 98% of the consumers out there don't check their trans fluid anyway and only report problems after the fluid had leaked out which is too late anyway so the need for a dipstick is relative. I guess I see the point because I change my trans oil at 30k in all my vehicles anyway.

 

[Kestas]

Okay, I concede... let the bean counters save money by getting rid of the dipstick. But at least offer an aftermarket dipstick for those 2% that proprly maintain their transmission fluid, and for those that buy used cars near 100K.

 

[Diesel_Clatter]

Maybe the commentary was a bad idea...

Does anybody know if the current Ford Focus automatic transmission comes with a drain plug and/or a dipstick?

 

[The Critic]

The Focus comes with the 4F27E automatic transmission. There are a lot of these units out on the road, and there doesn't seem to be an exceptionally high failure rate, from what I've been told.

The Ford 4F27E and 4F50N (AX4N) automatic transmissions are the only two units that require a mandatory fluid change (not filter) every 30,000 miles, regardless of driving conditions. No other Ford transmissions have this service requirement.

The 4F27E on the Focus does not have a drain plug, but does have a dipstick, AFAIK. The 4F27E on the Mazda 6 has both.

Recommended fluid is Mercon-V.

The plug Brian was referring to on the 4T40/4T45E GM units is the check plug. Not the drain plug.

 

[The Critic]

Also, I think drain plugs are a bad idea in a sense, since it doesn't encourage the mechanic to pull off the pan to clean the magnets.

Of course, one may argue that its a measure to make cars more difficult to service, or to promote low maintenance, but the Focus requires a transmission service every 30k anyway, so that isn't the case here.

It's unlikely that a transmission (new ones) will go 200k before an overhaul if the driving is primarily heavy stop-n-go. That puts a lot of wear on the unit. The higher output engines, and higher underhood temperatures don't help either. 100-150k miles is a reasonable lifespan if the transmission is used under heavy city driving conditions. 150-200k is certainly possible if easy freeway driving is what it's used for.

Fwiw, my mother's '96 Saturn SL2 with the TAAT unit has 95,000 miles on it. Mostly 1-2 mi city trips, fluid/filter change with Dex III every 30-35k miles. Still on the original valve body, which is rare for that unit.

 

[windnsea00]

Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't one buy Japanese if they are going for an economy car? I don't even own Japanese cars but they excel in that market in terms of value, depreciation and reliability.

 

[Colt]

Quote:

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It looks like I will be buying a new car Monday.

I want something cheap, reasonably safe, long lasting, and easy to maintain.

What's the scoop on the automatic transmission in the 2007 Ford Focus?

Are they durable?

Can I expect it to go 200,000 miles with reasonable maintenance?

Do they have drain plugs and dipsticks for the transmission fluid?

I have heard many times about the Malibu Tranny's lack of dipstick or drainplug and wonder if Ford has copied them.

Funny thing is I was reading my Escort service manual (I have a manual escort) and it sounds like the good ol escorts did have drain plugs for the automatics. I'm betting some ________ bean counter did away with them!

---

Think twice.
We have them for company cars.
IMO it's a POS.

My last one an '04 needed a steer rack and struts at 50K miles.

The '06 I have now with 19K miles has rattles,suspension sucks,warped rotors,oddish wheel hop when driving around turns over smallish bumps.
From
edmunds.com
Sloppy fit and finish, low-grade plastic trim in cabin

If you want inexpensive.
Go Hyundai Elantra.

Edmunds.com
Pros Long list of standard features, comfortable interior with lots of storage, generous warranty.


Just my .02.

 

[TomJones76]

My friend Tom, a very wine and caviar kinda' guy, bought one, drove it for two years, got bored with it and sold it at 50,000 miles. Got himself a Mazda 3, loves that.
The Focus handled decently, good gas mileage, only problem was with the steering but that was fixed under warranty. Unimpressive but more than adequate pickup.
If the price was low enough I'd consider one, if I wanted a compact car and wasn't 340 lbs. When I sit with the wife in one, you couldn't fit a Gideon Bible between our elbows.

 

[JHZR2]

Can't comment on longevity, but after having a focus rental for 4 months and about 14k miles, I do know that if the 07 is like the 06, you might be less than impressed... Around town - no worries, no problems, good shifting. On the highway, the slightest blip of the throttle or cruise control, and youre downshifting all the time. Gets annoying and fuel economy was lousy as a result.

Otherwuse, the focus was a fine small car, that is a better deal than its foreign competitors, and IMO makes better use of the interior volume.

With the sweet shifting MT in the focus (nothing short of my BMW is as good, even our saab and acura), I wouldnt get an auto. fuel economy and longevity, as well as purchase price should all thank you!

JMH

 

[cousincletus]

I would buy a GM instead. The fluid & filter change isn't a biggie w/o the dipstick. According to the service manual, pull the pan, filter, then reinstall. Fill it up with 7.4 quarts of fluid and forget about it. No need to check unless there are signs of leakage (I have never seen one leak).

 

[wander2039]

My sister has a 02 Focus with the 2.O SPI/auto I don't know if it has the same transmission though. But it has a dipstick but no drain plug. I don't care for it but the next time it's due i'm installing a wix inline filter and going to use the cooler lines to flush it out. It doesn't seem hard on the fluid though.. it has 50k on it and i've only dropped the pain once in that time frame. Other than the botched aftermarket window/lock install no problems. My grandparents had a few problems with theirs but that was mechanic stupidity.

 

[The Critic]

Quote:

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My sister has a 02 Focus with the 2.O SPI/auto I don't know if it has the same transmission though. But it has a dipstick but no drain plug. I don't care for it but the next time it's due i'm installing a wix inline filter and going to use the cooler lines to flush it out. It doesn't seem hard on the fluid though.. it has 50k on it and i've only dropped the pain once in that time frame. Other than the botched aftermarket window/lock install no problems. My grandparents had a few problems with theirs but that was mechanic stupidity.

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Yes, the 02 Focus does have the 4F27E Automatic...

 

[Diesel_Clatter]

Quote:

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With the sweet shifting MT in the focus (nothing short of my BMW is as good, even our saab and acura), I wouldnt get an auto. fuel economy and longevity, as well as purchase price should all thank you!

JMH

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Yea, I decided to forget the automatics. I have never had an automatic transmission on my personal car (my wife has an automatic corolla). The problem is that there just aren't many manual transmission cars to be found and I am planning on buying something Monday.

It looks like my choices (all manual transmissions) are:

2006 Ion 2 manual used
New 2007 Yaris base Hatchback
New 2007 Ford Focus S 3door hatchback
New 2007 Hyundai Accent GS hatchback

The Ion is interesting since they are only asking 9990 and it has less than 3000 miles. I have heard mixed reviews on these. Does anybody have any first hand experience?

Any comments on the other choices?

 

[The Critic]

Yaris will get you the best fuel efficiency, yet quite underpowered...

ION will be very powerful, but gives you the least fuel efficiency...If you decided to get one, be prepared to hang around www.saturnfans.com/forums/ as the car ages, as you'll have to make some minor, inexpensive repairs...

I can get a new '07 ION for $12k around here with the standard 5/100k warranty...the Cobalt is nearly identical and has much more wiggle room in pricing, something to look into.

 

[Diesel_Clatter]

Quote:

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Yaris will get you the best fuel efficiency, yet quite underpowered...

ION will be very powerful, but gives you the least fuel efficiency...If you decided to get one, be prepared to hang around www.saturnfans.com/forums/ as the car ages, as you'll have to make some minor, inexpensive repairs...

I can get a new '07 ION for $12k around here with the standard 5/100k warranty...the Cobalt is nearly identical and has much more wiggle room in pricing, something to look into.

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I forgot that one. There are a couple of 2006 Cobalt LS sedans still around here with manual transmissions. For some reason I really like how the Cobalt looks but the fuel economy isn't that great for the class.

 

[The Critic]

The ION is no different...

I've heard of people getting > 35 MPG on the highway with the Cobalt/ION, but you better drive gently. Around town, expect 22-ish if its mainly short trip driving.

 

[Diesel_Clatter]

Quote:

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Yaris will get you the best fuel efficiency, yet quite underpowered...

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Before my Escort, I drove a 1985 Golf Diesel for six years. I loved that car (totalled in an accident) and would buy a new one in a second if it existed. Anyway, there is probably not a new car available in this country that would seem underpowered to me compared to the Golf.

This car also gave me a high tolerance for other automotive traits such as lack of refinement, engine noise, and general smellyness.

 

[The Critic]

In that case, you should give the Saturn S-Series a try.