Correction: The tranny in the Ford Fiesta and Focus isn’t an automatic transmission. It’s actually a computer shifted manual. I think the problem is that the computer can’t shift the transmission the way a HUMAN can and you get shudder as the clutch release is not quite right.
It’s actually a computer shifted manual.
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So it’s an automatic manual transmission.
An output shaft bearing went bad under warrantee.
Ford fixed it for free, re-programmed it then and once since.
If you do hard accelerations (floor it) all the time, drive it like you stole it, it doesn't shudder, and shifts perfectly.
Great little car!