What year did Ford stop using PowerShift?
The change largely occurred around the 2019 model year, with most markets abandoning PowerShift by 2020.
PowerShift refers to Ford’s family of dual‑clutch transmissions used in many small- and mid-size cars. After years of reliability complaints and shifting consumer expectations, Ford moved to conventional automatic transmissions in a broad swath of its lineup. The timeline varied by region and model line, with North America typically moving first and Europe and other markets following over the next couple of years.
What is PowerShift?
PowerShift is Ford’s branding for a line of dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) designed to deliver fast, smooth shifts. While some buyers praised the quick shifting, others experienced hesitation, shuddering, or abrupt starts, especially in low-speed or stop‑and‑go driving. These reliability concerns helped spur the shift away from PowerShift in many markets.
Timeline of Ford's move away from PowerShift
Key milestones show how Ford phased out PowerShift across regions and model lines.
- 2011–2013: PowerShift begins appearing in Ford’s small-car lineups in select markets, notably in Europe with Fiesta and early Focus applications.
- 2013–2014: Ford implements software and hardware refinements to address consumer complaints and improve shift feel.
- 2017–2019: Ford announces a broader plan to phase out PowerShift in North America, citing reliability and drivability goals. New models in the region increasingly use conventional automatics.
- 2019–2020: The transition accelerates in most markets; PowerShift-equipped models are withdrawn from new-vehicle catalogs in many regions, and replacements with traditional automatic transmissions become standard across several model families.
In summary, the broad migration away from PowerShift culminated around 2019–2020, though the precise timing varied by country and model portfolio.
Regional variations
The transition did not occur at the same pace everywhere. Here’s how it played out in different regions.
- North America: The shift away from PowerShift happened earlier in the region, with 2019 model-year introductions and 2020 models largely using conventional automatics.
- Europe: European-market Fiesta and Focus versions moved away from PowerShift across the late 2010s, with many models adopting traditional automatics by 2020–2021, though some late 2010s variants persisted briefly in certain markets.
- Other markets (Asia-Pacific, Latin America, etc.): The timeline varied by country and model, but the overall transition toward conventional automatics generally followed the late 2010s to early 2020s pattern.
As a result, while PowerShift lingered in some older stock or niche markets for a time, Ford’s new-vehicle lineup largely shifted to traditional automatics across most regions by the early 2020s.
What replaced PowerShift?
In practice, Ford replaced PowerShift with conventional torque-converter automatics that feature more gears and improved refinement. The exact transmission choices—6-, 8-, or 9-speed automatics—vary by model and market, but the standard shift was toward smoother, more reliable automatic transmissions rather than dual-clutch designs.
Summary
Ford ended the use of PowerShift in its new vehicles mainly around 2019–2020, with regional variations in timing. The company pivoted to conventional automatic transmissions to improve reliability and driving feel across its lineup, marking the end of PowerShift as a standard option in most markets.
What years did Ford have bad transmissions?
Ford's PowerShift dual clutch transmission was used in 2010. Vehicles impacted are the Ford Fiesta (model years 2011-2016) and the Ford Focus (model years 2012-2016) equipped with a PowerShift transmission.
What years did Ford use the PowerShift transmission?
Which Ford Models Had Powershift Previously Available in North America?
| Model | Years with Powershift |
|---|---|
| Ford Fiesta | 2011–2016 |
| Ford Focus | 2012–2016 |
Is Ford PowerShift any good?
If you ask owners, you'll hear plenty of people who haven't had a problem with them. The Powershift brand was tainted early on by the dry clutch variants that were fitted to smaller engined Fords - these were totally different beats, prone to jerky changes and intermittent faults and are definitely best avoided.
Why did Ford stop using PowerShift?
Faulty operation
The use of cheaper, lighter and simpler dry clutch packs in lower-end models of the transmission ultimately led to the demise of the PowerShift name.
