THINK TWICE

Beyond drivability, the DPS6 can drop to no power in traffic: owners report the transmission suddenly losing power on takeoff and on the highway -- one describes the car jerking, lunging forward, and losing power without warning; another, nose-diving on the highway after losing power off an entrance ramp. 1,695 in-window POWER TRAIN complaints mention loss of power, stalling, or lurching. Unlike the shudder, this is a crash-exposure failure: a car that will not accelerate when merging or pulling into a gap is a safety problem, not just an annoyance.

Check — Take the loss-of-power reports seriously on the test drive: accelerate hard from a stop and merge onto a highway, and treat any hesitation-then-surge, stumble, or momentary no-power as disqualifying on a car this failure-prone. Confirm the extended-warranty and TSB history; an unrepaired example is a walk-away.

The Ford DPS6 PowerShift -- a dry dual-clutch automatic sold as if it were a conventional automatic -- is the defining defect of these cars. POWER TRAIN is the #1 complaint component in both windows (5,382 of 14,416 Focus complaints, ~37%; 1,454 of 4,063 Fiesta, ~36%), and the texts describe one failure complex: clutch shudder and juddering on light acceleration, slipping, hesitation, and harsh or delayed engagement, worsening as the dry clutches and input-shaft seals wear. Ford issued a long run of TSBs and a redesigned clutch, but the underlying dry-clutch design was never cured.

Check — Test-drive from cold and in stop-and-go: feel for shudder or vibration on gentle takeoff, slipping or flaring between 1st and 2nd, hesitation, and clunky low-speed engagement. Ask for transmission and clutch service records (clutch replacements, TCM reflashes, input-shaft-seal work under TSB or program 14M01). Repeated clutch jobs on one car are a red flag, not reassurance.