Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement

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Fri 27 Dec 2019 23:21
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Adrian Wild

I bought an ex demo 2014 Kuga auto from Ford dealer in April 2015. Since then it has been fully serviced by the same Ford main dealer. It has now covered just under 33,000 miles from new. I had to get the vehicle recovered last week and have been advised that all the gearbox mounting bolts are missing or sheared and the gearbox and transfer box have separated and been damaged and need to be replaced at a cost of over £5k

I have approached both the dealer and Ford UK and neither are willing to pay anything towards the repair. Vehicle is no longer under any warranty

Would you expect me to win a court claim under Sale of Goods Act for goods not fit for purpose or of satisfactory quality due to the mileage of the vehicle and the fact that these mounting bolts have all come loose until the last one sheared off? I wouldn't expect any mounting bolts to fall out at any mileage

Thanks

Edited by Adrian Wild on 27/12/2019 at 23:56

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 07:34
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Falkirk Bairn

The car is almost 6 years old so it would be possible still to claim the car was fitted with a gearbox that was not of satisfactory quality.

However, your claim would be against the Ford dealer & not the FMC.

It could be expensive to claim - it might be cheaper to buy a replacement box, sell the car & never buy another Ford.

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 12:34
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - sammy1

When did the car last have an inspection service? I suppose you could base a claim on this basis as the dealer did not check the component. It does make you wonder what you are paying for when you have your car serviced. Best to go to a specialist gearbox company for quotes to supply a breaker box, £2k seems more realistic

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 14:48
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Adrian Wild

Last serviced April 2019. I've got all the paperwork which shows what they are supposed to have checked at each service interval and it's all been ticked off. I'm not entirely convinced that the whole gearbox/transfer box will need to be replaced as it's only what the dealer has advised but they've sent me some photos clearly showing casing damage, mount snapped and bolts missing. I'm no car expert but suspect that the mount snapped, then due to this the bolts vibrated loose and then once down to the last one this sheared and caused the damage. Ultimately there was no warning of anything wrong until this point

Once I'm past 14 days if the dealer hasn't changed their mind(unlikely!) I'll get the car moved to a transmission specialist for a full inspection and report to aid my court claim

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 14:36
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Adrian Wild

Thanks for the reply. Yes, claim will be against the dealer under Sale of Goods Act 1979 as it was purchased prior to Oct 2015 when SOGA was replaced with the Consumer Rights Act. It looks like it will cost £410 to submit claim online. If the dealer had offered to pay half I would probably have accepted but they have refused to contribute anything.

Definitely won't be buying another Ford!

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 14:55
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Brit_in_Germany

Is this the wet clutch version and was the fluid changed after 3 years?

www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/119920/is-the-fo...e-

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Sun 29 Dec 2019 19:11
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Adrian Wild

Is this the wet clutch version and was the fluid changed after 3 years?

www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/119920/is-the-fo...e-

No idea TBH. I assume not as I've never been asked and can't see any indication in the service records.

. My issue is with the gearbox mount and bolts which seem to have caused my failure

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Mon 30 Dec 2019 11:31
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - SLO76
Possibly the gearbox suffered a catastrophic failure which caused the bolts to shear. Takes a lot to do this and a gearbox failure is a possibility and sadly very common with these. Ford have given up and returned to a conventional torque converter design because of the appalling failure rate on these. I doubt you’ll be successful in any legal action on a 6yr old car but I’m no legal expert, best to speak to a lawyer with experience in such matters. Remember you will be facing a large firm with access to Ford’s legal team and any costs if you fail could run into the thousands. If it moves under its own steam at all I’d get it trailered time the nearest auction and take whatever you can get for it and never buy another Ford.
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Sat 15 Feb 2020 17:15
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - Bronwyn

Hello

Hope you can help me, i have had the exact same problem with a Ford Kuga 2014 model.

Wonder if there is anyway i can contact you to find out how you went about repairing the car?

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Sun 16 Feb 2020 14:42
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - HGV ~ P Valentine

Hello,

I have to say I am not a mechanic, but I did read up about it and here is the link, I do not know if it is the same problem or not. https://cliosport.net/threads/top-gearbox-mount-sheared-bolt-help.481962/

With regard to your claim, I would not hold out much hope but would be interested to know how you get on, it is the 6 year usage that would be your biggest problem, and they may very well come back and say you caused the problem but it was fine when it left the garage, and if they say that then you will have to prove they are lying.

I went to this site https://www.driving-test-success.com/car-service.htm which shows the things they are supposed to check, I think it is unrealistic for them to check every single nut and bolt in or on the car so they will use that in their defence, the list suggests the only nuts they have to check are the brake mountings on both axles and the wheel nuts.

I would also suggest that being an ex demo model does you no favours, as people tend not to drive them as carefully as they would their own car, especially if they are allowed to trial the car for 24 hours or even 48 hrs.

Edited by A Driver since 1988, HGV 2006 on 16/02/2020 at 14:44

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Fri 11 Jun 2021 11:02
Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI Powershift Auto - Gearbox replacement - jashom1

Hi,

I would like to offer my experience with the Ford Kuga, our car is a 2015 model turbo diesel, and has (or had) a similar issue to what you have, although not as advanced in damage as you have. A couple of weeks ago my wife complained about a rattle that was resonating at idle and would disappear when driving. Just discovered tonight when I finally had a chance to take a look at it, and the transfer case was missing a bolt, and the other bolts were only finger tight. I also found that the mount that supports the front CV shaft (also connected to the transfer case also had a bolt missing and other loose bolts. No other damage was evident, and have replaced the missing bolts and will keep an eye on them in the future. I do wonder if that this issue is common and could have been a torque setting from Ford that was incorrect, or some type of loctite needed to be applied, as the vibration of the diesel engine would not be nice.

I could not access all bolts to the transfer case as this would need the engine/trans removed, but here is hoping that the 3 bolts that are now tight will be sufficient.

Cheers from Australia.

John.

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