anyone aware of transmission problems with fiesta st's?

Hey All,

  Just to introduce myself, I am an auto crosser and hope full rally crosser from Maine.  I auto cross a blown 2006 mustang gt, and I was rally crossing (briefly) a 2003 mustang.  I am search of a new rally cross car right now.

I was teaching my son to drive in the snow a day ago.  All of a sudden, our 2015 fiesta with 41k miles on it refused to move.  It would shift, then make a grinding noise.  No slippage of the clutch, or grinding, or any type of warning.  We had thought that the night before we may have smelled something while driving on the highway.  No noise, clunks or difficulty shifting.  

I could not see anything under the car.  Again, no warning until the car just refused to move.  We have been in snow for the last few days, and the car is at my mechanic right now.  We are in a blizzard right now, or I'd head over with a floor jack and some stands to look under the car.   I have not found anything on the net with problems with the manual fiesta transmissions.

Any input would be helpful,

Thanks,

Doc

Sounds like a burnt up clutch or broken clutch.  

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Yes, for sure, I just never had a clutch just die on me.  I have been looking for a tsb on it.  Only 41 k miles? I am going to get it from all my chevy friends, that's for sure.

Popped a CV shaft?

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

that is what it felt like to me, I cannot find anything on the web about this being a problem

I have nothing really to add but that sure is a bummer.  Might that be covered under the Ford powertrain warranty?  I mean two years old and low (overall) miles........seems like it should be. Isn't the clutch/tranny or even the CV shaft part of the powertrain?  Or are those considered to be wear items?

My 2014 has similar miles and heavy use, and all is good with the transmission.  Have seen no TSBs yet, nothing on the owner site.  

I've seen aftermarket clutches where the friction material basically just fell off.  Never on a stock clutch, though.

I have seen the center hub of the clutch disc break free from the outer ring with the friction material on it. It likewise made some grinding noises and wouldn't move, but otherwise seemed fine. This was on a car that saw track and autocross use by someone who didn't know how to rev match a downshift, and it looked like the clutch disc center had fatigued as a result of rapidly releasing the clutch during deceleration at higher rpm along with overly aggressive engagement during acceleration (think power shifting kind of abuse).

I would guess that the clutch actuation is hydraulic so I would look there to make sure that it's working as it's supposed to. With out a history of abuse of the clutch I would bet the disc is OK. 

As GearheadE30 related I too was involved in a similar clutch disc failure. Mine was on a shared  auto-X car that failed when we down shifted into 1st at a "180" and popped the clutch to break the rear loose one to many times!

BROKEN AXLE!  I just heard back from the dealer.  Covered under power train warranty.  They have not seen this and cannot figure it out.  I really don't think the car has been abused, only 41k miles.  I should ask for the part, unless they need to send it in or something.  My f 150 has 187k miles on it, Lord knows what type of abuse that thing has had. 

My wife hit a pothole once that she thought should have broken the car in half.  I wonder if that was it?

or just a manufacturing defect. whatever factory makes those things pumps them out at ungodly rates, and they will never be perfect. Maybe just an inconsistency in the alloy or heat treat or a nick or crack in the wrong place or whatever.

I wouldn't worry too much, but I am betting whoever pays for warranty work is thankful its just an axle... haha