Ford Kuga Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Australian-delivered Fords didn’t get a five-year warranty until May 2018, so I’m assuming the warranty you’re talking about is an aftermarket one sold to you by the dealer when you bought the car a year ago. If so, then there’s very little chance that it will cover a failed clutch (or anything else much, for that matter) as these warranties are notoriously worthless. Disputing the ruling could well be a lost cause as the fine-print in the warranty will doubtless be written to favour the insurer.

However, I fail to see how a failed clutch could cause a manual gearbox to fail, other than if the clutch was slowly dying and you were forced, over a period of time, to be brutal with the gear-shifter to select gears that didn’t want to cooperate. There is the chance that a clutch-pack breaking to pieces inside a dual-clutch transmission could, indeed, cause such a catastrophic failure, but as you haven’t told me what type of gearbox is fitted to your car, it’s a bit hard to say. That said, the Kuga got the wet-clutch version of Ford’s dual-clutch and not the vastly more troublesome dry-clutch Powershift unit. For that reason, the Kuga was not part of the recall that Ford issued for Ecosports, Fiestas and Focusses for transmission failures.

It sounds like a problem with the dual-clutch transmissions electronic control, so take the car to a Ford dealer and have it assessed. Turning the engine off and then restarting it again will often reboot the computer and fix the problem in the short term, but there is an underlying issue that needs to be fixed.

It’s a dual-clutch auto similar to the ones that gave so much trouble in other models. As you say an auto transmission should last more than 80,000 km, it’s worth pursuing a claim for a replacement transmission.

You’re correct that a diff should last longer than six years, but how long it should last is open to question. To its credit Ford has offered to pay a portion of the repair cost. They won’t pay the whole cost of the repair as you have had six years of use out of the diff, and it’s now worn as a result of that use. There is no hard and fast rule that applies to your situation. The offer from Ford is based on the amount of wear and the projected life of the diff. You’re best to negotiate with Ford and hold out for the best deal you can get.

It’s the responsibility of the dealer you bought it from to repair it, he’s the one issuing your warranty. The automatic transmission in Fords has been an ongoing problem, and it would seem that the transmission in your car needs to be replaced. The bottom line is you need to sort it out with your dealer, if that doesn’t result in a satisfactory resolution go to VCAT.

We haven't had any other reports of problems like you have experienced. You don't say what engine you have, but if it's a diesel you have the Powershift automatic transmission, which has been troublesome in other Ford models, such as the Focus.