Top 4 Used Cars You Should Never, EVER Buy!

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In this video we check out 4 cars you should never buy: here's why!
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#car #avoid #worst

[@schaind11]

Who can afford a used car these days.

[@Inferno45]

Yeah I shop for used horses

[@anthonypena6322]

Who can afford a new car as well? It's outrageous and unbelievable how expensive vehicles are.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

Most people can’t that’s why people get loans. It’s time to restrict lending for cars. Pay cash for a car or ride the bus.

[@aydenu9057]

@@user-tb7rn1il3q the issue with that is that millions of Americans don’t live within walking distance of a bus line that goes to their destination, or a bus line at all. Our public transport needs wayyyy more work if we want to limit people’s access away from cars in a car centric country

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

@@aydenu9057 No, people need to buy and demand cheaper cars. Easy lending has made cars expensive. Most places in the US have some public transportation.

[@williammodlin2621]

You picked my first guess with your first choice. I recall how proud GM/Cadillac was of their Northstar engine. It’s amazing how much effort they put into a piece of eventual junk.

[@JoshuasRecordings]

Considering how many Northstar powered cars are still on the road they're not as bad as ppl say.

[@stock.wheel.shawty]

@@JoshuasRecordings probably bc they put the northstar in so many cars

[@JoshuasRecordings]

@stock.wheel.shawty Or bc they're not as bad as ppl say. There was more say Nissan Sentras produced than cadillacs but you still see more Northstar powered cadillacs than old Nissan Sentras.

[@OriginalJoe]

And part of Seinfeld lore to boot

[@Vladpryde]

You can partially thank the customers for that, since most of them treated it like a run-of-the-mill GM sedan, instead of the European Luxury standards that it was supposed to be kept at. It's also on GM for not marketing it appropriately, and selling it to people who couldn't afford the meticulous maintenance on the damn thing. Those remaining ones out there have had TONS of money put into them. Ask me how I know lol.....

[@steveprather1305]

I had a 2013 Focus with a 5 speed manual, the transmission made a significant difference. Sold it to one of the national online dealers (sounds like nirvana) , the truck driver couldn’t operate a manual so I had to put it on the truck for him. Too bad manuals are going away they solve problems and improve the driving experience.

[@jeffk464]

huh, almost all big trucks are manual. Granted very different manual transmissions with splitters and no syncros but still.

[@Luceq]

Yup, manuals were fantastic cars. Kinda warmy hatches, with great driving dinamics

[@thisismagacountry1318]

​@@jeffk464Most big trucks are going automatic now for insurance reasons. It's the dumbing down of this generation.

[@buyallmeans425]

Drove stick for years... don't really miss it. Maybe for an hour or two it would be fun.

[@chrisbaskerville953]

I have a 2014 Focus SE hatchback with the 5 speed manual. I've had a few minor problems: the horn sometimes doesn't work, I had to replace to coolant reservoir, and the steering wheel padding is degrading a bit. Otherwise it's a great driving car. It has decent pickup when accelerating. It's handling in turns is amazing. Absolutely no problems with the engine, clutch or transmission.

[@OldThomMerton]

Don't forget the Mini's with the CVT's . . . avoid those like the plague!

[@marcovargas6205]

Just avoid any European car with a CVT

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

Any car with cvt even the Japanese ones

[@Inferno45]

@@FlyingTigersKMT Only honda makes good CVT’s. Avoid Nissan CVT’s at all costs.

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

@@Inferno45 just avoid them in general

[@myplaxismodelisbetterthanyours]

​@@Inferno45 Subaru CVTs are very good

[@TommyV440]

I’m in an automotive tech class and we have both a North Star motor with a blown head gasket and a focus with a bum transmission😂

[@drz400sm5]

Gm with 3.6 was a favorite as a service writer. Stretched timing chains, oil burning, direct injection clogging water pump eating pos. Transmission wave plate eater. Made tons of money. Thanks for such a great vehicle.

[@RysterARCEE]

The issues with the 3.6 were resolved around the 2015 model year. Aside from a known issue with the purge valve solenoid, the 3.6 is just fine with proper oil changes. Also important to change transmission fluid at 60,000 miles and then every 30,000 miles after that.

[@donaldwilson2620]

I heard about those issues, especially on the Lambda SUV's(Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse, and GMC Acadia). In particular, the early ones from 2007-16.

[@ward9832]

I've noticed working in the auto auction world that the 3.6 isn't really the problem, it's the owners. Pretty much every single Impala,terrain,traverse etc was absolutely beat on and had virtually no maintenance.

[@drz400sm5]

Water pump and transmission had special coverage for a reason. Yes, most were beat. I worked in a gmc dealership, so I saw the nicer well maintained vehicles.

[@ASM31237]

I’m always so astounded by the timing chain issues the 3.6 had. When I was a wee lad we had a CTS for 14 years. We had it from 3k miles to 230k with not a single check engine light due to mechanical parts. Always electrical or sensor related. Don’t think it’s oil changes we’re always done on time either.

[@elliottcarson1248]

This is why its good to buy older cars, It makes it easier to do research on them and find out which ones have problems

[@jon27d]

Came to the comments to say that too! My current stable is an 05 Toyota and an 04 Saturn ( the one with the Honda drivetrain).

[@elliottcarson1248]

@@jon27d nice! I have a 2001 dodge caravan and a 2008 grand cherokee

[@portable_wall9222]

This is true. I have a 1996 honda accord and you can solve just about every issue because the service manuals and wiring diagrams are actually available to look at online. It's almost as if companies actually took pride in their products back then.

[@sethspring5609]

We need more of these videos.. I've seen so many people get ripped off by purchasing the Caddy Northstar and they just didn't do the research. But having video's like these that will come up higher in youtube will help them save some money. Great content!!

[@timothyweers8054]

Another problem with the Northstar engine is prior to 2002, they were using steel bolts on an aluminum chassis which overtime would create general leaks in the engine besides the one covered here.

[@damilolaakanni]

Northstar engines after ~2004 allegedly had the headgasket issues fixed. So if you see a Northstar from ~2005 they probably don't have that issue. Since the headgasket issue was the most common issue, I can't really say about the other issues. As for the Audi AllRoad, the 2.7 twin turbo V6 is difficult to work on, I've heard. And you're going to have to work on it quite a lot, it's an Audi engine.

[@PaulTC777]

the 4.2 is the better option

[@jeffk464]

Yes, its usually specific years of whatever model you are talking about. Usually if a manufacturer is having major failures the revise the parts that are causing them.

[@Tully3674]

Yes...Northstar engines after 2005 don't have the gasket issues the pre-2005 engines had. And one would think the pre-2005 engines have had their gaskets replaced with the newer ones. Unfortunately, the stink already exists on these engines and it will take a couple more generations to pass before they become a memory.

[@JohnnyBfromPeoria]

The RWD Northstars (XLR, 2004+) is a fantastic engine. Thread pitch in the blocks were changed to a more coarse pitch and head gasket issue were largely left behind. My '04 has been trouble-free.

[@kokobeatz7222]

Until you have to change the starter and the intake bolts snap off.

[@joeselke3472]

A buddy of mine was a Ford mechanic and he bought a brand new Focus for a steal because of the notorious transmission problems. He was a special case, because he knew how to fix these transmissions really fast and easy due to the high volume of these cars arriving at the shop. So it wasn’t really much for him to fix it when it inevitably failed lol.

[@jennydonne8946]

The engine used in the second generation Mini was developed with PSA Peugeot Citroen known as the Prince Engine. It was used in various cars in the PSA range as well. I had a Peugeot 308 (same size car as the Focus and Golf) with the non turbo version of this Engine, this was the only car I've ever had to top up the Engine with Oil between services, I've always regularly checked the oil level but this Engine would always go into limp home mode after a long journey, being told that it's normal for the Engine to do this, I was glad to get rid of this car.

[@CheekyChan]

It BOGGLES my mind how they went from such a great engine with the Tritec to such an AWFUL engine with the Prince. Not only do the high pressure fuel pumps fail rapidly but the low pressure ones will try to pick up the slack and run harder 24/7 and go bad if the owner keeps rying to run it with a bad high pressure pump and on THREE separate cases I've seen the wires that go through the low pressure pump's assembly literally burned and that is in the FUEL TANK. Super dangerous. I've replaced so many high pressure fuel pumps and turbos on the 07+ Mini's but I've done ZERO major work on the Tritec engines which I've done many many more of than the Prince. They also give you zero room to work on the Prince engines, even the N/A's, the pulleys and accessories are literally just a few milimeters from the frame and it's such a time consuming job, especially on an engine where the water pump and the water pump pulley fail regularly, the pulley system for the serpentine belt is also terrible. Meanwhile the Tritec engines are a little tight but very doable, even on the supercharged models. It's also really easy to modify the Tritec's and push a lot more power out of them and cheap, I've built many track R53's, R53's are honestly one of the most fun vehicles you can drive. Their only major issue I can think of is the electric power steering system, it's pretty common for them to develop a leak which will eventually cause you to have zero power steering.

[@MattKurkowski]

My high school auto shop had that Cadillac. It was a donation and now I know why. It looked brand new.

[@smikey5304]

Either we went to the same high school or these were pretty much given away like Halloween candy and just as much a nightmare experience.

[@tingokuman]

That list is SPOT ON. I used to be a service manager at Carmax and when we would buy these cars in we would immediately write on them NR meaning not worth repairing. After 75k miles they are literally a functioning total loss.

[@shekharmoona544]

I rented a Nissan versa with 5000 miles and it was the worse transmission I have ever driven. I literally drove it from Jacksonville NC to Wilmington NC. It stalled out on the enterprise representative.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Nissan CVTs being hot garbage is hardly a secret, it's why used Altimas are soooooo cheap

[@thomasjrinnus9935]

Counterpoint, while the automatic Ford Focus/Fiestas have serious issues, the manual ones are just fine. And they are cheap because everyone says to avoid them, its just the automatic ones that need to be avoided.

[@sergeysmelnik]

Also the later ones got a 6spd auto. I had a 2018 titanium with no issues

[@nodak81]

If I remember right, the Fiestas with the 1.0 Ecoboost engines had a normal automatic that was just fine.

[@Humandriver5280]

2010 and earlier are decent.

[@mikedaleiden7725]

Great point. The manual made the Fiesta somewhat fun to drive too. I took one to 314K miles. Same scenario w/ Nissan and their CVT's. A Sentra w/ 6-speed manual can be good for drama-free 200K+ miles w/ just basic maintenance once you take away the transmission issues.

[@rudolphna54]

I had two Focuses with that gearbox. 2013 and a 2018. It's so damn disappointing because other than the repeated clutch pack failures and one TCM the car was totally reliable and was a joy to drive.

[@notasolution]

These focus are fun to drive, it really is a shame that the transmissions didn’t work. The rest of the car is fantastic

[@robbay8610]

These transmissions are actually pretty easy to fix. Nowadays, the parts for them are so cheap that it is worth keeping dualclutch for a few more years.

[@PhoeniXKi11]

Us real truck drivers don’t claim that guy. Don’t understand a truck driver that can’t drive a standard.

[@TalkingHands308]

The dual-clutch transmission idea was a neat one, Ford tried to give consumers something more advanced than they would expect from these kinds of cars, unfortunately they weren't able to get them to be reliable. Dual-clutch transmissions generally provide better gas mileage and performance than a standard automatic that uses hydraulic pressure built up manually through the pump driven by the torque converter.

[@vampirejesus8170]

I had a 2013 Fiesta. It had a shudder when shifting while turning from a stop light. I redid the ground connection on the frame to the battery. The bolt on the frame for the ground was painted. Once I did that, never had another issue with the transmission. But the car did decide it wanted to try to be a submarine on hwy 70 right in front of Lambert airport in STL in August of 22. Had 153,000 miles on that car. Thought it was a great car. Just hard to get in and out of being over 6 foot tall. Great gas mileage.

[@AkuNoHana]

I’ve owned over 35 cars, usually keep around 3-4 in the mix. I can tell you nothing strikes more fear into informed buyers than the BMW E60 550i with N52 engine. It’s the most unsellable car I’ve ever owned.

[@NatesHomeTours]

As some one who works in the Auto parts industry, any vehicle with air suspension will fail. If you have a vehicle with airs suspension and live in an enviroment where you go from one extreme to the other (hot and cold) like in the North it will fail sooner rather than later. Ruber dires out quicker and the bags fail. The pumps fail after about 6-7 years.

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

My 2014 Dodge Dart Turbo Auto, would randomly shutdown while driving. I had it for 4 months and only drove it for 1 month because it was at the dealer x5+. Chrysler Dodge were awe full and apparently it never replicated while in their stuporvision (yes intentional typo)

[@mattheweburns]

If you fix the heater core before it overheats and put new head bolts, these Eldorados are actually really nice cars. Pretty quick and easy on gas too. Nice stability system they look great and you can bypass the air rod. If the airbags are blown. On top of that even a small turbo about 6 to8 psi works wonders on these. Cadillac Eldorado

[@cmdrdarwin3682]

Don’t forget the 1999-2004 Honda/Acura automatic transmissions. My Acura had 3 transmissions in 120,000 miles!

[@smikey5304]

Honda's notorious "glass" transmission.

[@ssjrose9641]

I think you were abusing your car, my two Hondas from that year both went Over 200k with minimal issues

[@JesseLJohnson]

I know those Accords had some tranny issues and the subframes all rotted out if you were from an area that salts the roads. We replaced quite a few subframes and trannies in those cars. The last one I sold lol. My half brother's mom wanted his car he had a 99 coupe so we went to the auction and dad for some reason bought 2 of those turds. Sold one to Aaron's mom the other to somebody else. The one we sold to this kid actually was a pretty nice car for an old turd. This was probably 7 years or so ago. A few months after the sale the kids dad shows up with a list of demands. Wanted new tires, windshield, and hood. His kid didn't latch the hood and had it blow up into the windshield. And I don't know what he did but it had a good set of tires on it when I sold it and he had basically burned them right off within a few months. It was an as is sale even if there was a warranty on it, you don't get new tires or glass or hoods because you didn't latch the hood

[@cmdrdarwin3682]

@@ssjrose9641 - I DON’T abuse my cars. The terrible transmissions are a known fact & Honda was forced to recall the transmissions & warranty them to at least 100,000 miles. The clutches burned up in these transmissions & it had nothing to do with abuse. Honda had piss poor oil jetting on the clutches.

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@cmdrdarwin3682 Ironically this was around the same time that Honda V6 was doing well and was the only engine in every Indy racecar.

[@jameskennedy673]

Our son & daughter-in-law had one of those Cadillac Northstar engines, it trashed on them, they sold parts off of the car, made a few $$ to ease the pain. My wife’s Nephew had one of those Ford Focuses with the bad tranny. He had bought it brand new, the dealership bought it back for what he gave for it. Thanks for showing us the lemons to avoid. I like lemonade that’s made with lemons grown on trees, not lemon cars. Great job y’all keep’m coming

[@JeffBreyer]

Parents had a Focus with that transmission. They never had a problem with it while they owned it though my Dad would mention stutters and things with it. I never noticed it myself but I didn't daily drive it.

[@donaldwilson2620]

Other dishonorable mentions are: Any Chrysler product that was equipped with the 2.7L V6. The main issue was oil sludge and timing chain tensioners that could fail and lead to catastrophic failure. Another one is any Hyundai/Kia model equipped with the Theta II GDI engines, mostly because of rod bearing failures. I've heard that most machine shops will not touch those engines due to the high failure rates.

[@jacobearhart4170]

Other ones are chevy cruze and equinox. Notorious for oil consumption problems and cooling system components failing and many more problems. Also any hyundai or kia with an engine because they burn oil like crazy go to any dealer and you'll see a 85% of cars there getting new engine installed for oil consumption issues

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@jacobearhart4170 2nd gen Cruzes were bulletproof

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

Umm Tommy.... No engine likes to be overheated. The problem wasn't that they used torque to yield bolts, those are extremely common. The problem is they speced the head bolts and head gaskets incorrectly.

[@fgeiger41]

I don't think the Northstar was over engineered it was underdeveloped per GM's usual cost cutting and mismanagement. They start from behind then rush to production as cheap as possible. The 4.0 in my Aurora was flawless.

[@settytb1]

Lost a transmission in my Aurora before the engine. The TCC went out early on and drove it probably 50k miles with no torque convertor lockup... eventually died on a long highway roadtrip.

[@fgeiger41]

@Seth Burke 🤣 nice. I had an issue with my radiator after hitting a raccoon the size of a Rottweiler. Kept losing all the coolant and drove on limp home several times. At least a good 30 miles. Gave the car to my little brother. He was rear ended and it was totaled with about 85k on the clock and he still got about $9k from insurance.

[@ChemAndAdrenaline]

There's a reason Carroll Shelby used the Aurora 4.0 in the Series One.

[@fgeiger41]

@@ChemAndAdrenaline True. Gorgeous car as well!

[@johnadams370]

How did Tommy sit down like that at 5:00? My knees could never lol😂

[@KidCorporate]

I helped my then-roommate replace the timing chain on his 2nd hand Allroad, one of the most involved automotive jobs I've ever done.

[@LetsDIYIt]

I didn't have an Allroad, but had a B5 S4 and a C5 A6, both with the 2.7t and the 6 speed manual. Had no issues with either and loved them both. The A6 had an APR tune on it as well. One of my favorite cars ever. I have C7 S6 now with an APR tune and still miss that A6.

[@CheekyChan]

I've actually never heard of transmission issues with these but I've seen three blow up due to a snapped timing belt because the job is so expensive owners usually put them off. Hell, two of those 3 were my brother in law who's a self proclaimed Audi mechanic, he kept putting it off on his main AllRoad, snapped, bent valves, he drove his backup and the same week it snapped and bent multiple valves, again. He had just got the air suspension revamped on the first one too. I've never seen one with working air suspension, every single one I've worked on has been converted to coil and I've only ever seen one AllRoad with the 6 speed manual. Those cars are really just "keep up with the maintenance" and they're solid, I'd garner the reason they had any transmission issues was probably lack of servicing, most German cars at the time were touting their "lifetime oil" and it's just marketing BS.

[@retrocompaq5212]

its not the same exact thing, the allroad is the worst audi ever

[@LetsDIYIt]

@@retrocompaq5212 take the air suspension out of the mix, and it's the same car

[@Tyson9682]

I have a 2008 Cadillac DTS with the 2nd generation Northstar engine 142000 miles, not one engine problem. STILL RUNNING 16 YEARS LATER

[@richh650]

Great video Tommy. These vehicles all deserve the metal compactor.

[@RANDsreviews]

Please make more of these!!!

[@HaroldCombs]

I was a MINI owner in the R50/R53 era before 2007. I remember the being considerable excitement about the turbo BMW engine because the 1.6 iron lump was such a lump. But those things held up and the BMW engines didn’t.

[@gregingo]

I currently have a 2015 Focus with the DCT. Overall it is a great car... minus the transmission. One of the other things to look out for on the car is the shuddering of the clutches will make your engine/transmission mounts fail rather quickly. I would love to do a trans swap to the 5 speed manual. There is a minor oil leak from the valve cover but at about 90k miles that's about standard on most cars with Aluminum heads. I am contemplating if I want to replace my clutch pack for the 4th time or just wait for it to completely die on me and get a new car... It's about 1600 to replace the pack and another 800 to replace the mounts...

[@randellgribben9772]

try this... keep the trans oil cooler.. this help quite a bit.. so add a aftermarket trans oil cooler.. the heat..esp. if you like to drive the car hard and have fun in it.. the extra heat hurts the trans.. also change the trans oil every year..or two.. its pretty cheap to do

[@randyrohe]

@@randellgribben9772 The clutches are dry, so an oil cooler will do nothing for them. I loved my Focus too, but between Ford not honoring the warranty for the TCM, clutch packs, plus the $800 water pump change I mentioned upthread, I'll never own another Ford.

[@timbraun3716]

One of your BEST episodes! Love to see more in the future.

[@ilc-nl3yy]

My 05 Focus ZX4 has almost 289k miles. Same engine, ac, transmission and many other original parts

[@TheCoyote808]

My former coworker's son has a manual focus and it's been nothing but a solid driver for him, even with a teenager/young adult thrashing it about in the way only youths could. He's also fairly mechanocally savvy as is his mother so they decided to get the manual because it was cheaper, and the dealer wasn't stocking automatic focuses or fiestas at the time. Likely due to the issues they had.

[@jss27560]

Seems like many of the issues that I have had with my 2010 Honda CRV are on the cars you mentioned. What makes it even more fun is that there’s a new recall concerning rust on the rear suspension. New recall on a 13 year old car.

[@604h22a]

You forgot to maintain it?

[@HiFiInsider]

I love this video. Thank You! pls. make more.

[@stonepa]

Cadillac ETC - Eldorado Touring Coupe. Wonderful car when new.

[@heiner71]

I like those Eldorados. I came close to buying one but I did not fit inside. They have a very low ceiling, even with the seat all the way down. I am 6ft5" and had to cant my head to the side to drive this car. Leg room was also not great.

[@richardbutton1179]

Had a 2019 Fiesta ST Line with the 6 speed dual clutch. Put 42k miles on it when I traded it in on a 22 Bronco Sport. Had no issues with the transmission or the car itself. Kinda miss it actually

[@roadtripboy]

Good to hear I have a 2018 with 58,000 no problems so far.

[@gregkamer3754]

Good video. Concise without a lot of excessive exposition. Gets right into the meat and potatoes of the subject matter. I like videos like this.

[@cenewton3221]

Northstars deserve all the criticism they get for the head bolt problems, but the cars were great otherwise. After 2004, the problems were resolved... Northstars went on to be installed in XLRs, DTS's, STS's until 2011 largely without issue. They even made a supercharged version (4.4 liter) for the XLR-V and STS-V that produced 440- 469 HP and were/remain solid, reliable engines.

[@dodgert9034]

My wife had 2 2011 Fiestas, the first one was recalled as a lemon, the second got either a transmission reflash or a new clutch pack every 10-12k miles since new. We went in 8-9 times or that during our ownership. HORRIBLE car.

[@backwoodstherapy]

My mom had a 2013 Focus. Went through 3 clutch packs in the time she owned it. On the fourth one they told her they wouldn't cover it under warranty anymore so she traded it for a Kia Optima.

[@ubeuonly]

Obviously you didn't love your wife

[@dodgert9034]

@Gary Dudra she had the first one before we met and the second when I met her. She loved the car, but it took that long with me begging her and showing her new car after new car to get her to finally get rid of it.

[@ubeuonly]

@@dodgert9034 not because I work at Ford that I know how horrendous they are as automobiles but as a car guy I can't imagine ever owning one or having one in the family. They're just that bad

[@MAAtx]

Drove a focus and ‘05 Malibu when learning to drive. The power shift would stutter and clunk its way up past 20mph.

[@4673962]

My dad's 2004 sts had 320k miles on it. Replaced water pump twice but that was it. Didn't burn oil, didn't have any real problems, of course us kids even hot rodded and raced everyone that would race us in that thing. It was pretty bullet proof except that water pump. Maybe they had a lot of things fixed by 2004.

[@gregoryfairchild2460]

Lol. I have an 2004 A6 2.7t And love it. Easy t9 work on, easy to move the front bumper cover fwd. Runs at 130mph feeling like 55mph. Solid as a rock. Easy to coax much more HP out of too. Well made car!

[@charlesjames1442]

My son had a 2013 Escape with the DCT. It went bad about 5 years ago and the Lincoln garage rebuilt it for $2000. It's been solid ever since.

[@chrisrinard2981]

I've got a manual 2011 Fiesta. Man am I happy about that transmission. I've had my car for 5 years. It's been unbelievably reliable. I've had zero major problems.

[@devinmatthews9972]

And a good thing about manual trans missions is theft Proof Because a lot of people do not know how to drive manual transmission. That's a good thing about Owning one 😎

[@chrisrinard2981]

@@devinmatthews9972 so true

[@rnt45t1]

party in the front, party in the back!

[@deejayimm]

I've got 75,000 miles on my 2016 Fiesta ST with no problems. It was my first brand new car. Make sure your transmission is filled to the proper capacity, Ford underfilled the ST transmissions.

[@chrisrinard2981]

@@deejayimm unfortunately I have the SE enjoy your St. I'm jealous and I appreciate the tip about the fluid.

[@FockeWolf100]

As a MINI aficionado, the 11+ Cooper S is a VAST improvement over the early second generation. All the issues are minimized, if not gone. The third generation is actually.. reliable!

[@MemestiffGaming]

I currently own a 2012 Focus with the dual clutch transmission. Besides the shutter between 1st and 2nd, it's been extremely reliable.

[@randellgribben9772]

see my posts above

[@vampirejesus8170]

I had a 2013 Fiesta. It had a shudder when shifting while turning from a stop light. I redid the ground connection on the frame to the battery. The bolt on the frame for the ground was painted. Once I did that, never had another issue with the transmission. But the car did decide it wanted to try to be a submarine on hwy 70 right in front of Lambert airport in STL in August of 22. Had 153,000 miles on that car. Thought it was a great car. Just hard to get in and out of being over 6 foot tall. Great gas mileage.

[@steveosk8s]

Also, easing on the accelerator from a stop in those low gears does away with the shuddering entirely. As my mechanic buddy says, "we ain't in a rush".

[@baddriversofohio2003]

I currently have a 2014 ford focus with 122000 miles. Ever since I bought the car it’s had problems and now the transmission needs to be replaced due to the tcm failure and the gears are dull. Luckily I’m able to a new car soon! If your looking for a car please don’t ever get a ford focus!

[@jluna693]

Number one should've been the nissans with cvt transmissions! See them in dealer auctions all the time and no one bids on them.

[@jadynduropan]

I have a 2015 Ford Fiesta with the DCT, I've put about 38,000 miles on it since I bought it 2 years ago. I guess I'm lucky because I don't have problems with the transmission at all (knock on wood). On very rare occasions it wont start, but will after trying again. It's very fun and zippy to drive for a mid trim car. I might go for a FiST evently but I'll keep this car for another few years.

[@rts3613]

I owned a 2012 Focus SEL with the auto. I loved that car. I bought it with hail damage and only paid $10,500 back in 2012 with 5k on the odometer. I used it for work in the field, then my wife used it for work in the field. The car paid for itself more than once in mileage write offs and fuel savings. I did all the updates for the trans when Ford offered them, and it was all covered under warranty. We put over a 115k on it and never had a problem. I sold it to a nephew who still uses it as his daily driver. I think his commute is about 60 mile round trip. He's had the car probably 5 years now, and hasn't had any problems. I think some of the bad press on the DCT was from people that had never driven a stick. It felt like a manual, definitely different than a torque converter auto or CVT. I miss the car, because it was fun to drive and economical. It was peppy with just me in it, handled fairly well and got over 30 mpg.

[@steveosk8s]

I have a 2013 focus titanium hatchback with the dct auto. I find that easing out of a complete stop/turn when accelerating in first to second does away with the shuddering entirely.

[@greekgod200486]

I had a focus as a rental in 2014 in Arizona. It would stutter from a stop up until about 10 mph. I was driving north out of Phoenix up the mountain and there was traffic. Moving at 5mph up the hill was just nothing but shaking. It was bad lol

[@vampirejesus8170]

I had a 2013 Fiesta. It had a shudder when shifting while turning from a stop light. I redid the ground connection on the frame to the battery. The bolt on the frame for the ground was painted. Once I did that, never had another issue with the transmission. But the car did decide it wanted to try to be a submarine on hwy 70 right in front of Lambert airport in STL in August of 22. Had 153,000 miles on that car. Thought it was a great car. Just hard to get in and out of being over 6 foot tall. Great gas mileage.

[@JeffDeWitt]

I had a 2015 Focus, only car I've ever bought new. It was a nice little car but while I wanted a stick the only thing available was the automatic. I never really had any problem with that weird automatic but never did trust it... and a system with clutches that intentionally slips the clutch at lights just didn't give me warm fuzzies. Traded it in on a Mustang and am much happier.

[@lidolf8168]

If you put on an aftermarket water pump thats better than factory, put on some new headbolts that are longer and aren't torque to yield, and those Northstars will last a while. I had a 2007 Buick Lucerne cxs and it had 189,000 miles on it and it leaked oil like a mother trucker but it just needed one new gasket and some other things replaced but after she was damn near bulletproof. For 3,000ish bucks you can have a pretty reliable car that gets close to 30mpg at 80

[@mackm1046]

Good video. All accurate. I went through 2 focus doing sales. The clutches in the trans went out. $1400 at least at the trans shop every time.

[@jamesmedina2062]

DCT?

[@SunnynPhilly]

For reliability I’d recommend getting an old Toyota (03-07). Corolla, matrix, Camry, 4Runner, Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Tundra or Sequoia. Just check the frame if your in the rust belt (especially trucks) and stay away from the 2.4L 4 that started appearing in Toyotas around 2008. They had oil consumption issues.

[@manthony225]

Don't get an 07 Camry. That's the one year they had problems

[@spicytuna62]

I almost bought a 2014 DCT Focus back in 2019. It was a cool little car, but I looked into common issues on these and yep...transmission failure. I would have bought it if it was a manual.

[@tomckay1]

My son has a 2016 Focus and it was in the shop for 5 months waiting for the control part. they provided a loaner the entire time and were starting the buy back process when the part finally did come in and they fixed it. His car has like 80k I believe, so he's only got 3 more years.......

[@belltolls1984]

I'd still buy that Eldorado; If nothing other then to just wash it in my driveway every week; I loved that bodystyle.

[@MrMuzikAddict]

Wife’s 2014 Fiesta sat at the repair lot for Ford since Nov2022 to March2023. They were waiting on a TCM. Finally when Ford got the part and replaced it, they told us new transmission is required lol. Mind you it went through 3 clutch changes under warranty prior. Now the warranty for transmission has now expired.

[@michaelcline7458]

I just recently got my class action payout for my Focus here in Canada after filing it years ago and having gotten rid of it. A measly $400 for having to have the clutch replaced 3 times as well as the usual TCM. It was such a pain the butt, but honestly I still miss that car. It was such a great car outside of the transmission.

[@ostn8iv]

THAT CADDY ETC RPMS WHEN YOU STARTED IT UP @2:52!!!😂😂😂😂

[@netgnostic1627]

Finding a Mini like that one with a fully dead motor might be a decent choice for an electric conversion

[@FlyingTigersKMT]

LS1 conversion with manual

[@kclefthanded427]

I have a 2011 Nissan Versa hatchback with a rock solid 4-speed automatic transmission with 250k miles and still running. No regrets over the CVT

[@JB-sb1qg]

Everyone always dumps on the A6. I had a 2000 A6 with the 2.7 twin turbo. Traded it at 112K and had no issues with it. Of course I had a good tech at the dealer that took care of things, too. Didn't have air suspension on it but did on 2 subsequent A8's. They were generally pretty good except for a failed level sensor on the 2nd one. And a different dealer took 3 shots at fixing it, but it was fine after that.

[@justinmorrison3219]

I was hoping they would get the Nissan Altimas with the CVT transmissions as well major failures. Also the GMC Acadia and the Chevy Traverse have overheating problems and transmission issues. Also I wish they would have had the Hyundai's on there with the engine burning oil and catastrophic failures.😊

[@esand02]

Had a 2016 ford focus from 55k to 113k miles and I was very fortunate to little trouble with it. I will say, when the car would shift from 1st to 2nd, the transmission would stutter and jerk since I got it

[@Seenoevilspeaknoevilhearnoevil]

That's why the Northstar V8 engine is affectionately called the DeathStar V8.

[@purplefreak3]

I have a 2013 Ford Focus, it has it issues, but I've had it for 9 years. So luckily the car has served me well and I will continue to drive it until I can't anymore.

[@jnmaher1967]

Totally agree especially the mini

[@soumentalukder4750]

I have two cars: 2002 Toyota Camry (with manual transmission), 282k miles.. and a 2007 Pontiac Vibe (mechanically identical to Toyota Matrix), 253k miles.. both running fine 🤟🏽

[@notorioustori]

I had the #3 vehicle and yeah, of all of the cars I owned, I loved it the most - but the extended warranty was a lifesaver.

[@someguywithaford]

Hey TFL! Ford developed the Dual Clutch to get better fuel economy and be more lightweight than a conventional automatic. I’ve got a dual clutch focus, and it easily gets 33 mpg, and gets an average of 44 mpg on my commute. It’s relatively happy with slow or spirited accelerations, and even some spirited driving. But after a lot of city driving, it hates life. The clutches slip excessively and it jerks lightly in 1st gear. Also for some reason it will granny shift into 2nd unless you floor it after about 1500 rpm’s. Fantastic when it works correctly, terrible when it doesn’t.

[@ubeuonly]

Sadly as a Ford service advisor the fact that they knew the transmission was defective when they put it out is inexcusable for a manufacturer. And then to make excuses for a year or two before you ever extended warranty to the customers should be enough for anyone to know that u should not buy their products

[@someguywithaford]

@@ubeuonly yeah, the whole situation around this transmission is messed up. Ford told all the dealers to write anything the transmission did off as normal operation. It should’ve been recalled, especially because it’s killed two people and injured 50.

[@chfpontiac5849]

Wow! I say the same exact thing about 2018 F-150 5.0 10 speed. Awesome...til it's not! How a piece of machinery can be so bi-polar like that is a curious thing. Literally doing the same exact thing brilliantly today that it does miserably tomorrow.

[@ubeuonly]

@@chfpontiac5849 computer control....too many valves and sensors must communicate simultaneously with the tcu...mostly software issues because of lack of r+d

[@jamesmedina2062]

R&D is supposed to find failure modes and resolve them BEFORE production but being Ford that was not going to happen. Thermal management did not happen properly and is easier with wet clutches. For such a novel approach Ford could have understood it could take a lot of work to get right.

[@knytrydr73]

What I'm hearing is, if I get an Eldorado, I should LS swap it! 😆

[@1970351C2V]

If you can find a manual focus they are great buys. It's a good car aside from the terrible transmission.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Probably pretty fun to drive too. 160hp NA 4 banger, with a 6 speed manual in a fairly light car sounds like fun

[@Vladpryde]

I had a 1997 Cadillac SLS. My family had it from about 82K-86K miles, thereabouts, bought around 2005 or 2006. The problem was, my father bought it for my mother, and she had no use for it as she was a blue-collar worker who had a Ford Escape (which I now have). So it sat in front of their house, only being used as a loaner or long-trip vehicle for years on end. I had it for about two years, and it had nothing but problems. But by then it had 125,000 miles on it. My father had replaced the fuel injectors and fixed up something else in the engine that I can't remember, and then I got it. I took way better care of it than either of them ever did. The motor was fine....had an oil leak, but I don't think it was terribly bad, and it was just the oil pan gasket that needed replacing, which I never got around to. The interior was GORGEOUS, and I LOVED that leather. It was WAY better than the 2002 base Kia Rio I had prior to it, but God above, it was NOTHING but problems with this car. The engine and transmission was fine, but everything else on the car was just utter garbage...sensors, bearings and hubs, the parking brake never worked (bad vacuum pump/hose), the alarm system caused problems with starting it up, the trunk close actuator broke, and the ECM needed a complete overhaul. The final straw was when the heater door actuator on the passenger side broke....AFTER I had the one on the driver's side fixed. I sold the damn thing for a measly $1,200 to some old lady who liked big Cadillacs....her adult grandson did NOT look like he approved.....and took my mother's 2004 Ford Escape XLT instead....which needs even more things fixed on it than the Cadillac did, but at least it's cheaper! And it's survived to 210K miles, so cross fingers. The problem with that era of Cadillac was that GM built that car to compete with premier European Luxury cars, and IF you took care of it to those standards, then you had a good car. BUT....they didn't market it that way, and they didn't inform buyers that you had to take specific meticulous care of it. So the average Cadillac buyer treated it like a run-of-the-mill GM car, like a Chevy Celebrity or mid-range Impala or something. They didn't care for it by European standards, and none of the auto shops knew about it either, so they didn't keep after customers to get proper maintenance dates down. If you could afford the maintenance on it, then it was a good car. Most GM customers couldn't though, because they bought it with unrealistic expectations. Then add the head gasket problems in and it just sucked. Thankfully, I don't believe mine ever had that problem.

[@sammilburn445]

the other issue with the fiesta and focus is the engine. if they have the 1.0 ecoboost, youre going to have issues. theyre good up until 80k miles. then they need a new wet belt. but the belt degrades over time and clogs up filters and pipes, often leading to oil starvation and ultimately kill the engine

[@burntcoolantproductions8607]

Those Ford Focuses are a sad case of one flaw dooming the reputation of an otherwise great car. Everything around the transmissions in those cars is excellent

[@bryanyoung3764]

My Mother has a 99 Cadillac with a Northstar has almost 100,000 mi on it or does and she has zero issues out of it. And gets good fuel mileage out of it.

[@mrsteve4313]

The Hyundai dual clutch seems to work great in my 2021 Hyundai Ioniq plug-in limited. Only 30k so far but no weird things with the transmission engaging and disengaging. A few weird electrical issues with the windows going the wrong direction or not working and then working.

[@frederickevans4113]

Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Hyundai/Kia has been dragging their feet recalling vehicles due to metal shavings in several engines and/or potential fires caused by various fluid/fuel leaks and/or electrical problems. 2011 - 2022 models. Over 6 million affected vehicles and some owners are upset because in some cases their vehicle model was excluded from a recall while another model with the same engine was included. On US and Canadian TV, some owners interviewed reported being told by Hyundai to not park inside their garage due to the fire risk.

[@hughbarton5743]

I was , at one time,on a personal mission to swap every single Range Rover in the lovely state of Maine, to coils. We probably did 300+ of them..... At my LR dealership: work on the air suspension was never guaranteed.... these were 30+ year old rigs, which were frankly sketchy when new....

[@bobdylan6773]

The only cars that truly deserve to be on this list are from korea

[@mrvwbug4423]

Even with their oil consumption and ease of being stolen issues Hyundais and Kias are still generally more reliable than the US big 3

[@woohunter1]

You meant to say Chrysler right?

[@lpvgs-817]

1. caddy ETC northstar cars/el dorado 2. 1st gen audi all road 3. 2nd gen cooper S 07-10 4. ford focus dual clutch trans

[@RookieGarage]

The coolant reservoir on that Cadillac 😬

[@angelacuna3546]

This video was cool because ever since a I was a kid I would drive past that lot and see all the cars they have it’s cool to see someone walking around in there checking the cars out because you need a special license to enter that place

[@TekuTaurus]

Ford put those transmissions in the 13-19 Escape as well and there is never a day that my dealer doesn't have one in the shop getting fixed or replaced.

[@vanhasydan4754]

A while back we had a Ford Fuckus SE. Literaly at any time after the car was warmed up the transaxle would shut off at any time. Intown, highway, didn't matter.

[@GeoZeppelin1979]

sorry but i dont agree with the allroad problem,i had one for 3 years and i kid you not except oils filters brake pads i never had to change anything,but i do agree that its hard to get near the engine

[@scottyellis3442]

I had a 2013 focus titanium & the very 1st time I felt it slipped I drove it straight to the dealership and traded it in.

[@hahamasala]

I had mine "fixed" once and then traded it in when the problem came back. I had the Titanium with the steal of a story handling package. That thing handled great.

[@randellgribben9772]

an added trans oil cooler on the ford will help quite a bit..the trans temps are what hurts the trans on this car..so a after market larger trans cool it great

[@andrefrbk]

Dont buy anyhing with a CVT used. Especially from nissan.

[@js2407]

You guys forgot the small displacement Ford turbo engines made until 2018-2019 also have a purpose made design flaw which leads to high failure rates

[@andersonrodriguez8258]

The 2.0 turbo 2013 2014 too was garbage 2.5NA was the way to go

[@mrvwbug4423]

You talking about the weak cylinders on the early ecoboost 4 bangers?

[@Ray__E]

This was an informative video. Hopefully nobody buys these lemons

[@mtnorgard]

My girlfriend drives a 2012 ford focus. Yep before I met her, she had to have the dct replaced. So far the car seems to do great now though.