Mustang Owners Sue Ford Over Transmission Troubles

Ford has weathered heavy criticism for moving bunk transmissions for some time. Normally, that conversation revolves around the PowerShift DSP6 (aka Getrag 6DCT250) installed in passenger cars with names beginning with the letter “F.”

The unit turned out to have a laundry list of problems and ultimately created a ruckus between management, engineers, and Ford’s legal team. Concerned that scrapping the dual-clutch automatic at the last minute would prove a costly decision in the midst of our last economic recession, the manufacturer ran with it — only to be confronted with annoyed consumers who felt the transmission wasn’t anywhere near up to par.

While the DSP6 is the unit that gets top billing for What Were They Thinking: The Movie, it wasn’t the only transmission prompting headaches in Dearborn. Another Getrag-sourced unit, the MT82 six-speed manual, is allegedly a sore sport for Mustang drivers. Owners of 2011-2019 model year Ford Mustangs are now suing the manufacturer for delivering what they claim is another faulty product.

Problems with this unit are similar to those the the DSP6, with manual Mustang transmissions being faulted for a multitude of issues after leaving behind the Tremec units that previously graced the pony car. The alleged problems were outlined in a California lawsuit filed last year.

According to Automotive News, the civil suit has since been transitioned to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and now includes direct claims that Ford knowingly obscured problems almost immediately after introducing the MT82.

“The transmission is defective in its design, manufacturing, and or materials in that, among other problems, the transmission slips, jerks, clashes gears, and harshly engages; has premature internal wear, increased shift efforts, inability to drive, and eventually suffers a catastrophic failure,” states the lawsuit. “Ford repeatedly failed to disclose and actively concealed the defect from class members and the public and continues to market the class vehicles without disclosing the transmission defect.”

From Automotive News:

The lawsuit highlights a 2011 investigation into the MT82 transmissions by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA found 364 complaints related to the gearbox but eventually closed the case after Ford took action to correct the problems, and it concluded there was “no unreasonable safety risk associated with the alleged defect.”

The plaintiffs include Brandon Lemons, who purchased a pre-owned 2014 Mustang GT in late 2018. He took the vehicle in for service in July 2019 complaining of a “grinding noise and a vibration through the shift knob.”

The problem has gone uncorrected.

The suit also states that Ford had issued seven special service messages and technical bulletins related to shifting issues and other defects. This again harkens back to the DSP6, which Ford repeatedly enacted various fixes for without ever issuing an official recall. In that case, the Blue Oval offered an extended warranty on affected models and eventually settled a class-action suit involving almost 2 million customers.

We’ve certainly heard fewer complaints regarding the Mustang, which doesn’t mean the criticisms aren’t to be taken seriously. As manuals are no longer in fashion with the general public, there are far fewer MT82 units on the road. Still, the complaints seem largely consistent — suggesting the components may be inferior and/or people don’t know how to drive stick well enough not to destroy the gearbox. With complaints streaming in as early as 2011 and Getrag parts having developed a reputation for sucking, the former seems the likely scenario. Still, there’s always a chance lawyers smelled blood/money in the water from the DSP6 and thought this was the best time to make a move.

Ford said it cannot comment on matters pending litigation.

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