Trouble putting the car into reverse gear

[Sharkoo808]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice. I’ve got a 2022 Fiesta ST Mk8.5 (less than 3 years old, ~ 26,400 miles). On cold starts, it really struggles to go into reverse and sometimes 1st, but once warm it improves.

Ford dealer says “clutch not engaging” and wants £800 just to remove the gearbox, warning it might not be covered under warranty if they call it “wear and tear.”

An independent specialist bled the clutch hydraulics and it temporarily fixed the issue — which points to a hydraulic problem (master/slave cylinder), not clutch wear. But the issue returned after 10–20 mins of driving. Called the garage again and they said they couldn’t see any leak from the slave cylinder region.

Has anyone else had this? Do Ford cover the slave cylinder under warranty, or have you had to fight them on it?

 

[RNOVRIT]

If you are sitting at a stop with the clutch in and the vehicle in 1st and running, does it seam like after waiting the clutch seams to start to grab a little lower on the pedal travel than before? The clutch master cylinder has a tendency to fail over time on these. The fluid leaks internally past the seal and you will not see any fluid externally. I have two 2016 models and have had to replace both. One on mine at about 28,000 miles (currently has 31,000 miles) and my daughters at 61,000 about two weeks ago. I purchased mine new in 2016 and hers used a few months ago. I think hers was going bad already but I knew I was going to replace it before purchasing.