Does Transmission fluid need to be changed?
Asked by NCochran25 May 30, 2020 at 07:41 PM about the 2012 Ford Focus SEL Hatchback
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I was 50,000 miles overdue for a transmission fluid
change when I took it to the dealership. They said
don't do it at all since I missed the recommended
mileage. That doesn't make any sense to me. Is
that right? I have 153,000 miles on the vehicle.
4 Answers
My philosophy is it shouldn't be changed if it's not leaking or the transmission is working fine. If it works, don't fix it! On older higher mileage vehicles the dirt and junk in the transmission fluid can actually help worn parts continue to work. If you replace the fluid and remove the junk the worn parts in the transmission have nothing to grab onto so your transmission starts to not work correctly and may stop working all together. I agree with the Dealer on this one. Leave it alone! Hope that helps! Jim
I normal would say to change it, but the Focus has had issues with the transmissions in that model year and you never changed the fluid. So I would also say Leave it.
Change it, but don't flush it would be my official recommendation.
