The “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes” message means that the transmission is overloaded or overheated and you need to stop your car and put it in Neutral or just turn it off. This message often appears when you are stuck in traffic jams. In most cases, you will see it on the 2-liter Ford Focus equipped with the 6-speed DCT PowerShift transmission.
“Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes” – why can you see this message in the Focus?
As I’ve already said, the Ford’s DCT transmission called PowerShift will throw such a message every time it doesn’t like something. Traditional automatic transmissions that come with 1.0L EcoBoost versions or in the Focus ST models won’t annoy you with this message, in most cases.
The weird thing is that your Focus transmission is not even equipped with a temperature sensor. The TCM (transmission control module) decides to tell you the transmissio is hot based on the loads and on the clutch slipping events.
Here’s how it usually happens:
- you drive your Focus in a traffic jam or just slowly drive uphill;
- the clutch starts slipping because it’s a natural process for the DCT at a slow speed;
- once the load on the transmission is too hard, the DCT throws the error message;
- if you continue driving the same way, this message will not disappear;
- but once you drive at a good speed – over 30 MPH, the message will go off;
- also, the message will most likely disappear if you stop and put the transmission in Neutral.
The DCT measures the load and tells you that your transmission is at risk of damage if you keep driving the same way as you do now. If you think the message is fatal and you have to stop immediately right in the middle of the road, this is wrong.
You need to know that the Focuses powered with the 2-liter engines have the weakest transmission Ford has ever had. And because of this, the manufacturer set several limits and error messages for you to limit the loads to the transmission. That’s why you may see this really weird message that is not common in any other car brand.
By the way, the same message will be quite common in Ford Fiesta vehicles powered by the 1.6L engine and in the Ford Ecosport with the 2-liter powerplant under the hood.
What should you do if you see “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes”?
If your Focus shows this nasty warning message to you, the car wants you to quickly change the style of driving to let the transmission work properly. So, the TCM counted too much slipping of the clutch and it deducted that the gearbox is too hot now and may be damaged.
You basically have three choices:
- drive faster and let the transmission cool down on the go;
- stop your car on the roadside and put it in Neutral or turn off the engine;
- stop climbing slowly up the hill, stop the car, put it in Neutral, and only start driving when you may move faster.
The third option seems like a good way out. If you are in a traffic jam, you should just stop, put the transmission in Neutral, and let it cool down. Don’t put it in Drive before you can go at a normal speed without pressing the brake pedal.
If you still see this error message popping up again after you start driving, better find a safe place to stop your car or just stop it and turn on the emergency light. Turn off the engine and wait for 3 to 5 minutes. Then start the engine and keep driving. Try avoiding traffic jams and slow driving on the hills after that.
What’s the problem with the DCT in your Ford Focus?
The transmission itself is not bad. It’s a 6-speed transmission that is basically derived from a manual transmission offered by Ford in previous generations of vehicles. The main part is pretty durable. But as with all dual-clutch transmissions, the expensive clutch system is, fairly speaking, bad. Even in good condition, the clutch will serve you about 90,000 miles and then will require replacement.
But this is not the only problem with the 6DCT transmission in the Focus. Its very glitch TCM may trigger many types of codes and error messages and even mislead your attempts to locate the actual problem. The transmission control module is the one that is in charge of sending the “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes” message on the dash of your Focus.
So, this transmission requires certain attention from you. And if you keep driving when your car tells you to stop and wait, this is obviously not the best strategy for prolonging the life of your dual-clutch transmission in the Focus.
What if the “Wait 5 Minutes” message appears too often?
If your Ford Focus shows these nasty error messages too often, it means that the clutch slips even when it shouldn’t. The bad news is that you will have to replace the clutch. The even worse news is that the clutch kit itself costs well over $1000 and the labor is not cheap, too.
When the clutch slips, the sensors in your transmission will register this and this may lead to two types of error messages: “Transmission Fault, Service Now” or “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes”.
If the Transmission Hot message shows up often and not always in traffic jams or on inclines, you should get ready for some expenses. Usually, the clutch in these transmissions lasts about 100,000 miles as well as the faulty TCM. Replacing the TCM will add another thousand to the costs making it extremely expensive to repair your Focus.
Can you clear the “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes” message?
No, you can’t delete it – just press OK and it will reappear after some time. Also, you can’t block this message using scanners or anything else. More than that, you shouldn’t ignore the message. Don’t make any quick spontaneous decisions like stopping your car in the middle of the road.
To get rid of the nasty message, just stop the vehicle in a safe place, and turn the engine off. And wait for 5-10 minutes – let the transmission cool down and the sensors go back from crazy to normal. After you restart the engine and start driving again, you will not get this message for some time.
Clutch replacement in the Ford Focus 2.0 DCT – complicated?
Yes, the process of clutch replacement is very hard and requires a lot of expertise and knowledge as well as some professional tools. The dual-clutch transmission may seem quite simple in its engineering, but it doesn’t make this unit easy to take off the vehicle and repair.
Although the clutch comes in a kit, installing it can really be problematic. You make one wrong step and the clutch is dead after the first drive.
Of course, I recommend replacing your clutch in the Focus at a trusted repair shop or in the dealership. Also, buy OEM parts – simple because there is nothing else you can buy for this vehicle.
Does the “Transmission Hot” message always mean that the PowerShift is dead?
The “Transmission Hot, Wait 5 Minutes” can sometimes mean that the clutch is slipping more than usual and it’s faulty. But if this is the case, you are more likely to get the “Transmission Fault, Service Now” message.
The Wait-5-Minutes message may mean the following:
- the vehicle doesn’t like your driving style – you drive a lot while pressing the brake pedal and making the clutch slip;
- the car is on the hill and moving slowly – this is probably the worst road condition your Focus can get to with this DCT;
- you are in a traffic jam and moving slowly holding your foot on the brake pedal more than on the accelerator;
- your car is standing while still being on Drive for more than a minute and you are just holding the brake pedal.
You should remember that the Focus’ dual-clutch transmission (PowerShift) is basically the manual gearbox and it needs to be treated like a manual transmission. It means that if you are at the traffic light and are going to stand for a while, just move that lever to the N or P. Also, shift to Neutral any time you are on the hill and need to stop.
It’s a good habit if you move between Neutral and Drive each time you need to stop in a traffic jam and don’t know how long you are going to stand there. But if it’s just 10-15 seconds, then this move doesn’t make sense.