Detroit, Aug. 14 -- Ford is extending the warranties on about 560,000 small cars in the U.S. and Canada to cover a litany of problems with a troubled six-speed automatic transmission.

The company has faced a string of lawsuits and complaints about the transmissions, which can lurch into gear or feel like they are slipping.

The latest move covers 2014 through 2016 model year Focuses built before Nov. 5, 2015, as well as 2014 and 2015 Fiestas built before Oct. 15, 2014.

It extends clutch warranties to seven years or 100,000 miles, while the warranty on the transmission control computer goes to 10 years or 150,000 miles. Ford also will reimburse customers in this group who paid for clutch repairs out of their own pockets, and it's giving ...