Ford Focus Eco 1.0 2012 Crack coolant pipe/engine damage?!

Ford Focus Eco 1.0 2012 Crack coolant pipe/engine damage?!

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allyally

Original Poster:

2 posts

110 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
quotequote all
My ford focus eco 1.0 is about 2.5 years old purchased from new.
My car heating wasn't working so I booked it in to be checked. After a few days of continuing to drive it before they had seen it a light flashed up "engine failure" "service immediately" these are the first warning signs I have had. Today ford took my car. I rang them to find out that it has a cracked coolant pipe...and potential engine damage because all the coolant has leaked out from the cracked pipe!!!!!!!!!
I'm very worried about all of this redface(
I've been googling...only thing I could think of doing to find out more whilst they take my engine apart to find out how and if damaged redface( on my searches I've come across a few posts about brand new fords having issues with coolant pipes cracking? Does anyone have any insight into this at all? Any help would be wonderful as I don't know where I stand with this. No don't know when I'll get my car back, it's essential for getting my children to school and me to work etc and worried about if this will be covered by warranty...HELP redface(
Many thanks for reading my post Ally

Mr Tom

618 posts

141 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
quotequote all
I'm sure if it wasn't down to neglect in any way it will be covered by the warranty. (Assuming 3 years and you haven't done more than the mileage limits). Also I would be onto them about a free courtesy car whilst it is in being mended! If they say no then get on to ford UK.

Edit to add: This would probably get more responses in general gassing.

tfin

366 posts

122 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
quotequote all
http://www.pistonheads.com/GASSING/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Have a read of that, seems to be a common issue on the early ecoboosts which has been fixed on the newer engines.

rallycross

12,790 posts

237 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
quotequote all
As above have a read of this previous thread, best make a new reply on the original topic to keep it all linked.

For future reference when your heater stops working it's often the first sign of running low on water- stop and check as soon as the heater stops blowing warm air.

allyally

Original Poster:

2 posts

110 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
quotequote all
Thank you for all your replies so far! Will read through the thread in a mo!

Shall I add my post to gassing?

Also I am a typical girl who doesn't know much about cars redface( and really didn't expect anything to be seriously wrong as it's been serviced recently, I have taken note re if car heating isn't working, thank you.
As for the loan car, they don't have any to borrow till Friday!! We will have to get up early and cycle to school and work lucky not rain forecast!
Thanks again...

heebeegeetee

28,735 posts

248 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
A point of interest, possibly: do these cars have temperature gauges? If not, then a heater blowing cold air when it should be hot is the sign that needs to be taken that things are going very wrong. I know this won't help you OP< and this isn't meant to cast any aspersions etc.

We work on a particular model of car that can also suffer coolant issues, and the lack of temperature gauge is a nuisance that imo has led to failed engines, and the only possible method that the owner can use to tell if something is wrong is that the heater goes cold. When this happens the car should not be driven any further, imo.

OP, the manufacturer of the car we have to deal with often does all it can to wriggle out of its obligations. One method it uses is by asserting that the car must not be driven the moment the problem arises.

It's possibly too late for you OP but if Ford is anything like the premium brand manufacturer we deal with, you need to lie through your teeth and stand your ground. Don't tell them the heater went cold, and insist you stopped the moment you knew something was wrong, which was when you arrived on their forecourt. wink


IanCress

4,409 posts

166 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
Agree with what you're saying, but I don't think Ford should rely on people knowing that cold heater = potential disaster. What if it had happened in summer and the heating was set to cold.

Mr Tom

618 posts

141 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
allyally said:
Thank you for all your replies so far! Will read through the thread in a mo!

Shall I add my post to gassing?

Also I am a typical girl who doesn't know much about cars redface( and really didn't expect anything to be seriously wrong as it's been serviced recently, I have taken note re if car heating isn't working, thank you.
As for the loan car, they don't have any to borrow till Friday!! We will have to get up early and cycle to school and work lucky not rain forecast!
Thanks again...
Car rental places like enterprise etc do cars from £20 a day. If you are struggling?

Coco83

16 posts

89 months

Thursday 3rd November 2016
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Hi I'm having same trouble bought car 1.0 ecoboost with 18k engine went at 37k as all coolant dropped in seconds phoned ford as hadn't been informed of degus hose recall ford said engine has already been replaced at 14k garage didn't tell me this at time of purchase , ford refusing to fix issue as says was resolved with new engine although this was replaced a full 8 months before the recall went out. The 2 year extended warranty at £500 won't pay out as says doesn't cover coolant issues . Anybody know what should do next or should just spend another 1-2000 on a new engine for a car a don't want ,thanks

BuzzBravado

2,944 posts

171 months

Friday 4th November 2016
quotequote all
A warranty that doesn't cover overheating damage.....why the fk do people even bother.

If they replaced the engine with one that still had the early revision pipe then it was going to pop again. I don't see why Ford think the second engine makes any difference to your complaint.

Coco83

16 posts

89 months

Friday 4th November 2016
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Exactly I have spent hours and hours on phone to various people and they still say they won't do anything warranty ain't worth the paper it's printed on
Chers

Dvkir1

3 posts

88 months

Thursday 15th December 2016
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Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost 31/01/2013 62 plate .. Had heat loss from heater no change in tempiture gauge.. stopped car phoned garage advised not to drive . Phone Fod Assistance .. coolant leak but no visible sign. Topped up and AA followed me to Dealership .. 30750 miles car out of warranty by 11 months.. been advised by dealer I need new engine ... awaiting to see if Ford will give a good will gesture towards cost ..
There must be some sort of fault with these engines.. recall was done for coolant hose June/ July 2015.. no way can I aford to pay !!

wal 45

662 posts

180 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2017
quotequote all
Looks as if this is still a problem, my wife's 64 plate (18K miles) has developed the same symptoms and is in for a warranty repair shortly (9 hours quoted work). The dealer is being very cagey on what they've found but I suspect it is related.

Will update.

Wolves17

1 posts

87 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
quotequote all
I experienced the same issue with my Ford Focus 1.0 -2012. Coolant leakage resulted in the need for an engine replacement. I only noticed this when the heater started blowing out only cold air. There was no engine management warning lights to show that there was a problem either. My car is currently with the dealer who I bought the car from six months ago. I’ve only done 2k miles since I purchased the car although it was 3 months out of warranty at the time.

It’s not clear at this point whether the coolant leakage was caused by the coolant hose failing, as it was explained to me that the car had been recalled 18 months ago and the plastic DEGAS hose was replaced by a rubber hose. I’ve been informed that the car has done 12k since the hose was replaced 18 months ago. I too was not made aware of the recall even though I asked the dealer prior to purchase whether there was any known issues or recalls. I have witness too that this question was asked and I was given a no issues with the car response from the sales rep.
Initially I was informed that the car wasn't recalled by the dealer and then I was later told it was recalled 18 months prior. I’ve also been told that it was the same part that had failed and was then told by the by a different member of staff that the Technicians report didn't indicate this was the case and the cause was not known.

This is still being investigated by the Customer Relations department and my car has been with the dealer where I bought it from since the 19th December 2016. It’s only now that I am being offered a courtesy car.

I will update this post when I have more to report on.

wal 45

662 posts

180 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
quotequote all
wal 45 said:
Looks as if this is still a problem, my wife's 64 plate (18K miles) has developed the same symptoms and is in for a warranty repair shortly (9 hours quoted work). The dealer is being very cagey on what they've found but I suspect it is related.

Will update.
Still in being fixed, appears to be a design/machining issue in the timing cover/water pump area. This is allowing an o seal to extrude over time causing a water leak, a new o seal of a slightly different shape is the fix (to take up the extra machined gap). Sounds like a lot of things have to be removed to get to it though, it is a known issue but the first our dealership had seen.

Did try and find out which build years it affects with no luck, you could probably find out on the Ford parts list though as apparently it lists the new o seal with a "fitted from chassis no/month etc."

My advice is keep an eye on the coolant header tank level and get it straight in under warranty if it drops, doesn't sound like it's going to be subject to a recall.

Still love the Ecoboost, great engine and I'd have another without hesitation.

icepop

1,177 posts

207 months

Friday 27th January 2017
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'Still love the Ecoboost, great engine and I'd have another without hesitation.'

Can I ask why. After all the problems the engine, in general, has had, why on earth do you think it's so good. My last two VW tdi's have done, 145k, and 130k and still going, with just one steering rack and water pump, both recalls, far better 'real world mpg....60mpg average, low to zero tax, and much more real world torque/go about them.....same price, maybe a tad less for the Toledo ????? Both cars are on 18k long life service intervals. I ask, because I'm coming up to a car change and always liked the look of both the focus and the fiesta, but the trail of serious engine problems with this small capacity, low budget, eco-boost version are getting too numerous to not be heeded, and certainly not if you are looking to take them into higher mileages, which is surely the raison d'etre for all cars.


Edited by icepop on Friday 27th January 01:35

coppice

8,607 posts

144 months

Monday 30th January 2017
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Ironically I came to the Ecoboost after one failure too many in VAG diesels- I have had a couple of turbos go at 50k miles or less (early /mid noughties) and in 2015 the dual mass flyheel went at 60k , costing me a grand - warranty ran out 2 months before...