Exterior:

• There are some isolated and  sporadic reports of key fobs not working requiring the use of the key itself to lock/unlock the car.

Inside:

• There are some reports of a plastic ticking noise that comes from the dashboard which is usually an actuator for the Climate Control, however this should be relatively easy and inexpensive to resolve.
• Some cars built from 2015 – 2017 can suffer from a rattling steering column, however most of the reported cars have been remedied.

Mechanically:

• The engine is marketed as an Ecoboost but is a completely different engine to the Ecoboost that is featured in the Focus and other Ford models.
  In saying that, it is a good little engine that, when tuned is capable of some pretty impressive numbers.
• There are plenty of tuned ones out there so beware of crappy tunes and poor modifications because, when they’re pushed too hard, or tuned poorly, all bets are off as to what fails first, head gaskets, piston & ring failure and even cracked blocks.
• In standard unmodified form, as a daily driver, they are ok, but you’ll need to make sure they all of the factory recalls have been executed and are up to date.
• In the earlier models, there is a recall relating to a localised over heating issue which in extreme cases can cause an engine bay fire.
• Timing belt renewal schedule is a whopping every 240,000kms or 10 years. This may be all well and good in a perfect world but we often see the water pump leaking or worse, the bearing on the belt tensioner fail long before that and if there’s any oil leaks from the cam or crank shaft seals that will very much shorten the life of the belt. Our tip, is to have it all done at around 150,000km.
• The right hand engine mount tends to loose its cushioning ability after 5 years or so. And while the engine won’t fall out of the car, it does affect the NVH.
• The transmission can have some issues with synchros causing a crunch into gears and there are some complaints about premature clutch failure. Some clutches were replaced under warranty in the early models.
• But now, those problems do seem to more common in modified cars and cars owned by the younger folks.
• So this is definitely one of those cars that you get as much information as you can about the mods, the service and repair history and the previous owner.

Information correct as of September 9, 2022.

The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. Read our full terms and conditions here.