[Mu009]

According to a BBC report:

Ford to refund 'engine fail' EcoBoost customers.

Hundreds of customers have said their cars with Ford EcoBoost engines have overheated, causing engine failure.

Others have reported their cars with 1.6-litre EcoBoost engines have burst into flames while they were driving.

Seems to have affected a not insubstantial number of vehicles:

Louise O'Riordan, from north London, started a Facebook group after her 1.0-litre EcoBoost failed, and it now has more than 3,000 members.

"It's got 3,000 members and we have over 1,200 engine failures, 1,000 of those have happened this year.

"We get over 100 [new members] a month at the moment."

So far, a number of customers lost money on repairs, scraps and trade-ins on their damaged vehicles. Ford has now promised to retroactively reimburse them.

The issue seems to be affecting 1.0 and 1.6 EcoBoost engines.

This comes post recalls along similar lines in the US and South Africa. In the wake of which, it appears the "Pinto mentality" (link, just in case) hasn't quite been banished from the FoMoCo.

Link to BBC Report

Edit:
Felt it merited a dedicated thread given the worrying continuation of this issue through countries and years. Certainly seems (keyword there, don't jump down my throat please), that after the first recall in the US, subsequent occurrences, if not unavoidable, certainly shouldn't have led to customers being hung out to dry till a critical mass was reached.
Also, a link to the report regarding the recall in South Africa is present under related links in the above BBC article. That had nearly 50 cases, and 4500 vehicles were eventually recalled.

[GTO]

Not a fan of the EcoBoost at all. It's expensive, complicated, has lag and isn't as fuel-efficient as Ford would like you to believe.

The Dragon 1.5L is so good that it makes the 1.0L EcoBoost seem pointless. Then, there's the excellent 1.5L Diesel. If I were to be buying an EcoSport, the EcoBoost would be my last choice of engine.

Not read any reports of overheating on Team-BHP though. Hopefully, it stays that way.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not a fan of the EcoBoost at all. It's expensive, complicated, has lag and isn't as fuel-efficient as Ford would like you to believe.

I wonder why then it was awarded the engine of the year in its category for multiple years running? Although I havent driven a Ford with one, its used everywhere from EcoSport to Focus to even Mondeo. 1200 failures is still a high number though.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by Mu009

The issue seems to be affecting 1.0 and 1.6 EcoBoost engines.

It is interesting that - to the best of my knowledge - this issue hasn't surfaced in India till date, especially given our harsher conditions of traffic, ambient temperature and dust. Even more so given that the EcoBoost engine in the Indian EcoSport is imported from Europe, and quite likely that same engine plant also supplies the same engine for the UK EcoSport (and possibly even SA).

It might be worth retitling the thread though - given the number of incidents reported of engine fires, this isn't just an overheating problem (loss of power, warning lights) but a catastrophic failure with the head cracking and subsequently triggering a fire.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I wonder why then it was awarded the engine of the year in its category for multiple years running? Although I havent driven a Ford with one, its used everywhere from EcoSport to Focus to even Mondeo. 1200 failures is still a high number though.

I'm not as negative towards the EcoBoost as GTO is, but I agree with his summation of its flaws (lag, FE, complexity, price).

However, the reason it has been appreciated via awards are because:

1. Cars driven in Europe encounter traffic that is nowhere as abysmal as in India. If you're in stop and go traffic that is bursty, you'll find that 2nd gear isn't good enough for some slow speeds, and you'll have to drop back to first. Over a 30-60 minute commute, this can quickly get annoying.
2. In India, until recently, the EcoBoost (and pretty much every small Ford) was offered with only the iB5 gearbox, which has its origins nearly quarter of a century ago. So it is not as slick-shifting as Hyundai's units, and with only 5 ratios to play with, Ford erred on the side of higher ratios, which compromised low-speed driving. Abroad, 6-speed MTs were the norm, and gives that much more freedom in selecting gear ratios.
3. These factors (along with a few others) show how the EcoBoost's usage in India is not comparable to that abroad, where it has been awarded.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not a fan of the EcoBoost at all. It's expensive, complicated, has lag and isn't as fuel-efficient as Ford would like you to believe.

.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I wonder why then it was awarded the engine of the year in its category for multiple years running?

It is fuel efficient in a lab situation and from an emission standpoint. Now Ford have been caught out with the WLTP test process which is more realistic and will expose the actual consumption.

Like Fiats Multiair engine - requires high revs in reality to get anywhere!

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not a fan of the EcoBoost at all. It's expensive, complicated, has lag and isn't as fuel-efficient as Ford would like you to believe.

Neither am I, frankly. I am firmly in the "no replacement for displacement camp".
And yes, since you mention it, other than the Raptor which seems to do better than the competitors' V8s (but many still swear by V8s, even among F150 owners), I haven't seen downsized, over-stressed engines doing any better in any way - regardless of them being Ford's other EcoBoosts, or Volvo's irritating maximum of 2L 4 cylinders. They are harsher, noisier, and usually negligibly more efficient practically - and actually less efficient when driven hard.

Not read any reports of overheating on Team-BHP though. Hopefully, it stays that way.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

It is interesting that - to the best of my knowledge - this issue hasn't surfaced in India till date, especially given our harsher conditions of traffic, ambient temperature and dust.

Certainly a welcome surprise given our temperatures and other running conditions.

Even more so given that the EcoBoost engine in the Indian EcoSport is imported from Europe, and quite likely that same engine plant also supplies the same engine for the UK EcoSport (and possibly even SA).

From what I've gleaned (from the parallel discussion of this issue on the recent EcoSport EcoBoost Official Review thread), first batches of this engine came to our shores from Germany, and subsequently Romania. The ones in the UK come from Wales. Don't know the source of the South African problem units.
May be one of the reasons things are okay over here so far.

And while I'm sure the Welsh would take offence at being clubbed with the/referred to as Brits, if it indeed is that only UK origin engines are prone to this, I will say this - if nothing else, it's at least typical behaviour from a product with British craftsmanship behind it.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I wonder why then it was awarded the engine of the year in its category for multiple years running?

Probably because of the way it performs in the F150 Raptor - I think that might be the sweet spot for downsizing. 6 cylinders. Further downsizing probably has not only diminishing returns, but detrimental effects. Just speculating though - don't take my word for it.
But, if you didn't mind, here's a little more speculation. Reports of the new 2.0 BiTurbo on the Ranger Raptor (I know that's a diesel) suggest it is quite the underwhelming engine - especially the top-end poke on a vehicle's Raptor version. I don't think it's coincidence or a tuning issue - I firmly believe that at the very least, 3L V6s should be the limit of downsizing.

It might be worth retitling the thread though - given the number of incidents reported of engine fires, this isn't just an overheating problem (loss of power, warning lights) but a catastrophic failure with the head cracking and subsequently triggering a fire.

That's up to the mods - for my part, I deemed it prudent to go with a title less likely to stir up a fanboys' nest.

[dileepcm]

Here is the video story of the same BBC report mentioned. Ford is in trouble without a doubt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iGDEqRBr14

[kovilkalai]

I don't know if anyone caught this, but BBC is reporting that Ford's 1L Ecoboost engines have some serious design and durability problems that may lead to breakdowns or worse, fires. It starts with the coolant level dropping because it leaks into the exhaust system owing to fractures that develop on the engine.
There has been a recall announced in the UK where Ford is pretty big.

Any problems reported in India? Ford Ecosport owners with this engine should inspect their engines and start talking to Ford.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iGDEqRBr14

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

I don't know if anyone caught this, but BBC is reporting that Ford's 1L Ecoboost engines have some serious design and durability problems...

I watched this just today, you beat me to posting it though

The issues are reported with EcoBoost engines, not just the 1L, though it is the only one we get in India.

The first hint of excessive coolant consumption and I think all EcoBoost owners should go straight to Ford and park the car there until they fix it.

Would also suggest this thread become the place to report issues for group support and action in case there are many such issues. Spread the word - if Ford can be so dismissive of UK customers, Indians will need a Harish-Skoda-like effort to get replacements/resolution for sure.

[GTO]

Moving thread to the Indian Car Scene as this might affect / concern Indian owners too.

Just one of the many reasons why the EcoBoost would be my last choice of engine. I would any day buy the awesome 1.5L TDCi or competent 1.5L Dragon over it.

Some posts from Team-BHP. Just a quick search - there will be more:

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

My aunt's 3 year old Ecoboost equipped ecosport is leaking coolant. It's a small leak but enough to warrant the warning lights to display plus the coolant level dropped below minimum.

Originally Posted by satz581993Mille

I also happened to find coolant fluid dripping onto the ground and thankfully the leak was not huge enough to reduce the coolant level too much as the level was still within the required limit when I found the issue. As you can see the from the picture below, the coolant dripping seems to start from somewhere near the water pump and drips near the timing belt.

Originally Posted by satz581993Mille

Hey guys, I've been noticing something new in my ecoboost after some repairs under warranty. Coolant was leaking in drips and they had to replace the water pump "O" ring to stop the leak. After this, whenever I start my car in the morning or whenever it's cold, the engine rpm fluctuates in every 2-3 seconds before it sets on idle. And there's one more thing, whenever I release the clutch, I notice that the engine rpm rises slightly in rpm and goes back to idle once the clutch is fully released. I have a feeling that I'm paying too much attention to the car after the warranty repairs and I don't know whether these things were there from the start. Is this how the ecoboost behaves or do I have something to be worried about?

[mxx]

It seems that engines manufactured between October 2011 and October 2013 are the ones at risk, based on this article:
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style...call-1-0-litre


Are there any issues reported on newer cars?

[kovilkalai]

Ford doesn't seem to be the only company with problems in their turbo petrol engines. Honda seems to be having a rough go with the CR-V in the USA.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...ngine-trouble/

[rjalihal]

This is interesting. The coolant leak issue which UK customers were facing was due to a defective degas hose. This was reason for the recall. I read about it here -

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forum...gine-overheat/.

This link also has an image of the hose. Any idea whether this would be the cause for EcoBoosts in India facing coolant leak issues? Are Ford India aware of this?

Cheers!
Rohan

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not read any reports of overheating on Team-BHP though. Hopefully, it stays that way.

Actually I think that the symptoms are a bit misleading in the Ecoboost scenario. If you see the now famous BBC report it shows a guy who is, I think, an FNG guy and not a Ford person (saw the video just once, correct me if I'm wrong) who has diagnosed the issue leading to a cracked head discovery.

In most cases the coolant leak is the result of the engine overheating and spitting out coolant every now and then according to conditions. Now either the Ford guys know what the issue is and are keeping tight-lipped and or are then passing it off as a coolant issue.

Sometimes they even say "seized" and one comes to think of it as lubrication issue. I think that's why nobody in India is thinking of it as actually a overheating issue. I even came across an almost-new scrapped Ecoboost which was picked up by a scrap car dealer and found it to be an overheat problem. He promptly put in the needed parts and sold it off for a good profit.

[sidenzo]

I have a 1.0L Ecoboost which has traveled 98k. Since last 25-30k kms i have noticed that the radiator fan is on for long durations. As soon as the speed drops in traffic the fan switches on and stays on till i regain normal speed.
Sometimes it stays on for almost 4-5 mins after i have parked the car. The noise is so loud that it has started to irritate me even while driving. Some people have even approached me when my car is parked thinking i have left the engine running in a parked car.
During this time neither the temperature nor the coolant light has ever come up as a warning.
Have reported this to FASS several times but other can cleaning the radiator grille they haven't done anything, neither have they found any substantial leakage.
I think this is surely related to the overheating problem in Ford's Ecoboost engine.