6 month old car has developed a fault!

Aimz82

Hi,

Just after some points of view/advice etc on this as have no idea what to do with this!

I purchased a 59 plate Ford Fiesta Zetec from Gowrings Ford in August last year. The year of manufacture was 2010, so late 59 plate. I bought the car knowing it was an ex courtesy car with 5000 miles on the clock.

I have had no problems with Gowrings or the car until New Years Eve.

After washing my car, I went to drive to my uncles house. After driving for approx 20 minutes, when braking and changing down from 3rd to 2nd gear to take a left turn, the ABS warning light, Steering lock light and ! warning light all came on. Steering went very heavy (like steering through sand) and the speedo, rev counter and milometer all stopped working. Pulled over, turned engine off, restarted and was fine. About 5 mins later same thing happened and was accompanied by engine management light. Checked in my handbook and it said I could drive on as long as engine management wasn't flashing. So I abandoned journey to Uncles and headed home instead. After driving in 4th gear for about 20 minutes, all lights went off and everything returned to normal. However, next day, same thing.

So i called Gowrings and they took it in last Wednesday (first day they could fit it in!). They said no probs, it'll be warrenty covered. Got a call at 4.30pm saying it was ok, hadn't found any fault codes and couldn't replicate the lights or steering trouble I had reported. Ok, I thought and I asked what happens if it does it again. "Bring it back in" they told me. I pulled out of the dealership and up to roundabout to head off home. As soon as I acclerated into 2nd, all the same warning lights were on and steering locked! So round the roundabout and back in. They kept the car and I was told not to worry, its covered in the warrenty, a 6 month old car should not be having this problem. :mad:

I didn't hear from them until Friday when I was told Master Technician needed to look at it and that wouldn't be til Monday (this one just gone). I didn't hear from them til Tuesday. Master Tech wants to do extended road test is this ok? Well yes if you can fix my car! Again didn't hear anything til Thursday when I rang them. "Oh yes we found a fault and are replacing the ABS system, we'll call when its done".

So today I get the call that its ready for collection having been repaired. Excellent, or so I thought...........

Collected the car, drove home. Well nearly home. About 1 mile from home (after 15mins of driving) I slowed down and indicated to turn left. Suprise Suprise!!!!! All warning lights on, steering locked and speedo etc stopped working! Pulled over, turned off and restarted engine. Set off home. Did this process twice again in the mile home! :mad::mad::mad:

Got on the phone as soon as I was in the house. "Miss Brown I am so sorry and embarassed, I can only appologise. Call Ford Assist in the morning, have them recover the car to us. I will notify the Master Tech that its coming back in tomorrow and is still not sorted."

So what would you do?

This was their 2nd attempt to identify and fix the fault. Both times they told me it was fixed, both times it clearly hasn't been!!! Its going back tomorrow (wasting a saturday waiting for the recovery) and I will be without a car again. Did I mention that the whole time they have had my car in I haven't had a courtesy car???!!!

I don't know what my rights are in relation to faulty goods/ not fit for purpose or asking for compensation etc? I feel ever so slightly agrieved that I am paying approx £200 a month, for a car that has failed after 6 months. I only got rid of my 206 because, after 6 years and a lot of miles, it started to have one too many things go wrong and was costing too much!

So, sorry for the essay (!) but what advice can anyone give me? I always feel a bit like they try and pull a fast one on a young(ish!) female when I take it in and confuse me with technical terms. I want to be armed with some knowledge and clear ideas as to what I can do.

Thanks
Amy

Kilty_2

I'd phone Ford Assist and have them recover the car to the dealer?

I know it's a horrible situation to be in - but you're backed by a proper manufacturers warranty which means it'll get sorted out. Insist on a courtesy car.

I hope it all works out for you.

marlot

Its always hard to be sure am intermittent fault is fixed. Insist on a courtesy car and let them get on with it. Expect a few extra miles on the clock - you want one of the staff to be driving it home and back to work each day for a few days even after they think they've solved it.

C_Mababejive

I recently learned that some fool has decided to fit electrically powered power steering pumps to cars..!!

Can you believe it??

Anyway the relevance is that i have a Ford Transit which also went through a period of exhibiting similar behaviours ...i.e i would be just about to start a turn and steering just stopped working..just like it would if the PS pump failed. sometimes it was momentary and sometimes it felt almost like a quick series of judders,then as soon as i had fought round the corner,it returned to normal. It was checked several times and the fault could not be found/replicated and now it has gone away and hasnt happened for about a year.

I still dont know if my vehicle has a proper belt driven PS pump or a stupid electrically driven one.

Desperado99

Hi Amy,

If you call Ford Assist they should provide you with a courtesy car. I know this because I have just had to deal with them due to my 6 month old (10 plate) Focus breaking down (again) this week. Ford Assist took my car back to the dealer and I had a rental car for two days. Apparantly if it is not fixed within two days your warranty cover kicks in and you keep the courtesy car until yours is "fixed". this is what the AA bloke told me when he recovered my car.

The full terms and conditions are on a link on this page:

http://www.ford.co.uk/BuyingandprotectingyourFord/RoadsideAssistance

Gloomendoom

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I recently learned that some fool has decided to fit electrically powered power steering pumps to cars..!!

Can you believe it??

Anyway the relevance is that i have a Ford Transit which also went through a period of exhibiting similar behaviours ...i.e i would be just about to start a turn and steering just stopped working..just like it would if the PS pump failed. sometimes it was momentary and sometimes it felt almost like a quick series of judders,then as soon as i had fought round the corner,it returned to normal. It was checked several times and the fault could not be found/replicated and now it has gone away and hasnt happened for about a year.

I still dont know if my vehicle has a proper belt driven PS pump or a stupid electrically driven one.

Electric power steering has been around for at least 20 years. Your Transit may be different, but usually the electric motor acts directly on the steering column. There is no pump in the system.

victor2

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I recently learned that some fool has decided to fit electrically powered power steering pumps to cars..!!

Can you believe it??

They'll get more popular with the "eco-friendly" stop/start cars. A Toyota Prius has electric power steering and air-con since the engine isn't always running to power them.

Edit. Sorry OP, strayed off the topic.
In my experience Ford have always been good with warranty work. As said already, you should get a courtesy car and they should fix it - and test it thoroughly before you get it back!

oldagetraveller

"Electric power steering has been around for at least 20 years. Your Transit may be different, but usually the electric motor acts directly on the steering column. There is no pump in the system."

No, electric motor driven hydraulic pumps instead of a belt. It was an even bigger fool who decided to fit an electric motor to the column.
It's the eco warriors and all that!

cyclonebri1

I didn't hear from them until Friday when I was told Master Technician needed to look at it and that wouldn't be til Monday

H'mmm alarm bells dinging. Does sound like a fob off but give them a chance, if you don't they will acuse you of short circuiting the process if it gets dirty.

winchman

My advice when people ask is never buy a car whose manufacturere begins with F or R.
Now before you start when did you last see a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari with 100K plus miles on it?
I buy 10 year old cars for a fraction of what the cost new, the last one was a Peugeot 405 Diesel estate top of the range, air con the lot, £500, because it had 100. 000 miles on it, kept it for two and a hlaf years and added another 60k on it.
Now I have a seven seater Peugeot 406, bought for £700, with 140,000 on the clock, its now done 175,000, and only had a cam belt and tyres.
My point is the older stuff as its been about a bit people are familiar with the faults, some of the new stuff main dealers are struggling with.