Ford Transit Custom - suspected wet belt failure

teabag1985

Tucosalamanca said:

I had another Transit Custom in for a service, mot and wet belt change this week.

Vehicle is a 2018 base model, 68 plate, 95k, in for its10th service and is not under recall.

My trusted mechanic (not Ford) has reported that the belt was shredding and only by good fortune was there no terminal damage to the engine. Oil strainer was contaminated but other components appear ok.

Full service with correct Castrol oil, MOT, genuine Ford wet timing belt with tensioner, genuine oil pump timing belt, other OE drive belts, OE timing belt cover (as genuine still unavailable from Ford).
Total cost £1,077 inc vat, as previously stated, we'll be changing belts every 3yrs or 60k, if we keep them that long...

Next van is due end of July, 68plate with 70k, although I suspect that this one will be px'd for a different vehicle (at 70k and a limited model it still has plenty of value)

Did your mechanic recommend OE timing cover? 

I’m wanting a wet belt service but my local Ford dealer won’t sell me any timing related parts due to them being under a supposed recall? 

Have found a kit on eBay with genuine parts all bar the cover. 

Thanks 

Tucosalamanca

teabag1985 said:

Tucosalamanca said:

I had another Transit Custom in for a service, mot and wet belt change this week.

Vehicle is a 2018 base model, 68 plate, 95k, in for its10th service and is not under recall.

My trusted mechanic (not Ford) has reported that the belt was shredding and only by good fortune was there no terminal damage to the engine. Oil strainer was contaminated but other components appear ok.

Full service with correct Castrol oil, MOT, genuine Ford wet timing belt with tensioner, genuine oil pump timing belt, other OE drive belts, OE timing belt cover (as genuine still unavailable from Ford).
Total cost £1,077 inc vat, as previously stated, we'll be changing belts every 3yrs or 60k, if we keep them that long...

Next van is due end of July, 68plate with 70k, although I suspect that this one will be px'd for a different vehicle (at 70k and a limited model it still has plenty of value)

Did your mechanic recommend OE timing cover? 

I’m wanting a wet belt service but my local Ford dealer won’t sell me any timing related parts due to them being under a supposed recall? 

Have found a kit on eBay with genuine parts all bar the cover. 

Thanks 

They would have preferred genuine Ford, but I said that OE was acceptable as I was so keen to get it done.

Hammyspoons

Another one here. 

When are Ford going to take responsibility for these dangerous vans? The works van that my daughter and her partner were travelling in recently breaks failed catastrophically on the slip road to the motorway, they could have both been killed. 

The wet timing belt had shredded and a piece gone into the vacuum pump for the breaks leaving them with a sudden and catastrophic break failure. Ford have offered us goodwill on the repairs of 20%, which is frankly pathetic considering that their van design is downright dangerous. 

How do we publicise to get people to not buy these dangerous vehicles? Maybe a group litigation is needed to make Ford sit up and take notice before they kill someone. My daughter was lucky, her partner managed to get the handbrake on before they entered the live motorway lane, but we are not the only ones we know. 

I want to take this all the way to the top of Ford before someone looses a loved one to these dangerous vehicles - any suggestions? This was a 2019 van, not an old banger, this is a disgrace. If it had been another one of my employees we would have had the HSE on us - we will NEVER purchase or lease another Ford again, I just want to make this warning as public as I can. 

daveyjp

At least report to DVSA:

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-recalls-and-faults/report-a-serious-safety-defect

zedem

So quick update on my Transit Custom, my local Ford have agreed to fit a new engine free of charge. In addition they have supplied me with a rental in the meantime. Now I just want to recoup the money I paid for a rental since it broke down, about 4-5 weeks.

My van has only two ford services, crucially though it had a service last year where the timing chain recall was carried out. 6000 miles later it completely failed at 138K. 

rigolith

Thanks for updating us.

Alanp

Glad you have a result, interestingly, I have a ford puma, mine went in last January for a strange noise from the engine, it sounded like a pulley, which, they replaced but found this wasn’t the cause, after further investigation it was decided that it was coming from the rocker cover area, apparently the parts were made from unobtanium, and they had no idea when they could get the parts, Ford decided they would fit a brand new. Engine, fast forward to this week and I’m awaiting my new car to be delivered, I had the dash cams removed and the guy was telling me that he’s seen loads of transits awaiting new engines, apparently, any engine problems that cost over 2k ford replace the engine,my new car is a Toyota btw,

ugs831

It's fast becoming a national scandal. Wet belts are going every day in a variety of vehicles (latest one I heard if was a 2022 with 20,000 miles.
Ford know it's a massive and known problem but have withdrawn the recalls and are making anyone out of warranty pay for a new engine.
It's absolutely disgusting and to top it all they have put the same engine in the new 2024 model.
You can't trust the engine and you definitely cannot trust Ford!

ugs831

Plenty of belts going at a lot lower miles. 
My suggestion is warranty up as Ford are doing next to nothing about it unless your in warranty. 

Alanp

I think the newer engines are chain driven