Identified Faults

I am very fortunate that I have a sympathetic Ford mechanic, but even he doesn’t tell me everything I should know. Some of the repairs which have cost me money were due to faults which Ford themselves know about but have not told us, the owners. These are the ones I have found out about, but there may be many others.

There are many types of fault including incorrect wiring, faulty or incorrect components fitted on the production line and other components redesigned after production began for a better performance, and these are inevitable in machines of such complexity. My understanding is that faults identified by Ford are notified to their main dealers in notices called Technical Service Bulletins – TSBs.TSBs are numbered by the year and sometimes updated. If you bring a Ford to a main dealer with a fault they might check the TSBs and find that this fault has been identified and rectified for later production vehicles – but they will not tell you this. They will work the fix shown in the TSB – but they may still bill you for the full amount of the repair, depending on how much you protest.

In the UK, even if you buy a car from new, manufacturers are not obliged to tell you anything about identified design faults not involving safety (which are notified to the Vehicle Inspectorate) and because they don’t tell you about it, you don’t know enough to protest the bill for putting it right. Further – even though manufacturers know exactly how many vehicle were produced before a fault was identified and put right on the production line, they will not search out the earlier vehicles and put them right - they will wait until a customer complains about the problem. If the customer does not complain, the fault remains and the manufacturer has escaped the cost of remedial work. Because you have no knowledge of TSBs, you are entirely in the hands of the Service manager or his personnel: if they do not find the TSB relating to the particular problem you have with your car – there may be hundreds to search through – you may be fobbed off.

A different but parallel problem is that of service time. Because you are not entitled to see the Ford workshop manual you do not know how long a particular repair should take and hence how high the labour charge should be. You simply have to grit your teeth and hope you’re not being ripped off – but that’s a different matter.

The following items are gleaned from my own experience and from that of other Scorpio owners. They are all recognised faults which I believe have been mentioned in TSBs. If you have any of these items repaired then make sure you let the workshop manager know that you know that they are recognised faults. If you complain long and hard enough he should reduce the bill for putting it right.

Catalysts	Ford now acknowledge that an early batch of catalysts were prone to premature failure. The ceramic element can break and cause a severe rattling, as well as a whistling noise (by blocking the exhaust gas) and a marked loss in power. This happened to mine and a new catalyst cost me £330 fitted. On the plus side, the Ford catalyst was the cheapest quoted. (Thanks John my MOT man)
Power steering vibration	Ford have issued instructions for the replacement of an hydraulic pipe in the power steering, which causes a vibration at parking speeds. I had a leak on the same pipe but it was not changed and I have the vibration still. (New hose Part No 1 037 481) (Thanks John my MOT man.)
Luggage cover rattle	Revised end caps for the luggage cover for the estate are made of rubber and prevent the cover rattling when the vehicle is traversing uneven surfaces – order the end caps (Part Nos 1 040 316) and fit them yourself.
CD mounting	Also on the estate, the CD mounting has been revised and a new kit is available which helps prevent the CD skipping on uneven road surfaces (Thanks Jim28)
Rattling chain tensioner	One of the engine timing chain tensioners for the 24V has been revised and can cure a rattle heard on startup from cold. (Thanks MikeC)
Air Conditioning coolant	Ford have revised the amount of R143a refrigerant for the Scorpio range. The capacity for the coolant was increased from 740g to 1000g and the oil in the compressor from 100ml to 160ml. If your Scorpio still shows a 740g air-conditioning levels sticker than it has not been upgraded. A new sticker is available from Ford and the new amounts should be used on next checkup. (Thanks Pete)
Air Conditioning Module	In February 1995 Ford issued an instruction to replace a lead in the module beneath the bonnet in front of the climate control filter and/or replace the air-conditioning module. (Thanks Jeff)
Vibration felt through accelerator pedal	On DOHC 8V and 16V models, vibration felt through the accelerator pedal might be caused by loose catalyst mounting bolts and these should be replaced by nyloc nuts. These have been used in production since May, 1995. (Thanks Geoff)
Vibrations from gear change area over 5000 rpm	On DOHC2000 16V models before July 1995 a faulty transmission damper could cause vibration, oil leaks and exhaust damage. This should have been replaced by a damper of a new design. (Thanks JamesT- no not Kirk)

For Recalls issued by the Vehicle Safety Inspectorate, got to Recalls