Ford Focus Cutting Out Issue

[cvadhia]

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum and look forward to contributing to discussions. At present I would really appreciate any help or advice with a rather frustrating issue. I have just purchased a Ford Focus Zetec TDCi 2007 5Dr and i've owned it for about 2 months. Purchased from a garage with 72k miles on the clock, two previous owners, garage warranty does not cover the issue.

The problem - When I shift up from low gears and accelerate suddenly I lose acceleration, revs drop rapidly and I have to bring the car to a complete stop and restart the engine, at which point I am able to continue with my journey. It has happened to me 4 times to date and I have briefly broken down each incident below.

1st - 2 days after the purchase date. Morning on the way to work, pulled over to the curb to answer a call, engine still running, In 1st gear I start to move off and as I switch to 2nd I lose acceleration and the car locked up (steering and breaks) which I feel only happened because the car stalled in the process. No management/warning lights. Restarted car, continued with my journey without issue.

2nd - 1 week after 1st incident. Morning on the way to work, stood still at a large round about in 1st gear, moved off quickly and shifted up to 2nd. felt acceleration going so put foot down more and then suddenly lost all acceleration, engine was still running and no lock up this time, pulled over with hazards. No management/warning lights. Completely stopped and restarted car, continued with my journey without issue.

3rd - 3 weeks after second incident. Morning on the way to work, at a large roundabout, moved off and progressed through 1st to 2nd and then as I went from 2nd to 3rd and accelerated, I suddenly lost acceleration (on the major roundabout), revs were dropping rapidly no matter how much I put my foot down, pulled over and put hazards on. No management/warning lights. Completely stopped and restarted car, continued with my journey without issue.

4th - 3 weeks after third incident. Morning on the way to work. This time I made it past the large roundabout, but as I left the roundabout and went from 2nd to 3rd I felt the acceleration jerking slightly and felt like it was going to happen again but I took my foot off the accelerator for a moment and then put my foot down again and went into 4th gear which stopped the jerking. shifted up the gears to 5th and I was doing 60mph whilst over taking on a dual carriageway, as I was accelerating suddenly I felt a loss in acceleration and revs started dropping rapidly again. Pulled over and put hazards on. No management/warning lights. Completely stopped and restarted car, continued with my journey without issue.

So after the 4th time I decided enough was enough and took the car into a Bristol St Motors garage in Birmingham. they kept it for two days and said no fault was found. Their diagnostic tool couldn't find any fault code, after road testing for 2 miles at 30-40mph no incident occurred. This was very frustrating and has left me in a state of confusion and concern as Ford themselves cannot find a fault.

Has anyone heard of or experienced anything similar? any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I feel like I need to sell this car now after just 2 months of ownership.

Regards

Chetan

[Ian1965]

Have you tried the fuel injectors that might be the cause as our diesel does that

[jeebowhite]

Given the vehicle is two months old, if you purchased this from a business you should take the vehicle back and get them to resolve the issue. If you have however purchased privately, then I would start by replacing the fuel filter.

[stef123]

Given the vehicle is two months old, if you purchased this from a business you should take the vehicle back and get them to resolve the issue. If you have however purchased privately, then I would start by replacing the fuel filter.

Agreed

[pro_steve]

There's a few things I can think of here, but first I need to know what model yours is. Is it a 1.6 TDCI or the 2.0 TDCI? And what power level is it?

[cvadhia]

Hey Guys,

I really do apologise about this delayed reply I have been travelling for a couple of months where internet access was incredibly scarce. However I am back now and still stuck with these issues and ever more prominent unfortunately. However I really thank you all for your help, advice, suggestions and support.

It is now cutting out in 5th gear when revs are between 2-3 and going at 80mph (mainly when over taking on the motorway) as well as random other times. I have learnt how to drive the car very cautiously which doesn't bode well with other drivers it has to be said.

I have just on this weekend gone, taken it into Bristol Street Ford in Worcester for another diagnostic (the first one done in Birmingham bought back no fault with the car even after they had it for 3 days). Within just hours I got a phone call from the mechanic who ran through a hefty list of problems with the car. A lot of it was minor things such as brake pads and discs, however he highlighted 3 key issues as follows that he felt are directly contributing to the cutting out problem I am having.

1) Air Filter & Fuel Filter - Blocked

2) Air Intake pipes - Split

3) DPF pipe - Burn't out and Split

What they will also need to do is refill the tank with DPF Fluid. The mechanic also told me that my DPF filter has reached its maximum amount of 'Regens' i'm a complete newbie to cars so I have no idea what that means.

So I have reached a point where I could get the car fixed in terms of the above for a lot of money (with still no certainty that the problem will be solved) or part ex it and potentially lose more money.

@Ian1965 - Haven't looked at these but judging by the above i'm thinking it might not be this, but thank you and I will keep it in mind.

@Jeebowhite - It was privately purchased through a garage 2nd hand (07 plate), not so much a dealership and they had me sign a contract before the car left the lot which really and truly protects them. Thank you for your input and yes as you mentioned the 'Air Filter' which is one of the issues flagged up by the mechanic. Do you think this being blocked could be integral in my fault?

@stef123 - Thank you!

@pro_steve - Sorry that would have been helpful for me to mention in my OP, it is the 1.6 TDCi Zetetc Climate, not sure about power level?? Thank you for your response and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions from you now that you know the engine size.

Thanks again in advance for any help given on this.

Chet

[jeebowhite]

I'm a bit confused how the dpf pipe can be burnt out :s

I think fuel and air filter will definitely be playing a part, but the garage regardless of paperwork still have your rights to consider. If you bough the car less than 6 months ago then you want to get it done but get them to pay for it. It's your right, regardless of what they believe they have done to cover their backs...

I think if your really suffering all those issues, there is no surprise it's not behaving right. I would be interested to see what their 'contract' says...

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