Is Ford Ecoboost worth it and safe?

[Connor.Polar]

Hello, looking to buy a Zetec S Red Edition in the upcoming week and have a question to ask because I have mixed opinions. I am getting the 1.0T Ecoboost (wont be able to get insured on a 1.6) however I have seen people not trusting Ford's Ecoboost due to a coolant problem causing overheating and possible fires and cylinder heads breaking. The end solution being they just replace the entire engine after the warranty has ended.
Are they really reliable and is it worth getting this or swapping out for some like a Golf or something?
Any feedback is appreciated, and I'm getting a Zetect S and not an ST is because they are 1.6 and I will not be able to get insured on one lol

[Tiexen]

I've posted this before but worth repeating:

Are there any known EcoBoost problems?

The EcoBoost tech has now been fitted to millions of engines, and is really pretty mainstream technology, which means it’s well run-in – there’s certainly no reason to fear undue breakdown or reliability issues.

A couple of high profile recalls for EcoBoost cars issued in 2018 may sound alarm bells, but the truth is the faults were not specifically related to the EcoBoost tech. A Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost recall referred to a nylon pipe potentially overheating in the cooling system, while a potentially more serious fault in the cylinder head of 1.6-litre EcoBoost engines again isn’t directly related to EcoBoost tech.

One potential issue facing buyers looking at EcoBoost cars for sale is that fuel economy figures in the real world can be some way off those quoted. The turbochargers deliver punchy performance, but if you’re tempted to use that performance often it’s understandable that the EcoBoost fuel economy advantages start to disappear.

[Kevin#95]

Connor

If you've been driving a fiesta 2004 and want something safe and reliable that is similar in size then go for a VW Polo. Or Golf if you want more performance. The VW Polo 1.25 2015-2017 is like the fiesta but faster and is like a smaller version of the Golf.

[Connor.Polar]

28 minutes ago, Tiexen said:

I've posted this before but worth repeating:

Are there any known EcoBoost problems?

The EcoBoost tech has now been fitted to millions of engines, and is really pretty mainstream technology, which means it’s well run-in – there’s certainly no reason to fear undue breakdown or reliability issues.

A couple of high profile recalls for EcoBoost cars issued in 2018 may sound alarm bells, but the truth is the faults were not specifically related to the EcoBoost tech. A Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost recall referred to a nylon pipe potentially overheating in the cooling system, while a potentially more serious fault in the cylinder head of 1.6-litre EcoBoost engines again isn’t directly related to EcoBoost tech.

One potential issue facing buyers looking at EcoBoost cars for sale is that fuel economy figures in the real world can be some way off those quoted. The turbochargers deliver punchy performance, but if you’re tempted to use that performance often it’s understandable that the EcoBoost fuel economy advantages start to disappear.

Thanks for the feedback, this has been very helpful. This was the only problem I had, as I have no worry of buying a 1.0 Turbo Ecoboost but obviously heard bad stuff saying that after the warranty ended they weren't safe. And no,fuel economy isn't a problem for as I will defo be making th most out of it.

[Connor.Polar]

19 minutes ago, Kevin#95 said:

Connor

If you've been driving a fiesta 2004 and want something safe and reliable that is similar in size then go for a VW Polo. Or Golf if you want more performance. The VW Polo 1.25 2015-2017 is like the fiesta but faster and is like a smaller version of the Golf.

Thanks for the reply. I test drove a Golf yesterday and the Polos dont really appeal to me, but I've always known Golfs to be very reliable, which I'll keep in mind

[Luke4efc]

43 minutes ago, Kevin#95 said:

The VW Polo 1.25 2015-2017 is like the fiesta but faster and is like a smaller version of the Golf.

A 90hp polo faster than a 140hp red edition 🤔?

The 1.0L will be fine for you. Look hard enough into any other car you're interested in and you'll find similar horror stories. You're only looking at the negatives, where as more than 99% of owners wouldn't even know about it so won't report it on forums etc.

[MasterTechTip]

I agree with @Luke4efc you only ever hear the bad things, there's hundreds of thousands of these 1.0 litre ecoboost engines out there and only around 1% of them have ever had these issues. Generally day to day they're pretty good and solid. The 140ps Red editions go well and have good fuel economy when not driven spiritedly. If for whatever reason the engine fails due to a coolant related issue ford will replace it under Warranty no matter the age or milage. 

[TomsFocus]

It's the Mk3 Focus that had the majority of issues with the 1.0 EcoBoost due to the dodgy degas hose, the Fiesta's got a different hose.

You're more likely to have issues with rusty turbo pipes and blocked oil pumps on the Fiesta.  No car is without fault, but as a VW guy, I'd suggest avoiding the Polo altogether unless you go for the GTi, they're so slow and poorly specced, don't know how they can charge so much for them!  The Ibiza is essentially the same car but cheaper and better specced...and looks better too...

[Eng_Ahmad1986]

I 've read somewhere a TSB regarding 1.0 ecoboost engines mated to the 6 speed automatic transmission ( Craiova plant ) built on or before April 2019 having issues with the oil pump belt tensioner breaking off causing complete engine failure, the TSB says that engines built afterwards should have no problems.

[Tiexen]

15 minutes ago, Eng_Ahmad1986 said:

I 've read somewhere a TSB regarding 1.0 ecoboost engines mated to the 6 speed automatic transmission ( Craiova plant ) built on or before April 2019 having issues with the oil pump belt tensioner breaking off causing complete engine failure, the TSB says that engines built afterwards should have no problems.

Thats an EcoSport built in Romania   - which is reason enough not to buy one - nothing to do with the Fiesta

Some 2018-2019 EcoSport vehicles equipped with a 1.0L EcoBoost engine and a 6F15 automatic transmission and built on or before 3-Apr-2019 may exhibit a loss of engine oil pressure with an illuminated oil pressure warning lamp.

[Eng_Ahmad1986]

8 minutes ago, Tiexen said:

Thats an EcoSport built in Romania   - which is reason enough not to buy one - nothing to do with the Fiesta

Some 2018-2019 EcoSport vehicles equipped with a 1.0L EcoBoost engine and a 6F15 automatic transmission and built on or before 3-Apr-2019 may exhibit a loss of engine oil pressure with an illuminated oil pressure warning lamp.

yes 😄 it is ecosport , now I remember, but what can make a fiesta not affected by that TSB if its engine is built in Craiova , Romania ? like my engine for instance 😄 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

The gearbox seems to have been more of an issue on Mk 7.5 140 Fiestas with quite a few reports on here, though as others say, if you don't have a problem you won't post about it!😀

The Polo can seem a bit boring, the Ibiza and Audi A1 are basically the same mechanically. For a broadly equivalent engine to the Ecoboost you really need to look at the 1.4 COD (cylinder on demand) engine which gave 140ps (or 150ps in later cars) and is found in the Polo GT, Ibiza FR and A1.  This has now been upped to 1.5 (but the same power) on current models but many members on various VW/Audi/Seat forums seem to rate the 1.4 more highly.

I've test driven the 1.4 COD in various VW Group models and been very impressed with it. However, IMO the Polo/Ibiza/A1 don't handle as well as the Fiesta, so as ever, down to personal preference as to what matters most to you.

 

[Tiexen]

8 hours ago, Eng_Ahmad1986 said:

yes 😄 it is ecosport , now I remember, but what can make a fiesta not affected by that TSB if its engine is built in Craiova , Romania ? like my engine for instance 😄 

They would have said Fiesta and EcoSport if that was the case - I think your OK.

[fiestalux]

I have a 2014 Fiesta with an ecoboost engine.  So far I've never had any issues with the engine. The only issues I have had so far are listed below:

- stiff gears, fixed for about 60UKP

- handbrake became almost jammed, 300UKP to fix as a new unit was required

- heating would work on full or nothing, about 100UKP to fix

So not an unblemished record but nothing too expensive or complex to fix.

I don't have any current stats, but the until about 2018 the German TUV used to collect objective fault data and you can find it online. VW group cars do well in the first two years but after that are the same as the Fiesta.