The early 1.6 EcoBoost's kept catching fire...but almost all of them still on the road should have had the recall done by now.  

The NA 1.6 is still a Ti-VCT engine so there's still some scope for failures, but they are generally more reliable.  Not particularly quick, not particularly good on fuel and not particularly cheap to tax, they don't come with any other redeeming features.

From the problems posted on here and other sites, the only ecoboost engine that seems to have more than its fair share of problems is the 3 cylinder 1.0 all others appear to be as normal and as reliable as any other make.

As @Eric Bloodaxe has said the 1.6 petrol is generally very reliable and easier and chaeper to fix. That does not mean it will always be 100% fault free !

Yeah, my tax would go from £30 to £250. But if it means I can turn the engine on without holding my breath and wondering if I’m gonna ecoboom today then that’s probably worthwhile. 
 

The 1.0 ecoboost has put me off good and proper. The Zetec engine seems to be a safer bet and I really want reliability. 

Just now, unofix said:

From the problems posted on here and other sites, the only ecoboost engine that seems to have more than its fair share of problems is the 3 cylinder 1.0 all others appear to be as normal and as reliable as any other make.

As @Eric Bloodaxe has said the 1.6 petrol is generally very reliable and easier and chaeper to fix. That does not mean it will always be 100% fault free !

The cheaper to fix part sounds good though. 
 

Nobody would touch the timing belt on my old ecoboost. Don’t want that again. And the clutch replacement cost me £850 last year..!

Timing belt is the main reason I got rid of mine a short while back and will likely be getting rid of my partner's soon too.

If it wasn't for the high cost to replace then i wouldn't mind so much.

Might be worth taking the opportunity to have a good think about your needs and what you really want from a car, possibly thinking of other brands?

Of my friends who were previously long term Ford owners, only one (who has replaced her Fiesta Active with another) has stuck with Ford. The rest have defected to VW, Volvo, Honda, Suzuki and Toyota. The latter 3 brands seem to have been very good reliability wise in their experience.

But yes, as @unofix suggests, I don't think the 100% fault free car exists, though you can get lucky sometimes!😀

To be honest the 1.0 ECOboost is not that bad.

Yes, it has is problems but most of them can easily be prevented by respecting the service schedule and by performing some preventive maintenance. Also remember that Ford literally sold millions of these engines. The amount of these engines that develop serious engine failure is still quite low in comparison with the huge amounts that were sold.

Respecting the service interval is very important. This engine needs to be serviced every 12.500 Miles or 1 Year and in heavy conditions (for example short trips / low annual mileages) even every 6,250 Miles or 6 Months.

Many engines that fail by a broken wetbelt or a clogged oil pump have an unknown service history or previous services that were not performed within the specified intervals or specifications. Using the incorrect engine oil is a common fault that on the long term causes disintegration of the wetbelt. The 1.0 ECOboost requires a 5W20 engine oil that meets the Ford WSS-M2C948-B specification. The only oil that is recommended/allowed by Ford is produced by Castrol. Other oil manufacturers can print the Ford specification on their product but this is not checked or approved by Ford. Since the Castrol oil is reasonably priced and widely available I personally only use the Castrol oil.

Most 1.0 ECOboost cooling system problems can easily be prevented by periodically performing a visual inspection of the coolant reservoir, coolant reservoir cap, the plastic coolant lines and degas hose. It is also a very good idea to just replace these inexpensive parts as a preventive measure every 3 Years. In case of a Focus MK3 it is highly recommended to convert to MK3.5 hoses. This again is quite inexpensive.

 

I would buy another 1.0 ECOboost without a doubt as long as it has a full (documented) service history and all services were performed conform the specified interval and specifications by a competent Ford dealer or specialist.

Yes, I think Wilco @JW1982 pretty much nails it there. Most of the issues we've seen on here (other than the hose, etc, problems)  relate to cars where the previous service history is not fully known, or even where the owner admits that regular servicing has not been carried out on time/with specified oil, etc.

I remember the old Hillman Imp having a terrible reputation back in the 60's and 70's. In retrospect I wonder if that was really the fault of the car or neglectful owners who were used to cast iron BMC A-Series and non-crossflow Fords at the time, rather than the relatively sophisticated unit in the Imp. The ecoboost triple seemed to me like a similar technology leap over current small car powerplants when it first appeared.

Thanks all. 
 

I may be looking at other brands. Spending time just looking at different shapes and sizes. 

I jumped ship!

Now happily driving a Nissan Pulsar and loving it.

I was going to buy another focus, but they’re crazy prized at present. Wouldn’t get another eco boost though!

I then looked at the C Max. But the 1.6 was underpowered and it felt like I was driving a trainer with its high feel. And there was little bonus over a focus. 
 

Tried lots of cars and a couple of SUVs. Couldn’t find anything that was quite right. And then I found my Nissan Pulsar and loved it. 

Newer car, cheaper than a focus. Ridiculously high spec and drives really nicely. On top of that, cam belts at my local official Nissan dealer are £309 all inclusive - a lot cheaper than £1,250 at a non official Ford dealer. 
 

Happy ending 😄

I have a 1 liter eco boost. Big humming sound coming from the petrol tank. When I am driving the car and come to a stop the car completely cuts out. 
the car fails the nct test due to heigh emissions. There is a check engine light on the car
I brought it to a garage and they changed the oxygen sensor. 
the check engine light has come back on and the car is still cutting out

any help with this please