Hi everyone,

I’ve been having a strange issue with my Ford Focus MK3 2.0 TDCi lately. Every now and then (usually at higher speeds), I get a "Service Engine Now" warning. Along with that, traction control gets disabled, and I also get a message saying hill start assist is not available.

The weird part is, after a short time the error goes away and everything seems normal again.

At first, I thought it might be battery related. When I bought the car, the seller mentioned the battery might need replacing soon. I had it tested and it was indeed weak, so I replaced it with a new one and did a proper battery reset afterward.

However, the issue still remains.

Today I went to a friend who has an OBD reader, and I pulled some codes. I’ll post them below shortly.

The car drives completely fine otherwise: no loss of power or strange behavior, just these intermittent warnings.

Has anyone experienced something similar or have any idea what could be causing this?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

5 hours ago, bokito2278 said:

I’ve been having a strange issue with my Ford Focus MK3 2.0 TDCi lately.

You're very likely not getting all (or any) of the Ford specific DTC's. You need to use Ford based diagnostic equipment or FORScan to see what's really going on.

 

On 4/7/2024 at 8:59 PM, unofix said:

FORScan (for use with Windows Laptop) : https://forscan.org/download.html

It's what many Ford owners use including some Ford technicians.

• vLinker FS, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-vLinker-Adapter-FORScan-MS-CAN/dp/B0952P4MLP

OR

• OBDLINK EX, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/OBDLINK-EX-FORScan-OBD-Adapter/dp/B081VQVD3F/ref=sr_1_5

For diagnostic use only:

• vLinker FD, for android phone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H82WC8L
• vLinker FD+, for iPhone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H8JHWP2

 

Search Tag:   FORScan123

 

Hi, thanks for the reply. So those codes don't mean anything? I mean they show something but probahly not as detailed as it would be in Forscan right? 

Yes, FORScan can read both high-speed and medium-speed CAN buses. Generic scanners only read the high-speed bus and only report the standard OBD codes whereas FORScan can also read and interpret Ford-specific codes.

You say the car is a Mk3 but your profile states Ford Year: 2006. Could you clarify?

If the car really is 2006 those 'U' codes might indicate the cluster solder problem although the error message you're getting suggests it's a newer model. Older models probably say something like "Engine malfunction".

4 hours ago, mjt said:

Yes, FORScan can read both high-speed and medium-speed CAN buses. Generic scanners only read the high-speed bus and only report the standard OBD codes whereas FORScan can also read and interpret Ford-specific codes.

You say the car is a Mk3 but your profile states Ford Year: 2006. Could you clarify?

If the car really is 2006 those 'U' codes might indicate the cluster solder problem although the error message you're getting suggests it's a newer model. Older models probably say something like "Engine malfunction".

Sorry for the confusion, 2006 is my old car which I gave to my sister. My new one is 2017 MK3 2.0 TDCI

Will give it a go on monday with Forscan.

So those codes don't mean anything at all that we got from OBD?

7 hours ago, bokito2278 said:

those codes don't mean anything at all that we got from OBD?

Not of anything meaningful only that there is an issue with the ABS.

It could very well just be a simple case of a failed wheel speed sensor. More information is needed.