Hi everyone, new to the forum so appreciate your responses to this.

Looking for some advice or shared experiences as I'm currently feeling pretty frustrated with Ford.

I own a Ford Focus 68 plate with around 52,000 miles on the clock. A few weeks ago, it started going into limp mode. I took it to Lookers Ford Chelmsford and was told it was detecting false engine knock, apparently caused by incorrect software. They applied a software update to fix it.

Then, just weeks later, the turbo completely failed.

Now I'm being told that the engine wiring loom and two timing solenoids need replacing because they're leaking oil, and that other components may be contaminated too. The quote for repairs is over £3,000.

I’ve since done some digging and it looks like this is a common issue on EcoBoost engines - oil leaking from the VCT (Variable Cam Timing) solenoids into the wiring loom, causing faults in sensors like the knock sensor, which can lead to limp mode and other issues. In my case, I’m wondering whether the software update just masked the symptoms temporarily. If the wiring loom was already compromised and sending faulty signals, the updated ECU might have allowed the engine to boost normally, based on bad data — possibly pushing the turbo to failure.

Turbo systems rely heavily on accurate sensor readings (boost pressure, airflow, knock detection etc). If those are off due to oil contamination in the loom, could that realistically cause a turbo to go?

I’m trying to work out whether this was just unlucky timing, or if Ford’s software update and failure to spot the oil contamination actually made things worse.

Has anyone else had similar issues? Were you offered any help by Ford?

It’s frustrating because this doesn’t feel like normal wear and tear. It seems more like a design issue that’s affecting a lot of people and others online have mentioned getting goodwill support from Ford for similar faults.

Any advice or shared experiences would be really appreciated!

Thanks,
Carl

Ford will offer no goodwill or support and will probably find a way to blame you.

Buy and fit your own new engine harness and sensors or take the car to an auto electrician and have the damaged wiring repaired by them.

It will cost considerably less than £3,000

Then you will need a reconditioned turbo charger fitting

Hopefully wet belt degradation has not caused turbo oil feed starvation, that will need proving out (if you're a MK3.5) being a 68 I don't know, you don't say

That's the only advice I can offer other than, if there's currently no lights on, ditch the car to we buy any car etc

1 hour ago, carlm_7 said:

... apparently caused by incorrect software. They applied a software update to fix it.

I'm always very cynical when told a 'cure' is a software update. It's not like a tire which will wear over mileage, or brake pads which will also wear over use. If a piece of software works, it doesn't suddenly break down with continued use. That's just me though, still running a Windows 7 laptop, and an old Android 10 phone!

47 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I'm always very cynical when told a 'cure' is a software update. It's not like a tire which will wear over mileage, or brake pads which will also wear over use. If a piece of software works, it doesn't suddenly break down with continued use. That's just me though, still running a Windows 7 laptop, and an old Android 10 phone!

Software can and does fail if it receives unexpected inputs. This can include inputs the software was not designed for (i.e. not foreseen during testing), or spurious inputs that might be from voltage or current spikes.

 

It's why you have had to restart your Windows 7 laptop on many occasions when it would hang, and MS would release periodic updates for stability.

3 minutes ago, weesam said:

It's why you have had to restart your Windows 7 laptop on many occasions when it would hang...

I have not had to 'restart' my Windows 7 laptop in years - it just works! (Now, Windows XP was a different story LOL)

Just now, StephenFord said:

I have not had to 'restart' my Windows 7 laptop in years - it just works!

That's because support stopped years ago and MS have stopped messing around with it

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

I have not had to 'restart' my Windows 7 laptop in years - it just works! 

I'm not saying I don't believe you; but you are probably unique in hundreds of millions of users....!

7 minutes ago, weesam said:

I'm not saying I don't believe you; but you are probably unique in hundreds of millions of users....!

Yes, I do believe I am unique 🤣 (2 years ago I had my 15 year old laptop modified with a 1Tb SSD hard drive, it's a flying machine and really reliable...

20 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

(2 years ago I had my 15 year old laptop modified with a 1Tb SSD hard drive, it's a flying machine and really reliable...

I'm thinking of doing that with our old Windows 10 Asus laptop as it's really slow. I did up the RAM to 8GB but it's still painfully slow

Do you recommend it then?

an upgrade to a solid state drive and maxing out RAM is the best upgrade you can possibly do.

You will see a very definite increase in the response of the machine with a SSD.

1 hour ago, DaveT70 said:

Do you recommend it then?

On the original hard drive, from a cold start the laptop use to take 3 to 4 minutes to boot up. With the SSD upgrade, it now does it in 30 seconds! Also runs cooler as the fan switches on far less. It also does everything just faster, opening web pages, opening programs, just everything. Yes, highly recommended...

3 hours ago, StephenFord said:

I do believe I am unique 🤣 (2 years ago I had my 15 year old laptop modified with a 1Tb SSD hard drive, it's a flying machine and really reliable...

Perhaps not as unique as you might expect. My trusty Dell laptop running Windows 7, BUT, with 'Classic Shell' so it looks more like Windows XP, has also been upgraded to a 1Tb SSD 🤣

on many other car brands a lot of software updates are improvements to diagnostic capability - alongside tweaks and fixes for outrageous errors that had no right to be there...   thus they are very helpful things people should aspire to have, rather than some frowned upon "mumbo jumbo"  They are not an unnecessary pointless exercise, as so many halfwits claim

when enough garages around the world are wasting a manufacturers illicit profits failing to resolve customer complaints - eventually some tech gurus back at base discover some of their errors and others work on ways for dealer diagnostic tools to get techs going in the right direction faster...

the point about a wet belt (if applicable on this car) causing the turbo to die, sounds very sensible - the software a starting point in an attempt to help fix the complaint, and the late diagnosis of oil making ECUs do something silly could be linked, so maybe the OP has the right to be aggrieved with the timeline the garage worked to

 

8 hours ago, Botus said:

...They are not an unnecessary pointless exercise, as so many halfwits claim

I've been called worse 🤣

bear in mind governments now demand security black holes are retrofitted to Big Name Operating Systems all the time - when they become public knowledge, they cover up the mess trying to hide them or close and recreate yet another more sophisticated one 

thunderbolt USB anybody ? gave multiple paths to access encrypted drives on your laptop when its not even turned on !!!!!

 

then allegedly we have the really special flaws - zero day bugs....

A zero day refers to a security vulnerability in software or hardware that is unknown to the developers, meaning they have had "zero days" to fix it. This type of vulnerability can be exploited by attackers before a patch is created, making it a significant security risk

 

 

30 minutes ago, Botus said:

then allegedly we have the really special flaws - zero day bugs....

Is it any wonder I have total disdain for 'driver-less' cars. Bad enough sitting at home on a laptop and being hacked on a program, but being hacked in a car at 70Mph by some teenager in his mum's basement just to show off how clever he is - well, you're all welcome to it 😂

52 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Is it any wonder I have total disdain for 'driver-less' cars. Bad enough sitting at home on a laptop and being hacked on a program, but being hacked in a car at 70Mph by some teenager in his mum's basement just to show off how clever he is - well, you're all welcome to it 😂

Absolutely👍

4 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Is it any wonder I have total disdain for 'driver-less' cars. Bad enough sitting at home on a laptop and being hacked on a program, but being hacked in a car at 70Mph by some teenager in his mum's basement just to show off how clever he is - well, you're all welcome to it 😂

that's old hat people did it using bluetooth with GM cars in 2009 - it was only some security jokers made noise about them all being a disaster 

Ford leaving the WIFI passwords for the build factory inside every headunit
VW still using junk code that was rewritten without dangerous bugs 7 years prior
GM allowing you to hack via bluetooth and apply full brakes on another motorist from a passing car
etc.

GM only patched that some 5 years later(even though they knew all about it) after the security article got the NTSB excited enough to tell them to fix it

On 7/9/2025 at 6:16 AM, Botus said:

on many other car brands a lot of software updates are improvements to diagnostic capability - alongside tweaks and fixes for outrageous errors that had no right to be there...   thus they are very helpful things people should aspire to have, rather than some frowned upon "mumbo jumbo"  They are not an unnecessary pointless exercise, as so many halfwits claim

when enough garages around the world are wasting a manufacturers illicit profits failing to resolve customer complaints - eventually some tech gurus back at base discover some of their errors and others work on ways for dealer diagnostic tools to get techs going in the right direction faster...

the point about a wet belt (if applicable on this car) causing the turbo to die, sounds very sensible - the software a starting point in an attempt to help fix the complaint, and the late diagnosis of oil making ECUs do something silly could be linked, so maybe the OP has the right to be aggrieved with the timeline the garage worked to

 

So I complained to the Ford service manager who was not able to get a gesture of goodwill from Ford.

I then took my complaint further to Ford Motor Company who refused to engage due to the vehicle being out of warranty. 

Not once has either of them looked at the sequence prior to the turbo going and acknowledged that the timeline of events support the lack of proper inspection/diagnosis, and then the software update causing the turbo to go.

The Ford service manager stated:

Quote

The software update relates to engine knock condition, which is known concern for prediction of fuel inside the cylinder and bears no relevance to the Turbo charger performance.
 The subsequent visit, an under-boost DTC was logged caused by the turbo charger turbine had a touch condition on the compressor, this is the beginning of bearing failure within the turbo charger, which is a mechanical failure and unrelated to any software updates and is usually the result of oil starvation or poor maintenance.  

My response to that:
 

Quote

While I appreciate your technical explanation, I must respectfully disagree with the conclusion that the turbocharger failure was unrelated to the prior software update or the vehicle’s broader sensor and wiring issues.

The software update addressed false engine knock detection – an issue directly influenced by sensor signals processed through the engine wiring loom. As I previously stated, this loom was later found to be contaminated with oil from the VCT solenoids, a widely acknowledged fault in EcoBoost engines. This contamination can degrade the quality of sensor inputs, including those related to knock and boost performance.

It is entirely reasonable to question whether the turbocharger – which relies on accurate sensor feedback for safe operation – may have been subjected to incorrect ECU commands as a result of compromised data. If full boost was restored via software without first diagnosing the integrity of the underlying sensor network, then the system may have inadvertently contributed to mechanical overstress.

Moreover, the reference to oil starvation or poor maintenance is not supported by the facts of this case. The vehicle had a clean MOT and recent service, with no indication of insufficient oil pressure or neglect. No evidence has been provided to support a lack of maintenance or oil starvation as the root cause.

Given the timing of events, the known issues affecting similar EcoBoost models, and the high cost of failure, I remain of the view that this is not simply a case of wear and tear, but one involving a deeper systemic fault and a missed opportunity to prevent damage during the earlier inspection.

As advised, I will now be referring this matter to The Motor Ombudsman. However, I would welcome any further reconsideration by Ford or Lookers should you wish to re-engage constructively before formal escalation.

There must be other people out there who have had their turbo blown up after a software update! I'll be taking this to the ombudsman because the lack of investigation into the events leading up to the turbo going is poor.

So frustrating.

 

On 7/8/2025 at 4:26 PM, DaveT70 said:

Ford will offer no goodwill or support and will probably find a way to blame you.

Buy and fit your own new engine harness and sensors or take the car to an auto electrician and have the damaged wiring repaired by them.

It will cost considerably less than £3,000

Then you will need a reconditioned turbo charger fitting

Hopefully wet belt degradation has not caused turbo oil feed starvation, that will need proving out (if you're a MK3.5) being a 68 I don't know, you don't say

That's the only advice I can offer other than, if there's currently no lights on, ditch the car to we buy any car etc

You were right, they didn't offer any goodwill or support, what was said between me and the service garage is above.

I'll take your advice and try to fix it cheaper than £3k. 

It's an Mk4 Focus, unable to ditch to due to engine lights on.

From what I've found online, the fault I've had appears to be quite common in the Mk4 Ecoboost vehicles. I want to know why this didn't form part of their inspection when carrying out the software update as it could have been something that could have been repaired prior to the turbo being placed under undue pressure from the software update.

7 hours ago, carlm_7 said:

So I complained to the Ford service manager who was not able to get a gesture of goodwill from Ford.

I then took my complaint further to Ford Motor Company who refused to engage due to the vehicle being out of warranty. 

Not once has either of them looked at the sequence prior to the turbo going and acknowledged that the timeline of events support the lack of proper inspection/diagnosis, and then the software update causing the turbo to go.

The Ford service manager stated:

My response to that:
 

There must be other people out there who have had their turbo blown up after a software update! I'll be taking this to the ombudsman because the lack of investigation into the events leading up to the turbo going is poor.

So frustrating.

 

well done for trying

it was not the software update that did the turbo - more like the other way around - modern vehicles across all brands have software tweaks made available almost every few months... its a big reason dealer servicing is sadly a good idea (when they bother to apply the updates - which was - and sadly still is almost never !).  whilst only a few will ever be for engine or gearbox updates its still worth getting any available - like in car entertainment and other non driveline related silliness... 

 

I would say its extraordinary Ford go to the cost of producing a software update they know the car needs - but they don't see ANY links to engine or ancillary wear - why did they write it if it does nothing...

the reality it needed an update years back for a known fault - if it was dealer serviced you could complain why it wasn't put on the car much earlier - ideally find out when that software fix was first available and proving x services were done after its release date - not having it will have increased wear and tear on your vehicle - but its going to be hard work linking to Turbo damage... that said knock (massive out of control explosions of fuel in the combustion chambers) damaging things inside the combustion chamber - won't be good medicine for a turbo - googles AI rubbish is pretending internal damage caused by knock will contaminate the engine oil and damage turbo bearings - but its stupid, the engine would already be toast for that to be a significant issue - the rest of the world don't seem to have thought about it (not much surprise) but extra shock waves hitting the exhaust turbine could be the cause of what Ford are saying started the bearing issues, where your post mentions them say "turbine had a touch condition".

did you ever hear knock ? and have a lazy driving habit of driving around using the effective 4 ltr grunt of a turbo'd to death engine, relying of using large throttle application and few gear changes - if you drove slow, use good brand fuels, kept servicing on track, and change gear lots - thus not relying on turbo grunt you have a right to feel short changed... low mpg fuel consumption would be an indicator of the former driving style....

 

what is knock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking

how to look after your turbo https://www.slashgear.com/1902378/turbocharged-engine-mistakes/

2 hours ago, Botus said:

well done for trying

it was not the software update that did the turbo - more like the other way around - modern vehicles across all brands have software tweaks made available almost every few months... its a big reason dealer servicing is sadly a good idea (when they bother to apply the updates - which was - and sadly still is almost never !).  whilst only a few will ever be for engine or gearbox updates its still worth getting any available - like in car entertainment and other non driveline related silliness... 

 

I would say its extraordinary Ford go to the cost of producing a software update they know the car needs - but they don't see ANY links to engine or ancillary wear - why did they write it if it does nothing...

the reality it needed an update years back for a known fault - if it was dealer serviced you could complain why it wasn't put on the car much earlier - ideally find out when that software fix was first available and proving x services were done after its release date - not having it will have increased wear and tear on your vehicle - but its going to be hard work linking to Turbo damage... that said knock (massive out of control explosions of fuel in the combustion chambers) damaging things inside the combustion chamber - won't be good medicine for a turbo - googles AI rubbish is pretending internal damage caused by knock will contaminate the engine oil and damage turbo bearings - but its stupid, the engine would already be toast for that to be a significant issue - the rest of the world don't seem to have thought about it (not much surprise) but extra shock waves hitting the exhaust turbine could be the cause of what Ford are saying started the bearing issues, where your post mentions them say "turbine had a touch condition".

did you ever hear knock ? and have a lazy driving habit of driving around using the effective 4 ltr grunt of a turbo'd to death engine, relying of using large throttle application and few gear changes - if you drove slow, use good brand fuels, kept servicing on track, and change gear lots - thus not relying on turbo grunt you have a right to feel short changed... low mpg fuel consumption would be an indicator of the former driving style....

 

what is knock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking

how to look after your turbo https://www.slashgear.com/1902378/turbocharged-engine-mistakes/

The most frustrating part of this situation is that my vehicle had been into Ford previously for other concerns, yet not once was a software or firmware update ever suggested. It was only when the false engine knock issue arose that a software update was suddenly recommended. That raises questions about whether the update is truly preventative, or if it only acts as a response to faults that have already developed.

I’ll need to review my full service history to confirm, but it’s quite revealing that even though the car is connected to FordPass, I’ve never once received a notification saying, “Your car requires a critical update to prevent potential damage to [component].” You would reasonably expect that sort of communication if the update was as important and time-sensitive as implied.

It’s also worth noting that I never heard any audible knocking from the engine. My partner drives the car most of the time for commuting — it’s never been driven aggressively or under heavy loads.

The vehicle was taken in for the software update, and within just a few weeks, the turbocharger failed and I was told the wiring loom was oil-contaminated and that the VCT solenoids needed replacement. If this issue was already developing, why wasn’t it identified at the time of the update? The vehicle had already entered limp mode before the update, which should have prompted more thorough diagnostics.

It’s difficult to understand how such extensive mechanical and electrical damage — including turbo failure, loom contamination, and solenoid oil leaks — could suddenly manifest within two weeks of the update, without any underlying warning or inspection findings during that earlier visit.

I'm not a huge supporter of the mumbo jumbo of oil blowing up electrical stuff - yes if truly filthy and full of contaminants the gunk won't be a great ides - but clean oil shouldn't be conductive (which is what all cars should have with modern emission control, even when due a service)

knock can be hard to hear especially under some driving conditions (its really a tiny tinkling noise - not someone driving over a pot hole) - assuming your engine has it - the update will quite likely have been around an unseen effect of direct injection - in service as an engine wears oil from the sump gets in the combustion chamber and this can create a secondary fuel source - in the good old days port injection would magically mix all the oil in the combustion chamber with the petrol and burn as one... as some fool invented direct injection we get the fuel only around the plug near combustion, leaving the oil sloshing around in the combustion chamber wondering what to do - and like most idle hands it gets up to mischief

later engine's now do port injection at low speeds and direct injection for higher power situations - also check the oil specs - they now have new oils to better reduce the harm of LSPI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-speed_pre-ignition the software update I'm guessing tweaks the knock control to better understand what LSPI is 

if your point "my vehicle had been into Ford previously for other concerns" was related to engine performance or operation and the update you have now is x years old I'd go back better informed to continue the fight....

one point you appear to have overlooked - they want your car to break and ideally get scrapped - so they get to sell a new car - where you won't play that game, they hope to rob you on hugely overpriced parts, so applying that update is not in their interests... craftily for them they likely charged to install that update - after they already knew the turbo was on the way out - garages and manufacturers are not your friend...

 

 

4 hours ago, Botus said:

but clean oil shouldn't be conductive

Indeed it isn't - transformers and switchgear on the grid are full of the stuff as an insulator and  coolant.

The conductivity / insulation resistance of the oil fully depends on the type of oil (and most important) the added additives.


Back in the days I worked for a company that services and repairs pleasure boat engines (both inboard and outboard). Some of the older engines uses electric shifting which basically consists of a pair of 12 Volt electric coils that are mounted in the transmission. On these engines using regular transmission oil results in the electric coils blowing up due to insufficient insulation resistance of the oil.

Nowadays I work for a company that services and repairs (large) electric motors, generators and transformers. One of our specialties are (large) high voltage, submersible oil filed motors. These motors are completely filled with hydraulic oil. This used to be a conventional mineral/synthetic oil but due to environmental concerns the owners had to switch to a biodegradable hydraulic oil. The major downside of this biodegradable hydraulic oil is that it is hygroscopic. The oil absorbs water/condensation which seriously affects the insulation resistance of the oil. Even on brand new barrels of oil we actually perform an insulation resistance test (Megger test) before the oil is even used.


The WSS-M2C948-B and WSS-M2C954-A1 oil specifications that are used on the 1.0 ECOboost (and many other Ford engines) is also known to be hygroscopic. This is also the reason why this oil forms a sludge when the vehicle is not used for a longer period (more than 12 Weeks). This sludge can completely clog the oil pump inlet and also affect the material of the wetbelt(s).

The combination of hygroscopic oil, condensation, dirt, etc. results in a conductive, corrosive substance that you definitely do not want in your wiring harnesses. This is not directly a problem on the short term. On the longer term however, the wiring will corrode from the inside which can cause all kinds of electrical issues. Due to the capillary action and most of the connectors being sealed the oil can actually travel quite far and affect entire harnesses or even travel to different wiring harnesses. Therefore, it is very important to replace the affected wiring immediately to prevent the issue from spreading any further.