I have owned my 2015 Ford Fiesta Zetec S Red Edition 1L Ecoboost (65 plate) from brand new (I'm the only owner) and I will have bought it 10 years ago in January 2026 - the car currently has around 73,000 miles. 

I have never had any major problems with this car, except 1-2 years ago when it needed a new turbo. I have looked after it by ensuring it has been serviced every year since I began my ownership of it and over the past 1 year, I have started changing my oil twice in 1 year to try and preserve the current wet belt that it has had since the beginning (I haven't had it changed yet and I am aware it will need doing soon - when I have done the past 2 oil changes, nothing has been caught inside the oil container so the belt must not be wearing yet...?).

Anyhow the purpose of this topic. My car has started clunking horribly when I go from 1st to 2nd gear when I release the clutch (I haven't changed my driving behaviour/patterns, I have also geared from 1st to 2nd around the 10mph mark). This has never happened before and I'm not talking about the nornal noise you will hear when you do a gear change, this clunk only happens if I go from 1st to 2nd gear going 10mph although I release my foot off the clutch as smooth as possible. When it happens, it's so loud that my passengers can hear it and it also vibrates through the bottom of the car - I have tried researching online and there is very mixed information. Information such as it's a normal noise and others saying there would be a problem with the fly wheel etc. I am telling you now, it's not a normal noise and I would've heard it years ago from having owned the car the entire duration of it's life, so it's not a 'normal' noise.

I don't know if this helps it, but I have started driving to 15mph in 1st gear and then once I reach 15mph (2.5-3k revs), I will then change to 2nd gear and the clunck isn't there and I can't feel any vibrations through the car as if there was never a problem to begin with. If I am coming to a stop from a higher gear such as 3rd gear and then the traffic lights change from red to green, but my speed isn't high enough for 3rd gear, I will drop it back into 2nd gear and then obviously the noise will happen again.

By going from the above, what could be happening here and does anyone have any knowledge or experience with this issue? Is it an expensive fix?

Because I still haven't had my wet belt changed after almost 10 years of ownership (10 years in January 2026) and now I an encoutering this issue, should I cut my losses, sell the car and move on - what would you do? I had planned to run this car into the ground and get the most out of my existing wet belt, seeing if it could go 12 years maybe - you know, be the odd one out because I've looked after the car, or I think I have anyway.

 

 

This has been a widely reported issue with the 5 speed box, particularly on the 140. Earlier thread here, with a link to another (but there are many more):

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/129237-ford-fiesta-10-ecoboost-1st-2nd-gear-problems/

Quite a few people have reported getting a repair, but I can't recollect seeing a cost mentioned. I have seen used boxes for around £350-400 plus fitting but there is usually no guarantee eg:

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Ford-Fiesta-10-EcoBoost-5-spd-Gearbox---LOW-MILES_17327.jsp

As you no doubt have already seen the wet belt replacement is around £1000 at an independent up to £1800 plus at a Ford dealer.

 

 

4 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

This has been a widely reported issue with the 5 speed box, particularly on the 140. Earlier thread here, with a link to another (but there are many more):

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/129237-ford-fiesta-10-ecoboost-1st-2nd-gear-problems/

Quite a few people have reported getting a repair, but I can't recollect seeing a cost mentioned. I have seen used boxes for around £350-400 plus fitting but there is usually no guarantee eg:

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Ford-Fiesta-10-EcoBoost-5-spd-Gearbox---LOW-MILES_17327.jsp

As you no doubt have already seen the wet belt replacement is around £1000 at an independent up to £1800 plus at a Ford dealer.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.

When I drive in 1st gear up to 15mph, change to 2nd gear and release the clutch very slowly, do you think the problem could still be happening and I just can't hear it compared to when I 1st to 2nd gear after 10mph?

If I don't have this problem fixed, what will/could happen eventually?

Do you think it's worth me trying to save this car, although I know the wet belt will eventually need replacing? After 9.5 years, the only problem it gave me is that it needed a new turbo 1-2 years ago which cost me under £1,000 fitted - I reckon that's because I have put a lot of pressure on the engine over the years by red lining it through the gears.

I'm at a loss on what to do. The wet belt is an expensive repair and by going from your price link, a complete new gearbox could cost a lot...? I think the value of these cars are now £5,000 and below? The other problem I have is I wouldn't know what new car to buy next and a new car will be well more expensive than repairing this current car.....?

Well, the gearbox is not going to get any better. From what we've seen it could slowly get worse, or just suddenly fail completely at some point.

Apart from the box though, your position is unchanged. As you know the wet belts are due at the cost already mentioned. It's not a repair btw, it's a scheduled service action. You can probably sort the box one way or another for under £1000

If the wet belts fail the engine is invariably a write off, so in that event you're looking at either sourcing a used engine (and getting the wet belts changed on that) or a new one. Cheapest we've seen:

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Brand-new-Ford-Service-10-Ecoboost-Engine_18898

As your car is apparently still running ok and driveable, it might be worth seeing what you can get for it as it stands, and make your decision from there. You can always try WBAC as a "baseline".**

(Their nearest "office" to me is in the local B & Q car park and I often see people turn up with a car and depart on foot. I've never yet seen the WBAC guy do any more than just walk round the car, let alone drive it!)

**WBAC buy non-runners also.

 

 

 

 

WBAC won't drive it or even start the engine but they will find some really good reasons to pay you less than the amount offered online. Usually based on some bodywork fault that they have seen on their walk round. They reasonably assume that as you drove it into the B&Q car park the engine must run.

34 minutes ago, pcaouolte said:

but they will find some really good reasons to pay you less than the amount offered online. Usually based on some bodywork fault that they have seen on their walk round.

Very true. That said, only time I seriously considered using them they didn't do that, but I got a better offer elsewhere. Their offer was surprisingly good, though.

Handy way to get a quick "ballpark" figure, though.

 

 

12 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Well, the gearbox is not going to get any better. From what we've seen it could slowly get worse, or just suddenly fail completely at some point.

Apart from the box though, your position is unchanged. As you know the wet belts are due at the cost already mentioned. It's not a repair btw, it's a scheduled service action. You can probably sort the box one way or another for under £1000

If the wet belts fail the engine is invariably a write off, so in that event you're looking at either sourcing a used engine (and getting the wet belts changed on that) or a new one. Cheapest we've seen:

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Brand-new-Ford-Service-10-Ecoboost-Engine_18898

As your car is apparently still running ok and driveable, it might be worth seeing what you can get for it as it stands, and make your decision from there. You can always try WBAC as a "baseline".**

(Their nearest "office" to me is in the local B & Q car park and I often see people turn up with a car and depart on foot. I've never yet seen the WBAC guy do any more than just walk round the car, let alone drive it!)

**WBAC buy non-runners also.

 

 

 

 

Do you know of anyone who has repaired their original gearbox and also had the wet belt changed - how much longer did their Ford Fiesta last after they carried out all these repairs to keep it going? 

I just checked WBAC and apparently they would offer £2400 for it which surely cant't be right? I have looked online and these cars are going between £4000-5000 depending on their mileage...? 

I mean besides needing a new turbo during the 7/8th year of its life, the car has never caused me any problems so I feel like taking a gamble just to have it fixed and to continue using it/maininting it as best as I can. 

I could have it fixed and the new parts could last until 150,000 miles, you just never know? Is there any documented examples of these cars going up to those sorts of miles anywhere?

 

27 minutes ago, DanielCron said:

I just checked WBAC and apparently they would offer £2400 for it which surely cant't be right?

Seems right to me.

As you say yourself they sell for around £4000 plus which is what they would hope to be selling it at. Remember they exist for one reason, and only one reason, and that is to make a profit.

1 minute ago, DanielCron said:

Do you know of anyone who has repaired their original gearbox and also had the wet belt changed - how much longer did their Ford Fiesta last after they carried out all these repairs to keep it going? 

You'd  have to ask someone on the earlier threads who has had a gearbox repair, if they're still around. On the wet belt, I know people who have had them changed but as the cars are obviously only just over 10 years old the replacements are still only at 1-2 years.

2 minutes ago, DanielCron said:

I just checked WBAC and apparently they would offer £2400 for it which surely cant't be right? I have looked online and these cars are going between £4000-5000 depending on their mileage...? 

WBAC are trade/wholesale buyers, those prices at £4k+ will probably be retail.

12 minutes ago, DanielCron said:

I could have it fixed and the new parts could last until 150,000 miles, you just never know? Is there any documented examples of these cars going up to those sorts of miles anywhere?

Thread on high mileage Ecoboost still active at the mo:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/162405-wetbelt-mileage/#comment-1119412

The oldest of these cars only became due for a belt change in 2022/3. If the original belts last up to 10 years then it is reasonable to assume the replacements will do likewise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your replies, I appreciate your inputs.

I have it booked into a garage where I got my turbo replaced for next Tuesday.

However, the problem seems to have suddenly disappeared and I can't seem to replicate it again to see if it's still there....? Do you think the hot weather we experienced last week when it was 30 degrees could've caused it? I mean, I'm sure I've drove it in 30 degrees before in the past 9.5 years, but I never had a problem then.

Any idea what could be happening here?