Hi all. I have a 2015 Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost which has done 50,100 miles. It’s serviced yearly at Ford. Have had breakdown out to it today as it wouldn’t start. No error codes showing and he was unsure what could have caused the issue. He mentioned that the stop and start switch does not seem to reset when the engine starts. I had problems around 6 years ago with the engine cutting out and had a new battery and starter motor. Initially today , he thought it could be the wet belt. This hasn’t been changed as Ford told me last year that it hasn’t done enough mileage. But the car is 10 years old. I’ve booked it in with Ford to be checked. Just wondering if the belt should have been changed and is a wet belt the same as a timing / cam belt? Appreciate any advice. Thanks 

A wetbelt is a wet timing belt. In other words, a timing belt that is running though the oil like a timing chain.

The 1.0 EcoBoost actually has 2 wetbelts. The main wetbelt between the crankshaft and the camshafts and another small wetbelt between te crankshaft and the oil pump.


On a wetbelt engine it is very important to respect the service intervals (both time and miles between services) and the replacement intervals of the wetbelts. The replacement interval is 150.000 Miles/10 Years (whichever comes first).

Especially on low mileage engines it is very important to have the wetbelts replaced with the prescribed time regardless of the actual mileage. Low mileage engines even seem to suffer more from wetbelt failure than higher mileage engines.

If the wetbelt failed your engine will be scrap and you are facing a new engine. Since the wetbelt replacement interval does not seem to be respected you will be fully liable for all costs. The owner always remains responsible for respecting the service schedule. It is a very strange advice to not replace the wetbelts (do you have this on paper or Email by any chance?) but this does not make the dealership liable.


If the wetbelts turn out to be still intact, they should be replaced as soon as possible. 
 

@JW1982 Thanks so much for this information. 
No, the Ford garage verbally told me last year that it didn’t need replacing yet. It’s booked in next week at a different Ford garage so I will mention this . 

If the breakdown service got it started then the problem IS NOT THE WET BELT!

3 hours ago, anon said:

If the breakdown service got it started then the problem IS NOT THE WET BELT!

Yes. Not that clear from the initial post, but it now looks as if it is able to be driven? In which case snapped belts can't be the cause, but Wilco's advice to get them changed asap certainly applies.

4 hours ago, kash645 said:

the Ford garage verbally told me last year that it didn’t need replacing yet.

Given that we don't know exactly when in 2015 the car was first registered, the advice from the Ford dealer could have been given as early as January 2024, almost 2 years ago, and would have been technically correct at that time. Should have been done this year at the very latest, though, and many advise an earlier change, at 8/9 years, particularly on cars doing low mileage.

4 hours ago, kash645 said:

It’s booked in next week at a different Ford garage so I will mention this .

Be aware that Ford main dealer charges for this job can be expensive. The going rate at a good independent is around the £1,000 mark, we've seen up to double that quoted by some Ford dealers. 

,

 

Yes, choose an independent for this work. Several are specialists and just do Ecoboosts. They are well practiced and therefore quick and unlikely to break anything.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Apologies if the original post was unclear. I asked about the wet belt because reading other posts on here, the suggestion is that it should be replaced after 10 years and it hasn’t been yet. The RAC got the car started after faffing around for a bit. I’ve had no warning lights on the dashboard and no issues with the car until yesterday. It was serviced in August 2025.

The RAC initially thought the wet belt could be the problem but then said that it was unclear what was causing the issue. He mentioned that the start and stop button wasn’t resetting when the engine was turned on.

I I have the car booked in at Ford for a diagnostic check next week . I don’t really know what caused it not to start yesterday?

I’ve seen that wet belt replacement can be really expensive. I’m guessing it’s fairly labour intensive too. I know the basics about cars but not a lot beyond that!! I think I’m savvy enough to know that Ford will charge me a fortune to replace the wet belt so if I can find an independent garage to do it then I will. 
 

I expect it didn't start because your battery is old and it is cold outside.

2 hours ago, anon said:

I expect it didn't start because your battery is old and it is cold outside.

I had a new battery about 6 years ago. I’d driven it on Saturday and it cut out once at the traffic lights. The stop and start didn’t work so I’d turned the car off and then back on. It managed 50 miles on the motorway and seemed ok. It started the following day but not on Monday. Had a similar issue 6 years ago when it kept cutting out . The garage had it in for a week and couldn’t find what the issue was so put a new battery and starter motor in. How long do batteries usually last for? I probably do around 5000 miles a year. 

8 minutes ago, kash645 said:

How long do batteries usually last for? I probably do around 5000 miles a year. 

On a modern car with start/stop it can be as little as 3/4 years. By contrast, my wifes 12 year old car, without such fripperies, is still on the original battery.

NB low temperature and low battery voltage are among the many reasons start/stop fails to operate, some of which are mentioned in the handbook:

 

The system may not shut down the engine under certain conditions, for example:

• To maintain the interior climate.
• Low battery voltage.
• The outside temperature is too low or too high.
• The driver door has been opened.
• Low engine operating temperature.
• Low brake system vacuum.
• If a road speed of 5 km/h (3 mph) has not been exceeded.
• The driver safety belt has not been fastened.