I hope you can help!

My new Ford Ka is an April 2014 model and I have experienced the following problems:

1. Hill starts - very slow to respond even in first gear (on steep inclines) and feels like car will stall, then suddenly a whoosh of power.

2. Cold starts - 2 or 3 attempts to get the engine to engage and again the sluggush response folliwed by (what seems to be) over reviving (whoosh of power).

3. Sharp Breaking Hazards - I'm not aware that these come on when I have had to break hard (I assumed something would be activated on the dash to indicate they had come on).

This is a new car and I haven't driven one before so I am not sure if I just need to 'get to grips with it' (25 years of driving different cars under my belt tho!) or if there are know problems with the Ford Ka?

Any advise before I contact the Ford Dealership would be much appreciated.

Cheers

E

the problems your getting should not be happening. i would take back to garage to get it sorted.

.

I hope you can help!

My new Ford Ka is an April 2014 model and I have experienced the following problems:

1. Hill starts - very slow to respond even in first gear (on steep inclines) and feels like car will stall, then suddenly a whoosh of power.

2. Cold starts - 2 or 3 attempts to get the engine to engage and again the sluggush response folliwed by (what seems to be) over reviving (whoosh of power).

3. Sharp Breaking Hazards - I'm not aware that these come on when I have had to break hard (I assumed something would be activated on the dash to indicate they had come on).

This is a new car and I haven't driven one before so I am not sure if I just need to 'get to grips with it' (25 years of driving different cars under my belt tho!) or if there are know problems with the Ford Ka?

Any advise before I contact the Ford Dealership would be much appreciated.

Cheers

E

I also have the hill start issue you describe.

I contacted Ford as I think this could be a remnant of the issues that the FIAT 500 is suffering from, but Ford insist that it is not.

FIAT have just release an ECU software update which apparently sorts this type of issue.

But Ford say there is no issue. As the KA and the FIAT 500 are pretty much the same car, I do wonder......

The other issues I'm not sure about, but after ha ing 3 ford KAs in the last 5 years, the hazards generally only.come on in an emergency stop situation

I have the same problem i got my car in november 2014 i traded in my old ka which went up hills etc fine, i now have a 2014 ka and what a nightmare, like you i have been back to where i purchased it from they have run tests saying it's fine, they told me they would put an update in so i waited for 2 hours to be told they had run tests again! i have sent emails to head office but they told me today they don't want to know and that i am to go back to where i purchased it from and surprise surprise i haven't had a call back from the place i got it from, this is so frustrating as there is DEFINITELY something wrong.

I have the same problem i got my car in november 2014 i traded in my old ka which went up hills etc fine, i now have a 2014 ka and what a nightmare, like you i have been back to where i purchased it from they have run tests saying it's fine, they told me they would put an update in so i waited for 2 hours to be told they had run tests again! i have sent emails to head office but they told me today they don't want to know and that i am to go back to where i purchased it from and surprise surprise i haven't had a call back from the place i got it from, this is so frustrating as there is DEFINITELY something wrong.

I traded in my old KA and now mine is doing the same! What update were they putting in, new software? My local garage seem clueless. I know its not my driving, my old car wasn't like this.

hi louisa, my garage keep getting me to go in to do diagnostic tests which all come back fine i have to have a courtesy car in a few weeks time whilst more tests are done. they keep changing their minds about the updates one minute i'm having it done then the next its only for automatic cars its very frustrating as they keep denying what they have told me. Head office say one thing and then the garage all the staff are saying different things to each other.

hi louisa, my garage keep getting me to go in to do diagnostic tests which all come back fine i have to have a courtesy car in a few weeks time whilst more tests are done. they keep changing their minds about the updates one minute i'm having it done then the next its only for automatic cars its very frustrating as they keep denying what they have told me. Head office say one thing and then the garage all the staff are saying different things to each other.

I'll try and get mine back in with my garage. I'm also trying to get through to Ford Head Office to see if they know anything about this. If there are a few of us experiencing this maybe they know of an issue? I'll post back here if I get anywhere.

yes we all need to keep trying. head office told me it wasn't their problem but i am still going to keep contacting them and if i don't get anywhere with the tests i am having done at the end of the month i will contact trading standards, citizens advice and watchdog lol