Start Stop Deathtrap

[Deathtrap]

I really need some help, my Mum has a Ford Fiesta Zetec 1 litre start- stop. It has been up on the ramp - three times. When she is out and about the CPU is turning itself on, or suddenly cuts out resulting in a loss of power. This causes an inability to accelerate, every time she goes out. The CPU, it seems to have no pattern in when it turns itself on and off, my Mum who is an excellent driver has had three occasions where, had she not taken swift action, would not be with us now. It has been taken to the top people, who have said they have never heard of this problem before. Now, she is expected to pay £2000 for a new CPU, even though the last two times it was up on the ramp they thought they have solved it. It is just out of warranty. How can we take this further, has anyone heard of this kind of fault before? Many Thanks

[alexp999]

Ordinarily this would have been deleted, however I've moved the post to the correct location for you. Please ensure you take note of the announcements and pinned topics when posting.

As for the issue, I assume you've been told it needs a new ECU? £2k seems a bit excessive, is this with an independent or main dealer?

If it's only just out of warranty and has been serviced by Ford since new you can usually have a gesture of good will from Ford which covers some or all of the cost.

Alternatively you could pursue a Consumer Rights Act claim against the business you bought it from, on the grounds it hasn't last a reasonable amount of time.

[jbell]

How many garages has it been seen at? Might be worth getting a second opinion if you haven't already. 

Limp mode can be caused by many things. 

[TomsFocus]

Is it fully cutting out or just going into limp mode with reduced power?

Even at dealer prices, £2k seems a lot for a PCM change.  I assume they've tried the latest PCM update?  Probably around £100 at John Grose as I see you're in Suffolk.  What else have they changed so far?

[Mavroz]

If it is cutting out causing swift action to be made that could result in anyone not being here now i can only ask why is the car still being driven?

I would suggest leave it with the garage and don't drive it..

A garage can only fault find until they eliminate potential issues. If they have narrowed it down to the ECU being faulty then a new ECU it looks like needing. If it is just out of warranty and has been serviced by a main dealer they may help with some of the cost, they may not, it is up to them.

Making a claim against them will probably result in a drawn out case with no help being offered by them at all.

Whichever route you chose as said I wouldn't be driving around in it as it could be an accident waiting to happen to yourselves or someone else.

[rocket_111]

Was this issue registered when the warranty was still valid? If so, it's an ongoing fault, which needs to be fixed by Ford. As said above, don't drive the car until its sorted...