2006 Ford Mondeo Titanium X review from France

Turbo failed. Oil seal failure allowed engine oil into turbo, inter-cooler and on into the combustion chambers. Engine 'ran away'.

Engine "hydraulicked". In other words it started burning its own engine oil. Car went out of control on the motorway. Unable to stop the engine even with ignition turned off. Engine was revving beyond the rev limiter.

Very dangerous situation. Eventually managed to stop the engine by stalling it on the hard shoulder, plus the engine also seized due to lack of oil. The car is just ten months old.

No problems up until then.

I would advise anyone thinking of buying a new Ford to look very closely at the 'Contract of Assistance'. If your new Ford goes badly wrong UK Ford Assist is contracted to the AA who can provide a hire car for only up to two days. My Mondeo was supplied in France. Here Mondial are 'Ford Assist'. They can arrange a loan car for up to four days.

The problem is that my car broke down in the UK on my way back to France. Mondial did not know what to do with me. I had the car towed to a Ford dealer in the South of the UK on a Sunday. They would not even look at my car until the Wednesday. I have had to pay for a hire car and now I have no car at all, yet I am paying for my new one and have nothing to drive. I do not know when I will get it back.

If your Ford is a UK one and it goes seriously wrong like mine, your dealer may sanction a loan car through Ford's warranty department, especially if any parts are on 'Back 'Order'. Ford France will not give you anything, they do not care. I have never experienced such arrogant and uncaring customer service. My Mondeo cost me over 29,000 Euros ten months ago. I might as well have bought secondhand.

As a footnote, I collected my Mondeo from the Ford dealer in the UK and drove it back to France. Coming off of the A16 autoroute at a junction ramp, the brakes completely failed. The foot brake pedal went straight to the floor. I very nearly crashed the car. There was no warning at all, no warning light and no secondary or back up braking system. My car is now waiting to go into a Ford dealer in France and I am without a car again.

After investigation it turned out that the mechanic(s) who replaced the engine, had not noticed that the front r/h/s flexible brake hose was not fastened into its clip. On my journey back to France, the hose had rubbed against the wheel until it ruptured and the brake fluid simply sprayed out of the hole when you pushed the brake pedal.

As a warning to all potential Ford purchasers in France, parts supply is very slow. The Ford dealer in the UK was able to get a flexible brake hose and courier it over, a day before the dealer in France could obtain one from their own parts distribution network! Imagine how long my engine wold have taken to fix in France? Then to add insult to injury, my garage in France charged me for the labour and brake fluid to do the job!! They wouldn't give me back my car key until I paid up. They said it was not a warranty claim and the cost was down to the dealer in the UK. You couldn't make it up.