1998 Ford Ka 2 from UK and Ireland - Comments

The problems with this car started the day after I bought it.

The main problem was a persistent overheating fault which the dealer couldn't repair, even after four attempts.

However, the electrics on the car were also very poor. The headlights and brake lights blew and the rear window wiper persistently didn't work. Also the radio was faulty and the dealer again couldn't fix it.

The steering was another problem area. On two occasions I had to call the AA due to power steering failure, resulting in a new rack being fitted. The garage overtightened the rack though when fitting it which meant the car was reluctant to straighten up after turning a corner.

Other minor faults included - inoperative heating (in the middle of winter!), rust patches on the doors, faded back bumper, trim coming loose on the doors and in the boot, and a leaky door.

I bought this car October 2002 and have just sold it back to the garage I bought it from as a part exchange against a brand new Ka.

This one was nothing but trouble. In 6 months of ownership I covered 6000 miles (not a lot for me), however the car was back 10 times, had the AA called to it 4 times, and I had a courtesy car for almost 3 of those months.

The main dealership I bought it from were simply not interested. I spoke to various people in the servicing department (including the service manager) and found them to be absolutely useless. They never returned my calls or apologised for the number of times the car was back. Eventually the manager of the dealership agreed to buy my car back for what I paid for it as a trade in against a new Ka.

On the plus side, the Ford Ka is a really nice drive - nippy, easy to drive with fantastic, communicative steering and amazing handling. It also is very fuel efficient.

Its probably best suited to single people or a couple as the back seats are too cramped for any more than occasional use. The boot is also quite small and it doesn't have a light.

I'd also like to warn Ka owners of a serious problem with this car. The spare wheel is mounted on a cradle underneath the car, and is highly susceptible to thieves. Both myself and my girlfriend (also a Ka owner) have suffered the theft of the spare wheel and it costs about £200 to replace by the time you get a new wheel and tyre. I'd advise asking your Ford dealer to remove the wheel from the cradle and placing it in the boot of the car where it is not vulnerable to theft.

Hmm that's quite weird... you buy a car that turns out to be a lemon of sorts from a garage that cannot help you that much either, and what's your response to all this? Buying the same model from the same garage... looks like some people are really asking for trouble!!!

I wrote the original review and would like to respond to the comment made above.

I didn't really have any choice, but to buy again from the original garage. The car was on a finance agreement and I owed more on the car than it was worth. The dealer only agreed to buy it back for what I paid for it as a gesture of goodwill because of the problems I'd experienced. I took the car to another garage and they offered me only £1500 for it (half what I paid). I took another Ka simply as my budget wouldn't stretch to a Fiesta and I didn't want another second hand car.

I believe Kas are reliable as my girlfriend also has one and has done 30000 miles in it in 18 months without a problem and I know of other people doing similar high mileages without trouble. I think my car was just a "pig in a poke" as my mum says!

Therefore I think its not really asking for trouble as such!

I am also A Ford KA 2002 owner. The car has the problem that it overheats. The problem is a wrong design of the aluminum part of the motor the one that is called "Head". The middle cylinders tend to be deform so that air can escape from the chamber and it goes directly to the water cooling system. This air gets trapped between the hot water and a valve, the latter opens when hot water reaches it, so that with the bubble of water there the valve will never open, and in the water circuit will be something like an open circuit.

I want to know if we can make something against Ford Motor Company.

I have bought a second hand X-reg KA2 that keeps breaking down and overheating- it has been at a Ford dealership for 2 days and it has taken a guy I work with to figure out the problem.

Basically, a faulty heater intake valve causes water to back-flow to the reservoir as it cannot circulate, which then spills out of the overflow in the reservoir. it then boils dry and smoke comes out under the bonnet. Whilst all this is happening, the temperature overheat light on the dash does not come on, does anyone else have this problem?

I have then had to ring the dealership and explain not only what the problem is, but why it would cause the overheat...

I will be taking your article along to see if it was a faulty valve, or air bubble, thank you. I am wondering if this is a problem Ford can rectify without the need for me to spend out on valves constantly, maybe with a new head at one-off cost, or reduced cost if this is a design fault.

I hope for everyones sake this can be rectified soon and cost effectively, I have never had problems with Ford in the past!

I have to say I was very put off and upset by the attitude and treatment by the engineers, but the Service Manager in my case was more of a help.

I have had many problems with my KA2 (1999). I have owned it now for nearly 2 years and all I have had is trouble! I'm sick of it so much that for the past 3 months I have been driving my boyfriends Clio as mine is so unreliable. The reason I have not sold it is because there is so much wrong with it and Ford have not got a clue what the problem is!

Lately, the exhaust fell off, suspension arms and springs broke, the wheel bearings had to be replaced, it keeps overheating even when I just pop to the shop, the heat sensor broke and this morning my car had almost flooded where rain leaked through the gap of the drivers door!!And don't even go there with the rust!

The main problem is that the battery keeps going flat for no reason, the battery, wires and alternator are all OK, and it also keeps stalling and cutting out whenever I slow down! 3 garages cannot explain what is wrong, and I even paid £300 for a ford service to see if they could find the problem. If anyone has any explanation for this please let me know because I am desperate to get it fixed so I can just get rid of it.

I would definitely never have a Ford again, as in general the staff at the garages are unhelpful and extremely patronising to women drivers. Also all of these problems are common faults, and they are not cheap faults to keep repairing every other month.

The good thing is that it looks good, is really nippy, is cheap to insure and is economical with petrol.

I have a Ford Ka that keeps cutting out when I brake. Does anyone have any idea what the cause is?

My mum has a Ford Ka car and it's brilliant. We havn't had no problems with it so far, and I am hoping that we don't.

You either love or hate the styling of the Ka. personally I hate it. the shape makes it look like a china teapot, of the sort you used to see modelled on 2cvs and morris minors.

When following one down the road, the rear view brings to mind those old commer vans on which the wheel track was so narrow they looked as though they would tip over. look how far in the rear wheels are set. and of course the laughable thing is its fitted with an engine design dating back to 1959 and the anglia 105e...no, really it is.. its no good hiding behind ECUs and fuel injection, and calling it "duratec" or "valencia" its still a kent OHV which is why after 80,000 miles the top end rattles like a spanner in a washing machine. come to think of it, I think the body style dates back to the '50s as well.. only then it was called an "Issetta".

To those of you that have posted a problem with your KA stalling, these are findings from my own experience.

I first changed the fuel filter - but this did not cure the stalling problem.

Secondly I changed the Idle Control Valve which sits in plain view on the air intake manifold, but still no cure.

I then went on to the throttle position sensor (on the throttle body which I cleaned out at the same time) but still no change.

Finally, I changed the Oxygen sensor and fitted a new exhaust as black fibreglass was starting to pop out of the exhaust pipe.

This did the trick, the oxygen sensor was the original on this car that had done 80,000 miles and the rear exhaust box seemed to have broken down so that the exhaust gases could not escape properly, possibly causing the car to stall. Your problem may be anyone of these causes, I had to go through quite a few expensive parts before I found the problem.

Good luck with yours.

I have a 1997 Ka that also does the stall/cut out thing under braking. The first time it did it on me I was doing 60 off the motorway, rather hair-raising stuff.

I've had a new exhaust back-box fitted, still the same issue. I was talking to a mechanic friend who said it was more than likely clogged up fuel filters. He went on to explain how it was causing a vacuum and cutting the engine out.

Another friend of mine has a Fiesta of the same year (exact same engine) which also did the stalling under braking. He took it back to the garage he bought it from, they changed the filters and he has had no issues since.

Other than that potentially lethal flaw, I'm fairly happy with the car. Handles well, decent fuel consumption and very reliable (although I haven't driven it in winter yet).

Hello all, well I am very sad that so many of you appeared to have so many issues with the Ka, I have recently had the use of a brand new Ka as a courtesy car, I so adore it, but then again its only for a couple of weeks and has only got 4k on the clock.

In response to people who keep experiencing stalling when they break in their car, I had a ford escort which had this problem, it took the dealership much to discover the issue and it cost me a fortune for their detective work, all I know is that it has something to do with cylinder 1, which does not hold full capacity when the engine is cold, hence why it usually doesn't happen when you have been driving for a while, it may even cause you to not pass your MOT due to the cylinder causing high emissions, to get this problem fixed would cost an awful lot of money i.e. £8-900 due to the fact that it may have bent a valve or two out of shape as well. hope this helps and good luck.

I have been a KA2 owner since 1997 and have covered over 70K miles. Apart from regular servicing and the usual tyres, back boxes and brake discs. The only problems I have had over this time are broken wires in the flexible connection on the drivers door, a new clutch, after the slave cylinder leaked at 56K and the heater not blowing hot air. The latter will be fixed with a new heater control valve. The car still drives and handles as well as the day it left the showroom.

My sister has a 1998 example which I maintain for her, and it has racked up 83,000 miles with utter reliability. The thing with the Ka is that you need to keep it regularly serviced and by someone who doesn't treat it like a modern car (i.e. change the oil and ignore everything else). The Ka's olde worlde mechanicals are as reliable as anything more modern, but do require additional fettling at service time. Do this and they reward you by running problem free until the next service. Ignore it, and the engine starts sounding sick, economy drops off, and the car goes downhill rapidly.

There are two tasks that have to be done religiously on the Ka at every service. The first is to unscrew the spark plugs, dab a smear of copper grease on the taper, and retorque them. This stops the tapered seats on the plugs from corroding themselves to the head. If this happens, it is nigh on impossible to remove the plugs without breaking them off, and that ranges from several hours labour to a new cylinder head depending on luck / competence of work. The second "must" is to check and adjust the valve clearances to keep the engine running sweetly and delivering its best economy. This, and oil and filter changes every 6-10,000 miles will give 150k+ of reliable service.

Like I said, this one is 83k up now, on pretty much routine servicing only. Uses about half a litre of oil between services, doesn't rattle at all and returns 42 mpg on her commute. It's also quite peppy around town, very capable on the motorway for such a tiny car, handles brilliantly and is reasonably refined. Of course it's a cheap car, and you can see where Ford saved the pennies. Almost every screw, nut and bolt in the engine bay is the cheapest available and rots / seizes unless carefully greased. Cosmetic finishing is also best described as spartan if you look closely. That said, what do you want for the £800 or so this car would fetch on the secondhand market? In my experience, it is better to drive, more comfortable, more dependable and cheaper to run and maintain over 100,000 miles than a Peugeot 106 or a small engined Clio.

13th Jun 2006, "which is why after 80,000 miles the top end rattles like a spanner in a washing machine"

Wrong.

Mine's done 94,000 miles. It's had the oil changed and the tappets set every 6,000 miles from new. Top end is silent, apart from the last 500 miles or so before service time when it sometimes starts to "tick" quietly. 10 minutes (yes really) with a set of feeler gauges and a 10mm spanner, and the replacement of a 96p cork gasket, and all is well again for another 6,000 miles. It's called maintenance.

Your other comments on the engine are laughable. It produces more torque at low to medium revs than any modern DOHC multivalve four of similar capacity and "shopping car" state of tune, and if serviced, these engines will breeze 200,000 miles.

Good comment above:

The old pushrod lump was chosen on cost grounds, plus as the commenter quite rightly points out, the fact that at town speeds and revs, produces much more torque than an equivalent sized, higher revving multivalve unit. It also returns over 40 mpg in the Ka and if serviced correctly and on time, it's utterly reliable.

This engine was superseded in the Ka in 2002 for the more modern SOHC 8v Duratec. It is said for all its extra refinement, to be significantly less responsive at town and city speeds than the old Endura-E / Kent / Valencia / whatever unit.

In the context of the car's design brief as an A to B city runabout, the Endura-E was a perfect choice. It's frugal, easy to work on (low service costs), reliable, and very torquey for a little 1.3 four pot. It also cost next to nothing in terms of R&D, which on a car available for under 6k brand new, I think is forgiveable.

Besides which, some of the smaller engines used by Peugeot and Renault go back to the 70's in basic design. Who cares in a small cheap car?