2000 Ford Mondeo Zetec from UK and Ireland - Comments

High level brake light fell off of mounting after 4,000 miles. Replaced at 10,000 and 20,000 miles service. Fell off within 500 miles of replacement.

CV (Constant Velocity) joint failed at 15,000 miles.

Air conditioning failed at 22,000 miles.

CV joint failed again at 30,000 miles.

Now due for 30,000 mile service - and I have given up on getting the high level light fixed properly!

For a mid engined family saloon, the Zetec Mondeo is a good package.

Excellent chassis and suspension setup give great feedback to the driver. Power steering does not affect the direct involvement of the driver.

There is enough in the way of creature comforts and gadgets, without being overwhelmed with buttons.

The high level brake light has been irritating, particularly when it detached at night. Swinging around inside the car, flashing on and off as I hit the pedals. Very irritating.

However, the main falling down point for me has been the poor build quality of the CV joint. A car that can be pushed through the corners should be engineered to be able to cope with the strain of doing just that.

I have a Zetec-S 2001 (Mark 2). Bought secondhand at 46k seemingly in excellent order. At 50k CV joints both replaced due to wear, along with two front springs as one had just broke, previously had new anti-roll bar bushes to cure handling problems. Was not expecting suspension work for a long time, but after reading above review maybe we'll be in the garage again shortly? Admittedly the car is driven hard, but how do Ford expect their customers who buy sporting models to drive?

There is a known fault with CV joints on some late mk2 Mondeos. It's caused by a build error where the rubber gaiters were fitted incorrectly at the factory. Water and grit gets in and the grease gets out leading to premature failure.

Replacing the joint, gaiter and clips (don't reuse any of the old parts!) and fitting the new gaiter carefully and correctly will resolve the problem.

My 2000 Mondeo's CV joints were clicking and popping when I bought it. It cost me UKP 80 for two quality aftermarket CV joint kits, and an afternoon of work. The car has since done 30,000 miles without further problem. The seller dropped 250 quid for it as well! Bargain!

Not a big job to do either. About an hour per side to get the driveshaft out, and about 20 minutes per side to swap the joint, grease it and fit the new gaiter and clips. Nice bit of engineering the Mondeo too - everything comes apart and slots back together nice and easy. Much better than earlier Fords, and overall a lovely car to work on.