1997 Ford Mondeo Ghia X from UK and Ireland - Comments

15th Mar 2004, 09:45

"Luxury and comfort for less"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

My catalyst disintegrated at 80000 miles, replacement cost over £300.

The heater fan has failed on all, but setting 4.

HT Leads seem to need replacing at regular intervals, always check these first if your mondeo starts idling badly. I have now used two sets.

Front tires wear quickly.

Suspension problems are common, I have now had all front bushes and shock absorbers replaced, and have failed at each MOT because of this.

Most of these problems however are not unreasonable in a car of 100000 miles, and the general mechanics feel sound.

General comments?

Although my mondeo`s had its niggles it still feels like it would take a lot to break it entirely! Whether this is due to its weight, or the luxurious interior, I am not quite sure!

The trim quality and equipment levels are first class, with full leather which is wearing extremely well, and more gadgets than you could wish for, most of which are still working!

Fuel economy is pretty good for a 2.0 lump, especially as it spends a lot of its life in towns and short journeys. The computer is currently showing 28.5 mpg average and has not been reset for many miles.

The 2.0 engine does not feel the quickest around, but will respond fairly well if you push it, and will just purr all day on the motorway, especially with the cruise control on.

All in all, a lot of car for a little outlay, and ideal if you want a touch of luxury in something, that is also realistic to own and maintain.

I am seriously considering another mondeo, possible a V6 after this one, and as I have never considered the same car twice before, than this probably means I like it!


31st Mar 2004, 03:34

The heater issue sounds like the pollen filter may be blocked. This should be replaced every 2 years or 20k. Many Ford dealers do not bother doing this!


17th Apr 2004, 14:04

On the V6 issue... do it!

I have been toying with the idea of buying a V6 for a while now and last week I bit the bullet and went for it buying a very mint '98 R Ghia X 24v V6.

All I can say is that the car is fabulous, plain and simple.


31st Jul 2004, 06:37

The reason his heater isn't working has nothing to do with the comment about the pollen filter. The reason it is not working is the heater resistor pack is broken and is easily fixed, see

http://www.mirez.co.uk/HeaterPack.htm for more info.


5th Sep 2004, 00:49

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Heater fan problem _ We have a1.8LX and a 2.0L Ghia, both had problems with the fan. I managed to resolve it by disconnecting and then cleaning the contacts on the plug which connects the switch wiring to the rest of the harness. The connector is found by removing the carpet above the passengers footwell and the the connector is found on the right handside. It may be due to condensation as one half of the connector is secured to the body through to the engine bay. It has worked for both of our cars.

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