Replaced:
Catalytic converters 3 times.
Steering rack and pump.
Alternator.
Wiper trapezium.
Electrically heated bonnet.
Washer jets caused a fire.
Sunroof seized.
Gearbox, speedo and engine management system play up so the auto box won't select gears.
Central locking plays up in cold damp weather.
Uses 1 litre of water every 500 miles and Ford can't find the fault or leak.
Overdrive button on the gear lever snapped off.
Microswitch that indicates that the boot is open gives a false reading.
Many niggly electrical faults
The design, comfort and spec of the car are good. The performance is good, but the build quality and component quality is poor. This is the least reliable Ford I have had and I started with a Mk2 Zodiac in 1967. I won't buy another Ford, I have a BMW now but am struggling to sell the Scorpio!! Ford are stupid to let their quality slip like this.
Hmmmm these comments sound awfully familiar... yes our auto box broke... and well the engine jumps on idle not maintaining steady revs... and electrical faults well all the interior lights stayed on, boot light won't work, air con packed in... and and all the cheap plastic wood... can we have real stuff like in a roller or is that asking too much?. Oh and we had the lack of judgement of picking a 2.0 model, our previous ones had been 2.8/2.9 and well I think a micra 1.1 would out accelerate it...
As far as equipment level goes... well... our first one an 85 Scorpio has electric rear seats, yet this ultima we have it doesn't even have passenger electric seats! rip off I say.. oh and ford want £15 to tell us what the keycode is...
I have a '95 24v Ultima with 147k miles on the clock. This car runs like a dream and has never failed to perform or reward with a superb drive and relaxed luxury. Whilst some have had problems, I'm sure that they are not a true representation of the overall merits of the car. The only problem I have had is the remote boot opener not working! It is worth remembering that an equivalent BMW or Mercedes would cost quite a bit more to buy and maintain.
I have to agree with this original post I'm afraid. A lovely car, but its just so unreliable. I bought one with 66,000 on the clock with a full service history and had problem after problem with it, sold it after 3 months couldn't afford the repairs anymore! To complicated perhaps or just poor quality materials I'm not sure.
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