Slipping clutch. Can be £500 to £700 to replace due to dismantling involved, though some specialists will do it for £300.
Infamous 'pulling to the left' caused by kerbing damage, by worn track control arm bushes, by misaligned reassembly of front subframe after clutch replacement or by failure to re-track properly after replacing track control arms. Look for uneven tyre wear (outer shoulder wear normal).
A bang on a speed bump can knock out the otherwise well protected catalytic converter on 4-cylinder cars.
ST 200 has very short gears and traction problems.
Question-mark over longevity of front wishbone bushes on all models, especially V6. Suspension bags out after 120,000 miles. Reports of early front coil spring failures on 'R' and 'S' reg cars, now also coming in on earlier cars.
Report of £500 diesel injector pumps "only" lasting 100,000 miles, but this could be due to the lack of lubricity of the fuel being used.
Reports of driveshaft failures on the last of the Mk II 'W' and 'X' reg Mondeos. Seems the driveshaft UJ boot clips were wrongly fitted, allowing water ingress to the UJs causing them to fail. Ford originally offered free replacement for affected cars, but not any more.
Chrome comes off the smart 12 spoke wheels fitted to some high spec Mondeos at the time of the 97MY facelift.
Screenwasher pumps apt to clog up. The simple cure is to use a bamboo cane or similar to give the reservoir a stir, but better to flush the reservoir out with a fairly high pressure hose and get rid of the gunk in there. Also make sure screenwash pipes have not become trapped or kinked in bonnet hinge.
Reports of 2nd gear band breaking up in 4-speed autobox, contaminating the ATF and requiring the box to be rebuilt. These boxes tend to have a life of 60k - 90k.
Reports of water leaks into boot through rear light seals, but only seems to affect 1999-2000 build cars.
Loss of power on 1.8 turbo diesel may simply be due to a split in a pipe to the turbo.
On 2,544cc V6s, plastic impeller of waterpump can crack leading to overheating, 4 speed autoboxes don't last, secondary air intakes get gunked up leading to poor performance. Wiring loom under the battery prone to acid attack.
If ABS fitted, make sure light goes out after 3 seconds or new pump or ECU may be needed.
Shafts of front electric window winder mechanism can go: make sure both work.
More than its fair share of recalls. If automatic, make sure shifts are smooth and check ATF which should be red, not black. Timing belts belts on diesels only good for 3 years or 36,000 miles.
Reports of shorting out of resistors to heater/ventilator fan motor of 1996 and 1997 build cars. (Repair/replacement kit: '97BG18A336AA...1 056972) Resistors situated upper RH side of passenger footwell. If you smell an electrical fire, this is the first place to look for the source.
On Zetec E petrol engines, several reports of timing belt tensioner pulley heating up and shattering after 5 - 6 years and 60 - 80,000 miles. Essential to replace the pulley at the same time as the belt.
Alarm sensors under the rear windows of V6 Ghia estates can suffer water ingress leading to electrical short and flat battery.
Only the 1.8 engine with hydraulic lifters is suitable for conversion to lpg. 1.8 engines with mechanical lifters tend to burn out their valves.
Watch out for corroded lower radiator pipes/connectors on older Mondeos. Can lead to sudden loss of coolant.
2000W and 2000W cars can have failed rear light cluster seals, failed front road springs and failed CV joints due to water penetration through the CV gaiters.
Open both rear doors and check for rust in the permanently wet crevice where the lower rubber sealing strip ends just before the rear wheel arch. May be minor, but may have taken hold quite seriously.
Corroded rear brake pipes where they pass over the fuel tank (an MOT failure point).
Zetec has ABS but they can feel weak on stopping power or spongey on the pedals, best way to avoid this... avoid a Zetec with rust on the disks.
The fuel filler flap is electrically released by an electric motor from the inside & fails to work on a lot of them. Make sure you check that because if you drive it away & need to fill up with petrol you will be stuck because the flap won't release!
The Electric forward/backward seat adjustment doesn't always work. It can't be done manually.
16-8-2011: On 2.5 and 3.0 V6, a rumble from the front may mean that the bottom crank pulley damper assembly 4659709 is starting to separate around the rubber insert in the middle of the flat dinner plate sized wheel. Costs £83.23 + vat. Pulley Assy £25.47 +vat and the V-Belt £17.86+vat Total Labour £82.00. Separation is usuallly more marked on the inside than the side one can observe. If it fails completely then engine is written off.
1998 Mondeos with passenger airbags built Aug '96-Feb '97: passenger airbag may go off while car is stationary.
Ford Mondeo V6 with ABS (Dec '97-Jan '98): ABS system may fail
17/04/1998 R/1998/033 FORD Mondeo V6 vehicles (fitted with ABS/TCS) anti lock brake system may cease to function due to electrostatic discharge build dates 01/12/1997 30/01/1998.
TSB 47/1997: Procedure and parts to correct hot weather pinking of 1.8s.
October 1999: Mondeos built Sept-Nov 1998 recalled to cure possible failure of door latches.
TSB issued to replace door light switches of cars built 8/96 to 11/98 as can cause current leakdown and alarm problems.
2000: Mondeos built June '95-Sept '97 recalled to check for chafing of front seatbelt webbing.
30/5/2000: 160,376 Mondeos without ABS built 2/1/96 to 7/8/98 recalled to replace rear brake pressure limiting valve which may corrode and leak.
2001 TSB to add section of damper pipe to power steering of 1999 cars to prevent clonking from steering when negotiating uneven surfaces.
8/10/2001: recall of 32,665 Mondeos and Cougars built 1/11/1999 to 1/5/2000 because parking brake ratchet can lose a tooth. Lever ratchet assembly to be replaced.
2001 TSB to fit 24v V6 models with larger air intake pipe to cure tendency for engine to hunt when idling.
10-7-2002: Battery cable may chafe on automatic transmission valve cover plate. 8,888 Mondeos affected.
The original Mondeo on CDW27 platform with most of its faults corrected. Decent build, decent handling, tremendous 'feelgood factor', multi-adjustable steering wheel (in, out, up, down). 14' 8" long by 6' 4" wide and weighing from 1,235kg to 1,375kg. 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback or longer 15' 2" estate.
89bhp 1.6 Zetec E; 113bhp 1.8 Zetec E; 128bhp 2.0 Zetec E; 87bhp 1.8 diesel; 168bhp 2.5 V6 (Si and ST24). ST200 from January 1999 had 202bhp.
Hugely improved in 1997 model year facelift, which made the 5-door much better looking than the rather dowdy 93K-96N original; three lap/diagonal rear belts now standard. Faults virtually all eliminated from '97 model year and 2.0LX can offer 40 mpg economy.
Very strong bodyshell at the front. Comparatively good performance in NCAP crash tests. Easy and cheap to repair body damage. 1997 MY on is sensational used value for money and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
BMW, Toyota and Ford jointly suffered the fewest breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001. Enthusiasts and problem solving website: www.fordmondeo.org
Ford had 7th lowest average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 65.51 v/s lowest 31.93)Ford 4th top top of Reliability Index for 2004 combining very low average cost of repair of £207.58 with average 32.16 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk Petrol models and diesels 1995-1997 rated average for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.
9th most reliable 4 - 8 year old car in the UK according to 2008 Warranty Direct claims figures.
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Facelift of original. Criticisms of original very good Mondeo overcome, fine combination of ride, handling, performance, economy, and cheap maintenance.
Limited cockpit storage for odds and ends. Four-speed autos are short-lived. Manual clutches expensive to replace.
What is your car like to live with?
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