Ford Problems

IT COULD be the surface you're driving on. Tyres will often squeal when driving slowly over some surfaces in car parks, showrooms and places like that. Even if they squeal on those surfaces they shouldn't squeal at normal driving speed. You could try increasing the pressure to 34-36psi and see what happens. If that doesn't help check the alignment.

FORD has done the right thing and replaced the problem hoses without you having to ask. But what happens if a dealer isn't as thorough and doesn't automatically make the change? And there are people who don't take their cars to Ford dealers for service and will miss out, or can't afford to have them serviced at all. A partial recall isn't enough; it's only going halfway to correct what is a serious safety issue.

I AM at a loss to how they could get the brake hose length wrong; someone should lose their job over it. But having got it wrong, Ford should have had a full recall and made sure that the problem hoses are removed so no one's safety is put at risk. As for the power steering hoses, we have had a few reports, but nothing like the number of reports on the brake hoses.

TAKE it to the RACV or NRMA and ask their inspectors to check it. There are also private companies that check cars to make sure they're properly repaired, but the reality is your car is old and has problems. Even though you can't afford to buy another one, that is the best course of action. The repairs to your car are likely to cost more than it's worth.

IT SHOULDN'T happen, but there is clearly a problem with the tensioner, which has allowed the chain to slacken and eventually break. When a chain breaks it often results in serious damage to the engine, and I'm not surprised it cost so much to repair. I reckon Ford treated you badly by simply paying for the tensioner kit when they should in my mind have paid for most, if not all, of the repair costs. Go direct to Ford and request they reimburse you.

YES, it's quite a common problem with Falcons.

FORD is expected to announce a new gas-injection system for the facelifted Falcon due this year. It will then be able to offer electronic stability control. An alternative is to buy a petrol Falcon with ESC and have the dealer fit a dual-fuel gas-injection system.

Fords have a split-circuit braking system that ensures you at least have front or rear brakes after a failure of either system. Owners reporting no brakes when a hose fails on a Falcon or a Territory may feel as though they have lost all brakes, but they do still have some braking to stop the car. If a hose does fail the pedal will go almost to the floor before you get any braking effect. Australian design rules require carmakers to demonstrate there is sufficient braking power to stop the car if either the front or rear brakes fail. That's not much consolation for the person at the wheel and it simply shouldn't happen. We are taking this up with Ford and pressing for a recall of affected vehicles.

IT'S great you are happy, but you had to ask. If you hadn't read about the problem you wouldn't have known there was one. Wouldn't it have been better if Ford had contacted you and told you of the problem and asked you to take your car in to have the brake hoses changed? I would have been angry with Ford for letting me and my family drive the car around with a potentially dangerous flaw. I note the dealer replaced all brake hoses, because some are only changing the rear hoses, another example of the inconsistent approach by Ford and its dealers.

THE systems work by applying the brakes individually and interrupting the fuel supply to individual cylinders. The LPG system Ford uses doesn't allow the fuel to each cylinder to be cut individually, whereas it can be with the fuel-injection system in petrol engines. Ford will switch to a gas-injection system soon, and will then be able to offer stability control and traction control on gas models.