‘I’m a used car expert avoid any model fitted with this troublesome engine’

A motoring expert has blasted an engine fitted to some of the most popular cars in the UK. Leading YouTube channel ScottishCarClan has claimed the Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is one of the “worst” on the road.

Giving his personal opinion, the expert warned that concerns around the viability of the rubber timing belt can lead to oil issues and eventually critical damage. The earlier design is fitted in many second-hand models with Ford Focus and Fiesta models among those likely affected. The specialist claimed he had seen “so many customers” having to replace their engines in a major blow to cash-strapped road users.

ScottishCarClan said: "There's an older version of the EcoBoost which is referred to as the Fox. Now this is the worst engine and generally you're going to find it in pre-2019 cars.

“Little asterisk on that, there are some Ford models where this Fox engine was stuck into later-year cars. I've spoken about these EcoBoost engines quite a bit in the past so I won’t get into all the technical detail.

“But to give you a really high-level overview, essentially, in the EcoBoost engine, the rubber timing belt is buried within the engine and it runs through the hot engine oil… That rubber timing belt starts to break up into little pieces.

“The little pieces of rubber find their way into the oil. It gets caught in the oil pickups and the oil lines, and makes a right old mess inside that engine, that links to oil starvation which of course then leads to critical damage to the engine.

“I’ve seen so many customers, so many people have to replace engines in these and be completely out of pocket for cars they haven't really owned that long.”

According to experts at ClickMechanic, the Ford 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine has been affected by some reliability issues. In particular, the specialist explained the engine suffered from coolant leaks with models built between 2011 and 2014 among the most affected.

They explained that overheating and engine block cracks were also an issue for some Ford Fiesta and Focus models fitted with the unit. Certain models have also been suffering from turbocharger failures, which can arise from oil supply problems.

ClickMechanic urged road users to update their oil as regularly as possible in a bid to preserve their EcoBoost engine.

They explained: “Frequent and timely oil changes are crucial. Ford EcoBoost engines are particularly sensitive to oil quality due to their turbocharged nature, which can lead to faster oil degradation. It’s recommended to use high-quality synthetic oil that meets Ford’s specifications and to adhere to the recommended oil change intervals.”

A statement from Ford issued to Express.co.uk read: "Ford is confident in the robustness and reliability of its EcoBoost engine technology when the stated guidelines for maintenance and service are followed.

"Ford UK is happy to investigate service support and/or goodwill compensation measures for any customer who believes they have had an EcoBoost engine issue and is happy to review cases with a full-service history for vehicles up to ten years old with less than 150,000 miles."