The Ford Focus RS Mk3 is one of the most exciting driver’s cars of recent times – it received a full five-star rating in these pages when we road tested it back in 2016.
But two years after the four-wheel-drive mega-hatch arrived offering sports car performance for just £32,765, a number of owners are reporting reliability issues.
A plume of white smoke on start-up is the telltale sign that something is amiss under the Focus RS’s bonnet, as are reports that low-mileage cars have needed new engines and that a parts supply issue is keeping some cars off the road for weeks. Online owners’ forums are rife with suggestions that about 15,000 cars around the world could be affected, yet no official recall has been issued by Ford.
So what exactly is going on with the Focus RS? With no official explanation of the issue from Ford, owners and independent specialists have had to come up with their own diagnosis. It seems to relate to the unique 2.3-litre Ecoboost four-cylinder engine used in the RS. Although the unit is built alongside the Ford Mustang’s four-pot motor at Ford’s Valencia engine plant in Spain, the 345bhp RS powerplant uses an aluminium head and block and features bespoke coolant passages.
The differing designs require unique head gaskets; fitting the wrong one can block certain passages, preventing the coolant from doing its job. This is what many experts now believe has happened to cause issues for some RS owners.
“Fitting the wrong gasket prevents the coolant from circulating properly, leading to overheating that can cause distortion of the head,” explained one specialist Ford garage, which asked to remain anonymous. “This prevents the gasket from sealing properly and can allow coolant to leak into cylinders two and three.”
Two things result from the burning of this fluid: rapid coolant consumption and, more noticeably, white smoke from the exhaust during cold running. But as the engine heats up, the head and block can seal again temporarily.
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work done but only lasted 30 miles
recall work done said passed compression test i arued it couldnt have as i have evidence was told to go find another dealer picked up car no evidence of anything provided to me drove home and it started misfiring again. literally an hour my "fix" lasted. now want to get rid of both we own
Work now done
Recall work now done. No need to change cylinder head. Seems like on the first few cars, the engine was replaced so Ford could check the problem. Did the replacement engines have the old style head gasket?
etis.ford.com now updated and recall letter received
Further to my last post, I received the recall letter 2 days ago, and the website etis.ford.com now shows the recall for the headgasket. Car returns to dealer on Monday for the work to be done, so Ford is getting there.