Known issues

[xr8 007]

Hi all,
Looking at buying a petrol Mondeo wagon from about 2010 to 2014 range. Wondering if the mondeo suffered the same issues with the auto that focus and fiesta did?
thanks in advance

[Mondaveo]

You're talking about the Powershift which is the Ford name for a range of automatic dual-clutch transmissions made by Getrag.

Fiesta and (petrol) Focus used what's known as a 'dry' clutch set-up. These were the Powershift units that became notorious for multiple failure modes due to overheating, contamination on the clutch plates and failures of the electronics.

Mondeo (and diesel Focus) used a 'wet' clutch variant, where the clutches are continuously bathed in fluid. This design was mostly immune to the problems experienced with the dry clutch versions, and is generally reliable apart from some proportion having electronics issues (my own car falls into this category - experienced a faulty sensor which made the gearbox perform less than optimally). The caveat is the gearbox requires the fluid to be changed at 5yr/60,000km intervals, and this is pricey but it is absolutely imperative you adhere to the service schedule.

For the model years you specify, the Powershift gearbox was fitted to Mondeos with either the Ecoboost 2.0L turbo petrol engine and the Duratorq 2.0L turbo diesel engine. There was a third 'base' engine option appearing in the cheapest LX grade, the Duratec 2.3L NA petrol, which actually uses a conventional torque-converter automatic gearbox made by Aisin.

As a point of detail, the Mondeo wagon only came with a petrol engine in the base LX trim, being the 2.3L NA with torque converter. Otherwise, your only choice with the wagon was the diesel. The 2.3 + torque converter combo is reliable and has no known issues, but it is also the least dynamic option.

By and large, the Mondeo with wet-clutch Powershift is reliable. It just gets a bad rap due to sharing the name with the truly flawed dry-clutch units. This can work to your favour when buying second-hand. That said they can sometimes still go wrong, and problems tend to be expensive to fix. But if you look out for the two or three typical issues, and keep the maintenance up then they are usually perfectly dependable (and drive pretty well too).

[aussiblue]

Can I suggest that asking a Forum of mostly Ford enthusiast this question is not going to get you totally objective unbiased advice. As hard as we try, we are going to be somewhat biased towards Fords and further, if we own the car in question, are unlikely to want to even subconsciously acknowledge that perhaps it wasn't the best choice by describing it faults. I love my Falcon for example but I accept the majority (but not all) of Toyotas and Hondas are more reliable.

Pay the $10 and get a brutally objective and comprehensive review on it and two other vehicles you might consider (or your existing vehicle to check the review against your own experience) from the Dog & Lemon Guide at https://dogandlemon.com/ Read the free sample review of the Landrover Freelander on the Dog & Lemon home page to see how brutally honest they are. At worse you will get a good list of what often goes wrong so you can look out for those fault when shopping around and also find what engine transmission combinations are the most reliable. It will also give you advice on comparable vehicles you should consider. Dog & Lemon is produced by an NZ company but they collect data from owners and workshops in NZ, Australia and the UK. It's $10 well spent and it what I recommend to anyone buying new or used car. I have always found their reviews spot on. Don't watch their crazy video as it unfairly put you off; the guy knows his cars but he is not good TV material.

[NZ XR6]

Mondaveo has nailed the model lineup. I was disappointed that you couldn't get the wagon with EcoBoost, but ended up with a runout deal on a 2010 MB diesel wagon with the 6 speed auto. I still have it!

But you'll be looking at the 2.3 petrol with the same auto. It's basically the old Mazda 6 engine with a Jap auto and as reliable as you'd expect. A bit sluggish as the Mondeo wagon is heavier than a Mazda 6.

[xr8 007]

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

You're talking about the Powershift which is the Ford name for a range of automatic dual-clutch transmissions made by Getrag.

Fiesta and (petrol) Focus used what's known as a 'dry' clutch set-up. These were the Powershift units that became notorious for multiple failure modes due to overheating, contamination on the clutch plates and failures of the electronics.

Mondeo (and diesel Focus) used a 'wet' clutch variant, where the clutches are continuously bathed in fluid. This design was mostly immune to the problems experienced with the dry clutch versions, and is generally reliable apart from some proportion having electronics issues (my own car falls into this category - experienced a faulty sensor which made the gearbox perform less than optimally). The caveat is the gearbox requires the fluid to be changed at 5yr/60,000km intervals, and this is pricey but it is absolutely imperative you adhere to the service schedule.

For the model years you specify, the Powershift gearbox was fitted to Mondeos with either the Ecoboost 2.0L turbo petrol engine and the Duratorq 2.0L turbo diesel engine. There was a third 'base' engine option appearing in the cheapest LX grade, the Duratec 2.3L NA petrol, which actually uses a conventional torque-converter automatic gearbox made by Aisin.

As a point of detail, the Mondeo wagon only came with a petrol engine in the base LX trim, being the 2.3L NA with torque converter. Otherwise, your only choice with the wagon was the diesel. The 2.3 + torque converter combo is reliable and has no known issues, but it is also the least dynamic option.

By and large, the Mondeo with wet-clutch Powershift is reliable. It just gets a bad rap due to sharing the name with the truly flawed dry-clutch units. This can work to your favour when buying second-hand. That said they can sometimes still go wrong, and problems tend to be expensive to fix. But if you look out for the two or three typical issues, and keep the maintenance up then they are usually perfectly dependable (and drive pretty well too).

Thank you so much for the information very informative

[toyota lexcen]

hi,

i have the 2.3L Duratec Petrol LX wagon

picked it up at 60000kms, done 185000kms now.

well underpowered, gearbox is fine, passing ability is very ordinary and if on incline its even worse.

the problem with this car/motor design is the fuel pump with fuel filter assembly

i have had 1 fuel pump assembly fail and my gut feeling is the next one is failing. Done about 60,000kms on this generic fuel pimp assembly.

Getting erratic start up idle and have had 1 situation of the pump not priming when ignition turned on that left me stranded at service station just recently.

[xr8 007]

Hello again. As Mondaveo mentioned above, Just wanting to confirm if this transmission is a power shift or regular torque converter.
Model: LX MC
Year: 2011
2.3litre Petrol.

Thanks inadvance.

[Mondaveo]

Originally Posted by xr8 007

Model: LX MC
Year: 2011
2.3litre Petrol.

Yep, that'll have torque converter for sure.

[xr8 007]

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

Yep, that'll have torque converter for sure.

Cheers mate, its hard to find much info on them. Is it an easy box to service?

[toyota lexcen]

My understanding is they are not serviceable, only replaced

[Mondaveo]

I'm not the best person to ask; mine is a diesel with Powershift.

But I have the Haynes manual which has a few pages of service procedures for the AWF21 torque converter transmission. Fluid change, selector adjustment and seals; the rest is just about component replacement and non-specific overhaul.