Problems with paintwork and corrosion on Ford: affected models and engines

In 6 models from Ford there are 6 documented faults with paintwork and corrosion. The most important: corrosion of sills, wheel arches and boot floor, corrosion in the underbody, wings and exhaust and corrosion on the bottoms of the doors, tailgate and bonnet.

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Documented faults, from most to least important

Severity × frequency. Below each one, the Ford models it appears in.

- High severityFrequency: CommonFord Mondeo IICorrosion of sills, wheel arches and boot floorYes: this is the Mondeo II's main bodywork weak point as the years go by. An owners' buying guide (AutoShite) points to the rear sills and wheel arches, worst on the late V6 and ST200, and Autozine lists serious rust damage among the main faults of 1998, 1999 and 2000 cars in the Dutch inspection.
- Medium severityFrequency: CommonFord Fiesta IVCorrosion in the underbody, wings and exhaustYes: corrosion is the most repeated complaint on the Fiesta IV. Fiches-auto.fr counts 27 corrosion reports in 147 testimonies (underbody, wings, exhaust), and the Dutch inspection records serious rust damage on cars built from 1995 to 2001.
- Medium severityFrequency: CommonFord Focus ICorrosion on the bottoms of the doors, tailgate and bonnetThe Focus I can rust on the bottoms of the doors, the tailgate and the bonnet, and water can get into the boot or cabin through the pollen filter; both sources consulted point to it as a typical weak point of this generation.
- Medium severityFrequency: CommonFord Ka IBodywork, sill and exhaust corrosionYes: corrosion is the most repeated complaint about the Ka I. Fiches-auto.fr records 18 reports out of 45 testimonies (exhaust, radiator, bodywork), and the Dutch inspection records serious rust damage, including the sills, on Kas built between 1997 and 2007.
- Medium severityFrequency: CommonFord Puma ICorrosion of the rear wheel arches, sills and boot floorYes: corrosion is the Puma's big enemy. PistonHeads and Octane place it in the rear wheel arches, the sills and the boot floor, which left the factory poorly protected, and Autozine records rust damage at the Dutch inspection of 2001 Pumas.
- Low severityFrequency: CommonFord Mondeo IIICorrosion on the door and boot edgesSome Mondeo III cars, mainly from before the 2003 facelift, show corrosion on the door edges, the boot and the rear wheel arches because of defective sealing of galvanised steel from one supplier, a problem the German-language Wikipedia also documents at other manufacturers that used the same material.

By Ford model

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Frequently asked questions

What faults with paintwork and corrosion do Ford cars have?

Which Ford models have the most problems with paintwork and corrosion?

Ford Fiesta IV (1 fault), Ford Ka I (1 fault), Ford Mondeo II (1 fault) and Ford Puma I (1 fault).