The aircon has failed twice in my Ford Focus - is Ford liable?
The air conditioning on my Ford Focus has failed twice in 18 months. A new Ford compressor/pump was fitted 18 months ago after screeching noises and smoke coming from under the bonnet. This has happened again last week and I had to call my breakdown provider. It is going to cost nearly £300 to repair. I'm attempting to get some goodwill from Ford as the part has only lasted 18 months, but it doesn't look likely. The car is coming up to five years old and has done 24,455 miles. The compressor was fitted 18 months ago at 17,500 miles.
Reads as if the electromagnetic clutch to the compressor has failed. In other countries these cost no more than £100 to replace. We have had other reports of screeching from the a/c compressors of Focus models. I guess that after it was replaced the first time they tensioned the drivebelt too tightly and that destroyed the bearing. Have had a report of the same failure on a Mondeo where the compressor clutch seized completely, almost setting fire to the drivebelt. I think the blame is with the garage that replaces the compressor clutch and probably tensioned the drivebelt too much. That is not under the control or responsibility of Ford.
Answered by Honest John on
