# Problems with '07 Ford Galaxy



## DeBarr (1 Nov 2007)

Hi all

Further to a recent post I made re trading in our Toyota Corolla Verso for a Ford Galaxy we fired ahead and proceeded with what we thought was a good deal. 

Traded in the Verso for an '07 Galaxy 1.8 TDCi with 20K Km on the clock - 1 private owner. We thought we had done a good deal and my wife took delivery of the Galaxy last Thursday... first time I had a chance to drive it was last Sunday (I work away from home) and I noticed that there was a knocking noise from the steering when turning (thought it was a CV joint) and also noticed that the airbag warning symbol came on in the dash and remained on/off intermittently while driving. 

My wife brought it back today to main dealer where we bought it and was told by the mechanic that a new part (didn't specify which but not joint problem) had to be ordered for the steering problem but the car was safe to drive in the meantime. As regards the airbag light their diagnostics were not good enough and they needed an extra diagnostic tool which they had to request from Germany but they thought that the drivers airbag would not deploy in the case of an accident (but couldn't confirm if others would work). We were told it would be a matter of days/weeks before both issues would be resolved. Neither were "known issues"....

Needless to say I am pretty pi$$ed off with the problems - we traded in a perfectly good motor for a bit more space and newer years for this and spent a fair few quid doing so ...... we had a Ford Escort years ago which was a heap and vowed we would never buy Ford again but the new Galaxy won us over (heart over mind I guess) 

I'm hoping that the Ford Gurus (Ford_Jedi) et al have some words of wisdom on what to do in this situation - we are left with the Galaxy with the outstanding issues... My main concerns are the car is being used to ferry my wife and 3 kiddies about and any issue with steering / airbags would concern me seeing as the prime motivation for changing was safe and (ironically) extra safety in the form of extra airbags.....

Thanks in advance
DeBarr


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## Jeff_24 (2 Nov 2007)

In fairness Ford cars ever since the Mondeo have been brilliant in every way. Reliability, quality, driving charachteristics, handling, interior space and in some cases styling too. I just think your car was driven hard as very few cars are traded in less than a year old with that mileage, by the sounds of it it was most likely an ex rental or hire drive. But that doesn't sound like one of the symptoms of these cars, it's just a niggly fault that isn't being sorted properly by the dealer.


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## DeBarr (2 Nov 2007)

Thanks for replying Jeff....

I know Ford's rep is improving - The car, on paper, is great for the money and the reviews are all good.... I'm just annoyed that it's back in after only 4 days (and will have to go back again for the repairs).... It was fully serviced by the dealer before we got it and I would have thought the steering issue would have been picked up at least..... maybe I'm just naive....

It's not an ex-hire by the way - 1 private owner....


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## Caveat (2 Nov 2007)

I'd be pretty disgusted.

Is the knocking noise very noticeable?  If so, it's a disgrace that the car was supplied to you like this. 

I'd be getting the car independently checked - and if anything else shows up, demand my money back.


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## Stephenkelly (2 Nov 2007)

20k is not exactly hard driving either - Above average but not massive!


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## Caveat (2 Nov 2007)

Stephenkelly said:


> 20k is not exactly hard driving either - Above average but not massive!


 
Exactly - I've done 15K myself since February. 30km round trip daily commute.


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## xt40 (2 Nov 2007)

Caveat said:


> I'd be pretty disgusted.
> 
> Is the knocking noise very noticeable?  If so, it's a disgrace that the car was supplied to you like this.
> 
> I'd be getting the car independently checked - and if anything else shows up, demand my money back.



thats a ridiculous over the top reaction. cars have thousands or individual parts and unfortunately yours has two minor problems. the dealer is being helpful and will undoubtedly fix them. even if the car was brand new, it could have some issues. . the airbag light could be due to a loose connection under the drivers seat. lots of bmw cars suffer from that problem due to the seat being moved from his-her positions.


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## Caveat (2 Nov 2007)

xt40 said:


> thats a ridiculous over the top reaction. cars have thousands or individual parts and unfortunately yours has two minor problems. the dealer is being helpful and will undoubtedly fix them. even if the car was brand new, it could have some issues. . the airbag light could be due to a loose connection under the drivers seat. lots of bmw cars suffer from that problem due to the seat being moved from his-her positions.


 
A car presumably serviced but supplied with 2 problems that were obvious to a non-mechanic?  I don't think it's an over the top reaction.

The steering noise could even be potentially dangerous for all we and the OP know.  My problem is not so much with the car but with the garage.

Either the car simply wasn't checked, the garage didn't care, or there was some lack of competence.


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## ford jedi (2 Nov 2007)

if fairness to the galaxy its not a bad car it hasnt got many gremlins ,the slight knock you are getting from the the front of the car is probably just a anti roll bar link ,as for the air bags there have been a few small problems mainly due to the fact there is so many off them .does the air bag light stay on constantly or just flash.what main dealer did you bring the car to ?alot of them realy arent great at diagnostics,as for diagnostic equipment from germany all rubbish .all ford main dealers are using the latest ids system unless you got your galaxy from a small dealership down the country. if you send me your chassis number now i can acess the ford site and see what kind of life the car had before you got it and who had it and what work it got ,


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## Jeff_24 (2 Nov 2007)

Stephenkelly said:


> 20k is not exactly hard driving either - Above average but not massive!



Sorry, I'm still thinking miles!


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## RS2K (4 Nov 2007)

Why didn't you identify the faults before buying it?


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## DeBarr (5 Nov 2007)

Hi all 

Thanks for the replies.... 

The car was bought from a small dealership down the country (smallish town). Dealer to be fair is not bad to deal with just annoyed by the fact that there were issues.... he said everything is covered under warranty in any case - I'm just afraid something else may pop up a little later on..... There a full Ford warranty on the car until Jan 09....

The airbag light is definitley intermittent so I guess wiring under the seat is a possibility.

As regards identifying the issues before buying - the airbag issue was intermittent as mentioned so it wasn't spotted during the test drive. Test drives also were pretty short (as is the norm) and were on reasonable roads so the knocking may not have been apparent. If i didn't have the dealer ranting in my ear and trying not to get used to a unfamiliar large vehicle then I would probably have noticed it.....

Ford Jedi - would really appreciate it if you could look up the history of the car. I'll have to call the wife later on in the morning to get the Chassis No for you. I assume I PM it to you?

Cheers for all the feedback guys
DeBarr


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## Stephenkelly (5 Nov 2007)

Keep us Informed - would be interested to know what the outcome is​


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## ford jedi (5 Nov 2007)

yes no problem just pm me the details


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## DeBarr (8 Nov 2007)

Hi Ford Jedi

Justed Pm'd you with the details....

Thanks a mill,
DeBarr


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## Darando (8 Nov 2007)

as you said yourself- its still under warranty - bring it back and demand it fixed (I know demand sounds harsh) but after all thats what a warranty is for. They should be able to provide a replacemnet car whilst it gets fixed under warranty. Doesnt matter what the issue is they should fix it if its faulty. If they don't have the diagnostics thats not your fault- they sold the car so Ford have to stand over it for the 2 years of its warranty.

(btw thats not a pop at dealers - they can be very good - its more a pop at Irish people letting issues like this go)


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## DeBarr (8 Nov 2007)

Don't worry I'm not going to let it slide. It's booked in for repairs with a replacement provided so hopefully that will be the end of it. To be fair though we've had to chase the dealer about it.... Rang him today and got the "I was just about to give you a shout ..... " message.

Main reason I posted was to see if there were any "known" issues like these with the new Galaxies that anyone knows about....

My main concern now is there are no other surprises.....


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