“I am in possession of a Ford Fiesta diesel and my car no longer passes technical inspection“, “My Ford no longer passes the technical inspection and the necessary adaptations are expensive!“. Several of you have contacted us via the orange Alert us button to report the same type of problem: certain Ford brand cars that run on diesel no longer pass the technical inspection, since the reform of July 1, 2022.
If the teams of RTL Info had already looked into the general subject a few days ago here many people point out the problem with the original American brand Ford. This is particularly the case of Gaëtan, whose vehicle has not passed the technical inspection.
“I contacted the brand, and I still have no news. My dealer is looking for solutions, but without being sure that any solutions will be effective. In addition, it would cost me around 3,000 euros. My van only has 70,000 kilometres, if I manage to sell it, I will lose money anyway“, specifies this resident of Namur, who absolutely needs his vehicle to work near Charleroi.
As a reminder, since this summer, a new test is carried out when you pass the technical inspection. Officers check the condition of the particulate filter on diesel vehicles. Since the entry into force of the measure, 5% of the cars checked have been failed several times. The problem is often difficult to solve for the owners, frequently for questions of money.
If it takes a fine, I’ll take it
Nelly lives the same situation: “I am told that I produce too many particles, and even changing the part of the filter, chances are that it will not work. My car has less than 100,000 kilometres, I bought it new: I don’t know what to do!“
Gaëtan therefore received the red card, the one that prohibits vehicles from circulating. “In a few days, my car will no longer be able to drive when I need it to go to work, in particular“. But despite that, the Namurois is clear, he will take his vehicle whatever the cost.”I will take my responsibilities. If I have to take a fine, I will take it, but I need a vehicle“.
Ford at fault?
In order to understand what might be wrong with the brand created by the famous Henry Ford, we contacted Ford, who agreed to speak.
“Ford reacted directly in early July following the number of vehicles refused technical control“, explains Jo Declercq, director of communication of Ford Belgium. “Mid-July, we were in contact with Traxio asking them for the possibility of extending the deadline so that we might extend the duration of the provisional card. If I remember correctly, the temporary validity period was changed from 2 weeks to 3 months, before the end of July. This is to give everyone the chance to do additional tests, to get a test device, to check the vehicles…”
The brand explains that they have decided to organize a comparative test day with 30 vehicles that were refused for the pollution test.
What did they do in practice? These vehicles underwent a test with the tester at 5 GAS, and among the 30 vehicles, according to the brand, 28 passed the test without problem, with the only remark of adding an additive to the fuel in order to improve combustion.
“Pour the other two cars, one had an EGR valve problem that no longer worked and another had to replace the injectors“, specifies Jo Declercq. “Then we returned with these vehicles to control, but with a very hot engine which had traveled regarding fifty kilometers on the motorway at high revs, that is to say 120km/h in 4th gear.“.
We are still suffering from a shortage of basic materials
Result: 10 of the 28 vehicles passed with a green card. “On the other 18 vehicles, we had to replace the particulate filter, because they were full of ash. Among these 18, in 8 vehicles we also had to replace the other parts of the exhaust line. After the replacement, we went back to the technical control (following driving at least 50 km) and the measured value was 0″, he concludes.
As can therefore be seen, in the majority of cases, the replacement of the particulate filter is necessary, often quickly clogged with soot, dust or ash.
A lack of basic materials
“We are seeing today, following the energy crisis, that in terms of timing, this additional control is very badly perceived by customers and the sector”, admits the communication manager. And the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
“We are still suffering from a shortage of basic materials, which means that some particulate filters are not yet available. Our parent company has received information from the manufacturer which explains that this situation should be resolved by the end of this year”, he explains. Delays are therefore to be expected and the patience of the owners of these vehicles will still have to be tested…