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Ford S-MAX 2.0 EcoBoost Vignale common faults.

2015–2018, MPV, petrol, 240 HP.

The fault list covers: TPBA engine, 6F35, MPS6, MPS6I transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

3 fault write-ups. All are important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

3 important faults

critical1

6-speed automatic: detaching shifter cable bushing, rollaway

critical

The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission ages over time and can detach. The transmission may not engage the selected gear, and the car can move in an unexpected direction. It can also happen that the driver puts the lever in Park and can remove the key while the transmission is not in Park: there is no warning message and no chime. If they get out like that without applying the parking brake, the car rolls away.

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Ford issued four campaigns between 2018 and 2022, covering an ever wider range: the 2022 one (22V413000) already includes the 2013–2019 Escape and the 2013–2016 Fusion. The factory repair also adds a protective cap over the bushing.

What to check

  • With the car stationary and the parking brake on, run through all the gear positions: each must engage precisely, with no free play in the lever
  • Put it in Park and try to remove the key: if the transmission is not in Park, the key must not come out
  • On a slight slope, in Park and without the parking brake, check that the car holds. Do this carefully, not standing outside it
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive2

MPS6 PowerShift: disintegrating clutch damper, clogged valve body

expensive

The springs in the clutch damper sag and the plastic retainers break up, and the fragments get into the oil circuit. Debris from the two oil-bathed clutch packs adds to this, and the contamination clogs the channels in the valve body and the solenoids, which makes shifting jerky. This is why this gearbox needs frequent oil and filter changes.

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The shift forks have plastic tips that cannot take abrupt starts: they can break off and the gearbox can seize. At high mileage the input shaft bearing starts to vibrate, the gearbox cover seal leaks, and the input shaft speed sensor fails.

What to check

  • Pull away from a standstill several times, gently and briskly: shifts must not jerk or thump
  • Rolling slowly, shift up and down: the gearbox must not hesitate or drop into neutral
  • Ask for the oil and filter change invoices: on this gearbox they cannot be skipped
3 more steps in the write-up

MPS6i PowerShift: stripped spline connection, limp mode

expensive

The weak point is the spline connection of the even-gear hub: repeated abrupt starts can strip the splines, and the gearbox goes into limp mode, holding only one or two gears.

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The remaining faults come from clutch wear and contamination of the mechatronic unit, and clutch wear is accelerated by oil seeping past the seal. The dual-mass flywheel has a short life, sometimes under 150,000 km.

What to check

  • Run through all the gears while rolling: none should be skipped, and it must not drop into limp mode
  • Pull away briskly too: the clutch must not slip and the shift must not hesitate
  • With the engine idling in neutral, listen: a worn dual-mass flywheel rattles
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Ford S-MAX 2.0 EcoBoost Vignale

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Engine and transmission

1 engines · 3 transmissions

TPBA · 2.0 FLH

176 kW (239 HP) · petrol

6F35 · 6-speed automatic

automatic · 6 speed

Torque limit380 Nm
MakerFord/GM

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one transmission is possible. The gear count does not tell them apart. The code is on the side of the transmission.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Vignale
Body
MPV
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
automatic
Engine size
1999 cc
Power
176 kW (239 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2015–2018

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Spark plugs, petrol

    • 60,000 km or 6 years
All Mk2 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms