If you are considering buying a used Ford Transit Custom, these are the common problems worth knowing about first. Our garage database tracks 3 known faults for this model, 3 of them rated high severity. Every one below is a repair bill a seller has good reason not to mention.
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Check a Ford Transit Custom advert (free) →The Ford Transit Custom has 3 known faults in our database, 3 of them rated high severity. The most serious are engine (serious engine failures have been reported on the 2.2 TDCi diesel) and engine (wet timing belt stretching and stripping teeth causing oil strainer blockage). None of them makes the car a bad buy on its own; the risk is a seller who knows and says nothing.
That is a count of the faults we hold, not a reliability score. Popular cars get written about more, and a newer generation has had less time to show its faults.
No year is a write-off on its own. What matters is which serious faults a given year and engine can have, and whether the car in front of you has had them fixed.
Each one is set out in full below, with the symptoms, the typical mileage and a rough repair cost.
One owner each, in their own words rewritten as a line, and not counted in our risk scoring. A fault joins the list above once a second report or an editorial source backs it.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
We track 8 specific phrases sellers use in adverts to soft-pedal these exact issues. Paste any Ford Transit Custom advert and we check it in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Recall work is done by the manufacturer, and GOV.UK says you will not usually have to pay for it. These are the 32 DVSA recalls for the Transit Custom, newest first. They do not tell you whether this particular car has had the work: for that, put the registration into the free GOV.UK MOT history check, which shows a recall status where the manufacturer shares it, or ask a franchised dealer to check the VIN.
Affected vehicles may have an Electronic One-Way Clutch Assembly built with an unseated snap ring which may lead to a sudden and unexpected loss of forward or reverse movement.
Put right by: Disassemble the transmission to check the snap ring is correctly seated and replace any necessary parts.
On affected vehicles the front outboard seatbelts may show fraying due to coming into contact with metal swarf from the production process.
Put right by: Replace the front outboard seatbelts.
Affected vehicles may experience erratic behaviour of the Glare Free High Beam function under certain circumstances.
Put right by: Update the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Electronic Control Unit software.
On affected vehicles the front wiper motor may not operate or may operate intermittently resulting in reduced or lost visibility in certain conditions.
Put right by: Update the wiper motor software and if necessary replace the wiper motor.
Affected vehicles may experience loss of communication with the Door modules resulting in the Blind Spot Indicator System (BLIS) feature Window regulator mirror adjust and turn indicator repeater not working during this time. The mirror-mounted indicator lamps lack of function combined with the absence of a driver tell-tale results in a non-compliance with mandatory lighting standards.
Put right by: Install updated door control software.
Affected vehicles may be equipped with a Driver Facing Camera that may not work as intended and therefore not compliant with current regulatory requirements.
Put right by: Replace the Driver Status Monitoring Camera Control Module.
On affected left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles there is a risk of a leak from a fuel line on to the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and/or exhaust components which may in a worst-case scenario result in an under-bonnet fire.
Put right by: Fit modified fuel feed line.
Affected vehicles may have 12V batteries that have been incorrectly vented allowing any potential venting to be directed into the cabin.
Put right by: Inspect the battery and replace if required. Fit a battery vent tube to expel any gases.
Affected vehicles may have been manufactured with a bench seat frame with a suspect weld due to a manufacturing defect. This could compromise the occupant restraint during a frontal crash potentially increasing the risk of injury.
Put right by: Replace the bench seat frame.
On affected vehicles there is a potential software issue causing the rear-view camera not to function as intended.
Put right by: Update the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software to the latest level.
On affected vehicles a fracture of the shock absorber's top bush eye ring may result in reduced ride quality and compromised handling.
Put right by: Inspect and replace the rear shock absorbers if required.
On affected vehicles a software problem may result in issues with the rear-view camera that reduce the driver's view or with it remaining on after a reversing event.
Put right by: Update the vehicle software to the latest level.
On affected vehicles the remedy software for a previous recall may not have been installed correctly. In the event of a high voltage battery cell internal short customers may experience a battery power off resulting in a loss of motive power with coasting and battery thermal venting potentially resulting in a vehicle fire.
Put right by: Update the Battery Energy Control Module software. If a high voltage battery cell capacity anomaly is detected replace the high voltage battery pack.
On affected vehicles in the event of a crash that triggers the passenger airbag the inflator tube may rupture. The rupture can result in metal fragmentation damage to the airbag cushion complete loss of airbag functionality and an increased risk of injury or death.
Put right by: Replace the passenger airbag.
On affected vehicles the engine idler gear bolt may shear resulting in the idler gear dropping and primary drive failure. This can result in complete engine failure leading to a stall and/or no start condition.
Put right by: Replace the idler gear and idler bolt.
On affected vehicles the correct tightening torque was not reached on some of the exhaust manifold nuts during the manufacturing process. This could lead to exhaust gas leaking and the melting of the nearby plastic oil separator causing oil to leak on to hot surfaces and the risk of fire.
Put right by: Visually check to confirm all nut positions and condition. Remove the engine and replace the nut and stud if not ok.
On affected vehicles the remedy software for a previous recall may not have been installed correctly. It may be possible the driver or passenger windows will not automatically reverse when encountering an obstruction.
Put right by: Update the Driver and Passenger Door Modules with the latest software and verify the process to ensure correct installation.
Affected vehicles may experience a malfunctioning child lock feature on the dual power sliding doors due to a missing wire in the wiring harness.
Put right by: Fit the missing wire and route alongside the existing loom.
On affected vehicles a component in the electric motor could over time slowly degrade and eventually fail leading to the electric motor failing without notice and a loss of propulsion.
Put right by: Install a new electric motor.
On affected vehicles there may be a clash between a wiring harness and the brake lines. This could lead to wear corrosion and a brake tube leak leading to reduced stopping performance.
Put right by: Check the brake line and wiring harness and rework where necessary.
Affected vehicles may develop a crack in the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).
Put right by: Update software to prevent a cracked DPF. Test and replace DPFs that are already cracked.
On affected vehicles there is potentially an issue with the window automatic reversal system (bounce back system). Under certain circumstances a closing window could exert a force of over 100N.
Put right by: Update driver and passenger door modules software.
Transit Custom vehicles that might have been loaded with the incorrect software for the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) during the manufacturing process. Having the incorrect software could lead to the Lane Change Warning Assist (LCWA) to not work as intended.
Put right by: The Ford Dealer will update the software to the latest level in order to restore full functionality.
Transit Custom vehicles may have received an incomplete software update or no update prior to leaving the plant. For vehicles affected by this concern and have received an incomplete software update the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) will not function as designed. Customers will be presented with a yellow warning light in the vehicles cluster. For vehicles where no update was received there are no warning messages informing the customer that the ADAS system may not work as expected.
Put right by: Software update
The affected vehicles may have a manufacturing defect in one or more of the vehicles. High Voltage battery cells which may result in a cell with a lower than expected capacity. In certain cases the low-capacity cell may develop an internal short circuit.
Put right by: On affected vehicles the battery will be replaced.
Incorrect instructions for setting passenger airbag deactivation in the printed Owners Manual if fitted and in the SYNC4 instructions. The customer may be unable to identify how to switch OFF/ON the passenger airbag when installing a rear-facing child seat.
Put right by: Replacement instructions issued
Some vehicles may have been built with an additional bolt that may be loose within the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS).
Put right by: Replace the steering gear on all vehicles affected.
The left-hand lower control arm may be fitted to vehicles where the weld penetration does not meet specification.
Put right by: Inspect the left-hand lower control arm and replace if within the affected date range.
The lower control arms may have missing or partial welds
Put right by: Inspect the lower control arms and replace if required.
The Run On Water Pump (ROWP) fitted to Transit and Transit Custom vehicles may overheat
Put right by: Replacing the 15 Amp fuse with a 7.5 Amp fuse to prevent the possibility for the ROWP to overheat.
Vehicles may have been fitted with the wrong twin battery positive cable.
Put right by: Inspect affected vehicles install a new twin battery cable and correct the cable routing if the concern is identified.
An incorrectly torqued left hand seatbelt to seatbelt shoulder height adjuster bolt.
Put right by: Replace the left hand seatbelt and shoulder height adjuster with new parts.
Recall data published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence v3.0. A recall listed here may not apply to every car of this model: the build dates and the registration check are what decide it.
An overdue cambelt is the most expensive thing a seller can fail to mention on a used Transit Custom. These are the figures UK specialists work to.
Chain driven. Listen for rattles on cold start which indicate chain stretch or tensioner wear.
The 2.0 EcoBlue runs its timing belt and a separate oil pump belt in oil. Ford cut the interval from 10 years / 150,000 miles (240,000 km) to 6 years / 100,000 miles (160,000 km) for Transit, Transit Custom and Tourneo in early 2024, because fuel dilution of the oil during DPF regeneration degrades the belt early. The second-generation Transit Custom (V710, from October 2023) kept the same engine and the same wet belt. Dayco, the original belt supplier, says Ford's figure is an absolute maximum and the oil pump belt must be changed with the timing belt. Many independent specialists recommend 60,000-90,000 miles.
Always confirm against the vehicle handbook. Intervals vary by engine, and several manufacturers revised theirs after failures in service.
Three stand out. Engine: serious engine failures have been reported on the 2.2 TDCi diesel (typically 40000 to 50000 miles). Engine: wet timing belt stretching and stripping teeth causing oil strainer blockage and engine failure (typically 60000 to 100000 miles). Fuel system: some 2.0 EcoBlue vans were built with faulty diesel injectors from a third-party supplier. The full list above is grouped by generation, with typical mileage and a rough repair cost for each.
No Ford Transit Custom year is a write-off, but the 1st Gen (2012 to 2023) carries the most serious faults: engine and fuel system. Year matters less than whether the specific car has had the known fixes, so check the history for them.
Ask the seller about the engine and fuel system faults on this page and whether they have been fixed, with invoices. On the test drive watch for knocking from the bottom of the engine, low oil pressure message and loss of power. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories, then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against all 3 known faults before you travel. Check a Ford Transit Custom advert →
The DVSA lists 32 safety recalls for the Ford Transit Custom issued between 2019 and 2026. The most recent, from July 2026, is "Transit and Transit/Tourneo Custom - Automatic Transmission Snap Ring". Recall work is done by the manufacturer, and GOV.UK says you will not usually have to pay for it. This list is by model, so it cannot tell you whether one particular car has had the work: the free GOV.UK MOT history check shows a recall status from the registration where the manufacturer shares it, and a franchised dealer can check the VIN.
Owners report 30.8 mpg on average across the Ford Transit Custom engines with data, about 73% of the official combined figure. The gap between official and real-world economy varies a lot by engine, so the Real MPG page lists every engine and generation separately, from 256 owner submissions. Ford Transit Custom Real MPG by engine →
Looking at a Ford Transit Custom right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.
If you used to check the Honest John “Good & Bad” section before the site closed in 2026, this page is where that information now lives. We rebuilt the Ford Transit Custom owner-report history from the archived Honest John dataset, added our own research, specialist and owner-club sources and DVSA recall data, and we keep it free. Each fault above is badged with its source. The same data feeds our free advert check, which reads a listing against every known fault for the exact engine and year.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. What happened to Honest John, and where each feature lives now.
Knowing what a Ford Transit Custom goes wrong with is half of it. The rest is reading the advert and checking the car's history before you hand any money over.