19th Feb 2004, 06:15

I was always worried that Ford may have reliability issues with the BA Falcon. No doubt that as an all round car it is superior to everything else in it's class.

If you think about it, the reason Ford spend so much on the BA was because so much of the car is new, and it has a heap of new technology when compared to the AU Falcon. Despite the great deal of vigorous testing, there will always be some faults that won't be picked up in testing. Considering how new the car is, I always said that the hardest part will probably getting the cars to be reliable.

Considering that the car is essentially all new from the ground up (with the exception of a few switches and the doors/roof) they haven't really done too bad I think. I know that a lot of the issues had been fixed via recalls.

I think that by series two the BA Falcons should be outstanding cars, especially if those new gearboxes are introduced.

11th Aug 2004, 20:23

I bought a 2003 RTV BA Ute in Dec 03, I drove it from Townsville to Melbourne, a distance of 2860 klm, the odometer showed that I had done 4800 kilometers. The brakes fail on numerous occasions, and the right hand seat belt was faulty. three trips to a Ford dealer in Melbourne has found that the vehicle speed module was from a non ABS AU Ute, but the rest of the ECM was for a BA. This has added an extra 7000 kilometers to the odometer. brake failure cannot be found, but they get air into the system "somehow".. As I have proved to Ford that the kilometers were wrong, I asked if they would refund the service fee for the first service as they claimed that it was over the first service threshold and would not be covered by warranty, so I had to pay... will keep you informed...

28th Sep 2004, 02:47

I have the 2004 BA XR8, have just gotten used to the power, but want more, is there any way of increasing the power without spending big buck's, pleas e-mail me at furiouse1@hotmail.com but the car is sweet as!!!

14th Nov 2004, 05:13

Mine is DEC-02 XR6 model purchased APR-03 and certainly suffers with front disc problems. Car is now 42000km old and has been in regularly for disc skimming to rectify rumbling. Have also had heater radiator replaced due leaking, with dash completely taken out to repair, and never sat back right since. Recently, oil pressure warning light comes on and engine sounds rough. FORD put down to electronics fault. This plus starting problems only started after last major service..??? Up until now have had good run and mostly happy days and enjoyed XR6...now the fun begins it would appear....yes/no..??

15th Nov 2004, 06:14

Hey again - DEC02 XR6 here..

Well - had to push car off road today due stalled. Did get it re-started, but further down road - stalled again. Car towed to Ford dealer for repairs. Told electrics again (some solenoid valve) but all fixed and running sweet. Left yard and got 500m when sweet turned into sour.. (they actually stalled the auto just bringing it out of service bay..??) Soon straight back to yard where they again had to update PCM chip due to idle problem... 45 minutes later, returned to work and all seemed OK... went home later, all OK until into driveway and car stalled and didn't want to start again... anybody want cheap XR6...???

5th Dec 2004, 20:05

Have a 2003 BA XR8 purchased new in December 2003 and has done approx 20,000k's. It has already been in for 2 front disk machinings. This morning I've been told it requires a new diff. Apparenty there is an emerging problem with 6's and 8's in relation to clearance between the crown wheel and the pinion or something. Ford are still resting a fix. This could be hot news.. as many cars are now reporting this problem.

5th Aug 2007, 01:51

Ah, this is why I bought a Magna over a Falcon and Commodore. 4 years of trouble free motoring. Not one mechanical or quality problem. Imagine all that time you have spent inconvenienced because your Falcon has been in the shop getting fixed, only for something else to go wrong soon after.

Let me say that it is always better to buy an underrated car than an overrated one. That way, you end up pleasantly suprised like me rather than disappointed like you lot.

30th Oct 2008, 05:46

Had two BA Falcons: XR6 Turbo and Futura Wagon. Turbo was completely trouble free, apart from a 170kph wobble discovered close to when we traded. Still have the Futura, drives beautifully compared to previous Falcon wagons... just wish they still made an XR6 Wagon because it is quite boring to look at and sit in. No idea what all these people who complain about the BA Falcon are on about.

14th Nov 2008, 10:14

Bought my 2004 BA Falcon XT MKI and have just 91,000 kms, just got put in for a major service and have had NO problems apart from some interior wear and tear... honestly think it is a great car and my old man has done over 300,000km country k's... hasn't skipped a beat... I also think that generally if someone goes to the effort of writing something up about a car, it's probably because it's negative. Chances are the ratio of good/bad reviews is slightly biased.

Go BA all the way! I think it's a great car, reliable and would not consider selling it until it's done at least 200,000!!

25th Aug 2009, 21:32

It really is very sad. Who ever heard of brake rotors warping except in cheap Korean cars? If Ford would buy components from renowned Japanese or German suppliers, the Falcon would be more reliable. Damn good engineered car, poor poor quality parts.

14th Mar 2010, 01:35

Bought my 04 BA XT. Have had no problems up until now.

Have found the heater now has stopped working, and am not willing to pull the dash out, so I guess it goes in to be repaired.

I am now getting brake shutter, which I'm fine with. I know it's a problem that they have an easy fix.

I also seem to lack power when trying to get out into traffic. I still have just enough, but the car feels like it is missing when the revs are up at about 2000 25000 at almost full throttle.

I haven't been keen on the car since I bought it, but it hasn't been too bad considering how cheap Fords seem to be compared to any other car.

4th Jun 2010, 22:29

I bought a 03 BA XR8 nearly a year ago now with 135000 ks on the clock, (now has 152000). From the beginning I noticed how notchy and noisy it was in the tailshaft diff area, but I have got use to it now, and it doesn't seem to affect the power of the car (manual).

Also recently the heater has stopped working and I'm getting slight brake shudder, and have also noticed extreme uneven wear on the front tyres. Have been advised the car requires a camber kit installation to fix the tyre wear problem.

The above mentioned problems, I have been told, are all common with this model car.

Now the good stuff!

The Boss V8 260kw is bullet proof! All the car has is a forced air induction kit... performance exhaust... K&N air filter as non standard fitment. Not much really, but this car moves!

Great to look at... looks aggressive and a great color range. (Mine's blood orange).

Well laid out interior and nice to drive.

So, at the end of the day I think it all equals out to what you would expect from a performance sedan, and at a reasonable price.

5th Jun 2010, 06:18

Hi, Barry from Canberra.

Have a BA Wagon, new diff at 70000Ks, Ford found the problem and replaced it before I even knew about it.

A few small problems like fuel gauge replacement, new motor AT 377000Ks, now at half a million k's it needs a new diff again, car still looks like new, would not swap it for quids.

Barry.