US baseball star Babe Ruth once said: “It’s hard to beat a person who doesn’t give up.” In which case, the Ford Transit Custom is the best team-mate you could wish for, because it’s there by your side, no matter how arduous the task ahead. As the old ad slogan goes: the Transit Custom “means business”.
But that also means that it gets a harder life than most other vehicles, whether it’s transporting building materials, making deliveries, or taking you and your kit on a camping holiday. Such a tough existence is bound to expose any weak spots. And that’s why it’s a good idea to maintain your van regularly – it’ll run better and be less likely to let you down. And you’ll see any emerging issues earlier.
The good news is that we at Haynes have been through the 2018-23 Transit Custom, and we’ve put that knowledge in the all-new Transit Custom manual. This new manual is like a traditional printed manual but with QR codes throughout that take you to a wealth of online content, diagrams and electronic guided diagnostics to enhance your DIY-mechanic knowledge.
We’ve got all the experience and tricks to keep you ahead of the maintenance game, so you don’t get stumped by common problems such as these.
What recalls has the Ford Transit Custom been subject to?
The Transit Custom has occasionally had to visit Ford dealerships over the years, due to a number of recalls. These included one that afflicted 4,773 examples, which had incorrect information on the passenger airbag in their owner’s manuals.
Another recall concerned a loose bolt within the electric power steering system, while a faulty component in the high-voltage battery pack could short circuit.
The securing bolt for the left seatbelt height adjuster caused a small number of Transit Customs to go back to dealerships, but then came a big one, when 91,814 examples had to be recalled because their run-on water pump could overheat.
After that, 2,675 vehicles were recalled because of potentially faulty welds on their lower control arms, and 151 Transit Customs were found to have the wrong battery positive cable.
As always, if you’re looking to buy a Transit Custom, it’s worth making sure any recall work has been carried out. You won’t have to pay for it.
Does the Ford Transit Custom have cooling problems?
The Ford Transit Custom is known to have an issue that can cause the engine to run too hot. It’s worth attending to this as quickly as possible because constant high temperatures can cause damage to an engine, but the good news is that diagnosis and repair should be easy.
It is most likely that the fuse for the cooling fan has blown, so it should just be a case of digging out the blown fuse and replacing it. However, Haynes can still help you if the problem is more significant, because the new Haynes Transit Custom manual has full details on how to replace your vehicle coolant, and how to replace the radiator, cooling fan and thermostat.
As with any task, just follow the procedure we’ve laid out, and you’ll soon have everything running coolly again.
Does the Ford Transit Custom have mirror problems?
One of the more common faults that the Ford Transit Custom is known to suffer from is one in which the door mirrors vibrate rather annoyingly, drastically reducing your ability to see what’s behind.
The problem lies within the door-mirror-folding system, which requires a reset. Now, there are two ways to do this. Firstly, you can connect a diagnostic tool to the vehicle’s OBD II port and reset the system through that (check out our test of the best fault code readers here). However, if you don’t have a diagnostic tool, you can reset the system the old-fashioned way. Turn the mirror adjustment knob to the folding position, then manually fold in the mirrors. After that, move the adjustment knob downwards until you hear a click, and the mirror will move slightly. Then unfold the mirrors. Repeat this process three times and the mirrors will be reset, meaning vibrations will be a thing of the past.
However, if it’s the actual mirror glass that’s loose, the procedure to replace it is contained in the new Haynes Transit manual, so just follow the steps.
Is your 2018-2023 Ford Transit Custom’s throttle not working?
Some drivers have reported a problem in which they depress the accelerator pedal, and little happens. Either the engine refuses to rev harder at all, or it does so jerkily. Not ideal when you have a load of fragile items on board.
Connecting a fault code reader will give a good idea of where the fault lies, but there’s a very good chance it’s caused by a short circuit that happens when the accelerator pedal position sensor wiring, and that of the brake pedal, rub together and become chafed.
Your Haynes Transit Custom manual will show you how to remove either sensor and repair or replace the damaged wiring, after which you’ll be back to smooth progress.
Does your Ford Transit Custom have an AdBlue warning showing?
There you are, driving along in your Ford Transit Custom, when suddenly you notice that there’s a warning light on the dashboard. It’s the AdBlue warning light, which isn’t a ‘stop immediately’ issue, but is still worth sorting as soon as you can.
First up, plug in a fault-code reader (click here for our test of the best fault-code readers you can buy). If it generates a fault code P2200, the problem can be traced to a faulty NOx sensor.
Replacing the sensor will require you to buy the part and a special sensor-removal socket, then it’s just a case of following the procedure in your shiny new Haynes Transit Custom manual, and you’ll soon be back on the road with no warning lights.
Better still, you’ll have saved at least £200 in labour charges.
When you buy a Haynes manual, it’s like we’re on call every time you need us
Owning the all-new Transit Custom Haynes manual is like having that friendly expert next door, who is always willing to pass on knowledge and will help you out with advice and encouragement at every stage of your DIY journey.
And with our new manuals, we not only offer the benefits of the traditional printed manual, but we add in a range of QR codes throughout, which offer access to extra content, wiring diagrams, torque wrench settings for all major components plus lubricant and fluid volume specification for every vehicle system., to help you with all your common repairs.
At Haynes, we’re the breakdown patrol that you never have to wait to turn up.