Ford Mondeo Estate was bought as a safe family car.

Shortly after purchase, it began to cut out. Sometimes at speed. This is lethal as the car loses all power, assisted steering and brakes. There is no control. It has veered across roads and skidded out into junctions.

When roadside mechanics helped out, they said this fault was common with this Ford model. A lethal common fault!

They said a Ford garage should easily repair it.

Ford say their diagnostics can't pick it up so ripped me off for various other guesses at the problem before sending me off again with a lethal car - each time with the intermittent fault reoccurring.

Online Ford mechanics and other experts have stated that the fault will not appear in the engine management system as it is intermittent. Yet I still can't get a Ford garage to identify and fix the issue for good.

Ford are selling deathtraps and don't have the ability to fix it. But then, they have a track record of this behaviour (look at the Ford Pinto). As far as I'm concerned they have a responsibility to live up to the brand promise but their cars and their ongoing customer service fall very short of that.

Awful brand. Awful service.