We have gone through this before, never with any consensus.
I have a Mondeo with the 2.0 Zetec. As I understand it, the Zetec engine is identical in both markets. The interval for changing the belt is given as 80k miles in the official Ford service book that comes with the car. It is also confirmed verbally by two Ford main dealers. I also have an Autodata timing belt information book dated 1998 which lists the Zetec as 80k miles interval and has it down as an interference engine (i.e. damage is *extremely* likely to occur in the event of the belt breaking). This also is confirmed by my Ford dealer.
It has also been said by some US Zetec users that the engine is non-interference and that you may as well run the engine until the belt breaks and do it then. This has also been confirmed by dealers in the US.
Obviously all my info is for the UK Mondeo, but as far as I can tell it's the same unit in the front. Not sure why the official interval differs between markets mind.
Anyway, now Terry Haines is active again, maybe he can answer this definitively.
However, I'm afraid I cannot answer your question, as I have never heard of a Zetec belt failing.
Hope this has been of some interest to you.
Regards
Shawn
