More than 1.5 million...

More than 1.5 million cases of this type of misfuelling are reported in the UK each year and Ford and other leading motor manufacturers are concerned about the effect these could have on future warranty claims.

Simply activating a car"s door lock can switch on a modern oil-burner"s fuel priming and glowplug warm-up process, leading to costly fuel pump and cylinder damage. Now, the blue oval has become the first to formulate a practical solution.

The Easy Fuel Concept is a device that confirms the diesel pump nozzle is the correct size before it opens up, rejecting the smaller tubes used to deliver other types of fuel. Unleaded petrol vehicles have had smaller filler holes for the past 10 years, which has prevented drivers putting in the wrong fuel, but there has been no such failsafe for the owners of oil-burners.

It"s expected Ford will start fitting the set-up into its cars in the next two years, with the first recipient likely to be the next-generation Mondeo, due in showrooms at the end of 2007.

Stefan Buro, the marque"s fuel systems engineer, explained: "We"re keen to make motoring as problem-free as we can by constantly evolving our product design and integrating ideas such as the Easy Fuel Concept."