Transmission problems in Ford Territories are far from unknown. That said, 64,000km is very low mileage for major problems to occur.

But the real answer to your question is yes; it’s unwise to continue to drive a car with a noisy transmission as you risk doing more damage to the unit. The actual cause could be any number of things from a low fluid level to damaged or worn internal components. Either way, it needs to be sorted before extra carnage occurs. A transmission specialist should be very familiar with this gearbox and its quirks.

Fundamentally, this message is telling you that the vehicle’s charging system is not working to its proper capacity, or not working at all. Keep driving it like this and eventually the battery will run flat and you’ll be going nowhere.

The cause is likely to be a failing alternator which has the job of charging the battery while you drive. If this component gets slack or dies, the battery won’t be charged and eventually it will run out of volts and the adventure stops right there.

Other possibilities are a battery that is failing itself, a loose drive belt (that drives the alternator) or even something simple like dirty battery terminals or faulty cables. A single wire having jumped ship from its connector can also create this degree of havoc.

A good auto electrician should be able to diagnose this stuff in minutes, and suggest a proper fix. If you have a multi-meter and wish to test the alternator yourself, the output should be between 13.4 and 14.8 volts (optimally 14.2 volts) with the engine revving a little above idle.

Any time an Australian-made Ford of this vintage has a problem with its door locks, suspicions will turn to the car’s body computer. This is a known fault in these vehicles and will probably require a new body computer as well as somebody who knows what they’re doing to fit it.

The body computer controls all sorts of functions including the wipers, light, security system, climate control, entertainment system, and the central locking.

But before you book the car in to the auto electrician, try this: Disconnect the battery and leave it overnight. Next morning, reconnect the battery and see if that has sorted the problem. In some cases, this will reset the computer (kind of like a return to factory settings function) and the car will work properly again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and the results aren’t always permanent. But it’s free and definitely worth a try.