Ford Problems

Your car is at the exact stage in its life where the electric fuel pump is likely to have died. These pumps have finite lifespans and when they die they just die; no warning, no other symptoms other than an engine that will crank but won’t start.

You might be able to diagnose this by turning the key to the ignition-on position (without cranking the engine) to see if you can hear a faint whirring from the area near the fuel tank. If you can, that’s probably the pump working, at which point you might have a different problem. But if you can’t hear anything, then the fuel pump emerges as an even stronger contender as the cause.

If that doesn’t check out, then a trip to any decent workshop should be your next move. There’s not much on a 2010 Fiesta that should scare a good mechanic. And a fuel pump is simple and relatively cheap to replace.

If the key is lost forever, you can obtain a new key. But you will need to use either a Ford dealership of an automotive locksmith to have the replacement cut and coded to suit the car. You’ll also need to provide proof of ownership (registration papers or insurance policy) and the car’s VIN.

You can buy blank keys online, but any locksmith will also be able to provide the new blank as part of the service.

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.

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.

With any luck, this will be a simple case of a failed micro-switch in the door jamb. If the switch fails, the car thinks the door is open and, therefore, triggers the warning light as well as switching on the interior light, which is normal when the door is open.

You need to start by seeing if you can isolate which of the four door switches is playing up, and go from there. Replacement is simple and shouldn’t cost much.

If you’re unlucky, though, this sort of behaviour can be caused by a failed (or failing) body computer which controls all these functions and many more on a modern car. An auto electrician should be able to diagnose this pretty quickly.

This make and model has not been without its transmission problems, ranging from minor to major failures at relatively low mileages. The D solenoid is one of the units that effects the gearshifts in this transmission, and it can throw a fault code for a variety of reasons. Those start with a dirty filter in the transmission, a failed pump, failed valve body, a problem with the solenoid itself or its wiring or even a dud computer that controls the transmission.

A transmission specialist will be familiar with this transmission and the common causes of its throwing a D-solenoid fault code. With that knowledge, a correct diagnosis will be much easier and quicker.

Ford Territories fall into two categories when it comes to transmission checks. The earlier cars with the four-speed automatic transmission had a dipstick at the back of the engine bay near the firewall. This can be used to check the fluid as with any other dipstick.

However, your car is a later model with the six-speed automatic, and in that case, there’s no physical dipstick. Instead, you have to get under the car and remove a plug from the side of the transmission. When the fluid is lapping at the bottom of the plug hole, you know it’s at the right level.

This is not an easy thing to check at home unless you have a car hoist. Why did Ford delete the dipstick? Possibly to avoid owners tampering with what is a sealed system (adding too much fluid or the wrong type). But you’d have to imagine there was a cost saving, too.

You might have two problems here; the misfire and stalling as well as the car not turning over on the key sometimes. A diagnostic check with either an auto electrician or somebody who’s an expert in Fords of this type and vintage should be your next step.

The problem could be something wrong with the fuel or ignition system, or even something fundamental like a poor earth connection somewhere on the car. Modern cars can show up some really odd, intermittent problems thanks to a bad earth. But don’t rule out other obvious stuff like the car’s battery condition or the leads that connect it to the rest of the vehicle.

Vibrations during gearshifts in an automatic vehicle suggest something wrong with the transmission. In fact, any vibrations coming from the transmission are bad news as a modern automatic should be very smooth and refined. But your car is still well and truly under warranty, so a visit to the dealership is your first step.

But since your vibration is felt through the steering, you also need to check on other potential causes, including worn engine or transmission mounts, a damaged wheel or tyre, an unbalanced wheel/tyre combination, a dragging brake, worn suspension and plenty more. Again, though, if there’s a mechanical problem (rather than a crash-damage issue) your warranty will hopefully sort it out.