Ford Problems

If everything is working properly, it’s less likely to be a stuck or fused relay as that would affect the operation of that circuit. In any case most relay-controlled circuits would probably be disconnected from the power source (the battery) when the car was not being used. Which, of course, brings the ignition switch into play as a suspect, on the basis that it might not be powering the car down fully when switched off.

Typically, problems like this are caused by boot lights or courtesy lights somewhere on the car staying on. In the Territory, these functions are controlled locally by micro-switches (on doors and tailgates etc) and in an overall sense by the body computer. Body computers on this generation of Ford have been known to fail, often with consequences for all sorts of functions including the central locking and possibly the courtesy lighting. Check the car on a dark night to see if there are any lights stuck on.

A security system/alarm is another great source of battery drain. Does the car have an aftermarket alarm? Even if it has just the factory security system, that would be worth checking as a cause for the battery drain. Is the car’s stereo powering down fully when you switch the ignition off? This can also be a cause of flat batteries. Again, the body computer might be the culprit.

The C-TEK brand has a huge reputation for performance and safety. I've personally had such a charger for more than 20 years which has been in use almost every single day of that time and still works perfectly. They're more expensive than some chargers, but the inbuilt protections against incorrect connection and overheating are worth the price, not to mention that longevity.

Some mechanics recommend connecting the two leads from the charger directly to the battery terminals, but conventional wisdom says that connecting the red cable to the positive terminal first and then the black cable to an earth somewhere in the engine bay is a better idea. This method means less chance of a spark igniting gasses emitted by the battery as it charges and discharges.

The indicator lights on the C-TEK unit will tell you when you've achieved a good connection. Using a metal part of the car for the negative attachment point works because the whole car is essentially one big negative terminal. Just make sure your attachment point isn't painted or coated with a chemical that prevents the flow of current. Or that it's not a plastic part (increasingly common these days). Many cars have a dedicated post or connection point within the engine bay.

It sounds as though the engine’s idle-speed is set a little too low, and that’s making the engine feel lumpy (because it’s almost stalling). Having the transmission in Drive is adding a little load to the equation, slowing the engine even further. There are many things that can cause this, including a stepper-motor that is faulty and not controlling the idle properly.

The best advice is to have the car scanned for a hardware or sensor fault and proceed from there. But first, try this: With the engine idling and in Drive (and the vibration present) turn off the air-conditioning. If the vibration goes away, it could be that the electronics that detect the extra drag of the air-conditioner and automatically bump up the idle, aren’t working properly.

That might do the trick, but there's actually an easier way to return the Everest's computer to the factory standard settings. It goes like this:

Start the vehicle and make sure it is in Park with the engine running. Then press 'Settings' on the SYNC screen. Then choose 'General' and scroll down to select 'Master Reset'. At this point, you should get a message on the screen that the reset will erase all previous settings and factory defaults will be restored. By pressing 'Continue' you're agreeing to this and you should then see the screen go blank for anything up to a few minutes while it reboots.

I'll take a punt here and suggest that your car is the turbo-diesel variant with the six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The dual-clutch unit is vastly more problematic than a conventional automatic transmission and has given many manufacturers (Ford and VW being two of the main ones) all sorts of consumer grief over the years.

The unit in your car is a wet-clutch design which is much more robust than the cheaper-to-make dry-clutch type, but has still been known to fail. (The dry-clutch units on Ford's Focus, Fiesta and Ecosport models cost Ford millions in fines when they began failing at low mileages and the ACCC stepped in.) That said, the wet-clutch units have also experienced problems, but before you scrap the car or shell out $15,000 for a new gearbox (which sounds like an ambit claim in the first place) have it checked out by a specialist. In many cases, jerky progress like you're experiencing can be caused by the transmission's control module or even a faulty speed sensor inside the unit, rather than the actual transmission hardware. If that's the case, it may be more economical to repair the car.

Beyond that, I totally agree that less than 100,000km is not an acceptable lifespan for a major component such as a car's transmission.

Ford started using a dual-clutch transmission on the Mondeo from late 2009 in the upgrade of the Mark 4 Mondeo. It continued into the Mark 5 model launched in mid-2015. However, it’s important to note that it was not the dry-clutch DPS6 version of the Powershift gearbox you’ve asked about, but a superior wet-clutch version. It was also used only on turbocharged petrol and turbo-diesel Mondeos; the normally-aspirated petrol model used a conventional automatic transmission.

The Mondeo dual-clutch unit’s wet-clutch design has proven itself to be the vastly superior solution. It’s not that we haven’t heard of some failures of this transmissions, but it’s far less likely to cause problems than the dry-clutch version which was only used by ford in Focus, Fiesta and Ecosport (in Australia).

I can understand why anybody would be apprehensive about the dry-clutch transmission in a Ford as it was an absolute disaster for both owners and the Ford company. Ford Australia was fined millions and roundly condemned by the ACCC over its handling of the fiasco, and many owners swore off Ford’s products for life.

A huge percentage of dry-clutch Focuses, Fiestas and Ecosports suffered total transmission failures early in life, and even those that kept going often had driveability issues to drive their owners crazy. The best advice with a dual-clutch Fiesta, Focus or Ecosport is to avoid it at all costs. This is a car you really don’t want to own at any price.

Don't be so sure your car isn't covered by Ford's factory warranty. If it was delivered brand-new (as opposed to built) after May 1 of that year, it's subject to a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, so would still be covered. However, if it was delivered before that date, the warranty would have been three years or 100,000km which has now run out. Even so, given the kilometres and the service record, I think you'd be a good case to have Ford come to the party with some help on the repairs on a pro-rata basis.

From what you've told me, I'm guessing you've only dealt with Ford at the dealership level. Go over their heads and talk directly with Ford HQ's customer service department. A quote for $3500 just to examine the car is, on the surface of it, absurd and should be treated with suspicion. Any competent mechanic should be able to diagnose what's going on and whether or not the engine needs to be replaced. My advice here would be to have the car inspected by your state motoring club (the RACV in Victoria) which can give a cost-effective and independent report on the car's condition (and won't cost anything like $3500). This is also excellent legal and evidential back-up if the case does progress to VCAT.

On the face of it, 62,000km is not a reasonable lifespan for a fully serviced engine and the manufacturer should shoulder at least some of the cost of putting it right. Your last resort should be to contact the ACCC and talk to that body regarding your rights under Australia Consumer Law which covers goods (including cars) that are not built to a reasonable level of quality or are unfit for service. A failed engine at such mileage may well fall into that category.

In very early-build examples of the Ranger (from 2011 and 2012) there was a problem with the gearbox output-shaft speed sensor that could cause the transmission to shift back to first gear with a distinct clunk. While it’s generally accepted that this was fixed as time passed, it sounds too much like the same problem to ignore a check of this sensor as part of any investigation.

And guess what? The sensor fault was found to be an intermittent one, just like your experience suggests. I’d have the sensor checked and work from there.

It will all depend on when in 2005 the Focus in question was built. Ford changed from the Mk1 Focus (LR model) to the all-new Mk2 Focus (LS model) in April of that year, so an early-build car will not be the same as the 2009 model, although a later-2005 one might be.

These two versions of the Focus were built on different wheelbases and platforms, so there may not be too much interchangeability. Certainly the bodies were quite different, so panels and interiors won't be interchangeable at all. Even the steering systems were different model-to-model. The Mk1 used conventional power-steering, while the Mk 2 switched to electro-hydraulic power-steering.

The compliance plate under the bonnet will tell you all you need to know about the car's build date. Visually, the earlier car had a much more angular style at the front with almost triangular headlights, while the later car was more upright and conventional looking.

Sadly, Aussie cars like the Ford Fairmont just aren't being made any longer. As you've correctly identified over many years and almost 300,000km, this big, rugged, relaxed type of vehicle was perfect for travelling in Australia, but the onslaught of SUVs and the death of the local car-making industry put an end to these big sedans.

There's nothing wrong with a Kia Sportage (in fact, it's a good choice) and you might find the effortless turbo-diesel version suits your needs and preferences quite well. You may also appreciate the higher ride height and easier entry and egress. But what you won't find in any mid-sized SUV is the same dynamic feel of a conventional sedan like your current Ford. This is not to say modern SUVs don't drive well; they do, and improved fuel efficiency and different packaging is all part of where the Australia car-park is going.

If you're not venturing off the bitumen, however, there are a few alternatives to an SUV in the form of some very accomplished medium-sized sedans. The Hyundai i30 Sedan would be one and, if you want to retain the rear-wheel-drive feel and big performance, then the Kia Stinger is another alternative to an SUV.

The other alternative would be to take the time and effort to seek out a later-model Ford Fairmont with fewer kilometres on its odometer and start over again with the packaging you clearly already enjoy.