Ford Problems

It would be a good idea to fit a transmission cooler, particularly if the caravan is a weighty one and the Territory will be working hard.

The service refill capacity for your car is six litres.

Check the fuses and the connections to the fuse box.

I doubt it. If you want to try get one and measure it to compare it with your Ford’s wheels. Check the bolt pattern, width and offset and see how they measure up to the Falcon.

Do you want a 4WD that has the capability to seriously go off-road, or are you looking for an all-wheel drive SUV? I’m guessing it’s the latter and that you don’t plan to go bush bashing. You also haven’t provided us with a price guide, which makes it difficult to give you good, relevant information. Basically, however, you should go for the newest models that fit your budget, go for an all-wheel drive model, and choose a brad that’s got a good reputation for quality and reliability. That means any of the Japanese brands, plus the likes of Hyundai and Kia from Korea.

 While the front hubs lock automatically when you engage four-wheel drive, they don’t automatically unlock when you disengage four-wheel drive. To do that you must press the button in the dash. It should all be explained in your owner’s manual.

The most likely cause is a faulty neutral/park start switch that prevents the car from starting unless it’s either in Park or Reverse.

All of the things you mention are common problems with the Territory, and the failure of the transmission at 120,000 km is a major one. Having to spend such a large amount of money to repair a car that has only done relatively few kilometres is unacceptable, so I would urge you to persist in trying to get Ford come to the party to cover at least part of the cost of repairs.

Having replaced the transmission it’s perhaps best to keep the car, particularly as it’s been a good one to date, but if you were concerned about the possibility of future costly repairs it would be best to get out of it.