Ford Problems

The dealer should have told you that the extended warranty is not a Ford product; that it's a warranty provided by an independent insurance company, in your case Allianz. Ford has no role to play when it comes to the Allianz warranty; you need to talk to Allianz and the dealer. You should also read the warranty to establish exactly what is covered and for how much. Aside from the warranty issue Ford has a responsibility under Australian consumer laws to cover the car, even if the new car warranty has expired. You could try for a good will or part payment of the repair costs from Ford.

A Ford spokesman told us: "The 10-speed automatic will be available in the 2018 Mustang, which is due in Australia most likely around mid-2018 at the earliest. An evolution of the current Mustang, the 2018 model will benefit from increased Driver Assistance Technology, including Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane-Keep Assist. We would not speculate on the outcome of any potential future testing, but would reiterate that consumer safety is a priority for us, and we are constantly developing more safety technology for consumers. The 2018 Mustang will benefit from such advancements." With respect to a safety rating we can't say what it will be until the new Mustang has been assessed by ANCAP, but you would expect it would be given a higher rating than the Mustang currently has.

It’s a common problem for us as we get older, but there are no sedans or hatches that have the sort of higher driving seat that you want. The best option would be a small SUV, such as a Holden Trax, Toyota C-HR, Ford Kuga, or Suzuki S-Cross.

The Focus is a great driving car, but there are serious issues with its dual-clutch automatic transmission, so serious you should avoid it, or buy a manual. Consider others like the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Kia Rio, etc.

I understand you can fit a new lock barrel without any other problems.

You need a 5/8 plug spanner.

They aren't recalling it here in Australia because it doesn't affect the locally produced Territory.

The used Captiva does appear to be great value, but their shaky reputation for reliability would lead me to consider other options. The Territory would be a better bet, but they are known to have electrical and front suspension issues in the long-term.  If you're after an SUV, a seven-seat 2006-12 Mitsubishi Outlander is smart buying at the moment, but if you're just after the seven seats, I highly recommend taking a look at a 2008-13 Kia Rondo. These represent excellent value at the moment. Hope that helps, and keep us posted with your progress.

To have a transmission fail after just 100,000 km is not acceptable, particularly when it hasn't been used for towing. I assume it's a dual-clutch automatic, which has been troublesome in many Fords around that time. Ford should be showing some interest in fixing it for you; at the very least they should be offering you part compensation for a replacement transmission. If you can't get any help from Ford's customer service people, go to the Victorian government's consumer affairs department, or think about going to VCAT.