Ford Problems

These range predictions are a classic case of only being as good as the information being fed into them. What the car does is look at the previous, say, 100km of driving that you’ve done. If that was on a highway, the computer will know that for the last 100km, average fuel consumption was, let’s say, 10 litres per 100km (to keep the maths simple). So, if you still have 20 litres in the tank (which the computer will also know) the computer will figure that you have 200km of range left.

But, if your next driving stint is in stop-start traffic, your fuel consumption might easily rise to 15 litres per 100km, at which point, those 20 remaining litres are only enough for 133km. The farther you drive at your new consumption rate of 15 litres per 100km, the more the computer will realise that the previous range estimation is suddenly wrong and it will move to fix that by constantly reducing the range readout until it matches your actual fuel consumption.

It works the other way, too, and a change from suburban driving to highway work will see the computer hustle to reflect the current consumption and will actually start to increase the range estimation until it all starts to average out again.

This, of course, is the case assuming all the sensors and computers are accurate, and any false or misleading piece of information fed to the computer will also lead to wildly inaccurate range estimates.

This is a strange one. If you had a post-2015 Ranger, the suspicion would be that the electric power-steering was playing silly games and turning the wheel to the left randomly. (Electric power-steering with the ability to move the wheel without driver input is the technology that has made driver aids such as lane-keeping assistance and self-parking possible.) If there’s a fault with the electric motor, the computer that controls it or the sensors that tell the system what’s what, then you can have a problem like this occur.

But Rangers built prior to this date had conventional hydraulic power-steering which, without driver input, should not be able to turn the steering at all. Except yours does.

Probably the most important piece of advice is not to drive the vehicle any farther until the problem is fixed. Obviously, having a steering system with a mind of its own is a potential source of disaster.

The actual problem could be do with the valving that controls the steering rack (and its power assistance) and a pressure imbalance between the right-hand and left-hand side of the steering rack could potentially cause this sort of problem. The valve that controls the speed-sensitive aspect of the steering is a likely culprit here as a faulty one can lead to uneven pressures within the steering rack.

If you want to be proactive, check that the power-steering fluid in the pump (under the bonnet) is at the correct level. Then, start the car with the transmission in Park and turn the steering wheel from full right to full left lock a couple of time. This should purge any air from the hydraulic fluid and restore balance to the system. But really, this is a potentially very serious problem and needs to be checked by a specialist.

This could be caused by a range of things, but it’s also worth noting that this model was subject to a recall back in 2017 for a problem very, very similar to the one you’re experiencing. The recall involved Rangers built between June 5 2015 to February 12, 2016, so a check of the build date on your vehicle is the first step. A Ford dealer will also be able to tell from the VIN number whether the car was affected by the recall and if it’s been fixed as a result.

The problem involved a retaining clip that held the gear-shift cables. In some Rangers, this clip or clamp was not tightened sufficiently, and could allow the cables to make contact with the vehicle’s driveshaft. Over time, this contact could damage the gear-shift cables as well as the actual driveshaft. Difficulty in changing gears was one of the tell-tale symptoms.

Beyond that possibility, you need to check the shifter mechanism (including the cables) and maybe even dig into the transmission itself if nothing is wrong externally.

Start with the basics. Is the coolant level correct (and the radiator overflow tank intact)? Are the fan belts that drive the water pump tight and not slipping? Is the electric fan turning on? Is the second electric fan turning on with the air conditioning? Are the radiator hoses in good condition and not collapsing when you rev the engine? Are the car’s brakes dragging and causing the engine to work harder than it should? Is the radiator clean and flowing properly? Is the radiator cap holding the correct pressure? Is there a build-up of mud, bugs and grass on the radiator’s surface? All these things can lead to overheating.

If all that checks out, you might have to dig a bit deeper, including a check of whether the water pump is pulling its weight (and not worn internally) whether the thermostat is operating correctly and even a test to see whether the head gasket has failed. Ford’s Ranger engines have also ben known to experience failures of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve’s cooler which is part of the overall cooling system. The 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre Ranger engines seem more susceptible to this, but it shouldn’t be automatically ruled out on the 2.0-litre engine.

It’s very likely that the two lights remaining on inside the car are enough to drain the battery over time. The real question is why a couple of random lights would stay on even when the vehicle is locked up overnight. Initial suspicions would involve the car’s body computer which controls many functions, including interior lighting.

An auto electrician is probably your best bet at this stage. But in the meantime, you can perform an electronic reset by disconnecting the car’s battery overnight. Sometimes this is enough to give the body computer a reality check and will return things to normal. But if it has happened once, it can happen again.

You have a couple of options here. You can remove the stater motor and take it to an auto electrician who will be able to test it, see what’s wrong with it and give you a quote to rebuild the unit. Or, you can simply buy a new or reconditioned starter motor and fit that instead. Both these options should provide you with a warranty of some sort.

Actually, there’s a third option, and that is to visit a wrecking yard, take a starter motor off a wrecked Territory (making sure it’s the same model and engine) and fit that to your car. This will be the cheapest option, but you could easily find that the new second-hand starter motor has the same problems as the one you already have. Some wrecking yards (who like to be called parts recyclers these days) offer starter motors (and other components) that have been tested, so that would be preferable to just finding one still bolted to a wreck. You might not be offered any sort of warranty, however.

I’d agree that the problem is likely to be something to do with the on-board computer(s) that control the powertrain and other functions. If you’re certain that the engine is not running hot when it claims to be, the cause could be as simple as the sensor is faulty, but it could also indicate a computer problem. The same goes for the power-steering, although an electrical circuit that constantly blows its fuse suggests a short-circuit somewhere in the wiring or connectors.

The code P1299 indicates that the car thinks the cylinder head temperature is too high, while P0118 suggests a problem with the sensor that monitors changes in the engine’s coolant temperature. Either way, this is a brand-new car, so it will be covered by the factory warranty. Make it Ford’s problem, not yours.

The broad rule is that if the indicator light is a yellow or orange one (check-engine light, low-fuel warning) you should be okay to get the car to a mechanic to have it scanned to see what the problem is. Or to get it to the nearest service-station to put more petrol in it.

But, if the light is a red one (temperature, oil pressure, charging system etc) then you need to stop driving the car right now or risk doing further, permanent damage to it. Pull over somewhere safe and call the cavalry. Continuing to drive with a red warning light on the dashboard is almost a guarantee to damage or destroy something expensive, including the engine.

With fuel consumption like that and a smelly, fuming engine, it’s a fair chance that there’s something amiss in the fuelling system. This could be anything from worn injectors to a faulty injection pump, but could also be a simple thing like a dud coolant-temperature sensor or oxygen sensor in the exhaust system that is telling lies to the computer than controls the engine and throwing the engine’s tune way out of whack.

Have the vehicle electronically scanned to see what fault codes are thrown up. And don’t be surprised if the problem is actually something within the ignition system rather than the fuel-injection. Or both.

The original slipping could have been caused by low transmission fluid, which would also explain why the unit would not select a gear. That would suggest that the transmission has a leak somewhere, because it’s a sealed system and doesn’t need periodic top-ups.

The danger, however, is that running the unit with a low fluid level has caused damage to the mechanical parts of the gearbox and possibly the torque converter as well. That’s because the fluid in an automatic transmission not only provides the drive, it also lubricates the various bits of the transmission. Not enough fluid means not enough lubrication.

If it was a as simple as low fluid, now that you’ve changed the fluid and taken it back to its correct level, you should have all the gears working again. But the fact that it will only select first and second gears suggests damage has already occurred. This is really a job for a transmission specialist who will be able to accurately diagnose what’s wrong.