Ford Territory Gearbox & Transmission Problems

It’s hard to provide you with an answer, as you haven’t told us what model the Ghia is. The Ghia badge is used to denote the top-of-the-range variant of a model, and could be applied to any model in Ford’s range. With the little information you’d provided I doubt that there will be a badge, and I suspect the car would not be a 4WD.

The transmission probably needs servicing at the least, perhaps even rebuilding. Have a mechanic check it.

You could visually check the transfer case and CV joints, but I doubt you’ll see anything that might tell there’s a problem with them. It could also be a diff. Get it to a specialist mechanic and have them check it for you.

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 idle speed is possibly too low. Take it to a mechanic and have it checked.

It’s hard for mechanics if they can’t observe the problem themselves. If it doesn’t make the noise when in their presence they really are in the dark in trying to find the cause. It could be in the front-end, perhaps bushes.

The most common cause of this type of problem is a worn oil pump in the transmission. An automatic works on hydraulic pressure and if the pump is worn, it often can’t muster the necessary pressure to effect a gearshift when it’s cold. Once it’s warmed up, everything moves a bit more freely and the car will select Reverse. The fact that there’s still a gear-selection delay even when warmed up is the giveaway that this is the case.

If you continue to drive it like this, it will possibly go for some months. But you need to be aware that the faulty oil pump is not only making shifting difficult, it’s also potentially starving the bearings of the lubrication they need. The end is nigh, I’m afraid. You could take a punt and have the gearbox serviced with new fluid and a clean filter, but, on balance, the pump is likely to be the culprit and is also indicative of general transmission wear and tear

It could be the lock-up convertor locking and unlocking if you are driving at the point of lock-up. Try changing your speed up or down and see if that affects it.

Ford has a responsibility to repair any faults found in their cars, so you do have a case for some assistance in locating the cause of the downshifting problem and fixing it to your satisfaction.

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.