Ford Territory Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Unfortunately I don't think there is much you can do about it, the car is 10 years old and well beyond the warranty. It's even stretching the limit where you might expect goodwill. You bought an old car without inspecting it, took the salesman's word, and bought a model with known issues.

We'd like to think that our cars would last longer and not give us trouble, but the reality is quite different to that. The ZF 6-speed gearbox is a troublesome one that can fail, as yours appears to have done. But as Ford has pointed out to you your Territory is out of warranty, although that doesn't end Ford's responsibility to back the product. You could pursue a full payment for replacing the transmission from Ford, but I doubt you would have any success. Should you choose to do that contact your state Consumer Affairs people in Perth for advice and support. But in my view your best course of action would be to accept Ford's offer of part payment.

We haven't had any reports specifically relating to the Territory, ours have all been about the Falcon.

Check the warranty document first, then ask the insurance company to show the provision that states it only covers "common" failures. Sounds like BS to me.

It's a common problem with the Territory and to my knowledge Ford hasn't come to the party with the cost of repairs, unlike the front ball joints when they did provide some relief for owners.

Take it to an auto transmission specialist and get another opinion. If it is a failed solenoid as the code suggests it's possible to replace the solenoid, and it then shouldn't cost more than around $1000.

The auto transmission is a fill-for-life unit, which means that you don't have to have it serviced for the life of the vehicle, whatever that means. For mine the auto should be regularly serviced, particularly when the vehicle is being used for towing, as yours is. There is no hard and fast rule, but in your case I would have it serviced annually.

It's not uncommon to hear of transmission troubles with the Territory. I'd suggest you get a second opinion by taking it to an independent automatic transmission specialist who should be able to diagnose the trouble and suggest a fix.

Cracked bushes on the rear diff of the early Territory is a common problem, so common that I would expect Ford to come to the party to pay at least part of the cost of repairs. I would continue to press your claim against Ford.

There can be problems with this transmission as the kays climb, and they're expensive to fix, but yours would seem to be relatively new and unlikely to be affected by age issues. The transmission does have a heat exchanger, which can split, and when it does it allows the transmission fluid and coolant to mix, which is a deadly scenario for an auto trans. But our auto transmission specialist says he hasn't seen a lot of them in his shop.