Ford Territory Problems

The obvious thing is a wheel imbalance, but that has been done, so look elsewhere in the drive train, such as a driveline imbalance or misalignment, or perhaps the wheel bearings.

WE have no reason to believe the problem you're referring to -- excessive wearing and failure of the front lower control-arm ball joints -- has been fixed.

For starters the dealer has failed to complete the repair he'd agreed to do so you shouldn't have paid any money at all until the job was done to your satisfaction. I would also have left the car there and refused to take delivery of it. The dealer has given you a loan car, so he hasn't left you completely in the lurch. Have him tow the car back to his dealership and have him give you an estimate of the time and cost of the repair and tell him that you will not take the car back until it is fixed.

I have had reports of others needing diff bushes, from what I can determine it's not an uncommon fault in the Territory.

No, they aren’t, and the Territory does seem to suffer more problems than most, even the Falcon. There’s not much that can be done about it, it comes with the territory so to speak.

The diff bushes are a problem with the Territory, but at six years old and 90,000 km you might be hard pressed to ask Ford to cover the cost of replacing them. But to have to take a car back to a dealer 15 times in 90,000 km is way too much and, yes, I think Ford should be more forthcoming with compensation for problem cars. While the Territory was a great concept its execution wasn’t and it does have a number of problems that regularly crop up.

A GOOD tip, one that clearly works for you.

FOLLOW the dealer's advice to start with. When you finish washing your car open the doors and let any excess soap drain away, and finally chamois the steps and surrounding area dry. You could also consult a four-wheel-drive specialist and see what they do to retain the bright appearance of the side steps on other cars. If you feel you want to continue dealing with Ford, there's no other way but to maintain the rage and certainly put your complaints down in writing and send them to the company.

WE HAVE had some reports of rear brake hose failures and also wondered why Ford only recalled the Territory to replace the front hoses. We can't say that it's as serious as the front brake hose failures turned out to be, so we will watch with interest to see how it develops. I wouldn't hesitate: replace both hoses.

The Territory TX does have a transmission oil cooler, which is suitable for normal driving, but when towing it's best to fit an external cooler that will cope with the extra heat generated under the load of a caravan or trailer on the back. The Ford kit you mention will do the job and Ford dealers should be able to fit it for you, if not any competent auto transmission mechanic will be able to supply and fit the sort of cooler you need. The cost will be about $500 fitted. It woul d also be a good idea to beef up the rear suspension of the Territory if you plan to tow and you say you do. Depending on the weight you would be towing you might want to think of fitting uprated rear springs, uprated gas shocks and even load- assist airbags. All can be supplied by Pedders at a cost of around $1400. At the same time they could inspect the diff bushes, rear arm mounts and shock bushes, all known trouble spots on the Territory.