Ford Territory Problems

The TZ Territory is generally robust and reliable, a car that gives little trouble and most owners say they would happily have another one. The problems that arise with them are minor and shouldn't put you off.

There no difference between the models that I can think of that would cause the later ones to vibrate as you describe. I would check the idle speed in Drive to make sure it's not too low.

The recall was to inspect the front-end on the Territory when it became obvious there was a widespread problem with the front lower balljoints wearing out prematurely. It related to the early models, which included yours. It was an inspection and some balljoints that were worn were replaced, but it didn't fix the problem. The balljoints still wear and as a rule require replacement every 75,000 km or so for the rest of the car's life. There was change to the design of the Territory front-end in in 2010 and that fixed the problem. I doubt you'll have any joy getting Ford to replace the joints for you free of charge; your car is now 11 years old and well out of warranty.

It can be hard to locate the cause of an intermittent problem when it doesn't happen while the mechanic is there to see it. Even when it is captured by the on-board diagnostics it can still be difficult to find.

I can only suggest you follow the advice from the dealer and get it back pronto once you strike trouble again.

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 has cropped up before. It would be nice if they lasted longer, but I reckon you’d be wasting your time trying to get Ford to cover the costs.

The Kia Sorento, our Car of the Year in 2015, gets The Tick from me. It has everything you want and need and is a good drive, with a seven-year warranty. If it's out of your price range, go for the smaller Kia Sportage.

I would think your chances are good, if you can show that you bought it believing it to be RWD. From what you have told us the car was incorrectly described in the advertisement and in the paperwork, so you should be entitled to get you money back on the basis that the dealer misrepresented the car to you. Go and talk to him and try to work out a satisfactory resolution.

There are lots of SUVs to choose from, it's a very crowded market, which works in the favour of the buyer. The Territory of the vintage you are considering is a decent car, the diesel is economical and it would tow up to 2700 kg. Also consider the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V.