Ford Territory Problems

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.

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.

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.

They aren't recalling it here in Australia because it doesn't affect the locally produced Territory.

The used Captiva does appear to be great value, but their shaky reputation for reliability would lead me to consider other options. The Territory would be a better bet, but they are known to have electrical and front suspension issues in the long-term.  If you're after an SUV, a seven-seat 2006-12 Mitsubishi Outlander is smart buying at the moment, but if you're just after the seven seats, I highly recommend taking a look at a 2008-13 Kia Rondo. These represent excellent value at the moment. Hope that helps, and keep us posted with your progress.

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.

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.