Ford Territory 2009 News

And it's nearly ready for the road, judging from these shots of a car undergoing testing in regional Victoria.  Alert Carsguide reader Dave Fairley spotted this test mule at a service station in Bright and was quick enough to snap a few frames before it could drive off. The car bra camouflage can't mask the new front and rear styling, complete with projector-style twin headlights.  "The guy driving it wasn't too upset by me taking photos, but he wouldn't confirm or deny what it was," Fairley says. The Territory had a minor makeover in February with the release of the SY Series II, but that was primarily a mechanical tweak to revise the suspension — and address owners' complaints about excessive ball-joint wear. This version promises a major overhaul, inside and out. Ford has already announced it will fit a Jaguar-sourced 2.7-litre V6 turbodiesel.  The diesel engine's output should be comparable with the turbocharget petrol model, but fuel consumption should drop to around 8 litres for 100km, well down on the petrol's 11.6litres/100km. Ford's production communications manager Neil McDonald says the dealers are desperate to get the new model into showrooms.  "There's a lot of expectation about this car, especially with the diesel engine," he says. "It will keep typical Territory buyers happy and should open up a new market for us."  The Territory has been the backbone of local production for Ford after the Falcon suffered from the move away from large cars. It has recently been overtaken by the Captiva in the SUV sales race, but sales will surge when the new model goes on sale in March or April next year.

Ball joints are under the spotlight with a promise that suspect parts will be replaced, free of charge, if there is significant wear.  Ford Australia stresses that the new move is not a recall, or a pointer to a recall, but comes as it continues an engineering investigation into customer complaints about front-suspension failures.Every Territory built from early 2004 until the introduction of a revised model at the start of 2009, which has a different ball joint design, is covered. "If anyone has concerns they should take the car into a dealership for inspection and, if necessary, the ball joints will be replaced free-of-charge," says Ford spokesperson, Sinead McAlary."This is so we can manage the wear. Obviously, if a new part is fitted there will not be any wear for some time." The difference with the new deal is there is no cost.  "Previously, if the car was under warranty it was covered, and if it was out of warranty it was taken case-by-case with a contribution of 50 to 100 per cent."  Ford has been investigating ball joint troubles on the Territory for more than a year and following a major campaign by the Carsguide on behalf of worried owners.The company says there is no recall but it is continuing its work on the problem.  It has been monitoring the Territory parts for some time on cars coming to dealerships for routine service work."This is not a recall. What we’re doing is making a lot of progress on our studies," says McAlary."We are getting to the root cause and looking for the long-term solution."But Ford now admits there is a significant problem.  "Ford is aware that some customers have experienced wear-and-tear issues with the ball joints on their Territory. The majority of instances of excessive wear on the ball joint have been discovered and rectified by Ford dealers during routine servicing," McAlary says."However, as a result of significant wear on the ball joint, a small number of customers have experienced ball joint separation while undertaking low-speed, high-steering-effort manoeuvres. This will only take place if the ball joint in question has worn to a significant degree."McAlary says a long-term solution is close and Ford is committed to doing the right thing by Territory owners.  "We take the safety and ongoing peace-of-mind of our customers very seriously and are undertaking a detailed engineering investigation to determine any potential root cause to the issue that has been reported."We have an engineering team working on the issue as quickly as possible and are investigating the issue thoroughly."

A front passenger seatbelt reminder light will be added to all TS, TX and Ghia and Turbo Territorys from January 1, giving the car the best-possible Australasian New Car Assessment Program crash rating.When it was initially tested in 2006, the Broadmeadows-built crossover comfortably scored four stars and made do with dual front airbags on the base models.  Since the arrival of the Series II facelift earlier this year curtain airbags have become standard and the car has now been re-engineered for the seatbelt light.Since the facelift and other improvements there has been a modest resurgence in Territory sales, according to Ford president and CEO, Marin Burela.  Demand is such that Broadmeadows employees worked overtime earlier this month to build an extra 321 Territorys.It is the first time since July 2005 the factory has been on overtime.  "We've been planning to do that for a couple of months because there is a strong demand," Burela says.  Burela is confident that when the 2.7-litre V6 turbo-diesel arrives next year, Territory sales will ‘grow it back to where it was’.However, despite the Series II update, the car has remained largely unchanged, with the same interior and six-cylinder petrol engines it had at launch.  Newer rivals in the hotly contested medium off-roader segment, including diesels, are nibbling at the Territory's heartland.Sales have gone from a high of 23,454 in 2005 - its first full year on sale - down to just 9659 year-to-date.  Given its maturity, Burela is reluctant to confirm whether Ford is close to signing off on the next-generation version.  More immediately the future of the Falcon wagon is expected to be decided early next year."It's still doing its job," Burela says."We're clearly looking at a number of options.  "We'll probably come out sometime in the first quarter and advise you about what we're doing with the wagon."Given the arrival of the Mondeo wagon, Ford must decide whether to continue with two load-luggers.  "Right now we can because they appeal to different customers," Burela says.  Ford could further leverage Mondeo wagon sales by introducing a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel but Burela has refused to confirm it."It's too early to say," he says.  However he did acknowledge that a diesel wagon could have strong fleet appeal because of its economy.  "The big opportunity for us is how do we compete with the Holden Sportswagon?," he says "The customer for the Sportswagon is the same as the Mondeo wagon."

A staggering 225 out of the 243 private-plated cars chosen by MPs and Senators have six or eight-cylinder engines, in contrast to the national trend towards smaller, more fuel efficient models. Only a handful of MPs drive low-emission hybrids.The list, published today on The Punch, shows the most popular car among federal politicians is the Ford Territory, Australia’s answer to the SUV and possibly the heaviest Aussie-built passenger car ever made. It was chosen by 81 MPs, including many who live in suburban electorates. The Federal Government’s own Green Vehicle Guide gives the Territory a woeful 2.5 stars out of five.The details, released under Freedom of Information laws and current as of March 1 this year, show only 10 MPs drive low-emission hybrids. All MPs and Senators are entitled to at least one private-plated vehicle for personal use as part of their salary package. They can choose from a list of 35 cars valued at up to $48,990 or with approval from the Special Minister of State, select a “non-standard vehicle”.Apart from the Territory, other popular vehicles include the Holden Berlina and Calais vehicles or the Toyota Aurion V6. Some of the Toyota Landcrusiers, preferred among some country-based MPs, are diesel or in the case of one or two six cylinder cars, dual fuel LPG operated. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was embarrassed into swapping his private-plate Territory for a hybrid Toyota Prius in 2007 when, as Opposition Leader, it was revealed he was calling for action on greenhouse while driving a Territory.Special Minister of State Joe Ludwig, a Territory driver, said the government was examining “cleaning up” the parliamentary entitlements framework, including the private-plated vehicle scheme. An independent committee would report to him next year with some recommendations intended to “reduce cost and increase transparency”.A more in-depth report and the full list is available at The Punch            

We've now had three different presidents with three very different plans for the company's future and the latest one, reported in detail this week, has some significant holes.When Tom Gorman was in the big chair he was certain the Falcon should be switched to a V6 engine, then Bill Osborne arrived and changed the focus to local production of the baby Focus.Now we have Marin Burela and the Focus is dead, probably with production to move to Thailand for duty-free imports to Australia, and the new plan calls for a four-cylinder Falcon with much more work on diesel and LPG power for the Falcon and Territory."We have a lot planned," says Burela.Yet none of these plans have become a reality and the latest one shows very little of the detail needed to generate real enthusiasm. There is talk of a diesel engine for the Territory, but no confirmation of a second-generation model.The Falcon engine developments look good on paper, but do very little to make it more attractive as an export car. And that's the big question. How does Ford Australia now fit into the company's global strategy?The Focus plan would have linked Australia to the Asia-Pacific region but we now have to wait and see if the Falcon and Territory can survive only as locals, or if they can become export earners.The end of the Focus plan is bad news for the component suppliers who would have won fresh business, and could also hurt the other local carmakers - Toyota and GM Holden - who are relying on suppliers to keep their business models working.I always like to keep my glass half full and I'm hoping the Burela plan will work. But there are lots of questions still to be answered. 

Following a spate of problems with paint, rust, brake hoses and front suspensions affecting their vehicles, the Ford owners are angry.But none are angrier than Tina Heraudeau who is furious with Ford after the front suspension on her Territory collapsed after a mere 14,000 km.The young Melbourne mum of two is so shaken after the incident late in 2008 that she is now afraid to drive her 2005 model Territory."I don't feel safe in it," she told Carsguide. "I'm scared to drive it."Fortunately the right-front lower control arm ball joint failed at low speed as Ms Heraudeau was pulling away from the kerb, but she now fears it could happen again, this time at a higher speed that could leave her and her family in grave danger."I just heard metal crunching on the ground as I pulled out from the kerb," she says."I couldn't move it, it was stuck and going nowhere with its nose sticking out in the traffic."I looked under the car and that's when I saw that the whole front axle was lying on the ground.Her concerns were raised when told by a mechanic at her Ford dealer that it wasn't the first ball joint failure he'd seem, before adding that he wouldn't allow his wife to drive a Territory because it wasn't safe.Further adding to her fears is Ford's reluctance to explain what caused the ball joint to fail and its inability or unwillingness to assure her that it won't happen again in the future now that her car has been repaired.Ford repaired her car under warranty, no question, but Tina Heraudeau wants the company to assure her that the car is now safe to drive. She has vigorously pursed the company for such an assurance, but so far none has been forthcoming."They couldn't confirm to me whether I was driving a safe vehicle," says the frustrated mum. "They couldn't tell me what had happened to my car and why, and they still can't."In her efforts to get to the bottom of the failure Ms Heraudeau has contacted the dealer, Ford's warranty centre and the company's Customer Service Centre, but with no satisfactory response there she has also been in contact with the RACV and the Victorian Government Consumer Affairs Department, who recommended she contact Carsguide.Ms Heraudeau believes the Territory's front suspension is flawed, and that the replacement ball joints could just as easily fail as the ones originally fitted on the Ford production line.Her suspicion is heightened by the fact that the dealer replaced not only the ball joint that failed, but also the one that didn't fail.The fact Ford changed the design of the front suspension on the recently updated Series II Territory only serves to underline her concerns there is a design flaw in her car.Ms Heraudeau is not the only Territory owner to have experienced front suspension failure.The Herald Sun has had numerous reports from Territory owners who have had ball joints fail on their cars, or wear to the point they need replacing at very low kilometres.Carsguide reader Steve Smith told us that both front ball joints on his 2005 Territory were replaced by Ford under warranty at 45,000km and again at 90,000km.They also needed replacing at 140,000km, but by then the warranty had expired and Ford refused to cover it.Smith's Territory has now racked up 170,000km and his dealer has told him that one of the ball joints is showing signs of wear again."The ball joints have failed on four occasions," he says."Surely this is a design or manufacturing defect that Ford should cover."Other owners are being told by their dealers the ball joints need replacing when they take their cars in for servicing in the region of 30,000-75,000km, a number have discovered the flaw when they have taken their cars in to have the front brake hoses replaced under the recent recall.Carsguide understands the ball joint problem is not a new one; that Ford has been aware of it for some time and so far chosen not to do anything about it. An inside source involved in the front suspension design of the Territory who wished to remain anonymous told Carsguide that Ford has known about the issue with the ball joints from early on in the Territory program.What's more he says it will be an ongoing problem for the rest of the life of the Territory; owners face replacing the ball joints on a regular basis.While that's an expensive frustration for current owners, particularly once the warranty expires, it's likely to become an even greater safety issue once the cars pass into the hands of inexperienced, younger and sometimes cash-strapped owners who aren't as concerned about having their cars checked and serviced as are owners of new cars.In a recent meeting with Ford president Marin Burela Carsguide presented him with a fistful of emails from owners expressing their concerns, not only with the Territory ball joints, but also the front brake hoses on the Falcon that are prone to failure, along with rust and paint problems.In the meeting Burela was urged by Carsguide to initiate a recall on the Territory to fix the front suspension problem, and the Falcon to replace the front brake hoses.Burela's response was that neither issue had shown up as a problem on Ford's field monitoring system, which he assured Carsguide was the most sophisticated in the industry, one that would surely identify a problem if it existed.As an example he told Carsguide he authorised the recent recall on the Territory's front brake hoses when the monitoring system only showed a failure rate of around two per cent, even though he felt the failure rate wasn't high enough to justify a full recall.What he failed to say was that while two per cent seems a very low failure rate when it's just a number in a report, it actually represents something in the order of 2000 cars that have suffered a brake hose failure.When questioned over the thoroughness of Ford's testing regime Burela claimed it was the most stringent of any used by carmakers around the world.But he couldn't explain why the same system didn't identify a problem with the Falcon rear brake hose that went into production when it was too short and failed as a result.That failure caused Ford to issue an alert to dealers to replace the Falcon rear brake hoses when cars came in for service.Owners knew nothing of the potential problem that could severely reduce the braking power of their cars at any moment, and owners who chose to have their cars serviced at places other than Ford dealers were left out in the cold.Burela's claims that his company's testing regime is beyond question are also questionable in the light of the Territory front suspension problem.Ford's testing regime failed Tina Heraudeau and her family, and every Ford owner, as did the company's field monitoring system that has failed to identify problems that clearly exist on the Falcon and Territory.Perhaps it's a case of too many statistics and too little concern for the plight of owners like Ms Heraudeau who simply wants to know she is driving a safe car, that the children are not being put at risk when she's driving them to school in her Territory. 

1. CarsGuide has received many letters about recurrent customer problems with the Territory's front end, specifically ball joint failures (excessive wear to the point of failure). What are your findings on this? A: We are aware of a small number of customers with ball joint issues which, on investigation, were found to be due to excessive wear and, in some cases, damage related. Most cases were found during the course of routine service and dealt with before any issue arose. Our engineering and service teams are continuing to actively monitor and investigate any incident identified in the field.2. Carsguide understands this has been known about even during Territory's development. Is this right? A: Our vehicles are subject to an extremely rigorous development process that exceeds global industry standards and which includes sophisticated CAD and CAE modelling, continued component development, on-road testing (both at our proving ground and on public roads over a variety of surfaces), and a comprehensive engineering review and sign-off process. The Territory ball joints passed this process successfully.3. The updated Territory gets a new front suspension design. What has changed and has this fixed the problem? A: In the automotive business it is normal practice to share technology and design changes across multiple product lines. This is normal and good business practice. A new design application for the virtual pivot front suspension was implemented for the FG Falcon in 2008 and Territory received that new suspension design with the recent launch of the SY Mark II. Our process of continual development often sees new technologies developed for either Falcon or Territory that then make their way onto the other vehicle at the appropriate time in the model cycle. One example of this was the introduction of Dynamic Stability Control on Territory when it first launched in 2004 - this technology was then applied to Falcon at the next model update in 2005. This continued development and sharing of technologies reduces production complexity and allows for shared technology across vehicle lines. Specifically, the new virtual pivot front suspension has altered the design application from a tension joint to a compression joint.4. Brake hose failures. There has been a recall on Territory but what about BA/BF Falcons? A: The Territory front brake recall is to rectify an issue that is Territory-specific. Despite a very low expected incident rate of only 1.5 per cent and the fact that Territory features a dual, independent braking system that provides braking performance from the rear in case of any issue with the front brakes (as does Falcon), Ford proactively recalled all Territory vehicles in order to ensure the safety and peace-of-mind of our customers. We are investigating a small number of incidents with Falcon front brake hoses although the root cause is yet to be determined. We are continuing to w ork with our dealers and other automotive repairers to gather data.5. Brake hose failures - there is a dealer alert on rear brake hoses for BA/BF Falcon sedans but not Utes and wagons, why not? A: Utes and wagons feature a different design for the brake hoses and as a result the service campaign for BA/BF sedan rear hoses does not apply to them.6. Paint. Carsguide has fielded reports of peeling 'shockwave blue' paint on BF Falcons. How many are affected? Is this actually a problem? A: We are working with the supplier of our Shockwave paint and have repainted those vehicles that have experienced an issue with no cost for the repair to the customer.7. Rust. There are reports of rusting on Territory where the paint is thin. Have you had complaints about this? Has the new Territory fixed this? A: We are aware of a small number of customers, primarily from coastline areas, who have experienced corrosion, which is cosmetic in nature. Where necessary, those cases are being repaired. It is not a broad problem.8. Customer satisfaction. Are you happy with the efforts of the Customer Relationship Centre in its role to liaise with owners about their cars? A: We regularly monitor customer satisfaction across all areas of our business. The results for our Customer Relationship Centre continue to be very strong. We are confident that the CRC has the resources required to liaise with our customers to deliver a positive brand experience.9. The recent JD Power quality satisfaction survey found that Ford's "dealer service" category has slipped 15 points since last year's survey. Is there a problem with dealers? A: Ford strongly believes that we have one of the best dealer groups in Australia. Our dealers are committed to working closely with us as we continually develop all aspects of our collective businesses. The JD Power survey has such a low sample size that is it difficult to quantify those results and compare them with other industry satisfaction surveys.10. Reputation. Collectively, are these problems harming Ford's hard-fought reputation? A: Ford is one of the most respected companies in Australia with 85 years of dedicated commitment to delivering outstanding vehicles across all market segments, which has been endorsed by numerous third party commendations and awards. Our reputation is of the utmost importance to us, which is one reason we invested significant resources to becoming the first Australian car company to achieve a 5-star safety rating for our Falcon sedan range. We are committed to doing the right thing by our customers and will continue to do so long into the future.

The hefty homegrown Falcon-cloned SUV just does its stuff and that means it gets overlooked when you have flashy newcomers like the Nissan Murano and the new Lexus RX and even things like the excellent Volvo XC60, Audi's new Q5, and the Renault Koleos and Volkswagen's Tiguan.But there is nothing to complain about when you drive the Territory. It does its stuff, it does it well, and it's great value.Ok, so we've pointed out problems with rust and brakes and front balljoints.But none of that really matters when you have a new Territory in the driveway and jobs to be done. It handles any task and handles it well.Little things like the truly excellent headlamps, radio reception, sports-shift automatic and handling grip and balance reflect the quality of the Australian-made engineering in the Territory.It's not a sexy choice, and it doesn't have the 'gee-whizz' impact of a Murano or the undoubted safety of the XC60, but it's the sort of SUV that most Australians would be happy to own. The fuel consumption could be better, and Ford definitely went the wrong way when it developed the turbo package instead of doing a diesel or LPG model for fuel economy, but they are getting there on the fuel front.So this week I'm celebrating the Territory and thought it was important to share.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!   

Ford is expected to decide by the end of next month on its future fuel-saving technologies for its six cylinder Falcon and Territory to go head-to-head against the Holden Commodore and Toyota Aurion.With GM-Holden tipped to show off new fuel economy tricks in the Commodore update due later this year, the pressure is on Ford to reply with its own strategies.Ford president and CEO, Marin Burela, says the company will make a decision on its technology within two months."We will get to a powertrain decision by the end of July," he says."If we go beyond that we will not be able to get the powertrain strategy deployed in time to meet the requirements that we need to meet internally as well as those we need to meet to satisfy the Australian market.“Burela says there is some fine tuning to be done but the importance of the decision cannot be under-estimated."Derrick Kuzak, the global product development head for Ford, is personally involved in working with us to help us get to the best solution," Burela says."That shows you the level of focus that Ford Motor Co is applying to make sure we get this right."With fleets and governments identifying fuel economy among the key drivers in purchasing decisions Burela is keen to make sure the Falcon keeps pace with consumer demands.More than 70 per cent of all Falcons and Commodores are bought by fleets.Burela says there is still room for fuel economy improvements in the Falcon's in-line six cylinder engine, which cracks 9.9 litres/100km combined for the optional six-speed automatic XT sedan and 10.5 litres/100km for the five-speed automatic model."We're continuing to work on that," he says.The I6 engine remains a part of the Falcon and Territory's future even though Ford is looking at turbo-diesel engines and a range of eco-saving technologies like stop-start and dual-clutch transmissions as well."The I6 it's part of our plans," Burela says.Burela says it will remain a part of the local landscape until the next-generation of fuel emission standards are identified "and we don't expect that to be clear for some time".Ford has not yet approached the Federal Government for access to its Green Car Fund to help fast-track these new technologies."We've been very quiet and the reason we've been quiet is that we take the view that we don't want to go to government every five minutes and asking for their support or engagement on things that we're not ready to make a statement on," Burela says."I want to make sure that once we're ready to move forward with our powertrain strategy that it's a very cohesive, very comprehensive and very thought-out plan."And how we then engage government in terms of the green car fund will be an important part of that overall strategic direction and discussion."

Some people have attacked us for bias, particularly when we point out Ford's failings with its locally-made Falcon and Territory, but a lot of people want to know what's really happening at Fishermans Bend.Holden has survived the giant purge which came when General Motors filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy but there is a lot more to come than just a 'jobs are safe' declaration from the trump.Mark Reuss has done a great job since he became chairman at the red lion and he makes a lot of sense as he talks about everything from the future of the Commodore to the financial situation at Holden.But he really gets riled if you ask about the need for a car industry in Australia and the support the industry gets from Canberra."We pay $420 million a year in R&D . . . create almost 7000 jobs and we pay wages of $500 billion back into the economy every year," Reuss says."We make Commodore here and we pay a lot of wages here and we actually create a tax basis for the industry. That's what manufacturing's all about, it's about making things."I'm not sure this is looked at the right way . . . this is a reinvestment in the scheme of things to make sure that jobs pay back into the tax basis here."It gets really negatively reported, unfortunately, by people who don't really understand the dynamics of how the business creates value in Australia and it creates huge value."If you don't make cars and you don't make wages and people don't make livings then you can't really buy things.”