Ford Territory News

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.

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."

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!   

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.”      

No-one is a stronger believer in the blue oval and the Falcon, Focus and Fiesta - especially the Fiesta - are among my personal favourites.But we have to blow the whistle on the quality problems at Broadmeadows after months of letters, emails and telephone calls complaining about everything from brakes to rust, paint to balljoints.Graham Smith has his own take on things in Ask Smithy today, as well as a huge collection of complaining emails from Falcon and Territory owners. So it's not us kicking Ford, but the people who paid for a car in the belief it would do their job without drama.And now I've had a couple of other worrying emails.The first, from a brake repair specialist in Melbourne, raises again the question of the faulty brake hoses in Falcons."Ford should go down to a taxi repair shop and see what their failure rate is," he says."Admitting their own figures of two per cent affected is worse than they think, that means one in 50 BA Fords have gone barreling down the road with brake failure . . . and this is only the cars that have failed so far."Also, I expect that their two per cent rate is a survey of the cars being fixed by Ford dealer workshops, but the majority are being repaired by the aftermarket because the cars are out of warranty and Ford are probably not counting these. We even had one here this week that was still IN warrantee but the owner preferred to pay us to fix it properly. "Then I had a call just yesterday from a mechanic who had a hose fail whilst road testing a customer's car and ended up crashing through a fence."Then, as I looked at the update work on the Ford Territory, I got an email from Scott Pedder. He is one of the top men at Pedders Suspension, which has seen a lot of repair work on front balljoints in the Ford SUV.Ford claims no major mechanical changes in the 2009 update of the Territory but Pedder highlights the complete overhaul of the front balljoints. It's not just a change of component, but a re-work of the way the front end operates."One of the most noticeable and welcomed changes is the repositioning of the load carrying lower ball joint of the rear lower arm," Pedder says."The original ball joint was incorporated into the lower arm and attached to the steering knuckle in a "pull apart" situation which meant all of the vehicle weight was constantly trying to pull the ball joint out of its socket. The new design has moved what appears to be a larger and more robust ball joint to the steering knuckle itself and it then has the stud fitted through a taper hole in the lower arm in a "push together" scenario."The new design is a big step forward in making an already great vehicle even better."But what about the people who already have a Territory and have run into wear problems with the front balljoints? 

This is despite Ford recalling Territory models with similar problems.

Ford director of product development, Russell Christophers, admitted the changes were few and that there were no mechanical modifications.“This is a fairly minor change that just freshens the product,” he said.“We will do something more dramatic when we do the new Territory model.”However, he and other Ford executives at the “launch” of the updated Territory this week in Coffs Harbour would not elaborate on when the next model Territory would be released.“We’re not ready to talk about new Territory yet,” he said.“We have a product cycle plan for Territory but we are not ready for that yet.”He said the minor update was intended to maintain interest in the vehicle until the next model.The Territory SX was launched in 2004, then updated as the SY and now comes the SY Mk II with more airbags, more standard features, minor interior and exterior styling changes and between $500 and $1000 more on the pricetag.The base model Turbo has also been dropped from the range because Ford found most turbo buyers wanted the luxury of the Turbo Ghia which has been retained.Outside, the Territory gets a remodelled bonnet, grille, lower grille, fog lamp bezels, headlights, bumper, body coloured mirror and door handles, tail lamps and new wheel designs.The Ghia also gets indicators incorporated in the mirrors and larger, 18-inch alloy wheels.There are four new exterior colours: Velvet (brown), Harmony (silver), Mystic (green) and in September Ford will add Serenity (gold).Inside, there are new darker trim options in some models.Product marketing manager Christine Wagner said the Territory was launched in 2004 with a lot of options.“We know which ones worked so we have simplified the choice with more standard gear,” she said.Territory TX now comes standard with side curtain airbags, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels and a body colour package for the bumpers, door handles and mirrors.Territory TS also gets the body colour package plus a reverse parking camera, front fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift, and a third row seat as standard.Ghia gains a third-row seat as standard, an Alpine rear DVD system, side steps, rear privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels, while the Ghia Turbo adds a new 18-inch alloy wheel design.Wagner said the SY Mk II offered better value for money.The TX costs $1000 more and all other models an extra $500. Ford claimed the extra standard equipment was valued at between $3600 and $6600, depending on the model.Christophers said the fuel economy on rear-wheel drive Territory models had been improved by 4.9 per cent or 0.6 litres per 100km.The Ghia and all seven-seater models had a 1.6 per cent or 0.2L/100km economy improvement.He said this was achieved by new global calibrations to the engine, transmission, catalytic converter and other elements of the drive train.He ruled out LPG or diesel engines until the next model Territory.

Q: Who does this recall affect?A: Owners of all non-turbo Ford Territory vehicles built between February 1 2004 and December 31 2008Q Why did Ford make the recall?A: Following Carsguide reader letters to Ask Smithy guru Graham Smith complaining about brake failures in Territory and Falcons Carsguide contacted Ford. Ford began an investigation and has now decided to recall the Territory.Q: What if I own a Falcon?A: While they are not part of the recall Graham Smith and Ford have advised concerned owners of 2003-onwards Falcons to contact your dealer and have your car checked overQ: What should I do if I own a Territory?A: Contact your nearest authorised Ford dealer to make arrangements to have your vehicle rectified. The front brake hoses will be replaced free of charge by Ford. Ford Australia will be contacting customers via mail and advertising in daily newspapers in order to reach all customers.Q: What is wrong with the cars?A: Ford says it has determined that under certain conditions it is possible for the vehicle to develop a front brake fluid leak, which can result in reduced braking effectiveness from the front brakes. It says the rear braking system will still stop the car. And it says that a warning light will appear on the instrument cluster to alert the driver that the vehicle's braking system requires attention.Q: Will I lose all braking control?A: No, Ford says that under Australian Design Rules the front and rear brakes are independently controlled. So if one fails the other will stop the car.Q How many cars are affected?The recall affects 83,534 Territorys in Australia, 7739 in New Zealand, 3612 in South Africa and about 60 in Thailand and Brunei.Related stories: Ford Territory recall - carsguide.com.auFirst look: 2009 Ford TerritoryToyota Kluger Vs Ford Territory GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR CAR? - Carsguide Car Advice

Ford is recalling its popular Ford Territory to fix a potentially dangerous brake defect.Details of the defect were uncovered by Carsguide after more than 15 customers reported brake failures to our Ask Smithy guru, Graham Smith.Read the letters below...Territorial disputeLast year we bought a 2004 Ford Territory, which has suffered numerous problems. The rear-view mirror has been replaced twice, the bonnet needs two people to help open it, the boot door has trouble closing, the key lock worked intermittently and now doesn't work at all, and the rear driver's side window has stopped working. Last week a brake line ruptured and my foot went to the floor as I applied the brakes. I was close to home and used my handbrake to get home safely. Ford Australia will not cover the cost of the part replacement, as it is no longer under warranty and say it is due to ``wear and tear'', nota manufacturing fault. The car has done 64,000km. I believe this is a real safety issue and should be addressed. I understand this is not an isolated incident and has occurred on many occasions. Something should be done. Ford should not be able to get away with this.All the problems you have had with the Territory should be fixed, and many of them seem like this could be done with proper adjustment. But the brake line failure is a major concern, a safety issue as you say, and should not fail in any situation unless damaged through abuse in some way, which seems unlikely. Keep pressing Ford until you get help.Ford brakes againHow lucky some people are to have had only one broken hose in a Ford Territory. In April 2007 (54,000km), a hose burst on my right-hand side front and the pedal went straight to the ground when I was doing less than 30km/h, and the vehicle came to an ungraceful stop, up the road. In January 2008 (71,000km) the same thing happened to the left-hand side front. I was going slowly and was lucky to stop without hitting anything. Ford arranged towing and repairs, but this is serious. One day someone will be doing 100km/h and need to stop. We will read of a ``tragic accident'' that's taken a life.It is time Ford recalled and replaced the brake hoses on all these cars to ensure the danger is eliminated. It's fortunate that no one has been killed or injured as a result of these failures. A veteran brake expert is astounded that it hasn't been the subject of a recall.Ford brake issueI know two people who have suffered broken brake hoses on their Ford Territories, the same as a Carsguide reader reported. One had a complete brake failure in the middle of a school zone. She had the presence of mind to pull on the handbrake to stop before hitting cars in front that were picking up children. The dealership and Ford Australia refused to fix the hoses free of charge, claiming the hoses burst due to normal wear and tear; both cars had done between 60,000-64,000km. In the end the dealership gave them a refund for the repairs. I'm concerned that someone could die as a result of this problem and Ford and people in the industry who know just keep sweeping it under the carpet.Ford should do something about it, as you say. A failure on such a vital safety component should not happen, and it shouldn't cause a complete brake failure as you say happened to one of your friends. The failure of one brake hose will cause the loss of braking in one system, but you should still have the braking effect of the second system, even if it is diminished. One brake service centre told us they regularly see failed brake hoses, usually front but also back on occasions, on Falcons and Territories, but they're usually on high-mileage cars like taxis. A taxi operator told us they routinely replace the hoses on any BF Falcon they buy before it goes into service because of the high rate of failure on the hoses. It's claimed by people in the trade that Ford designed the hoses too short and they are under tension when installed. The aftermarket, and we believe now the Ford replacements, are a little longer and don't have the problem. It should have been a recall campaign and Ford should have fixed all cars.Q: I have been eagerly reading the stories of failed brake hoses on Fords and thought I would add my experience to the saga. We had a problem with a brake hose on our Territory, and as a result my wife hit another car from behind. The brake hose blew and half the braking system simply failed. Fortunately no one was injured but it obviously could've been a lot worse, especially if it was a pedestrian she was avoiding. Our dealer was very cooperative and advised, both verbally and in writing that the crash was due to the faulty hose as it blew from the inside, which should never happen. Talking to Ford directly was a totally different experience. They started off sounding nice, but as soon as I described the problem they became very cold and guarded in what they were saying. Their response was very scripted and no way were they admitting any liability. The reason I called them was to advise them of the problem and also that I don't think I should be financially out of pocket because it wasn't in any way mine or my wife's fault. I'm not just talking about the cost of fixing the brakes but my excess and increased premium of car insurance. Every time I thought about it, I couldn't stomach the thought of us having to pay when someone else was at fault. After a couple of calls, Ford said they weren't obliged to pay because the car was out of warranty by a few months, but they would pay for replacing the hose. I asked why I should be paying for the excess and extra premium when the fault was theirs. I was advised that since the car was out of warranty it wasn't their responsibility! I have since sought legal advice and they are wrong. We've been meaning to formally write to Ford, but thought we wouldn't get anywhere. My lawyer said taking legal action wouldn't be worth it, but there's a principle at stake here. At the end of the day, I will always ask why am I paying for something that wasn't my fault. I just hope I don't read about any death and/or injury due to a Ford brake hose failure it's already happened? I've been a Ford man all my life but now all of a sudden, Holden and Toyotas are looking great!!!A: I couldnt agree more. You didnt fit the faulty part to your car, Ford did and they should be responsible for the whole cost, not just the cost of a new brake hose. That you have a letter from the dealer placing the blame on the hose puts you in a strong position legally, and Im sure you would win if you went to court. But as your lawyer said it will cost plenty to go to court, and there is always the chance Ford will come along with better lawyers and argue their way out of it, leaving you with the bill. Ford is banking on you doing nothing, as most of us do in a similar situation, and they will get away with it. We have been highlighting this problem in the hope that Ford will see the light and do something about it.Q: After reading your stories in the Telegraph about Falcon brake hose failures I thought I would give my local dealer a ring. After a quick check they told me my car could be affected and they booked it in to have the hoses replaced. They replaced all four hoses. It was done without question and with a smile. There was no charge and I couldnt be happier.A: It's great that you are happy, but you had to ask. If you hadn't read about the problem in the Tele you wouldn't have known there was one. Wouldn't it have been better if Ford had contacted you and told you of the problem and asked you to take your car in to have the brake hoses changed. If I was in your shoes I would have been angry with Ford for letting me and my family drive around with a potentially dangerous flaw in it. I also note with interest that the dealer replaced all brake hoses, as some are just changing the rear hoses. Its just another example of the inconsistent approach by Ford and its dealers.Q: I have a BA Falcon and have been reading about brake line failure. What are the chances of this happening to mine? Are the front and rear brakes separate, if one goes will I still have the other or if the hoses burst will I be left with nothing? Also, should I be proactive and get something done now to prevent this happening???A: The chances are high enough that you should do something about it. Ford president Marin Burela has advised all Falcon owners who are concerned about the problem to go to their local Ford dealer and have their car checked. I would expect that your car will be one of those affected and the Ford dealer will replace the rear brake hoses at the very minimum, although I dont believe that will fully address the problem. If a brake hose fails you shouldnt lose all braking as the front and rear brake circuits are independent and the failure of one or the other wont cause you to lose all braking.Q: The saga over the Ford brake hose failures reminds me of the time a noted European car importer undertook to replace noisy final drives on their vehicles during routine servicing. An engineer from the manufacturer test drove the vehicle and authorized the repair if it was felt to be outside the acceptable noise range. In some instances this was done without the owners knowledge. Consumer Affairs stepped in after an irate owner that had paid big dollars to have his differential repaired found out he was disadvantaged because he chose not to have his car serviced by an authorized dealer. The importer was forced to notify all owners of that particular model that this road test and repair was available regardless of servicing arrangements. Perhaps a disgruntled Ford owner should fire off a letter to the Consumer Affairs office with a copy to the Minister and his local Member.A: Good idea. I would urge disgruntled Falcon owners to contact Consumer Affairs as I think Falcon owners who choose not to have their cars serviced by Ford dealers are being discriminated against, and Im sure that is against the law. Related stories: Ford Territory recall: Q&A Ford Territory recall - carsguide.com.auFirst look: 2009 Ford TerritoryToyota Kluger Vs Ford Territory