Ford Territory Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Unfortunately I don't think there is much you can do about it, the car is 10 years old and well beyond the warranty. It's even stretching the limit where you might expect goodwill. You bought an old car without inspecting it, took the salesman's word, and bought a model with known issues.

We haven't had any reports specifically relating to the Territory, ours have all been about the Falcon.

There can be problems with this transmission as the kays climb, and they're expensive to fix, but yours would seem to be relatively new and unlikely to be affected by age issues. The transmission does have a heat exchanger, which can split, and when it does it allows the transmission fluid and coolant to mix, which is a deadly scenario for an auto trans. But our auto transmission specialist says he hasn't seen a lot of them in his shop.

It's a common problem with the Territory and to my knowledge Ford hasn't come to the party with the cost of repairs, unlike the front ball joints when they did provide some relief for owners.

Cracked bushes on the rear diff of the early Territory is a common problem, so common that I would expect Ford to come to the party to pay at least part of the cost of repairs. I would continue to press your claim against Ford.

Take it to an auto transmission specialist and get another opinion. If it is a failed solenoid as the code suggests it's possible to replace the solenoid, and it then shouldn't cost more than around $1000.

Check the warranty document first, then ask the insurance company to show the provision that states it only covers "common" failures. Sounds like BS to me.

It's not normal; something is wrong with the car and needs further investigation to find the cause. The dealer has lost interest in your cars and is trying to fob you off. I suggest the dealer needs to check the driveline and maybe even the diffs.

Diffs and diff mounting bushes are known problems with the Territory, but I’m not aware that Ford has been replacing them free of charge. I would still advise you to contact your Ford dealer and request assistance in fixing the problems.

I agree, high transmission fluid temperatures are the fundamental cause of the problem, and once the transmission fluid is burnt it needs to be replaced. Fitting an external cooler is usually enough to keep the temperatures under control.