Ford Falcon

Falcon great car – Haven't had any issues. Comfortable 300000ks almost now, only general maintenance. Have thought about selling for hybrid as it's thirsty in comparison to a small hybrid around town. Doing a lot of highway driving I decided against. As the 5 litres per more hundred around town I save with hybrid only saves me $20 a month, so cheaper to keep. Show details

Great car – 267000 ks. Not a single problem that's not general maintenance. Can't praise the car enough. After having a camry before this one which was problematic. Show details

The worst car I have ever owned – Purchased this 2003' BA XT Falcon in Feb 2023 and frankly have been disappointed in the long run. Beginning of ownership was pretty good. Decent power, for a BA fuel economy has been really impressive.. 10.5 / 11L per 100ks... but that's about where the positives end, the amount of problems this car has started developing has been driving me quite… Read more

literally bonkers. The interior of this car is quite possibly the worst I have seen in a car in some time. Just the quite frankly hideous plastics that snap in your hands and feel so unbelievably brittle...

The door handles that snap off in your hands with basic use, the door lock actuators that strip the gears or have the motor conk out sporadically without warning, the horrible roof lining sag, the god awful looking ICC screen which randomly decides to stop working and the only way to fix it is to just randomly hit it repeatedly with ya fist.. which up until now has fixed it... window regulators... rust.....

Only the start of the mechanical issues.. The heater stopped working (classic leaking heater core) quite early on into ownership, which is a complete dash removal procedure to fix, so for around a year have been living with no heater. Rocker cover gaskets have leaked three times across the course of a couple of months, causing oil to burn on the exhaust manifold. The power steering pump has whined excessively since ownership, and has been replaced two times with genuine ford and aftermarket to no effect. The steering seems to be uncharacteristically heavy and at times can shudder when driving slow, (another common BA fault.) Tail shaft centre bearing shagged causing vibrations and knocking under acceleration.

Design of the front hubs makes the BA eat through front brake rotors, and eventually warp causing violent shaking from the steering wheel and pulsing through the pedal. (although this can be fixed by slackening off the booster rod in the master cylinder.)

Constant knocks and random clunks from the front end and has not been fixed with new bushes. The handbrake which constantly goes out of adjustment and works maybe 40% of the time. The design of the rear hub in these cars makes it immensely difficult for it to stay adjusted for long. I've had it adjusted multiple times and it has never worked 100%.

Diff bushings in the rear continuously either tear, crack or disintegrate even under normal driving conditions causing loud clunking and thumping from the diff, which requires the whole rear independent suspension cradle to be removed from the car for them to be replaced (a huge job.) worst thing about this is that even with higher quality bushes (i.e, Nolathane or Superpro) the issue is still persistent.

The terrible, TERRIBLE 4 speed auto is the main let down of this car. The awful shift times in both moderate and heavy throttle applications combined with the stupid long first gear make the BA feel sluggish off the line and overall slow on pickup. Helps with fuel economy ( to an extent,) but that's it. The amount of clunks and thumps this gearbox makes with a fresh fluid and a new filter is shocking, and the delay into reverse gear and the raging thump from the rear makes the BA feel rough and jerky. Coupled with the fact the built in transmission cooler in the radiator can split (and will split), mixing trans fluid with coolant and crapping the box.

stay away, horrific pile of junk.

Reliable and comfortable. You just have to know how to take care of her! – I have owned my BA for a few years I saved her from rough previous owners that didn't look after it and obviously too rough. If you take the time (which is not much really) to take care of the paint, get the doors inside oiled once a year keep the plastic covered from the sun has much has possible the car will stay in great shape for many years. … Read more

If you are rough with closing doors and moving seats or anything then expect sooner then usual wear and tear.

It's not hard to take care of a falcon but neglect and a lack of pride is a problem.

Serviced my BA oil and coolant is important , and radiator flush once ever 2 years is good.

Slamming doors, lack of maintenance and not oiling moving parts like door mechanisms, windows, or polishing the paint and keeping out of the sun and rain well expect fade and wear and tear.

Motor is absolutely fantastic, fuel efficient on long highway trips, but not so around town.

Roof lining falling happens in most cars!

I just wish it came with AUX, USB OR BLUETOOTH FOR AUDIO but you can get this professionally added anyway not too expensive.

2016 fg x ute..... complete CRAP – This piece of 2016 crap is a fuel Guzzling, Electric glitching turd. Over-serviced including genuine plugs and coil packs every 60,000km, fuel filter and air filter every 20000km, oil and filter every 10,000km and with an empty alloy tray it uses 11.5lt per 100km on the highway minimum. I use cruise control because its meant to be the most… Read more

economical way to drive. 13lt per 100km in the city. If loaded or towing a small box trailer it's 5lt per 100km worse on the highway or in town.

Ford's big mistake was thinking a fancy 6 speed German gearbox was a good fit for the Under powered naturally aspirated 6 cylinder engine. It revs too low on the highway and stays in 6th gear too long trying to maintain speed before kicking back. 110kph is about 1700rpm. The engine management system floods the engine with too much fuel trying to maintain the speed and economy plummets. It needs to be closer to 2000rpm at 110kph. It starts coming to life in 6th at 2000rpm.

The 2007 ford falcon Ute i had prior to this with an identical engine but a 4spd gearbox was 7.8lt per 100km on the same trip Sydney to Canberra. Same weight, same empty tray. Same driver using cruise control set to 110kph on the highway. The 2016 ute has been scanned for any faults or dodgy sensors and no problems found. Been this way since it was purchased at 40,000km. The economy is the same on 91 and 98 octane fuel.

The plastics in the cabin are crap quality. So are the seats. The interior control module goes crazy if it detects a slight drop in voltage when the car is starting and turns the heater or AC on full bore as well as the radio and won't let you shut it off without turning off the car. If a fault with the break light switch is detected you get brake disc failure warnings that become total brake failure warnings when there isn't actually a problem other than a bit of dirt in the $25 switch. The ridiculous HIR2 headlight globes for low beam cost $100 each. The brake discs warp every 20000km to 30000km requiring machining or replacement. That was a ford issue starting in 2002 and nothing was done to fix it. The idler pulley for the serpentine belt becomes noisy after about 50,000km. I'm on to my third serpentine belt kit having just clocked over 150,000km. It should instead be a 100,000km interval replacement. But I'm not pushing a noisy bearing another 50,000km. It's a piece of junk.

Best cheapest to run car on the road – I bought my 2003 Ford Fairmont for $1600 7 years ago now and she was beat like and ill treated dog. She had 265,000 kms on the clock and collapsed back springs a howling diff the rear of the car coming around to meet the front when you braked with a shuddering front end you thought you were going to fly off the road. The rear shocks have no… Read more

rubbers left in and were seized bent like a banana. The hood lining was hanging down in my face I drove her home with one hand holding up the lining so I could see. I was starting to have second thoughts but its one redeeming feature was that mighty Barra engine it pulled really hard through all the gears and the sports auto shift and never put a drop of oil on my garage floor anywhere. The body and paint was reasonable with only a minor scrape on the left back guard but very restorable. I went to to work on it. I started at the bottom all new RDA brakes discs and linings slackened off the rod in the Ford faulty brake booster a tad to stop the shuddering, new king springs heavy duty shocks every suspension bush drop link diff bushes even behind the power steering ram replaced with a red nolathane one front to back. Then all four front ball joints with grease nipples also some sniper coil packs and instead of the so called upgraded air filters being offered in the after market I stuck with a cheap free flowing fibrous one you chuck every 10,000kms. I then added another snorkel hose off the filter box to the front grill. Then the hood lining a complete redback 2 1/2 exhaust system some 17'' FG XR 6 mags the scrapes and paint repaired and WELLA! she's my baby she is fast for a non turbo car she goes around corners at obscene speeds like she's on rails after a drivers seat re foam she is a comfortable cruiser with excellent litres per kms non Ghia Fairmonts have 3:23 diffs and when you add Penrite full syn pro gear 80 140 to then you can hear you radio again. My car is painted a sparkling pearl blue and I will never part with it.

would buy another if thay still made them – owned since new fgx ute 1 ton had it 9 years now have not had any problems with it i get 7.8 litre on long country drives i always leave the ac on for better fuel economy sounds weird but it works less fuel economy if its off. only thing that had to be replaced was wipper blades and had problem with power window switch. i get it serviced at the… Read more

log book intervils and its not that pricey at the ford dealer normaly under 500 $ diff starting to get slight noise now but dont affect driving i recomend these utes to any one so cheap to maintain and you never get any rude shocks at service time

Ford Falcon FG XR6T – Have owned this falcon since 2014 has been absolutely awesome never put a foot wrong powerful turbo 6 cylinder ok on fuel handles very well. Show details

HEAVY ON FUEL / ROOF LINING dropped at 44000klms – Reliable enough motor car but need to tow a fuel bowser on a trailer behind. Even fitted with LP gas they still drink it, It's my daily use car and had every service and oil/filter change each 5000klms.  Show details

Xr6 ba just stopped running – Xr6 ba I used fob it opened doors like normal car started and closed like normal then in arvo I tried opening door with fob it didn't work I opened up with key central locking didn't work , car windows dont work but i put key in ignition started car up then it died did it again died again I tried again there was nothing wouldn't start wouldn't… Read more

turn over. Dash light and all symbols show up red hand is flashing off real fast . Got new fob and key all done and computer linked didn't do anything. Was told pcm or imoberlizer but spoke to sparky he said couldn't be pcm as there's no power to central locking or windows . So can any one help out? Thoughts plz ? Anyone had same thing or simaular . Thank you

Great engine and drivetrain, let down by poor build quality and interior – First off, I'll start with the good things - great powerful engine (XR6 trim), and great 6 speed automatic transmission. Very spacious interior and huge boot, can fit 5 adults with ease, and all their luggage in the boot. It did use a fair bit of fuel when driven hard especially in the city, was good on the highway though. Now the cons - poor… Read more

build quality (few interior rattles) and electrical issues throughout. In my time of owning the car (~2 years), I have had to replace all the window regulators, and have had a number of electrical issues - the ICC has stopped playing audio a number of times, every few times I restarted the car all the settings in the ICC and cluster (lighting, audio, stations) etc were lost, more concerning was the issue where the car just wouldn't start on first click, would think it is not in park even though it was. Lots of little issues plague these Fords, in my experience I am not the only one.

In the end, got tired of it and traded it in.

Best driving car EVER – I was given a 2005 BA falcon ute , xl se mark 2. The car has 220000km and drives like a new car. I am very impressed with the power, country driving fuel economy and the smooth ride. I have added an additional 30000km to the car and nothing has gone wrong. Regular servicing by myself, using a falcon workshop manual off Ebay. I will never get… Read more

rid of this car. It drives better than my Volvo, Toyota and any of my other cars.

In fact, it is so good, I hardly even take my motorbikes out.

Well done Ford Australia. Brilliantly executed engine and car/ute.

On lpg... a superb $2000 motor car – I use my car daily. It has to be reliable. I live in it. As a dedicated lpg station wagon it is superb. Treated gently , very gently, I get 980 ks from on 88 litre tank. It saves a bundle on petrol models usage. Runs out about 10c/ km.( at $1.09 c/l) I’ve owned many cars and this is by far the best. Show details

tail shafts – i have a 2006 ford falcon fairmont lpg and it has a 2 peice tail shaft can a one peice tail shaft fit and what happens if you can use one peice shaft Show details

Comfy Ride! – My partner and take long road trips over 6 hours every couple of months in the XR6 and couldnt fault it, its a very smooth comfy ride and plenty of space to sleep in the back! Hardly had any issues apart for the left side window sticking sometimes and the broke drivers inner door handle. Show details

Falcon great – Good power. Good styling. A little rough around the edges but for the price unbeatable. Fuel consumption about 3.5/5. Great safety. Expect door handles and electric window switches to fail. Transmission 50:50. Show details

Another great example from ford Australia however I think I like the BA more – I don't drive this car every day, it's mostly used for long trips and towing, I understand all of the falcon range are great to drive, & yes even the LPG model. Show details

Nice car – Solid reliable very quite on the road and handles fantastically nice comfy seats easy to maintain and look after definitely a sad thing for Australian motoring too lose a terrific car Show details

Great Australian built car – Reliable, easy and cheap to service. The cabin is roomy, the car’s handling is sensational. Performance is fantastic. It’s a crying shame Australians turned their back on these cars. Highly recommended. Show details

One of my first cars couldnt go much better – I had the car for the first year and a bit on my p-plates she was a tough car that never let me down loved it dearily til the crash Show details

Reliable and comfortable – My Sep 2002 BA XT auto sedan was bought as a demo with 15000km on the clock. Fitted cruise control at purchase. Consider that essential for country cruising and to avoid speeding tickets around town. The 6 cylinder engine is smooth, powerful and is economical on the highway but thirsty around town. Fitted an aftermarket LPG to it in 2008 and… Read more

that hasn't caused any engine problems. The handbrake stopped working not long after purchase, but since it is an auto and I never use the handbrake, I have never bothered getting it replaced. The car has otherwise been quite reliable, only in the last 2 years have I had to replace the sagging interior ceiling due to the foam backing deteriorating, and replace the power steering hose. The air con still works well and has never needed a regas. Still on the original muffler and exhaust pipe. The car only broke down once due to a spark plug inexplicably becoming loose, the mechanic said he had never heard of that happening to anyone else. Otherwise just normal wear and tear on the brakes and suspension. Almost up to 160,000km now and am planning to start using it to tow a 16ft caravan. Overall, having kept it properly serviced and driven sensibly, I am very happy with how it has performed and has stood the test of time. It still looks and drives almost as when it was new. I will be very sad indeed if I ever have to replace it many years still into the future.

Awesome car – Had for over 7 years & aside from the odd issue still love it. Only things that have had to be replaced are drivers door handle, water pump because pulley came off, and new front shocks. Plus usual oil, brake pads & other consumables. Bought used and put about 70k on it now approaching 160,000k. For a tall person and family heaps of room and great… Read more

on a trip. Had both Commodore and Falcon (Aussie one) and loved them both, sadly miss the big Aussies

The Death of a Legend – Falcon's are more Australian than a Hills Hoist. The BA and BF were the last cars made in Australia, designed, and built in Australia. A quarter of a century after Holden sold out and became an American company (selling the same vehicles that sell in the US for $19,000 for $160,000 here) Ford kept chugging along, unfortunately because Holden's… Read more

marketing team lied and pretended they were Aussie still people never really considered Ford Australian, but FoMoCoAu was as Aussie as it gets.

After 5 years , still be strong , no sluggish – I bought the version 2 litre turbo in 2015. It still gives me a pleasure to drive around city or along coast without any problem. Hope the Falcon be back in the future Show details

Wouldn't rather drive anything else – I've owned a few Falcons now, and not once have I ever been disappointed My BA's have been bullet proof and my current FG XR6 Turbo I cannot speak highly enough about. On a highway trip to Launceston in hilly Tasmanja I averaged as low as 8.2 litres per 100km, that's better than what most can get from many 4 cylinder vehicles and 4X4 diesel… Read more

utes, yet none even come close to the smooth, effortless and reliable power of the XR6 Turbo.

For a 9 year old car it virtually looks so modern no one believes me when I mention it's age, the interior is still such a pleasant place to be with everything within reach with one of the most comfortable seats you'll find in a modern vehicle.

I cannot believe how these vehicles have been replaced by inferior 4X4 dual cabs, which don't have the braking performance, handling performance and ride comfort of a Falcon.

It's a shame our young generation won't get to appreciate Australian made cars for our country.

I'll never sell this one.

Long live the mighty Ford Falcon

Great car but problems starting to surface – Have owned this car for 5 years and is my daily driver. A traction control fault has developed and stays on all the time now and my cruise control won't work. I have taken it to a Ford dealership and they have checked my wheel sensors and brake light switch which were all good but the problem has not been fixed. Don't know what to do now. In the last year I've had nothing but issues with this car which is a shame as it's great otherwise. Show details