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Comments
Perhaps more importantly however; tell everyone you know who has a Freestar or Monteray and even tell people that you don't know if they have one of these vans. You just might save their life!
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
I still think my van should have been replaced under the lemon law but hey what can you say about the American car companies, they don't care. I like the van now and it works great but from this experience I will probably buy my next vehicle from a foreign maker. My wife switched from Ford to Toyota and couldn't be happier. They take good care of her and so far has had little to no problems with her toyota, she is now on her second one!
It seems that the old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same", holds true to this very day. Wasn't it a Ford rep who stated, "Let 'em burn" during the Pinto fiasco?
There is one difference however; today we have the internet and this great forum on Edmund's. I still believe that if we keep this going, keep informing people, and keep the faith, that, not only will Ford get theirs, but we will also get some form of justice.
As for the folks at NHTSA, at least they have initiated an investigation, even if it took them over 2 years. Let's withhold judgement for a while until they complete their investigation. Then, if the result is anything but a recall, we take it from there, first by publishing, for all the world to see, Ford's predictable and cowardly response to NHTSA's request for information.
In the meantime, keep the faith, stay safe, celebrate the Holidays according to your faith, (for my family it's Christmas), and remember, GOOD GUYS really never finish last.
Best Wishes,
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Fast forward to now....approx. 2wks ago I was driving along I-75 about 75mph (had been for almost 2hrs) and my van tugged.....about 5 minutes later, did it again. My husband said to put some fuel injector cleaner in it...did that and it seemed alot better. About 1-1/2 wks later, IRONICALLY on 12/19/09 (exactly 1yr after it originally failed) I had alot of last minute running around to do and it started tugging really bad...I swore I wasn't going to make it home, but I did. Drove it yesterday to the dentist and no issues. Drove it this morning to get groceries and just before getting off the expressway, the dash lights flashed and then went off BUT the van didn't tug....
Since reading alot of similar stories on this forum, I've discovered that I've been having alot of the same issues as everyone else but I've just written my concerns off as the van's "getting older" etc....
When I read about the PCM, it reminded me of a time driving down the expressway with my husband, in the rain and all of the sudden the van lost power for just a second and then was fine....5 minutes later, same thing happened.....when it lost power, all lights, radio etc. went dead but then came right back on....This was just a couple of months before our transmission failed....
This past spring, about 3wks after getting the tranny fixed, the traction control light would come on the dashboard and it'd say "check traction control" or "traction control off"....I didn't think anything of it because I didn't need it on at that time anyways.....Also, the same time that light started coming on, my cruise control wouldn't always work?
This went on from the time I got the tranny rebuilt until about 3wks ago...ironically, just before I felt the first "tugs" again....Mysteriously, the traction control lights do not come on anymore AND my cruise control is working like a charm?!?!
Also, the "check tires" warning keeps coming up on my dasg as well....I check them all the time and they're fine....
My question is: Is it possible that all of these things are related to the transmission failure? Could the traction control be a culprit??? Could it be the PCM that's causing the "tugging" and not the actual TC failing again??? Would the PCM cause these issues???
I just don't want to keep sinking thousands into this van only to have the same outcome!
Oh, and of coarse there was a warranty on the rebuilt tranny BUT it was only 12,000 and I had gone to MN twice so it shot my mileage up this past year....so, no more warranty....
I'm just wondering if I should take it into a dealer or back to the tranny people???? Is it really another tranny problem???
HELP!
Fast forward to now....approx. 2wks ago I was driving along I-75 about 75mph (had been for almost 2hrs) and my van tugged.....about 5 minutes later, did it again. My husband said to put some fuel injector cleaner in it...did that and it seemed alot better. About 1-1/2 wks later, IRONICALLY on 12/19/09 (exactly 1yr after it originally failed) I had alot of last minute running around to do and it started tugging really bad...I swore I wasn't going to make it home, but I did. Drove it yesterday to the dentist and no issues. Drove it this morning to get groceries and just before getting off the expressway, the dash lights flashed and then went off BUT the van didn't tug....
Since reading alot of similar stories on this forum, I've discovered that I've been having alot of the same issues as everyone else but I've just written my concerns off as the van's "getting older" etc....
When I read about the PCM, it reminded me of a time driving down the expressway with my husband, in the rain and all of the sudden the van lost power for just a second and then was fine....5 minutes later, same thing happened.....when it lost power, all lights, radio etc. went dead but then came right back on....This was just a couple of months before our transmission failed....
This past spring, about 3wks after getting the tranny fixed, the traction control light would come on the dashboard and it'd say "check traction control" or "traction control off"....I didn't think anything of it because I didn't need it on at that time anyways.....Also, the same time that light started coming on, my cruise control wouldn't always work?
This went on from the time I got the tranny rebuilt until about 3wks ago...ironically, just before I felt the first "tugs" again....Mysteriously, the traction control lights do not come on anymore AND my cruise control is working like a charm?!?!
Also, the "check tires" warning keeps coming up on my dasg as well....I check them all the time and they're fine....
My question is: Is it possible that all of these things are related to the transmission failure? Could the traction control be a culprit??? Could it be the PCM that's causing the "tugging" and not the actual TC failing again??? Would the PCM cause these issues???
I just don't want to keep sinking thousands into this van only to have the same outcome!
Oh, and of coarse there was a warranty on the rebuilt tranny BUT it was only 12,000 and I had gone to MN twice so it shot my mileage up this past year....so, no more warranty....
I'm just wondering if I should take it into a dealer or back to the tranny people???? Is it really another tranny problem???
HELP!
I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday regardless of your beliefs. I wish all of us happiness and safety for those we love. We are united in a club we'd much rather not be part of. I, like Jim can't help but believe that justice will prevail at some point. In the mean time, be well all and Happy 2010. God bless.
The part I do not understand is why you need the community to contribute, and what community are you referring to? I just need to hear more detail as to what community - Digital community, Buffalo community. Is this funded by a grant?
To the greater Edmunds Ford community, may your new year be filled with family, love, peace, and the hope for a better, brighter year to come.
I am still in the process of waiting to hear from NHTSA about my FOIA. They want to charge me $50.00 for the information that I provided to them. MY OWN GOVERNMENT!!!! I think that they are insane, or they think that I am just stupid. Most of the information that I have gotten from them has been incorrect or contradicted by the agency. I am loosing faith in the agencies that regulate these companies so if we just give up I believe that down the road we will get bigger problems.
The changing dynamics of the news media is another concern. On way to control a population is to control the news media.
I am not sure that I understand the amount needed. In total, it would be $100.00? So if I donated five dollars ($5.00) then ninety five dollars ($95.00) would be needed to complete the commitment? Is this correct?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a message to Congress stating," The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism: ownership of the government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power."
Our experience was that my wife was driving along a major arteriel in N. Scottsdale very early on Dec. 1st, and the car just stopped. She struggled to get the vehicle (in the dark) to a safe location and contacted AAA who moved the car to a very reputable repair shop where we were initially told repairs to replace the entire transmission would come in at just under $3000. DID I MENTION THE 2005 VEHICLE HAS ONLY 40,292 MILES ON IT?? Not having the money for the repairs and after having it towed do the dealer to see how they could help, they came back with a slightly lower figure, at the same time the General Manager acknowledged that, yes, there is a known problem but since there has been no recall issued, he can't/won't do anymore to help.
I can tell you that contacting Ford/Mercury Corporate will not help as they have a standing rule that they will never overrule the decision of a dealership General Manager as all dealerships are owned and operated by the dealer. The owner of the dealership will not accept calls on this issue
Please file your issue with the NHTSA for any hope of resolution of this issue.
Yes, our car has become a lawn ornament, too.
Welcome to the club. We have been at this for over 2 years now. So far, Ford has dissavowed knowledge/responsibility for the defect and NHTSA took 2 years to get off their butts and open an investigation, only after Nadine forced the issue. Bottom line is this, don't be discouraged, follow up on all of your complaints, and DEMAND action. Do not give up the fight. We will prevail eventually. Ford can't keep up the charade much longer. Unfortunatey, it may take a fatality to get this thing into the national media spotlight. In the meantime, let's all pray that doesn't happen and that either Ford will voluntarily do the right thing or that NHTSA will force a recall. As for Ford, I doubt they will ever step up and take care of their customers and rsponsibilities. (Remember the Pinto?) I guess they think that customers like us grow on trees. (I was a 25 year Ford loyalist.)
Don't forget to register a complaint with the Center for Auto Safety! They are on our side.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
How interesting that, a day after my post, yet another example of Ford stonewalling on the issue. What was their exact response? They told me that I was the first customer to ever experience this problem and that they had never heard of it happening before! We all know that was not the truth. Funny how everyone else knew about it but Ford and the dealer.
In addition to NHTSA, register a complaint with the Cenetr for Auto Safety as well. They are on our side.
The BBB is pretty much worthless. Like all other businesses that belong to it, Ford pays to be a member. See if you can guess where that one is going.
In the meantime, stay engaged in the issue and stay tuned.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
We all know that "Engine/Transmission Driveability Issues" with these vehicles pose a real SAFETY situation which many of us have experienced. It's just a matter of time until someone is killed so I do not think that NHTSA will wait until something happens since they did open investigations. I am sure that Ford will attempt to make a case for not issuing a recall due to the cost factor, but the question I see is if NHTSA will let that stand.
I am grateful that Edmunds provides a place where we can all find each other and work as one large group, but does anyone know how this forum (blog) functions? Who pays to maintain this site and why? Edmunds benefits from the forum - how?
I would suggest that you read the The VoxBuffalo site before making a decision. It is a project that states : Anyone can create a news “tip” about an important topic you think should be reported on. This is often related to the question “what are you passionate about?” You can pledge to this tip, but no money is taken – it’s just a way to show how much interest you have in this possibly becoming a pitch. Creating a tip could be the spark that starts an investigation.
The news media is so different today than it was just two years ago. My personal feelings about paying for news coverage is that I think it really has taken a turn for the worst, but it's not much different than buying a newspaper. I am not going to give up until something is done to correct this outrageous miscarriage of justice so if I can help to educate just one person about these issues then I think that I might just be willing to contribute a little (not quite sure yet). I have put so many hours into educating myself about the NHTSA, TSBs, PCMs, transmissions, lemon laws, class action suits, looking for a lawyer, writing letters to everyone under the sun, and waiting in line at the post office to send the certified letter that a buck or two will not add up to much. The only issue I see is how long would it take to gather the amount to write an article. By the time the goal is met, it may be long settled so end of story!
Is this the issue being discussed? Or is this different? :sick:
"Freestar" van 2.5 weeks ago. Our van had around 60,000 miles on it. What
you are describling, is the reason for our postings on this site. PLEASE
file a complaint with the NHTSA, it only takes a few minutes. They are investigating
this DANGEROUS SITUATION. Your transmission problem have affected
hundreds of thousands of Freestar owners, and FORD will do nothing, they
claim it isn't a safety issue!!!!! Try writing to Ralph Nader too!
Our Freestar transmission cost us $3000.00 to fix and the transmission
will most likely fail again.........as many others have!!!!
Please warn everyone you know with Freestars about this dangerous situation.
I believe that I was a fool when I had to continually be subjected to all the extreme stress this vehicle created. My money was soon parted to the dealer who could not or would not admit that they could not repair the vehicle, but continued to charge me for a factory defect created by the Ford Motor Company. Ford needed to investigate the problems with this vehicle and inform dealerships on the proper corrections that needed to take place. Instead, they choose to ignore the situation, and put families at the risk of serious injury.
Ford commits fraud as they continue to allow these vehicles to be sold through their dealerships. I know for a fact that my vehicle came from the online auction they hold for dealerships so Ford just wanted to turn over the vehicle.
Defination of fraud from Wikipedia:
In the broadest sense, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and is also a civil law violation. Many hoaxes are fraudulent, although those not made for personal gain are not technically frauds. Defrauding people of money is presumably the most common type of fraud, but there have also been many fraudulent "discoveries" in art, archaeology, and science.
Again, I will refer to Franklin Delano Roosevelt message to Congress stating," The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism: ownership of the government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power."
As long as the laws of this land continue to protect me, I will continue to fight being a victim of fraud.
some car WINDOW PAINT and warn the AMERICAN FAMILY'S how
dangerous these FAMILY vans really are, it just might gain the attention
of the media and Ford...........at the very least it will be bad press, and
Ford might just issue a recall on these dangerous vans.
window paint cost only a few dollars...........
With hundreds of thousands of victims......FORD WILL HATE THE BAD PRESS
Here is a link to our company profile that may answer some of your questions.
Also, please know that we do have a strict policy concerning solicitation (of any kind) on the site. I was away for the holiday and was not aware of recent postings here.
If you or anyone in the discussion ever have concerns or questions about the site or possible violations to our Membership Agreement, please send me an email, karen@edmunds.com. That way I will be alerted more quickly and can respond accordingly.
Thanks and Happy New Year!
At any rate, I took mine to a transmission repair shop, torque convertor splines had stripped off, throwing metal shavings into the tranny and causing it to fail. Total to clean everything out and replace failed parts (torque convertor etc...) $1,900.....Ford wanted almost $3,500 for a new tranny...I'm sure glad I didn't go brand new with them as it most definitely would've happened again! The transmission shop I went to has their torque convertors built out of house as to not use the ones that Ford suggests (due to failure issues).
Everything seemed to be going well until just a couple weeks ago. Now I think alot of my problems are related to a soggy PCM so that's my next fix....definitely NOT going to a dealer for that one though!
Best of luck to you!
Also, someone had posted what they felt was a solution to the problem when they went to repair their PCM so you may want to look at the older posts before you take the vehicle into the dealership or repair it yourself. The PCM problem can be costly in more ways than one so beware.
If you are in for a good laugh, check this site out.
http://media.ford.com/pdf/2008_Product_Guide.pdf
Please don't give up the fight. You have added so much to this forum and this issue with all of your hard work and information. I still believe that you are the main reason NHTSA finally undertook an investigation.
I believe that we, the consumers, will prevail when all is said and done. I pray however; that there are no fatalities before this issue is resolved.
Finally, the slogan was, "Quality Is Job 1." I wonder why we havn't seen that for a while. Their new slogan should be, "Greed Is Job 1."
Keep up the good work everybody! Keep the faith, and stay safe.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Good luck and keep up the good fight!
Elmer Ploetz
Assistant Professor, Journalism
Communication Department
SUNY Fredonia
ploetz@fredonia.edu
I, too, believe that the consumer will prevail only because it is right. "Greed is job 1" is a very good slogan for this type of corporate fraud. In the long run, Ford will pay by shrinking their customer base. I will NEVER own another Ford, and I tell as many people as possible my story with Ford, too.
The shame of the situation is that it could have been a better story to tell. A story about honor, commitment to their customers, a company that stands behind their product, but instead, it has become a story of corporate greed, families placed in peril, consumers pillaged, and health diminished due to stress.
Pete Seeger's quote: There's no hope, but I may be wrong.
So, will you be keeping the Monterey?
As always, spot on with your commentary/quotes. I could not say it better myself.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD