Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Ford Freestar Transmission Problems

13468937

Comments

  • cowboys59cowboys59 Member Posts: 38
    Hey Jim!
    How are you. I am sorry I have been gone for so long. I have been so busy but I am back.
    I filed another report with NHTSA. I can't find the old one. How do I look up to see how many of us there are with the same problem. I could only find searching one year at a time. Is there a better way.
    Hope you are well and are having some luck getting this crooks!
    Take care,
    Kelly Lilly
  • heatherd7476heatherd7476 Member Posts: 2
    Hello ALL,

    I just read a few letters that everone wrote. I am so floored by all this. On 6/28/08 on the way home from TN only had about 11/2 hrs left to go to get home and with no warning the Transmission went out and only 84,000 miles. Thank goodness for my dad he was able to come get us and tow the van home. Please let me know of any lawsuits I want to be a part of it. So now with 2 adults and 3 kids we are down to a 3 seater truck. So now I have to find another vehicle until this junk fixed.

    Heather
    Frederick, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    welcome to our Ford Freestar Fanclub Heather in Frederick! Consider yourself lucky that you got 84K out of yours before it left you stranded. Ours had 45K when it left my wife and 5 out of 6 of our children in the middle of an intersection! we are lucky no one got injured or killed. As for the class action, it is just a matter of time before all of this comes together. I don't expect much over the summer with everyone on vacation, etc,. But stay tuned! It took the Explorer situation a while to get going and look how that turned out. In the meantime, report your failure to NHTSA. One more complaint is one more complaint that they can't ignore and make excuses why they didn't intervene before someone gets killed or injured driving one of these defective vehicles.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    That is my story exactly! My dealership was Koons Ford of Annapolis! Coincidence? I think not! I can't wait to get those cowards and liars in a courtroom in front of a judge. How can NHTSA and the Attorney's General of the states that we live in-I contacted mine and I know someone contacted the office in VA-ignore this pattern of fraud and deception? How can Ford think that we are so stupid that we wouldn't find eachother on the internet and band together? Wake up NHTSA! This is a defective vehicle due to a design flaw and everybody knows it. One can only assume that NHTSA is in Ford's hip pocket. There has to be some sort of arrangement for the government agency that is supposed to protect the consumer to turn a blind eye this disaster. I wonder what the response is going to be when someone gets killed in one of these things and the posts on this forum and all the complaints to NHTSA are plastered all over the news. That reminds me. I found out why none of the television stations that I have contacted are willing to take this story on-MONEY. The management of these stations does not want to alienate Ford as an advertiser. How pathetic is that? They are more than willing to take on small time mom and pop companies but not a cash cow like Ford; that is until they can't ignore it because somebody got killed. How sick and twisted is that? Remember how the Explorer story was all you saw on TV 24-7? I remember seeing the hearings on the Fox News Channel. What a country. We don't want to confront the crooks and it's not a story until someone gets killed. Then, it's 24/7 coverage depicting the victims and the surviving family members-rating gold! The worst part of it all is that, at the end of the day, the answer to the WHY? in all of it is the same - MONEY. Keep the faith though. Good triumphs over evil every time.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • kennedyzdadkennedyzdad Member Posts: 3
    I just had the same thing happen to my Mercury Monterey. It's gonna cost me $4,000 to get it replaced. Has anyone had any luck contacting a Ford representative to see if they'll help with the bill?
  • patjacksonpatjackson Member Posts: 1
    Unfortunately, our 2004 Ford Freestar, 88,000 miles, died at midnight last night.. It wouldn't go forward or reverse. Luckily, we had a working cellphone and AAA came and towed us.

    My husband thinks he can just change the torque converter and solve the problem, without changing the whole transmission.

    Has this been successful for anyone?

    Thanks,
  • misty10misty10 Member Posts: 23
    Hi,
    Ours did the same thing and we had just the torque converter done....it's also a 2004. It's been over a yr and so far so good. It cost around $1500 I think. Mine just died at an intersection with absolutely no warning at night with my kids in the car. Please be sure you report this as we are all trying to get Ford to do something about it. How could there be almost 30 pages of us all with the same problem? I always send in each new complaint on here to Ford....they must recall this car!
  • 3forme3forme Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2004 Ford Freestar with almost 80K miles. About 2 months ago, the transmission began to shudder. At first, I thought it was because I changed my driving habits. I try to accelorate keeping the tach about 2K in an effort to save gas. The shuddering only happens sporadically now. After reading these posts (from May 2006 to present), I know the transmission is defective because of Ford, not because of my slower acceleration. I suppose I should be grateful that my van has made it this far, but I fear I'm living on borrowed time. When (not if) the transmission goes, I will file my complaint with the NHTSA(?). What does that stand for? I'm a single mom and student with 3 kids living on $1200 a month, so my financial options are limited. Life will be extremely difficult when the van doesn't run anymore. I wish I could trade in the Freestar and buy a Prius. Oh well. :)
  • skinny62skinny62 Member Posts: 2
    I need to know what to do, and I am asking for your assistance. We all know that FORD(found on roads dead) is covering this crap up! My 2004 Freestar tranny failed at ~60K(costing me $1850, mechanic is a friend and said that there are a ton of updated parts) and now the 3.9 wristpins failed, so I had to dump $2200 for an engine swap. Detroit customer service just feeds you BS that there are no documented problems, I know everyone out there has a tranny on borrowed time but the engine blew me away(3000 mile MAX oil change interval with FULL synth. Mobil 1). By the way, the 3.9 failed at ~85K. Class action on tranny is a given, motor may be in the future. Where do I go and what do I do to get satisfaction from the WORTHLESS BASTARDS FROM DEARBORN? [email protected]
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    I would get the transmission shuddering looked at before a complete failure. Right now, they can probably replace the torque converter. later it will be the entire transmission.
  • skinny62skinny62 Member Posts: 2
    :lemon: Sorry to say that my tranny just plain let go at 60K, consider yourself lucky. Now the 3.9L engine has let go and I had to replace it with 85K miles on the POS now. Fortunately for me, my buddy is a mechanic and I got all the work done for $4050(engine and tranny). Ford in Detroit was no help at all. We need to file a class action lawsuit, but I don't know how. [email protected]
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    As far as I know, theoretically yes. Practically, no. When you do pull the tranny to get to the torque converter, you will likely find the reason why it won't be that simple. The reason is that, when the torque converter fails, the splines on the shaft within it, (this is what fails), come apart and disperse metal "filings" throughout the rest of the transmission. When this happens, due to the extremely close tolerances of the parts within the transmission, the filings cause irrepairable damage to many of the parts that will have to be replaced as a result. The chancesof this not being the case are slim at best. One way or another, be sure to report your failure to NHTSA on their website. Also, report your situation to Ford via their Customer Relationship Center which is really a big sham and an insult to the intelligence of the vaerage consumer however; at least this way, when somebody gets killed as a result of one these transmission failures, it will be 1 more documented reason why they won't be able to claim that they were not aware that was a problem. (They stiil will deny any knowledge, but they will be proven to be the liars and cowards and criminals that they really are.) That may sound harsh, but these are the facts. They sold you and me and tens of thousands of other FAMILIES a product that they knew in advance would fail, putting FAMILIES in harms way. In my opinion, this dispicable and reprehensilble and a case can be made for criminal negligence at the very least. Oh, and by the way, I just heard on the news that Ford has 29 BILLION DOLLARS IN CASH ON HAND. You would think that they would step up and spend some of that money to try and salvage their reputation and their business, especially if they seriously want to compete against the true winners like Toyota. Toyota, as a matter of fact, is backing up their Tacoma line of trucks with a $100,000,000.00, (Yes, that is 100 MILLION DOLLARS), program to fix or buy back at a very generous price, over 800K trucks with defective frames. They are also extending the warranty on these trucks to 15 years-basically the life of the truck. That is a leader, That is a winner. That is a company that will get my business for the rest of car-buying years. That will be many because I am still pretty young. They will also be the first company that I recommend to evry single person I come in contact with in the context of purchasing a new vehicle. Please report your failure to NHTSA and Ford and let us know what the outcome of your repair is.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    God bless you for making it happen with your limited resourses and 3 children. When I read a post like yours, it literally sends a shiver down my spine because I know that you and your children are in harms way and Ford put you there. I know this because we lived through this nightmare. My wife andf 5 of my 6 kids were in our Freestar, in an intersection with traffic when ours failed. we are just palin lucky that nobody was injured or killed. It has become my mission in life to try and inform as many people as I can of this defect so that they can try and avoid the inevitable failure and financial hardship that follows when your only means of transportation is suddenly a 4000 pound pile of worthless plastic, metal, and rubber that you still have to make payments on and insure. We may never fully recover from the financial harm this has caused our family. Because we were not in a good position financially, we had to initially borrrow money to have ours fixed at a rate so high that we are paying over $250.00 per month since December of 2007 and still havn't even put a dent in the principal. Yes, this happened right before Thanksgiving and ruined our Christmas as well. Christmas for 6 kids is a struggle as it is let alone when you have no money as you know. Anyway, please be ever mindful while you are driving that your van could suddenly become immobile and that it will happen without warning so you should always have a plan in case this happens. Try and travel in the lane closest to the shoulder so that you can pull off out of traffic with whatever momentum you may still have going. Also, if you can help it, try not to travel in front of a tractor trailer or somebody who will insist on tailgating you. If you can afford it, have a qualified TRANSMISSION mechanic look at your van for you. This will be costly so be prepared. Also, NHTSA stands for the NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. They are the government agency that is supposed to be protecting people like us from comaanies like Ford and their defective product. It is critical that you go to their website and file your complaint. It will be helpful for you to review the complaints that are already on the site so that you can formulate your complaint. After we all report our complaints, NHTSA can't say that they didn't know about this problem when somebody gets killed and the finger pointing starts. I know that sounds grim but it is just a matter of time. This is a serious defect and a serious problem that Ford is attempting to deny knowledge of and NHTSA, so far, doesn't seem to want to do anything about. However; we still need to do oir part and keep the pressure on by being vocal and reporting these failures and the pattern of behavior of Ford.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Review all 298 of these posts to see what to do. Basically, report your problems to NHTSA and Ford, As of now, this seems to be a waste of time because Ford, UNBELIEVABLY, still denies that there is a problem at all and, for whatever reason, NHTSA doesn't seem to want to their job and force a recall of these defective transmissions. It leaves me with the impression that big business has some untoward, unethical influence on this federal agency. Absent any other logical explanation, this is the conclusion I have come to and I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent and infromed consumer. I know why the media doesn't want to touch it because I pressed the issue and got an off-the -record expalnation - MONEY. Advertising dollars are apparently more importatnt than the lives of the tens of thousands of families who rely on these vans for their transportation every day. Stay vocal. stay active. Stay tuned. it will take some time but I believe that, at the end of the day, Ford will ultimately be held accountable. Unfortunately it will probably take a loss of life for this to happen, though.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis,MD
  • qfamilyqfamily Member Posts: 3
    I am in a state of disbelief reading all these messages. My 2004 Monterey has only 34,000 miles and just "went into neutral" going 45 mph. with my husband, myself and two small children in the car. My husband was able to pull into the middle turn lane and avoid an accident. Same story so far as most of you. I am waiting for the "2 day" call back from the Ford Reps to see if they will cover some or all of the new torque converter (same story, splines stripped).
    This van was purchased new in June 2004, so the warranty expired on the 3 years last year. However, I am arguing that at 34,000 miles, it is still under the 36,000 miles. This van is top of the line Premier and has been babied from day 1. Until now, I was really in love with my Ford product. If they are not going to help, then I will change my mind. It's funny, my husband's family is GM all the way (Flint area and both worked there). I have bragged about how I love my Ford Monterry ......until this. I am dismayed and saddened to see all the people who have had this problem. I am AMAZED none of us has gotten seriously hurt by this. We were in busy traffic when this happened with NO WARNING whatsoever. We were planning on taking a 200 mile trip 4 days later and had to shell out $400 to rent a minivan. I am just sickened by the whole thing. My van is like new, now I am wondering about my kids safety in the future.
    I really appreciate all the information everyone has written. I have my notes ready about the AX4N transmissions not Requiring a transmission flush at 30,000 miles in case they pull that one on me. I am NOT picking up my van until I hear back. So, I am home for the next 2 days (off work) with no car and 2 small kids.
    I will let you know what transpires.
  • teberteber Member Posts: 1
    The Ford Freestar bug bit me last week, after 68,000 miles. The usual problem of losing forward and reverse mobility. All most rear-ended by the car behind me. Repair cost was $2400, which included towing and a 12 Month/12,000 Mile warranty. Warranty can be upgraded to 36/36000. I am going to file complaints with NHTSA, State Attorney's General Office for Ohio and West Virginia, Ford Motor Company, and a courtesy letter (?) to the dealer. I would consider joining a class action law suit. Keep me posted
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Once again, a family is needlessly placed in harms way because of the criminals at Ford. These cowards probably won't do the right thing even if, God forbid, somebody does get seriously hurt or killed. Just to give you a heads-up; unless they cover you under the "36K" which I doubt, especially if you didn't have the USELESS WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY 30K flush, in the "2 day" callback, you will be told that they have never heard of this problem and that, unfortunately, your vehicle doesn't qualify for coverage under your original warranty and it is your fault because you didn't have the 30K flush done. In case you havn't figured it out by now, the "2 day call back" period is designed to get you that much more desperate to get your car back so that you just cave in and pay for the repair. these crooks have all the angles figured out, believe me. They have hundreds of crooked lawyers on the payroll teaching them all of the dirty little tricks to save them money. It will be those same crooked lawyers that will defend Ford when somebody gets killed or we finally get it together and get a class action going. In the meantime, register a complaint with NHTSA and write to the CEO of Ford, contact your loacl media outlet and your local representative, as well as your local Office of the Attorney General for your state. Based on the information contained on this website alone, I know there is ample evidence of a criminal conspiracy. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAS THE SAME STORY AND HAS HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH FORD. You seem like the kind of person we can count on to roll up your sleeves and join us in our fight. By the way, tell everyone you know that drives a Freestar or a Monterayto beware of this problem. A minute of your time just might save someone's life. Please let us know what the outcome is for you.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Yet another close call! NHTSA, are you paying attention?!?!? Thank goodness no one got hurt. Stay tuned. This thing is gaining more momentum every day. It is just a matter of time before some sharp attorney gets ahold of this and unites us in a class action.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • heatherd7476heatherd7476 Member Posts: 2
    Well, let's see.. In about 2 weeks $3,300.00 later I will have a new transmission. I sent a letter to NHTSA and have not heard from them since. So now all I need to do is figure out how to come up with $3,300.00 to pay for it. Being a single mother of 3 does not help either. So needless to say I am like many other's on here who have personal issues also and are tring to figure out how they are going to get the money. Please keep me inform with any updates :mad: :cry:

    Heather J.
    Frederick, MD
  • kennedyzdadkennedyzdad Member Posts: 3
    Well, my Monterey that I posted about a few days ago, has now been fixed by the dealer, it's costing me $3,800 and has a 3 year 100,000 mile warranty. I won't be able to pick it up until I'm back from vacation. I had to borrow my parents vehicle which actually saved me more money because if not, I would be renting something for a week.

    I'm debating on trading it in for a Honda Odyssey that has the touring package. If any of you haven't looked at these, they are very nice. I did love my Monterey but now I can't say that.

    I'm very angered by this and would like Ford to be held accountable. I wonder if Dateline would be willing to address this issue with FORD. Just a thought!!!
  • mbcorbinmbcorbin Member Posts: 1
    I have known for about a year that my van wasn't acting right. I have a 2004 Mercury Monterey with 68,000 miles on it. I know nothing about cars, but could tell that something was wrong. The light for the transaxle has been flashing for years off and on. Was told by Ford that it was nothing....just to ignore it. The automatic doors work sometimes, not others. If someone pulls on the door of the van while it is locked, the alarm goes off, but the door opens. The heated seats haven't worked in years. The problem is that every time we have had it looked at, no one can figure out what the problem is.

    Yesterday we were driving back from a trip and decided to stop for a meal. As we pulled off of the interstate, the van started going into neutral and slipping when my husband tried to accelerate. We did make it home, but as we drove into the driveway it would not make it up a small hill. This morning I tried to leave and it starts and the RPMs rev up, but it won't move. I'm so frustrated since I have wanted to trade it for so long. The problem is that since it's a Ford, it isn't worth very much. Now I regret not trading it sooner!!!
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Heather,
    If it is any consolation; You are not alone. We were struggling financially even before our van quit working and we are struggling even more now. We still have not recovered from it financially and it will be a year in December! On the bright side, I really believe that this thing is about to take off. The more people that post their story, the more people will know about it. At the very least, other families will be forwarned of the danger. Also, at some point, some media outlet, news magazine or news organization will take an interest and take it to the next level. In the meantime, you can post your complaint on the NHTSA website rather than via a letter. They will at least have to acknowledge that they received it and there will be an electronic record of it. More mportantly, it will be one more bit of proof that they knew that this problem existed and took no action. They need to be held accountable as well as Ford because it is their job to protect families like ours from companies like this! I hope that you have the resources to pay for your repair and get you van back on the road soon. Hopefully, someday we will all be reimbursed by Ford for this disaster that they KNOWINGLY perpetrated on us all.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    I understand completely! We had to rent a Toyota Sienna for 2 weeks while our van was repaired. Let me tell you, the Toyota is a masterpiece of a vehicle. As soon as we are able, we will unload the Freestar and get a Sienna. he problem right now is that the Ford has a very low resale value, (Shocking, I know!). Even with the money we would get from selling the Freestar, we still can't afford anything new. As far as dateline, I have been trying to get the attention of my local media outlets, including my local NBC affiliate, WBAL, Channel 11 in Baltimore, MD. I have been told, off of the record, that no one will touch this story for fear of losing ad revenue from Ford.Here is the kicker though, if we get it to the proportion of the Explorer debacle from a few years ago, it would be ratings death for the media to NOT cover it. The problem is, in order for it to get to that level, either someone will have to be killed as a result of this defect or some sharp, media savy attorney will have to get ahold of it, or someone with some connections to the right people could bring it to their attention. the good news is that, starting with this webpage and these 300 + posts, we have a really excellent grass roots movement underway. So, enjoy your vacation and stay tuned! Don't let this go. That is what Ford is counting on!

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • qfamilyqfamily Member Posts: 3
    Update: After several phone calls to Ford customer service, we were able to get our cost for the torque converter fix on our 2004 Monterey reduced from approx $1500 to $250. Our dealership knocked $400 right off the bat and contacted Ford for us, but then said that was the best they could do. I told our dealership rep that I wasn't picking the van up until I spoke to Ford customer service. I then called the Ford helpline 1-800-392-3673, made my case, and kept calling for 3-4 days until I got an answer. Again, we have very low miles on our Monterey and the 3 yr warranty had expired. I can only recommend anyone with the same problem should be persistent, go through your dealership first, then Ford, and just keep at it. We had some success (not a total victory, we're still out $250 for the fix + $350 for a rental). Good Luck.
  • cocoheadcocohead Member Posts: 3
    I was backing out of the drive going an incredible 2 miles an hour when the transmission decided to stay stuck between neutral and 1/100 the first gear speed.
    Made it to the stop sign at he end of the street ( about 50 feet from the driveway ) and just barely got it back up into the driveway. This vehicle was babied and well maintained and still you get this? I work at Ford and I'll be damned if I ever buy anything from them again! :lemon:
  • amydollamydoll Member Posts: 6
    But you got a Ford part, right? So what the heck is the money good for? The part is dangerous & I wouldn't knowingly drive a car that could give out like that AGAIN, kwim? :lemon:
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    What do you do for Ford? I am hoping that a Ford insider will assist us in our endeavor of holding Ford accountable for this disater they have saddled us with.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Consider yourself very lucky. If you don't mind answering, did you have the 30K transmission flush done prior to your transmission failure and did you receive a rebate when you purchased your Monterey? Your answers will be very illuminating and will greatly assist the rest of us whom Ford has left hanging with $3000.00 + repair bills. Let us know how your torque converter holds up and, if you think of it when you pick your van up, ask the dealer what makes the new part any better than the old one and how long can you expect it to last.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • qfamilyqfamily Member Posts: 3
    I did not have a 30,000 mile flush, but I let them know that I knew it was not required, just recommended. I can't remember if we got a rebate, I'm thinking we did not. I did, however, purchase the extended service plan when I purchased the vehicle (much to my husband's chagrin because we live 20 min. from the dealership), that covered all oil changes and service maintenance up to 20,000 miles. It added a good $30-$40 per month to my payment. I didn't think to ask the service manager about the part, my young child was running around the waiting room. I do credit my dealer service manager with helping a lot. He called and e-mailed Ford to see about the resolution and if we could get it resolved. He was very supportive and did not brush me off, nor did he try to give me any excuses.
    I hope this information helps.
  • alyabisalyabis Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2004 Ford Freestar with about a 100K on it. last week I parked the car in the garage with no problem the morning after I started the car, but it won't move??? I brought someone to take a look at and we spend a few $$$ trying to find a quick and cheap way to fix it, but it seems that it is bigger than I thought.

    The car is in the garage and I am not sure of where to go from here?? :(

    I have a been a loyal Ford customer, but not anymore.

    Any help is appreciated?

    Regards,
    FAY
  • kennedyzdadkennedyzdad Member Posts: 3
    More than likely, your Torque converter has failed and caused metal filings to enter the transmission. This results in total transmission failure in which I, as well as most on this forum have experienced. I wouldn't waste alot of money trying quick fixes. Just take it to a transmision shop or the dealer and they'll diagnose it. I just had mine repaired two weeks ago and it cost me $3,800. I got a 3 year and 100,000 mile warranty.

    Do like everyone else has and file a complaint to the NHTSA and also call a ford representative. This may reduce your overall cost.

    I hope that it's something simple for you but what you described are the tell-tell signs.

    Post back after you know the cause.
  • cocoheadcocohead Member Posts: 3
    Sorry, but I'm just a grunt millwright way at the bottom of the food chain. But if it's any consolation they don't treat the rank and file worker any better when the **** hits the fan about your vehicle. Why should they? It's the joys of payroll deduction.
  • unhappymom06unhappymom06 Member Posts: 4
    on july 22 my 2006 freestar with 52200 miles no longer had a working tranny. My sister,the kids and I were left stranded 2hours from home with no warning signs. dealer first told me $3200 for new tranny because the plantier? gears were gone. then called back 2 days later and the price went to $4200. we towed the van home and when i called ford they said they could not even open a case without the van being at a dealer. :mad: I have already paid $95 for one dealer to tell me i have a no tranny now thy want me to pay another one. The good news is that we stopped at mcdonalds 4 drinks and werent on the freeway with concreate walls. At least we are still alive. How many are going to be killed before Ford does something
    :confuse:
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Thank goodness no one was hurt. The scary thing is that, everytime this happens and no one gets hurt, the odds become greater that the next incident will result in a serious injury or a death. Ford really needs to demonstarte leadership and confront this issue headon by standing by their customers. The financial toll alone is killing American families like ours. Our incident took place in November of 2007 and we still havn't even put a dent in the principal of the loan we had to take out to pay for a rental and the repairs. It makes me sick that an American Company that American consumers like us have supported to the tune of billions of dollars collectively and, in my case, approaching two hundred thousand dollars individually, would treat us in such a way. I guess it is no wonder that Ford is withering on the vine in North America and has to claim in its TV ad that, "Our quality is now as good as Toyota!" How embarrasing is that? When have you ever heard a company proclaim, "We are finally as good as our competition! It only took us 50 years, but we finally did it!" Lo and behold, Toyota rules the roost and why? BECAUSE THEY BUILD A BETTER PRODUCT AND THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT! Please don't forget to report your incident to NHTSA on their website. It will be one more close call that they can't ignore. Also, stay tuned and keep us informed as to your progress!

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • johnsevjohnsev Member Posts: 4
    Ok I finally went ahead and filed the complaint. It's ridiculous. my van is sitting in my driveway collecting dust. I hope that his page creates a call to action very soon.
  • unhappymom06unhappymom06 Member Posts: 4
    I also have filed my complaint with NHTSA and will keep everyone informed
    :sick:
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Outstanding! Thank you for doinghat. At the very least, yours is one more complaint closer to NHTSA finally waking up and doing their job, we hope. Stay tuned!

    Jim Genovese Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Outstanding! Thank you for taking the time to do that. It is very important that NHTSA have as many complaints on file as possible. That way, at some point, somebody in a position of authority over there will have no choice but to stand up and take notice and do the right thing, we hope.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • eranwolferanwolf Member Posts: 1
    Well add me to the list of transmission failures for this hunk of junk. We have had nothing but issues with our 05 Freestar since the day we bought it. It has been in the shop 3 times because the TRAC will shut off after driving for about 5 minutes. Then the check tires light will come on. The tires are fine and the van was into Ford 3 times for this while the van was under warranty. That is besides the point. My wife was driving down a major highway yesterday with our two kids during rush hour and the van flipped itself into neutral just like every other story on this board. She luckly had the presence of mind to get to the shoulder before she slowed to much. There were no warning signs, etc. I took it to our local garage that I have been going to for years and the owner looked at me and said I will bet you 50.00 its the torque converter!! He said straight up for me to take the van over to Ford and have them look at it and ask them for assistance. I was just like holy crap, this happens that much that you know all this as soon as I bring my car in. What stings even more is that the van has 38255 miles on it!!! Only 2k over the warranty!!! The roadside assistance man wouldnt even talk to my wife when she called and we had to pay to get it towed!! I will keep everyone posted about the end result.
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Please tell us everything they say when you get to the dealership. My guess is that they will act like they have never heard of this before and then they will blame you for not having the trans fluid changed at 30K miles. One way or another, report your incident to NHTSA via their website. This is very important! It is especially important that give all the details like you did in your post. at some point, God willing, NHTSA will wake up and hold Ford accountable for this disaster.

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • corporateabusecorporateabuse Member Posts: 2
    We are still doing are part to inform our government entities about this Ford mess. We have recently posted some statistics http://corporateabuse.net/2008/08/an-update-to-our-ford-article/, and we continually e-mail Ford for answers about this mess. So keep on fighting Ford, and make as much noise as possible. Oh and BTW lawyers have been hitting this particular article heavily, some are corporate lawyers, others are civil. We will not give up on this battle, so please help us.

    Thom
    http://corporateabuse.net
  • unhappymom06unhappymom06 Member Posts: 4
    I made a complaint on ConsumerAffairs.Com and they have decided to feature my story so it should be up in about 24 hours this is what they said
    Thanks for the consumer report you filed with us recently. We appreciate your telling us about the situation you encountered.

    Your complaint has been selected for publication on our site and will appear within the next 48 hours.

    Even if you are not able to achieve satisfaction individually, you will at least have the comfort of knowing that thousands of consumers will see your complaint, perhaps enabling them to avoid a similar misfortune. Also, our site is visited regularly by law enforcement agencies, local and national media and consumer organizations and we work closely with all of them to help identify consumer concerns.
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Outstanding!
    Jim Genovese,
    Annapolis, MD
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Great job! Outstanding! This is exactly the kind of thing we all need to keep doing to keep this thing alive and in the public domain. Keep up the good work.

    Jim Genovese,
    Annapolis, MD
  • johnsevjohnsev Member Posts: 4
    How can i help I hav posted here and the govt site that we talk about here what more my van is still sitting in my driveway
  • vsimon2234vsimon2234 Member Posts: 1
    OMG I just had the same thing happen to me last night 08/04/08 I turned out into traffic on a state route and my van just started coasting just like it had popped into nuetral. I had to coast to the side of the road after nearly causing the cars behind me to pile up after everyone had to hit the brakes to keep from hitting me. I have only owned this van since Jan 2008 and have only 76 K on it. I can not believe this is happening to me. I guess hoping it would be something minor is out of the question. Please let me know what the website is to file a complaint.
  • cowboys59cowboys59 Member Posts: 38
    I too have a 2004 Monterey. My transmission went out at 44,000 miles. I had the extended warranty and figured everything would be taken care of. Ford had other ideas. Since I had not changed the transmission fluid at 40,000 miles they said the extended warranty was not valid any longer. It cost me $3500 (at AAMCO, not Ford. I will not give them a penny). Read through the postings on this website. You will find out the proper places to lodge your complaint. As this website grows I am getting more optimistic that eventually Ford will have to do the right thing. Just follow the correct paths to notify as many people as possible. Jim Genevese is the most knowledgeable on this situation.
    Good luck. It is a shame that you have joined our little club. I wish you the best.
    Kelly Lilly :lemon:
  • jgenovesejgenovese Member Posts: 220
    Again, thank goodness no one got hurt. It is amazing that this happens so often and no one has been hurt or killed. Sadly, the odds of this type of tragedy are getting shorter and shorter. It is a shame, in the most literal sense of the word that Ford continues to sit idly by while thousands of families who counted on them, their reputation, and their marketing of these vans as, "The safest in their class," are ruined financially because their transmission has already failed or are sitting ducks, waiting for this to happen to them. What I really don't understand is how the thousands of moms who work for Ford at all levels of the chain of command could sit idly by and do nothing. I know that my wife would stand up, even at the risk of losing her job, and do the right thing here. Anyway, the website to register your complaint with is NHTSA. They are the govermnet agency who's job it is to protect the consumer from situations just such as this, warn the public, and hold the manufacturer responsible. So far however; they have not done their job. Do not let that discourage you from lodging your complaint. The more complaints that they get, the harder it will be to keep their heads buried in the sand. Moreover, if, God forbid, their is a fatality that can be linked to this defect, they can't say that they were not informed. (My belief is that there have already been fatalities but they just havn't been properly linked to this defect. Due to the nature and mechanics of the failure and the resulting lack of control over the vehicle's speed, the odds are that a fatal, or near fatal, collision has already been caused by this defect.)

    Please keep yourself engaged in this endeavor, spread the word, lodge your complaint, and stay tuned!

    Jim Genovese
    Annapolis, MD
  • coltonamtcoltonamt Member Posts: 2
    :mad: Add me to the list at 82000 miles. On Jul 29, 2008, I was driving home from a local amusement park when I has to stop at a red light. When I tried to go when the light turned green, all that happened was the engine just revved up. I had it towed to a transmission shop to have it looked at and they told me that the torque converter had blown up and that the valve body inside the tranny was shot. Well long story short, the bill was $3060.00. The van is barely worth that if I were to trade it in. This is not the first issue that I have had with this vehicle. In Apr 2006, my wife was pulling into our bank when a torsion bar broke off the rear axle. Luckily she was only going ~5mph when it happened. When we took it to the dealer, the service writer told me that he had never seen this before. We called Ford's customer service and were told that we were out luck. I have been a Ford guy all my life but after owning this van and getting the runaround from Ford, I will NEVER buy another Ford in my life.
  • freestarlemonfreestarlemon Member Posts: 1
    Just to let you know that my Freestar :lemon: is a 2007 and this problem has been happening since january of this year. Ford has tried to fix it on 5 different occassions... and when the 6th incident happened they were more concerned if I pushed the button of the computer they put in my van to record problems then my safety. Lets say i was too concerned for my life to push a dam button. I left the van on the road called Ford to pick it up (this was on May 30) and have now since stopped all payments to ford and have gotten a lawyer involved.... It is true what Jim says that Ford denies this problem, they even had the nerve to ask me to let them try and fix it one more time... so i told them sure go ahead then get your wife and kids to drive around in it and tell me how you feel. I am sure this will be a long battle but I will not give up... Any advise/help would be greatly appreciated. :mad:

    I used this van daily for work as well as drive my 3 kids around I just thank God that nothing serious happened to them.

    Claudia
    Toronto, ON
Sign In or Register to comment.