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Comments
At 90,000 miles with no warning my car went into neutral and refused to move, the front tires were locked and would not even roll once it had come to a complete stop--good thing it coasted onto a shoulder and did not stop in the road....
I have the extended Warranty and have had the laundry list of little things gone wrong... wiring harnesses replaced, sensors replaced, the rear sliding door motors replaced...ect....
I called the dealership, and they were excellent at this point---told me to call the extended warranty people and Ford would have a tow truck pick it up....even told me to tell the Ford people i was scared and in a bad area for a young woman to be in all alone.....which worked....the tow truck was there in less than an hour,,,,
They towed it the three miles to the dealership, I get a loaner car, and get told they will call me the next day......That is where the fun begins....
A phone call from the service advisor asking for permission to tear into my transmission and telling me that since i did not have the reciepts for changing my trans fluid (which i had JUST had checked the week before and was told it did not need changing yet) I was told Ford may not honor the extended warranty.....I got upset and immed went into action, calling my attorney (already on retainer for my divorce) My service advisor told me it was out of his hands, he would do what he could, but he had no bearing on the decision. Ford was sending in someone to inspect my transmission and they make the call. I did inform them that my lawyer wanted copies and pictures of everything. After many sleepless nights wondering how I was going to pay for repairs if it could not be fixed.....today i get a phone call that Ford sent in thier person and he has agreed to honor the repairs under warranty and I am getting a new transmission--not rebuilt--but he said all he was "authorized" by ford to tell me was wrong was a defect in the transmission---I guess after reading here i am very lucky..........I am not sure why they honored my warranty when it looks as if on here many people have been screwed. I am going to press to find out what exactly was the issue with my transmission.....
My dealership and service advisor have always been very good to me.....from reading here i think they need to check my torque converter before i get my van back....
AMR
Queen Anne County MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD USA
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
The dealer that has been so good to me is Rich Morton in Annapolis. There have been several warranty issues that they have gone to bat for me to get covered. They always treat me with respect-If I have questions or need something explained they help me and take thier time with me. I have been so many places where I was treated like I was ignorant.
My past vehicle--the Windstar that is RIP-- was bought at Koons in Annapolis, but I took it to Norris for everything else because Norris is so laid back and freindly---I had bought at Koons because they were able to get the price $2000 lower than Norris for the EXACT same vehicle---same VIN being transferred from another dealer.
I will keep everyone posted, but my experience with Rich Morton has been excellent. They have always come through for me.
AMR
Service advisors generally don't make decisions like that. They tell you what you need... sometimes what you don't need. Ask to speak to the service manager reguarding the heavy stuff.
I just picked up my Van this morning---and it works right now I asked what I needed to do to make sure I did not have an issue, and was told that at 30,000 miles on the new trans to make sure that I get the trans fluid changed. And then again at 75,000 miles.....I think I will do more like at 70,000 for the second just so I am still UNDER the warranty if they find anything....The dealership gave me a warranty on the new transmission in writing that states the 75,000 miles for the new transmission.
My van has had a host of issues in the past---the check tire lights, the sliding door opening by itself while driving, the traction control light coming on, ect....But I still love my van. I missed driving it over the past week.
AMR
Keep your receipts everyone!
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
First thing that came to mind while pushing her van to a parking lot was the linkage. Everything looked good. Then I checked the fluid while the engine was off and then again while running and both read a bit high. That's when I thought it may be the torque converter. Found this thread about 5 minutes after getting home. Had it towed to aamco and they finally got it torn apart and confirmed that the converter splines are stripped. Metal fragments lodged in the valve body also. $2600 for a rebuild. I've never heard of a vehicle with more failed transmissions under 50k and no TSB. The guys at aamco have been pretty good with me so far. I was skeptical, but I'm not about to give ford another nickel. They are documenting what was found and I even talked them into snapping a few pictures of the converter splines and metal fragments in the valve body to pass along to ford.
I've always had good luck with fords, but this van is the worst. It chews through front rotors like nothing I've seen before. Good luck all!
Keep the faith and keep spreading the word. Tell everyone you know, especially others with this ticking time bomb, about it. In situations like this, there is nothing more powerful than a knowledgable consumer.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
What a shame,24 years of fierce customer loyalty lost over a vehicle they new was defective when they sold it to me and then refused to stand behind when it nearly got my family killed. I will never buy or recommend another Ford as long as I live.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
By the way, I hope you still reported your tranny failure to NHTSA!
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Of course, I'm wondering if your Freestar already had the tranny replaced before you bought it.
I thought of that. But have no real way of knowing. The car dealer says they don't have any service records on the vehicle other than the 150 point inspection and fluid/filter changes they did before they sold it. They also warrant the power train for 4,000 miles so I hope that if the tranny's gonna go, it does it within 4,000 miles. LOL But so far, no problems. The car is crystal clean and immaculate. Looks brand new inside and out. New tires. Wipers. Etc. The only thing that doesn't work is the cruise control (which seems to be a common Freestar/Monterey problem). They said they'd fix that for me if I bring it in within 30 days.
But that's a good question about if the tranny is original or replaced. Any way a novice like me could tell by looking under the hood?
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
Hang in there though. There may be a potentially very good development on the horizon. Stay tuned. When I hear one way or the other, I will post it here first.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD
thank you
I feel like a weirdo. My 2004 Monterey is running fine but I'm not enjoying it after reading these posts. I have known to be a bit paranoid in my life and now this message board has got me riding down the highway looking for shoulders and planning escape routes if it dies in the middle of the highway. Is that pathetic or what? :confuse:
What's weird about all of this is that my used Monterey could have already had the problem and been corrected but I have no way of knowing. The dealer has "no service records" on it. Is there a way a novice like me could tell by looking under the hood if something has been rebuilt or replaced?
But as far as I know, everything probably is original and I'm just praying I'm not the next victim. The '04's seem to be dropping like flies from reading this board. I'm at 51K now.
I sure hope this potential big development is a recall or something. It'd give me so much more peace of mind. I have a family that rides in the van.