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Ford Freestyle CVT Transmissions
If you have a shift question or a problem with your Freestyle transmission, get advice here.
Steve, Host
Steve, Host
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"feel your pain, we just traded our FS in on a used Suburban. We had started the process for the buyback with the BBB but Ford flat out said they would send it to another dealer to have it repaired before they bought it back....our complaints were a bad bearing in the CVT making a LOUD noise, seems to be common now, there is a TSB for it... our engine would surge under certain conditions, 6 repair attempts and still not fixed."
Doesn't sound good if you couldn't work with Ford in getting yours fixed and you work for a Ford dealer. Would they not let you repair your own FS since you are a certified CVT technician, or could you not even fix it? I just thought if it was a loud bearing, that you could have fixed it. :confuse: Just curious??
We just heard from him again today and he confirm that the paperwork should be coming through by Friday. It has been 35 days since we dropped off our car and it looks like it will be finally over.
Good luck to others who are having issues. The CVT is causing Ford problems because dealers are not up to speed on them and parts are not available. Beware.
After all kind of weird things with my car I averaged 11.7 MPG - city driving. The CVT is defective, but runs. At the slightest touch of the accelerator pedal the car jolts into motion and feels zippy. I filled the tank and headed off to Big Bear Lake. I drove an 2005 4 cyl Accord behind our FWD FS driven by my wife. The road goes uphill and it is very twisty.
I could barely keep up with my wife in this Accord. I watched my FS going into turns very fast and barely tilt while the Accord, at the same speed, complained and threatened to go off the road!!! At one point after a quick stop I watched my FS going away while the accord struggled at 6.000 RPM to keep up but did not succeed.
At the end of the climb my wife looked like a happy kid at the end of rollercoaster ride. She said - "this car is glued to the road! And I barely touched the accelerator".
At the end of the downhill trip the combined MPG was 18.6.
I called the dealership and they said that the buy back process has begun. It looks like they are going to buy back to avoid a law suit. In the sunny California there is no arbitration process. If the car meets some conditions – it’s a buyback! They said it is going to take about 2 months, at which point they'll give me a 2007.
"Ford is dropping the continuously variable transmission offered in the Ford Freestyle, Five Hundred and Mercury Montego at the end of the 2007 model year."
I find it a dumb move by Ford that just as awareness of the CVT is gaining momentum with the general public they decide to drop it. They really need to re-think the closing of the Batavia transmission plant. It seems they are tripping over dollars to save pennies.
- Chad
BTW, second Explorer and no problems. I'll turn 60k in a couple of weeks. I wanted to FS because I do a lot of kayaking and frankly, tired of lifting boats onto a higher roof line.
That makes Ford the sole maker of the current CVT known as the CFT30 found in the Freestyle/Five Hundred/Montego. Multiple manufacturing delays caused the project to be delayed they originally intended to ship there first CVT in 2001. The problem with the CVT is as engines produce more HP and torque (primarily torque) that is where the problems arise. At present the 3.0L produces @207 lbs of torque. The 3.5L produces @250 lbs of torque. The current CVT can not handle an increase in torque and is made to operate under 258lbs. anything approaching that number would be operating at its max and therfore not conducive to longevity. Does that mean Ford can't make a CVT to handle the torque, from what I have read yes they can, but that brings on a whole slew of other considerations including additional expense, weight, the current CVT weighs about 7 lbs. more than an auto tranny. Ford has had some problems with the CVT and from what I have read they believe their new 6 speed Auto tranny joint venture with GM is the way forward. The Nissan Murano is probably one of the better known CVT operated but it also is not without problems.
The full Autmotive News article can be found here;
buckwheat, "What about the future of Ford Inc??" #1625, 31 Jul 2006 9:36 am
They diagnosed it (after 2nd visit) as a faulty mechatronic unit (code 2765-20, if that means anything). It is being replaced next week.
Also the problem seems to be a bad oil pump in the transmission. To be properly diagnosed they have to have it when it does not work.
Dealerships are clueless about this sort of thing. All they know for sure is that they have a lot of product on the lot and they'll say absolutely anything in order to move it.
I foresee a lot of shouting about take place in order that I get the transmission replaced.
Also, the CVT transmission was the reason I paid $1450 for a 7 year, 100,000 mile, zero deductable, extended warranty.
I thought the engine and transmission warranty was 50K?
What is the source of your info? And why should a CVT care about hp? All a transmission really cares about is how much torque is being applied. Horsepower is simply a term used to sell cars.
Ford CVT :P
There is also nothing stopping Ford from de-tuning the 3.5L engine to the point that it will work with the CVT. But I don't think they want to do that. First, the engine would be putting out less than it is capable of, and second, I think Ford wants to standardize on the 6 speed.
Not that TCC is a great source (2008 Freestyle), but there has been alot of speculation that the Freestyle would go out in style with the 3.5L V6 in 2008.
When the 3.5L engine first debuted, there was talk about a 3.0L based off of the 3.5L, but it wouldn't go into the Freestyle anyway. The competition, even Mazda, is offering more room, more power, and better styling (also more expensive though). My guess is that when the D471 comes out it will get the 3.5L w/ direct injection to set it apart from Edge.
How could you possibly know what is planned? Do you work in the Ford Product Planning department or something?
Let me just say this. Until there is an official announcement from Ford on any of this IT IS ALL SPECULATION!
Even if something leaked from Ford about certain plans, with the dire financial straights they are in plans can and likely will change as time goes on. Ford has a new CEO, and just because 6 months ago a leak mentioned that the CVT will be gone (not saying this happened, just an example), there is nothing to prevent Ford from changing course. I fully expect there to be changes, that is why Bill Ford hired a new CEO.
So may I request that unless there is some sort of official announcement from Ford, please made certain that you mention your source or say it is your opinion about any statements you make about the future of the Freestyle.
OPINION!
Unless they start working on a new CVT design, the current CVT will be reduced to smaller applications, probably 4-cyl or small V6 (less than 3.0L) The 6-speed automatic, which was developed with GM, is bound to be cheaper to mass produce because of the numerous applications across all the different product lines.
Even if we had a Ford source, they probably couldn't offer us that much proof yet, and even if they could offer us proof, they must not like their job that much... 'cause they'd be fired pretty quick.
The Edge is heavier than the FS by about 500 lbs (FWD), which would account for the difference in MPG, even with the 6 speed (well, that plus the extra 1/2 liter larger engine).
I think a FS with 6 speed would get similar or better MPG than the 3.0L and CVT.
Took Ford Dearship 2 days to remove the transmission. They have offered to pay for 80% of the costs of replacement (about $5,100). CAnnot give me any cause or reason why the transmission failed and yet the systems check still says "transmission OK".
But I stand by my statement about MPG. Often a larger engine will get similar or better MPG than a smaller engine. Witness the Toyota RAV4, with only 1 MPG separating the two engines at highway speeds... :surprise:
I think there is a mpg "sweet spot" where smaller engines are overcome by the weight of the vehicle and start to get less gas mileage. If an engine is to large for the vehicle, you'll get less mpg, and it won't be giving you too many advantages either, other than making the vehicle faster.