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My name is --------------- and I am an investigator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation. I am interested in the report you filed with us regarding your 2005 Ford Freestar transmission problems. The investigation you referred to is PE09033 and can be viewed on our website http://www.safercar.gov . We would like to have the old part, which we will provide a shipping label for. Please let me know of its availability and also the approximate weight so the label can be made. Thank you for your time, and have a great day.
I told my mechanic and he said it was fine and they could have the part but this morning he said there was a $300 core charge for the part and he gave it to the parts place. He said he can get it back but then someone will have to pay that core charge. I'm already $1600 deep in this (also having some other things fixed since he has it.) and I'm not doing another $300. I just emailed her about and told her I could put her in touch with my mechanic or the parts place if she wanted. Thinking about this sign...I'm going to post on Craigslist about it and direct ppl here and to NHTSA.
J
Although Beauty certainly abounds here with these red cliffs out in Lake Powell area in Az. and I am trying to be hopeful and up-beat, nonetheless, I am truly stranded.
Had I known that a transmission, in any vehicle,. could just jump ship while on the highway, with no warning, I never would have embarked on a Maine to Los Angeles sojourn in my 2006 Freestar with 73,000 miles on it. I had previously only had the Dodge Grand Caravans, whose trannys go out more like 80,000 miles, and with gradual slippage, etc. I was well aware that a new or re-built one was close at hand and thus was in my area of New Hampshire with mechanics that I know and trust and will even take payments frm me.
I tell you, I am in total shock about this ! I have never heard of such a thing; that is, until I Googled up "probs. 2006 Freestar trans." and voila ! I was to meet someone in Tuba City, Az. Thurs. so was coming thru Navajo Nation @ Monument Valley, pulled over to take pics., got back on road, and that was all she wrote ! I thought I would get over to side of road-just barely-and turn 'er off, then back on, and she would roll. Alas, no rolling ! So there I sat, no phone signal for miles, AAA pkg. used up for year, only about $200 in cash or credit, etc. etc.
Got help frm new Navajo friend. Finally someone went to get a guy with a chain to pull me the 12 miles into Kayenta. Next day realized I had road-side srve w/ Geico and was taken 100 miles to nearest dealership in Page, Az. Still hoping it could be a fuse or small part when they qouted $3800 for a new transmission !!
Anyway, bottom line, Ford has rendered me homelass as I lave on the road and most everything I own is in the van. Got motel last night across street.They gave me half-price-sweet!-due to faulty air cond. and now will camp out in dealer lot until Ford does something. Actually, was thinking to pack suit-case, leave van there, and start walking .....to Detroit ! The whole point would be to get it out there on Twitter, et. al. and eventually gain national media attention. Since I have just lost everything, I've nothing more to lose ! If, by embarking on said journey, we could force Ford's hand into a re-call or whatever, the lives of an entire un-suspecting family may be spared
Just putting it out there and looking for feed-back.
Thank you
Anyone who would want to do something drastic as attempt a walk to Ford headqrtrs., such as me, would have these stories printed up and hand out along way. Also, a shorter version telling people to go to this site themselves and to follow this on Twitter. The Twitter thing would just make the whole thing explode---and very fast !!!
I am going to walk to the Page library today and start printing, as well as register formal complaint w/ proper web-sites, as advised herein.My good freind Karen, presently in Palm Springs, knows someone who is in touch w/ Matt Lauer.He, Karen, and I are all New Englanders, so maybe that will make a difference.
Correction: my van has 73,000 on it now, not frm the start of trip.
WHY was it again that we ever thought anything could replace the horse-and-buggy or the good ol' bicycle????!!!!!
Do you think the Amish are sitting in Ford dealer-ships,or broke down on the sides of roads !!!!
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Ford Motor Co
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The Ford Motor Company said Monday that its United States sales rose 2.3 percent last month, marking the first year-over-year increase for any of the six largest carmakers since last August. Ford had not posted a monthly sales increase in nearly two years.
Ford, which heavily promoted the government-sponsored rebate program at its dealerships, in television ads and on its Web site, sold 18 percent more cars and crossover vehicles than it did in July 2008, though sales of its trucks and sport-utility vehicles fell 18 percent. The company did not say how many of its sales were made to people who turned in a vehicle to be scrapped under the program.
“We had another strong month in progress before the ‘cash for clunkers’ program started,” Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president for marketing, sales and service in the United States, said in a statement. “Our products, our dealers and our advance preparation enabled us to leverage the program and drive traffic and sales to another level. In addition, we achieved a sales increase even though we decreased incentive spending in an increasingly competitive environment.”
Other carmakers, including General Motors, Chrysler and Toyota, are scheduled to report their July sales later Monday.
The government trade-in program, which began July 24, lets consumers give up an older, inefficient vehicle and receive a credit of up to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new vehicle with a higher fuel economy rating. Its unexpected popularity caused the program, formally known as the Car Allowance Rebate System, to quickly exhaust its initial budget of $1 billion, which was enough for about 200,000 people to take part.
The House of Representatives voted Friday to provide $2 billion more, and approval from the Senate is needed to extend the program. Many dealers are now unsure whether to continue taking trade-ins under the program, not knowing if the government will reimburse them.
Automakers welcomed the program at a time when high unemployment and low consumer confidence levels have pushed new-vehicle sales to their lowest level since the recession of the early 1980’s. Through the first half of this year, sales were down 35 percent compared to the first half of 2008.
WHAT BOUT THE "POOR" PEOPLE STUCK WITH THE 2000 FREESTARS? THAT WE CAN'T EVEN TURN IN AS CLUNKERS!!!!!! BECAUSE OF THE GUILT OF KIDS & FAMILY GETTING KILLED IN THEM>>>>>> UNFAIR FORD. :confuse: :mad:
Ford
Why should we have to bear the cost of having our families at such a high risk of serious injury and the financial expense of repairs when Ford should be held responsible as required by the law?
Anyone know why the same vehicle sold in Canada has a larger transmission and longer warranty?
CanadianDriver, January 23, 2004, "In the U.S. the base Freestar comes with a 193 horsepower 3.9 litre V6, but in Canada all Freestars have a 201 horsepower 4.2 litre V6 engine (replacing the 200 horsepower 3.8 litre V6), a 4-speed automatic transmission, Powertrain Warranty 5 years/100,000 km "
Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated... :confuse:
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
I will follow up this post after my ordeal is over.
Secretary La Hood has not responded to my request for a public hearing so I will be writing to ask about this issue.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt," 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."
Good luck.
I am not backing off of this either. I see it as a serious threat to our safety. I have had recalls on other vehicles for things less dangerous than this. How can it be allowed to have a vehicle's transmission just give out like that? :mad:
To the credit of the Gus Johnson service dept. in Spokane, they did all they could to expedite the repair and provide my family with shuttle service (Ford ended the loaner car program a couple years ago). It's a darn shame about this since I've been otherwise generally happy with this car.
Dear Freestar/Monterey Owners,
This is Emily Reichard again with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation. As some of you may already know, an investigation has opened on the 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles for transmission failure. This can be viewed on our website at www.safercar.gov under investigation #PE09-033. After this week I will no longer be in this office and my e-mail will be phased out. Therefore, if you have any other responses or questions, please contact principal investigator Stephen McHenry . Thank you so much for all of your time and information. Have a great day.
NHTSA Action Number : PE09033 NHTSA Recall Campaign Number : N/A
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
FORD / FREESTAR 2004-2005
MERCURY / MONTEREY 2004-2005
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Component :
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
Date Investigation Opened : July 15, 2009
Date Investigation Closed : Open
Summary:
ODI HAS RECEIVED 178 COMPLAINTS ALLEGING THAT AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION CREATED A SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER IN MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2005 FORD FREESTAR AND MERCURY MONTEREY VEHICLES. SIXTY-FIVE (65) COMPLAINANTS WHO PROVIDED SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO ODI REGARDING THE FAILURE MODE OF THE TRANSMISSION IDENTIFIED THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND/OR THE TORQUE CONVERTER OUTPUT SHAFT AS THE FAILED SUBSYSTEM/COMPONENT. FOR THE LATTER, THE ALLEGATIONS INDICATE THAT THE SHAFT SPLINES FAILED SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF VEHICLE PROPULSION DUE TO THE ENGINE POWER BECOMING DISCONNECTED FROM THE DRIVETRAIN. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, AND POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT.
Jill
If you are having a problem with your van please file a complaint with NHTSA so we can overload them reports. Let's see how long Ford will sit on their hands once they get some real pressure.
Our 2004 Freestar (79k miles) came to a rolling stop today, making a load whining sound (similar to low fluid in a power steering pump) from the trans. The ESP Warranty ended at 75k miles.
Beginning at 55k miles, it became slow in engaging from Reverse to Drive and occasionally shuttered. A local dealership found nothing wrong and after servicing it, gave it a clean bill of health. Slow shifting started again and now, we're stuck. A local trans technician experienced in rebuilding these beasts diagnosed it as likely the planetary unit(?). Isn't it considered a clunker now??? :sick:
Hope you file a complaint with NHTSA.
Good luck.
I totally agree that children should not be in these vehicles. For that matter, anyone riding in these vehicles are at an unacceptable risk for their safety and others on the roadways around them.
I will never own another Ford. Wonder why the "Cash for Clunkers" program had 41% foreign vehicles sold through the incentive. I believe that Ford will fail soon if they keep this kind of business practice.
We need to have them hear that we want our day in court by requesting the hearing. There is a lot of power in numbers.
Thanks,
Anabel :confuse:
Thanks for the help with this!!
We also prohibit the posting of third party phone numbers. Although they may have provided it to you in an email, you may re-post it in the Forums.
If you have any questions, you may direct them to me in an email. Click on my username for that information.
Thank you for your future cooperation.
Thank you for informing us all of the rules.
This vehicle had created much stress for so many of us, produced quite a bit of confusion as to why this vehicle is still on the roadway without a recall for such a serious safety issue, and left many of us wondering why the government is not doing something. Financially, it has drained many of our pocketbooks to benefit the CEOs of Ford.
A class action suit is not handled by the government so it is up to the private sector to handle the situation. The government will not send you anything in regards to a suit. My understanding of what NHTSA does is to gather information from the manufacture, assess the situation, prompt the manufacture to make the corrective changes, and I believe that they will fine the company if they are found to be at fault.
With the personal cost, we must gather as a group, find an attorney who will take the case to court against the manufacturer, win the case, and then, restitution can take place according to the settlement that was won (if any). So, if a class action suit was to take place, an attorney would need to gather a "class" of people.
I could be wrong about this information, but from what I have read, I believe this is the case.