2006 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN PULLED OFF AND VAN ACTED LIKE IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL GAVE IT GAS ALL IT DOES IS THE RPMS GO UP THE VAN DOES NOT MOVE. IT WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. IT GAVE US NO WARNING IT WAS WORKING JUST FINE.VERY DISAPPOINTED. *TR

ACCELERATED AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN WITHIN A WALMART PARKING LOT AND AFTER ABOUT FIFTEEN FEET THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND THE RPM'S WENT UP WITH NO PROPULSION. ALLOWED VEHICLE TO STOP THEN PUSHED IN A PARKING SPACE. THERE WAS NEVER ANY INDICATION THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FAIL VIA WARNING LIGHT NOR WAS THERE A NOISE/BANG/CLUNK ETC ASSOCIATED. VEHICLE JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO SHOP AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NO CODES INDICATING THE FAILURE AND A TRANSMISSION REBUILD WOULD BE IN ORDER FOR $2000. *TR

WATER INTRUSION FROM THE COWL SHORTED OUT THE PCM AND LED TO PREMATURE FAILURE OF TORQUE CONVERTER. FORD HAD A TSB ON THE WATER ISSUE BUT NEVER RECALLED AND NOW THAT HAS LED ME TO HAVING BIG MONEY SPENT ON REPAIRS THAT I FEEL FORD SHOULD CORRECT AND PAY FOR! *TR

THE ENTIRE UNIT THAT LOCKS THE 3RD ROW SEAT CAME LOOSE FROM THE WHEEL WELL DUE TO CORROSION. I LOOKED UP THE RECALL INFORMATION, AND THERE IS A RECALL FOR MY VAN MAKE AND MODEL YEAR, BUT DUE TO THE FACT THAT I BOUGHT THIS VAN NEW IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY, AND HAVE LIVED IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY EVER SINCE, FORD HAS DECIDED THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO ME, ALTHOUGH CLEARLY, IT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED UNDER THE RECALL. NORTHERN KENTUCKY BORDERS OHIO, AND OHIO VEHICLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT THE RECALL IS BY STATE, AND FORD IS CHOOSING TO LET THIS SAFETY HAZARD GO. *JS

WE WERE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE WITH MY FAMILY (2 CHILDREN - 9MOS AND 3 YEARS OLD) IN THE BACK SEAT AND OUT OF NO WHERE THE VAN WILL NOT GO FORWARD AND WILL NOT GO BACK. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS SIMPLY THROWN INTO NEUTRAL. WE HAD TO WAIT OVER AN HOUR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MY SMALL CHILDREN TO GET A TOW TRUCK AS WELL AS WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO COME GET US! THE VAN WAS DRIVING JUST FINE, NO ISSUES, NO WARNING THE TRANSMISSION JUST FAILED. *TR

ON RETURNING HOME FROM AN ERRAND IN OUR 2006 FREESTAR, MY SON ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE GEAR INTO DRIVE, BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE INTO FORWARD, NOR BACKWARDS IN REVERSE GEAR. THIS OCCURRED SUDDENLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO PORTER FORD IN NEWARK, DELAWARE AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE TRANSMISSION SIMPLY FAILED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY COMMON CHARACTERISTIC OF 4F50N TRANSMISSION FAILURES AND THERE ARE AN ABUNDANCE OF PUBLISHED COMPLAINTS. HAD OUR TRANSMISSION FAILED IN A TUNNEL OR ON BRIDGE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC POSSIBLY TRIGGERING A MAJOR PILE UP. CLEARLY SUCH A FAILURE PRESENTS A RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY. IN 2012 FORD MOTOR COMPANY SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT AFFECTING THE 2004 AND 2005 FREESTAR (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EA09016). IT IS REGARDING A DEFECT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE 4F50N TRANSMISSION. THIS SAME TRANSMISSION IS ALSO IN 2006 AND 2007. WHY IS THIS ACTION NOT EXTENDED TO OTHER VEHICLES WITH THIS DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION? *TR

I HAVE A 2006 FORD FREESTAR. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH MY THREE CHILDREN IN THE BACK DRIVING ABOUT 75 MPH, STARTED TO GO UPHILL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VAN ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL AND WOULDN'T GO WHEN I GAVE IT GAS. THE INTERSTATE WAS EXTREMELY PACKED AND I'M SITTING IN A VAN WITH MY KIDS AGES 3-12 AND MY VAN IS ALMOST STOPPING. IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD AND IT WAS VERY SCARY! I WAS ABOUT 2 HOURS FROM HOME WITH NO MONEY FOR A TOW TRUCK, SO I TURNED IT OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES, AND STARTED IT BACK UP. IT WAS STILL JERKING AND NOT CATCHING GEARS ON THE WAY HOME. WAS ABOUT 20 MINUTES AWAY FROM HOME WHEN THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND IT STARTED DOING IT AGAIN. MADE IT HOME, GOT ONLINE AND STARTED LOOKING UP WHAT MIGHT BE WRONG AND FOUND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VAN. IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER GOING OUT. FORD HAS A RECALL ON THE 2004 AND 2005, AND EVEN THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE THE SAME AND THE ISSUE IS THE SAME, THEY WON'T DO A RECALL ON THE 2006. IS IT GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE GETTING KILLED FOR THEM TPO ISSUE A RECALL???? *TR

WHILE OUT OF TOWN ON AN EXTENDED BUSINESS TRIP, MY OLDER KIDS USED OUR 2006 FREESTAR TO GET AROUND TOWN. ON JUNE 22, 2014, MY SON DROPPED OFF HIS SISTER ACROSS TOWN AND WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE GEAR INTO DRIVE, VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO FORWARD NOR BACKWARDS IN REVERSE GEAR, IT WAS SIMPLY STUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.THIS OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THIS PROBLEM IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THIS TRANSMISSION AND THERE ARE AN ABUNDANCE OF PUBLISHED COMPLAINTS. HAD OUR TRANSMISSION FAILED IN A TUNNEL OR ON A BRIDGE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC POSSIBLY TRIGGERING A MAJOR PILE UP. THIS TRANSMISSION IS A POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP. IN 2012 FORD MOTOR COMPANY SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT AFFECTING THE 2004 AND 2005 FREESTAR AND MONTEREY MINIVANS (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EA09016). IT IS REGARDING A DEFECT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE 4F50N TRANSMISSION. HOWEVER 2006 AND 2007 ALSO HAS THIS SAME TRANSMISSION. WHY IS THIS ACTION NOT EXTENDED TO THESE NEWER MODELS? *TR

AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN, I ACCELERATED TO PROCEED, AND AS MY VEHICLE STARTED TO GO IT JUST AS QUICKLY DIED. WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AND COMING AT ME FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH THAT THOSE CARS WERE ABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND NOT BROADSIDE ME OR REAR END ME, AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. LONG STORY SHORT, IT WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER! I SEE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 04 AND 05 MODELS BUT NOT THE 2006. HAVING RESEARCHED THOROUGHLY ONLINE FOR THIS PROBLEM, CLEARLY, MINE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, AS THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER 2006 FORD FREESTAR OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE BETWEEN 120K AND 150K MILES, COMPLAINTS STATED IN MANY FORD FORUMS AND OTHER INTERNET VENUES. OF THE 75+ I READ, ABOUT 50% HAD REGISTERED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE IN THE 06 FREESTARS WITH NHTSA. CLEARLY, FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM IN THE 2006 AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY INFO AND COMPLAINT?? AND FOR YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN THE RAIN AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SPUTTER AND ACTED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT. IT FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO LOSE POWER BUT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. THEN THE NEXT DAY THE SUN WAS OUT AND THE CAR SEEMED TO RUN FINE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL MORE TIMES OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. I STARTED TO NOTICE A PATTERN OF IT ONLY HAPPENING WHEN IT WAS RAINING OUTSIDE. OTHERWISE, THE VEHICLE RAN FINE IN GOOD WEATHER. I REALIZED WATER WAS GETTING INTO THE ENGINE SOMEHOW. OUR MECHANIC THOUGHT IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SPARK PLUGS AT FIRST. THEN IT KEPT HAPPENING SO WE HAD IT IN THE SHOP AGAIN. WATER WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING INTO THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. I STARTED TO RESEARCH THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL CUSTOMERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLES. APPARENTLY IT IS A WELL KNOWN DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL FORD SHOULD TAKE ACTION AND RECALL THESE CARS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS TRAGICALLY INJURED FROM THEIR MINIVAN LOSING POWER ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. *TR