2006 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 266,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I GOT INTO MY VAN, AFTER DROPPING MY MOM OFF AND WAS DURING APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES AM HOUR, GOT HALF WAY DOWN HER STREET WHEN I HEARD THIS STRANGE NOISE, LIKE THE SOUND OF RON'S REVVING ON A RACE CAR OR SOMETHING. THAN. MY RPM GAGE WAS GOING ALL THE WAY UP AND DOWN. IT WAS MOVING PRETTY SLOW, AND I GOT SCARED AND PULLED OVER AND PUT IT IN PARK AND SHUT IT DOWN. I THAN TRIED TO START IT UP AGAIN AND IT WOULD NOT GO . IT JUST KEPT REVVING. THE RON'S MOVING UP AND DOWN AGAIN. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY CHARGED ME $1,550 TO HAVE TRAINEE REBUILT. I WAS OUT OF A VEHICLE FOR MONTHS TRYING TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY. ALSO SPENDING MONEY ON RENTALS TO GET TO WORK AND BRING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL. THAN JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER GETTING MY VAN BACK, I DROVE TO THE AKRON RESERVATION AND NEARLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED DRIVING UP A HILL ON THE WAY BACK. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AGAIN AND WENT WITHOUT MY VAN FOR ANOTHER WEEK AND A HALF. THEY FIXED IT AGAIN AND THAN TOLD ME THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TORQUE CONVERTERS THROUGH FORD. THE 2004 AND 2005 FORD FREESTAR. MY VAN IS AN 06, AND THEIR ARE A LOT OF 2006 STORY'S AND COMPLAINTS I HAVE HEARD BESIDES MINE. FORD NEEDS TO EXTEND THE RECALL AND ADD THE 2006 MODELS ALSO, BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME DEFECTIVE PROBLEM AS THE 04, AND 05. *TR

RUNNING SLUGGISH ON ACCELERATION. NO WARNING LIGHTS REGARDING ANY PROBLEM UNTIL TOTAL FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. WAS ABLE TO GET TO DEALER. AT STOP SIGN CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. RE-STARTED AND WAS ABLE TO PARK. NEEDS TRANSMISSION REPLACED. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY QUIT WORKING AND MY RPM'S SHOT UP TO 5000. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL SHOP WHERE I WAS REFERRED TO COTTMAN TRANSMISSION TO GET IT EVALUATED. COTTMAN TRANSMISSION SAID THE TRANSMISSION WAS FULL OF WATER AND COMPLETELY BURNED UP. THEY SAID THAT THESE VANS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WATER LEAKING THROUGH THE WIPER VENTS ONTO THE TOP OF THE PCM AND WATER ENTERING INTO THE TRANSMISSION. UPON MORE INVESTIGATION I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT FORD HAS EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND STILL HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. THEY HAVE ISSUED A RECALL ON SOME OF THE 04 AND 05'S FOR TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUES THAT SOUND LIKE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 06'S. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I WAS TRAVELING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WITH MY WIFE AND KIDS AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP I COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS, POSSIBLY EVEN FATAL, WRECK BECAUSE OF FORD'S FAILURE TO CORRECT A PROBLEM THAT THEY KNOW EXISTS! THANKYOU. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED (75MPH) THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, THERE WAS NO WARNING AND THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION HAS NO FORWARD OR REVERSE GEARS LEAVING IT ESSENTIALLY IN NEUTRAL. THIS LEFT THE CAR WITHOUT POWER OR THE ABILITY TO SAFELY EXIT THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF CROWDED TRAFFIC. EXCEPT FOR THE ABILITY OF OTHER DRIVERS TO AVOID OUR CAR THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT CITY SPEEDS UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. *TR

AT A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, AFTER TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT I PUT THE VAN INTO REVERSE TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT, WHEN I PUT BACK INTO DRIVE, IT DIDN'T MOVE, THERE WAS NO ENGAGEMENT WHATSOEVER OF THE GEARS. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE INTO THE SPOT OUT OF THE LANE OF TRAFFIC AND HAVE IT TOWED. IRONICALLY THIS HAPPENED 3 DAYS AFTER I LEARNED ABOUT FORD RECALLING THE FREESTAR FOR 2005 MODELS TO REPLACE TORQUE CONVERTER; WHEN THE SERVICE CENTER WHO TOWED MY VEHICLE TOLD ME I NEEDED A TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACEMENT I HAD THEM PROVIDE PICTURES OF THE PART AND CAN CLEARLY SEE THE PART ITSELF WAS A 2005 PART! HOWEVER FORD IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THE YEAR OF MY VEHICLE IS 2006, IT COST ME OVER $1300 TO REPAIR. I NOTIFIED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT FORD ON 8/31/12 TO REQUEST A REFUND BUT SO FAR NOTHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE FROM A TRAFFIC STOP BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V006000(POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME RESISTANT TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS. THE CONTACT MERGED OFF THE ROADWAY WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V006000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION), WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS SIMILAR TO THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT CONFIRM IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 118,000.

WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE, WE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATING AFTER A STOP (EITHER AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT OR PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY). THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WOULD FLASH, AND THE VAN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 10-15 MPH DESPITE DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM WAS TO SHUT THE VEHICLE DOWN AND START IT AGAIN WHICH CLEARS THE COMPUTER. THERE WERE SEVERAL INSTANCES WHEN WE LOST POWER WHILE ENTERING AN INTERSECTION AND WERE ALMOST HIT BY OTHER VEHICLES. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TWO FORD DEALERSHIPS, NEITHER OF WHICH FOUND AN ERROR CODE OR COULD REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THERE WAS NO RHYME OR REASON AS TO WHEN OR WHERE THE PROBLEM WOULD OCCUR. IT MAY HAPPEN TWICE IN ONE WEEK OR SIX MONTHS COULD PASS WITHOUT AN ISSUE. WE WERE FINALLY FORCED TO SUE FORD UNDER PENNSYLVANIA LEMON LAW. APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AFTER THE VAN WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THE VAN FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY DAUGHTER'S DAYCARE. I DROVE TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP AT 10 MPH AND LEFT IT RUNNING. THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT STAYED ILLUMINATED FOR ONCE, AND A MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO PULL AN ERROR CODE FOR A FAULTY ABS SENSOR. I CALLED FORD CORPORATE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THEM PULL UP THE VEHICLE RECORDS. TO THEIR CREDIT, THEY AGREED TO PAY THE $1200 BILL FOR THE ABS SENSOR AND ANOTHER PART RELATED TO THE PROBLEM. I DROVE THE VAN FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF WITH NO OTHER ABS PROBLEMS. AN EMPLOYEE AT THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT WHEN NO ERROR CODES APPEAR DURING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, FORD WILL NOT PAY THE DEALERSHIP TO TROUBLESHOOT. THEREFORE, THERE IS NO INCENTIVE FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO PUT ANY EFFORT INTO FIXING A PROBLEM...IT JUST COSTS THEM MONEY. *TR