2006 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

DRIVING NORTH OF IDAHO FALLS ON I-15 ON AUGUST 26, 2012. CRUISE CONTROL ON AT 75 MPH. SUDDEN LOSS OF GEAR, ENGINE RPM SPIKED. REMOVED CRUISE CONTROL, NOW COASTING IN DRIVE. PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND PLACED IN PARK. ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION WITH NO RESPONSE IN ANY GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION HAS A DATE CODE OF AUGUST 16, 2005. *TR

VEHICLE STARTED BUT WHEN PLACED INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN EVEN WHEN THE ENGINE WAS REVVED. NO WARNING, NO NOISE, NO PREVIOUS INDICATIONS AT ALL THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. CAR WAS TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AS IT WAS BROKEN. THANKFULLY MY WIFE AND KIDS HAD JUST PULLED OFF THE MAIN HIGHWAY FOR A FUEL STOP AND WERE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE THEIR JOURNEY WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. HOW CAN FORD ISSUE A RECALL FOR 2004 AND 2005 FREESTAR TORQUE CONVERTERS AND NOT ISSUE ONE FOR THE 2006 WHEN I'M SURE THAT SOME 2006 MODELS WERE ACTUALLY MADE IN 2005. *TR

VAN WAS IN MOTION ON SECONDARY ROADWAY/COUNTY HIGHWAY AT APPROX 30MPH. OPERATOR SLOWED VEHICLE FOR TRAFFIC AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTINUE ON BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM THE VAN. ENGINE WAS OPERATING AND GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN DRIVE. THE INCIDENT COULD BE CLASSED AS NEAR MISS ACCIDENT AS OTHER OPERATORS HAD TO DRIVE AROUND THE VAN WHICH HAD COME TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF ROAD. FORD DIAGNOSTICS ARE THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAS FAILED AND HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE SYMPTOMS AND PROBLEM ARE THE SAME AS THE 2004 & 2005 FREESTAR TORQUE CONVERTER RECALL. HOWEVER, FORD HAS NOT INCLUDED THE 2006 MODEL YEAR IN THE SAME RECALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON BUSY HIGHWAY, MY FORD FREESTAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. LOOKING IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM MY VEHICLE. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER I NOTICED THE SMOKE, THEN MY THERMOSTAT WENT ALL THE WAY FROM C TO HOT IN A SPLIT SECOND. NO WARNING, CAR SMOKING AND MY BRAKES AND GAS WAS NOT WORKING. I TRIED TO PULL OVER SAFELY AND GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE QUICKLY. MY VAN WAS ENGULFED WITH SMOKE, AN AMBULANCE PULLED OVER TO ASSIST ME. THE CAR FIRE WAS PUT OUT AND TOWED TO A FORD DEALER. IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION THAT BLEW. IT WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY AND FIXED. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD TRANSMISSION. ONE YEAR AND TWO WEEKS LATER, MY FORD FREESTAR WAS NOT SHIFTING GEARS, I WAS GETTING STUCK, IN REVERSE. WHEN I SHIFT TO DRIVE, IT DOES NOT GO FORWARD. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AGAIN TO THE SAME FORD DEALER. I WAS TOLD MY TRANSMISSION WAS FILLED WITH WATER AND THE 1 YEAR WARRANTY I PURCHASED THE YEAR BEFORE WAS SHORTED BY TWO WEEKS. FORD WOULD NOT HONOR MY WARRANTY DUE TO IT BEING OVER BY 2 WEEKS TIME FRAME. SO, I THEN PURCHASED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION WITH ANOTHER WARRANTY. NOW IN 2012, A YEAR LATER, MY TRANSMISSION THAT I PURCHASED LAST YEAR IS DOING THE SAME THING, GETTING STUCK IN GEARS, WHEN I ACCELERATE, MY FREESTAR JUMPS. EVERY TIME IT RAINS, THIS CAR STALLS. WHEN I TOOK TO MY MECHANIC, HE SAYS THIS IS A HORRIBLE CAR. POORLY MADE AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. APPARENTLY IT STALLS IN THE RAIN DUE TO THE SEALING FROM FORD? WHY AND HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? THIS VEHICLE IS A HORRIBLE SAFETY PROBLEM. I AM FORTUNATE MY CHILDREN WERE NOT WITH ME IN THE FIRST CAR FIRE. WHEN IS FORD OR THE SAFETY COUNCIL GOING TO INVESTIGATE THIS CAR? SO IN MY VEHICLE, FORD THINKS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEIR CUSTOMER HAVING TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION 3 YEARS IN A ROW. NO SAFETY WARNINGS OR ENGINE LIGHT WARNINGS AT ALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, STOPPED AT A LIGHT, WHEN IT TURNED GREEN I PUSHED ON THE PEDAL GENTLY (SOMEONE WAS IN FRONT OF ME) AND IT MADE A HUGE JERK AND CLANK CLANK CLANK. IT THEN STARTED TO GO. AT THIS POINT IT HAD THE "POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION LIGHT ON". I DROVE IT TO FORD AND THE CAR WOULDN'T GO INTO REVERSE AT ALL AND WOULDN'T DRIVE WITH OUT JERKING. IT ALSO WOULDN'T GO BACK IN NEUTRAL WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED ON. NO WARNING, DROVE FINE BEFORE THIS. *TR

VAN SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT RESTART IT HAD NO ELECTRICAL POWER, TURNED OUT COMPUTER SHORTED OUT $1200.00 REPAIR. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE VAN JUST LOST FORWARD MOTION, LIKE IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD, TRIED ALL GEARS AND HAD NOTHING NO DRIVE OR REVERSE. *TR

THE VAN HAS BEEN HARD TO START JUST RECENTLY PAST MONTH IT TAKES 4 TURNS OF KEY TO START , VAN DIES WHILE DRIVING, BATTERY HAS DIED . TOOK TO FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY CANT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT ALL . THEY HAD ME REPLACE , FUEL PUMP / SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES / FUEL FILTER/ IGNITION COIL / TPS SENSOR / AIR INTAKE IDLE SENSOR / CLEANED AND REPROGRAMMED THE PCM / MADE NEW IGNITION KEY / CLEANED ALL GROUND CONNECTIONS / CHECKED ALTERNATOR / REPLACED BATTERY / DRAINED GAS TANK AND ADDED FUEL CLEANER / AFTER ALL OF THIS EXPENSE I STILL AM HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUES ?????? ANY ADVICE FROM ANYONE ??/ THANKS IN ADVANCE . *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT THE ENGINE AND TACHOMETER CONTINUED RUNNING HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT BEFORE ON THIS WEBSITE ABOUT MY FROD FREESTAR SUDDENLY NOT MOVING. GOING UP A RAMP IN THE DARK WHEN CAR JUST STOPPED GOING FORWARD. SAME COMPLAINT AS MANY OTHERS HERE. I HAVE EMAILED FORD SEVERAL TIMES TO FIND OUT IF THE 2006 WILL BE RECALLED LIKE THE 04 AND 05 MODELS WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. JUST KEPT GETTING THE STANDARD WE AREN'T RESPONSIBLE ANSWER. I CALLED FORD 2 DAYS AGO TO VERBALLY FILE A COMPLAINT. I WAS TOLD THAT 1) REBUILT PARTS ARE BETTER THAN NEW PARTS, SO THAT'S WHY I HAVE A REBUILT TRANSMISSION IN MY VAN NOW AND 2) THAT FORD WON'T RESPOND ABOUT A RECALL UNLESS THEY START GETTING PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. SO DO LETTERS AN EMAILS ABOUT THE PROBLEM NOT COUNT? DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE IS FOLLOWING THE COMPLAINTS ON HERE BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE JUST IN CASE. I PAID $2600 TO GET A REBUILT TRANSMISSION PUT IN MY CAR BY FORD AND I REALLY WANT MY MONEY BACK AND FAITH ONCE AGAIN IN MY VEHICLE. *TT