2005 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

FIRST FAILURE WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER - I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT AND AS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I PROCEEDED INTO THE INTERSECTION WHEN THE VEHICLE CLUNKED AND RESPONDED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER. REPLACEMENT COST INCLUDING LABOR WAS $600 SECOND FAILURE IS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE INTERMITTENT. FAILURE OCCURS IN THE RAIN OF COURSE. WIPER WILL SPEED UP THEN SLOW DOWN THEN NOT WORK AT ALL. IT JUST HAPPENED TODAY SO I HAVE NOT HAD IT TROUBLESHOOT YET. 1/11/12 75,674 MILES. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ANY LONGER. THE VAN WAS ACTING AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL.....SHE SLOWED TO A STOP IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE AND CALLED AAA FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE REPAIR SHOP BELIEVES THAT IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER AT A MINIMUM. *TR

9/2007 MY HUSBAND, MYSELF, AND OUR 5 CHILDREN WERE DRIVING TO MY MOTHERS HOUSE AND OUT OF THE BLUE THE VAN JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. WE HAD THE VAN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT WE BOUGHT IT. THEY TOLD US THAT WE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AT 41,000 MILES (JUST OUT OF WARRANTY) $2000 OOP!! WE HAD THE TRANS REPLACED AND ARE NOW 12/2011 HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN. (JUST OVER 90,00 MILES) WE OWE 2000$ ON THE VAN AND THE COST OF REPAIRS ARE OVER THAT. THIS HAS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE..CHILDREN IN CAR + CAR RANDOMLY STOPPING!! I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A VAN BOUGHT NEW OFF THE LOT CAN BE ON ITS 3RD TRANSMISSION ON LESS THEN 100,000 MILES. WE WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN AND AFTER DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND 1000"S OF OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES...ITS A SHAME FORD WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR THEIR FAULTY PRODUCTS! *TR

FORD FIX IT FORD FIX IT I WAS DRIVING IN A WILDERNESS AREA IN TEXAS AND I JUST GOT THROUGH THE AREA AND HAD TO HAVE A EMERGENCY GALL BLADDER SURGERY I WAS DROPPED OFF IN MY VAN AT THE HOSPITAL IT BROKE DOWN 4 MINUTES LATER IN THE HOSPITAL PARKING LOT..IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE WILDERNESS AREA AND A DEAD ZONE FOR PHONE I COULD HAVE DIED THE VAN STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING! *TR

FEBRUARY 2010- VAN LURCHED FORWARD THEN FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. LESS THAN 65000 MILES ON VEHICLE. TURNED OUT TO BE TRANSMISSION FAILURE- FORD STATED IT WOULD COST $3100 TO FIX. GOT IT FIXED AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR $1800. MECHANIC STATED HE SEES THIS OFTEN WITH THIS YEAR OF FREESTARS. IN FEBRUARY 2011, CAR STARTED HAVING POWERTRAIN ISSUES, SKIPPING AND SLIPPING GEAR. DIAGNOSED AS CAM SHAFT SENSOR FAILURE. COST WAS OVER $400 TO FIX. STATED WATER WAS GETTING INTO THE CAM SHAFT. IN JULY 2011, CAR HAD ISSUES IN RAIN- AGAIN, WATER IN CAM SHAFT. MECHANIC DRAINED IT AND IT APPEARED TO BE BETTER. DECEMBER 29TH, 2011 VAN LURCHED FORWARD AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. WAS TRAVELING 65MPH AND HAD NO WARNING. WAS STUCK ON BUSY HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF CROSSLANE. MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEAD AT 130,000 MILES- AFTER ONLY HAVING HAD THE LAST ONE FOR LESS THAN TWO YEARS. WE CONSUMERS BOUGHT THESE FREESTARS IN GOOD FAITH THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SAFE, RELIABLE VEHICLE. FORD HAS FAILED TO DELIVER. I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER FREESTAR CONSUMERS STATING THE SAME COMPLAINTS ON WEBSITES NATIONWIDE. FORD CLAIMS "NO RECORD OF FAILURE" BECAUSE THEY OVERCHARGE ON THEIR REPAIRS SO WE END UP GOING TO LOCAL SHOPS FOR FIXES- I DOUBT THEY BOTHER LOGGING IT SINCE WE WON'T PAY THEM TO FIX IT! AFTER COASTING THE CAR INTO AN ABANDONED LOT, I WAS STUCK. THERE WAS A SHED THAT WAS CLEARLY USED BY DRUG ADDICTS (CLOTHES, TRASH, NEEDLES, ETC INSIDE.) THE COMPANY SHOULD STAND BY THEIR VEHICLES- I BELIEVE IF THEY DROVE THESE VANS THEY WOULD KNOW HOW TERRIFIED I AND OTHER FREESTAR DRIVERS ARE TO EVEN THINK ABOUT THE "WHAT-IF'S" THAT COULD HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THEIR TRANSMISSION FAILURES. I AM STUCK BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER RISK DRIVING THE VEHICLE AGAIN BUT CANNOT SELL IT BECAUSE IT COULD PUT SOMEONE ELSE IN DANGER. MY CHILDRENS' LIVES FAR OUTWEIGH THE DOLLAR AMOUNT LEFT ON THE LOAN OF THIS JUNK! *TR

FORD FREESTAR MINIVAN WITH 62,000 MILES ON IT LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 50 MPH. WAS ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORD DEALER SAYS TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. DEALER SAYS TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED BECAUSE OF OUTPUT SHAFT SPLINES STRIPPING CAUSING LOSS OF POWER TO THE DRIVETRAIN. COST TO REPAIR $2,200! THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH POWER FAILING AT HIGH SPEED. THE FAILURE SEEMS SIMILAR TO NHTSA ACTION PE09033. *TR

ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK ON JANUARY 1, 2012 AT APPROX. 4:20PM MY CAR STARTS TO SLOW DOWN N STARTS TO GO ON REVERSE WHILE IT WAS ON DRIVE. I TRIED DIFFERENT GEARS BUT THE CAR CONTINUE TO GO ON REVERSE I HAD NO WARNING LIGHT, NO SIGN OF THE CAR GO BAD NO NOISE, NOTHING THE CAR JUST SLOWED DOWN N WENT ON REVERSE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MY HOUSE I HAVE NO MONEY TO FIX THIS ISSUE I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS CAR AND TO TOP IT OFF I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR IN MARCH OF 2011. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS BUT HAS NOT DONE NOTHING TO FIX IT I'M STUCK MAKING PAYMENTS TO A CAR THAT IS NOT WORKING SO PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CAN I DO. *TR

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE 101 WHEN THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING. WE BARELY MADE IT OFF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE IT STOPPED. I AM NOW WAITING FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION TO BE PLACED IN MY VAN. THE VAN NEVER GAVE US ANY WARNING. IT JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHERE THEY INSPECTED THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

DROVE TO THE STORE THAT DAY. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF RAIN. WHEN DONE AT THE STORE GOT IN THE VAN AND IT STARTED FINE BUT WHEN YOU PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL THE RPM WOULD RACE UP BUT THE VAN WOULD GO NO WHERE. THE FORD DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE PCM SENSOR BECAUSE IT HAD WATER IN IT. IT WAS RUNNING BUT NOT LIKE BEFORE. TOOK BACK THE VAN ON 4/21/11. ENGINE RUNS FINE. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND VAN STARTED SPUTTERING LIKE IT WAS CHOKING. STOPPED THE VAN AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, TURNED IT BACK ON AND IT RAN FINE. TWO DAYS LATER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT I WAS AT A STOP SIGN AND THE VAN DID NOT WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. MY HUSBAND BARELY GOT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT JUST COMPLETELY DIED ON HIM ONCE. ONCE THE DEALERSHIP HAD IT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. JUST HAD A SPEED SENSOR CHANGED ON IT ON 11/15/11 THEY HAD THE VAN FOR 8 DAYS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG. NOW JUST TONIGHT, WHEN YOU PUT THE VAN IN ANY GEAR THE RPMS DROP AND THE SHIFTING IS DELAYED. I AM GUESSING SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TRANSMISSION. HOW CAN I EVER TRUST THE FORD COMPANY AGAIN? I HAVE BEEN READING TOO MANY OF THE SAME PROBLEMS. WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THE VAN TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT AGAIN?! HELP!!! I ALSO READ I NEED TO CALL FORD FOR THEM TO HAVE SOME MANY COMPLAINTS FOR A RECALL IS THIS TRUE? *TR