2006 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

ABRUPT TOTAL LOSS OF POWER TRANSFER ;WITHOUT WARNING. FAULTY TORQUE CONVERT DESIGN LIKELY TO BLAME. TRAVELING ALONG AT 25 MPH IN DYERSVILLE IOWA, ON 1ST AVE W, ON 1/25/2017. VAN HAS ~160K MILES. NO ONE WAS INJURED, NO ACCIDENT, SAFELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ITS MY PERSONAL OPTION, THAT HAD I BEEN IN CONGESTED HEAVY TRAFFIC, I WOULD POSE A SAFETY RISK. IF YOUR OCCURRING A BREAKDOWN, YOUR MOSTLY LIKELY TO BE GIVEN SOME TYPE OF WARNING. YOU HAVE TIME TO ENGAGE HAZARDS LIGHTS, MERGE OVER AND SLOW DOWN. HOWEVER THIS 06 FORD FREE-STAR GAVE NO WARNING, AND THIS CONCERNS ME.

WHILE DRIVING IN HOUSTON TEXAS, 1500 MILES FROM HOME, MINIVAN SUDDENLY STOPPED. WE WERE IN HOV LANES ON HIGHWAY 290, ONLY ONE LANE BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION. NO WARNING, SUSPECT TORQUE CONVERTER. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND LOSS ALL PROPULSION TO THE WHEELS. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR TO ATTEMPT TO APPLY POWER TO THE WHEELS SHE EXPERIENCED NO RESPONSE. ONCE TOWED FROM THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE AND DELIVERED TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC'S SHOP, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD FAILED. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS IS AS COMMON A PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 MODEL FREESTARS AS IT IS FOR THE 2004 AND 2005 MODELS SINCE THEY SHARE THE SAME DESIGN AND MATERIAL COMPOSITION. I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY THE 2006 MODEL WAS NOT RECALLED WHEN THE 2004 AND 2005 MODELS WERE RECALLED SINCE THESE MODEL YEARS ARE IDENTICAL WHEN CONSIDERING THE TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUE. OUR FREESTAR HAS BEEN IMPECCABLY MAINTAINED OVER THE YEARS WITH ONLY 85,300 TOTAL MILES ON THIS CAR. THE DESIGN LIFE OF THE AVERAGE TRANSMISSION FAR EXCEEDS 85,000 MILES, THUS IT IS CLEARLY OBVIOUS THAT MATERIAL, FABRICATION, AND/OR THE DESIGN ELEMENTS OF THIS VEHICLE'S TORQUE CONVERTER ASSEMBLY WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DEFICIENT. OUR EXPERIENCE, ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER 2006 FREESTAR OWNERS FILING COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEB PAGE PROVIDE AMPLE EVIDENCE FOR EXPANDING THE FREESTAR RECALL NOTICE TO 2006 MODELS. I EARNESTLY IMPLORE THE NHTSA TO DUTIFULLY EXERCISE ITS AUTHORITY IN RECONCILING THIS MATTER AS STATED ABOVE. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILS WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL OF VEHICLE. DRIVING AT 70 MPH IN TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE, ENGINE REVVED TO 5000 RPM'S AND WE HAD TO COAST THROUGH TRAFFIC TO THE SHOULDER AND COAST TO A STOP. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN ANY GEAR. HAD TO BE TOWED. LUCKY TO GET TO THE SHOULDER ALIVE.

MOM WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, SHE WAS ON THE SECOND LANE SO THEIR IS CARS GOING BY AT 60 MILES PLUS ON THE SIDES, THE VAN CAME TO A SLOW STOP AND WITH CARS BARELY MISSING US AND CAUSING A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. WE FINALLY HAD A TOW TRUCK DRIVER THAT IS A FRIEND OF MINE COME TO OUR RESCUE. MOM IS SCARED TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY EVER SINCE. I GOT ON THE INTERNET THAT SAME DAY AND FOUND OUT FORD RECALLED THE TORQUE CONVERTER ON THE 2004 AND 2005 FORD FREESTAR BUT THAT SAME WOMAN TORQUE CONVERTER USED ON THE 2006 MODEL WAS NOT , THE SAME ONE ME AND MY MOM WERE NOT ONLY US BUT OTHER DRIVERS COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT OR WORSE. AND IF I MAY SAY THE VAN ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES ON IT. AND I'VE SEEN MANY MANY COMPLAINS ONLINE ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH THE SAME 2006 MODEL WITH DIFFERENT OWNERS, PLEASE HELP MAKE THIS RIGHT. *TR

MY 2006 FORD FREE STAR STOPPED ON THE ROAD YESTERDAY MORNING. THE ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING BUT THE VAN WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. NO WAY TO CHANGE GEARS.FORD REFUSES TO DO A RECALL ON 2006 YEAR MODELS BUT DID SO FOR 2004-2005 MODELS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

MY RADIO GOES OFF BY ITSELF, AND ALL LIGHT FLICKER EVEN WHEN DRIVING OF A NIGHT. IT IS NOW MAKING A SOUND LIKE TIGHT BELTS...BUT DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY READY TO BREAK. FORD YOU REALLY MESSED UP ON THIS ONE! I NO LONGER LIKE HAVING A FORD CAR! I HAVE HAD 3 DIFFERENT ALTERNATORS ON THE CAR AND IT HAS NOT HELPED! *TR

MY VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE FORD COLLISION CENTER IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA AFTER I HEARD RUBBING ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. THE RUST CORROSION OF THE REAR WHEEL WELLS IS SO SEVERE THAT THE FORD SERVICE MANAGER AT UNIVERSITY FORD IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA REFUSES TO DO THE REPAIR AS SPECIFIED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THE VEHICLE WOULD STILL BE UNSAFE. I HAVE ALREADY FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA (10913700) BUT I REQUEST HELP IN COMPELLING FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO EITHER PERFORM A PROPER REPAIR OR REPURCHASE THE VEHICLE.

THE TRANSMISSION AND ACCELERATION FAIL TO RESPOND ON A RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY. SWITCHING MANUALLY TO 1 OR 3 WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF I GO TO NEUTRAL WHEN IT STILL ROLLING THE GAS PEDAL WORKS. ON THE OTHER GEARS IT STAYS AT ABOUT 60KPH, 2000 RPM. I CAN'T GAIN ANY SPEED TO MERGE TO THE HIGHWAY, SO I HAVE TO GO TO THE SHOULDER, TURN ON HAZARD LIGHTS, TURN OFF ENGINE, WAIT A MOMENT AND THEN EVERYTHING IS OK. IT HAS HAPPENED ALWAYS ON THE SAME SPOT GOING DOWNHILL THE RAMP. AT LEAST 5 TIMES. ON THE AREA THERE IS A STOP LIGHT CONTROLLED BY RADIO FOR THE MAIN TRAFFIC AND ABOUT 200 METERS THERE IS AN HYDRO TRANSFORMER STATION, OTHERWISE JUST REGULAR BUILDINGS. I DON'T RECALL IT HAPPENING ON ANOTHER PLACE. I WONDER IF IT COULD BE RADIO INTERFERENCE THAT AFFECTS THE COMPUTER AND MAKES IT FAIL TO RESPOND AND WHEN THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF, IT RESETS BY ITSELF.

TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 380 ON 10/6/2016 AT ROUGHLY 70 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE OF TRAFFIC. I WAS NOT USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. SUDDENLY (AROUND MILE MARKER 13-14), THE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH AND THE VAN DECELERATED. I WAS TRAVELING UP A HILL AND WAS DANGEROUSLY DECELERATING IN THE LEFT LANE OF THE INTERSTATE. I MANAGED TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (CUTTING OFF A SEMI-TRUCK) WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PROPULSION. IT FELT AS THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS NOT CONNECTED WITH THE DRIVE WHEELS. THERE WAS NO WARNING THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, THE VAN JUST SUDDENLY STARTED DECELERATING RAPIDLY ON THE INTERSTATE. I NOTICED QUICKLY BECAUSE THE ENGINE REVVED UP WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LET GO. I HAD THE VAN TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE I LEFT IT FOR THEM TO REVIEW THE ISSUE. THE SERVICE PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP CALLED ME BACK THE NEXT DAY AND INFORMED ME THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD FAILED COMPLETELY. I ASKED THEM IF THERE WAS A RECALL INVOLVED WITH THIS COMPONENT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE 2006 FORD FREESTAR TRANSMISSION WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FREESTAR TRANSMISSION RECALL. I LOOKED IT UP ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND CONFIRMED THAT MY VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION HAD NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE VEHICLE HAS ROUGHLY 98,000 MILES ON IT, ALTHOUGH IT IS A 2006 MODEL. IT APPEARS TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 2005 MODELS. THE REPAIR COST IS ROUGHLY $1,400.