2005 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

SHORTLY AFTER PROCEEDING THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION WHILE DRIVING IN THE LEFT LANE, AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, MY VEHICLE SIMPLY QUIT MOVING. THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT THE VEHICLE CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP. HOW I DIDN'T GET REAR ENDED AT THAT TIME, OR AS I SAT WAITING FOR ASSISTANCE, IS A COMPLETE MIRACLE. THE CAR WOULD SHIFT IN GEARS, HOWEVER WOULD NOT MOVE. A FIREMAN ENDED UP STOPPING AND SITTING BEHIND ME WITH HIS LIGHTS ON TO AVOID A COLLISION. EVENTUALLY, A POLICEMAN ARRIVED, HAD ME PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND "PUSHED" ME WITH HIS PUSH BAR ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD TO AVOID A ROAD HAZARD. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED NOT REBUILDING THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION BECAUSE OF KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH 2005 FORD FREESTAR TRANSMISSIONS, AND WAS ABLE TO GET ME A 2007 TRANSMISSION WITH 10,000 MILES. HOPEFULLY THIS ONE WILL LAST LONGER. *TR

MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING IN OUR 2005 FORD FREESTAR. WHEN SHE PULLED OUT ON TO A BUSY STATE ROUTE, THE CAR JUST STOPPED GOING, SHE WOULD PUSH ON THE GAS AND THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. SHE WAS ALMOST HIT BY CARS THAT WERE ALREADY TRAVELING ON THE ROAD AT 55MPH. AFTER SAFELY PULLING THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE RD, SHE HAD TO WAIT FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF WHILE I GOT OFF WORK TO COME AND MEET HER. WE WERE ABLE TO SWITCH THE CAR INTO THE DIFFERENT GEARS. PARK WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO MOVE WHILE NEUTRAL ALLOWED THE CAR TO MOVE. WE THEN TOWED THE CAR HOME WITH IT IN NEUTRAL. AFTER SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET WE DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR FORD VANS. APPARENTLY THE TORQUE CONVERTERS ARE GOING BAD ON THEM AROUND 60-80K MILES. AFTER TALKING TO NUMEROUS MECHANICS, THEY ALL AGREED THAT IT WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER. WHILE I AM TRYING TO SAVE UP THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR, MY CAR IS SITTING DEAD IN MY DRIVEWAY AND IS USELESS. REPAIR LOOKS TO COST ANYWHERE FROM $1000-$1500. *TR

NO SIGN OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WIFE WAS DRIVING HERSELF AND KIDS TO SCHOOL WHILE I WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS TRAVEL AND AS SHE WAS DRIVING IN A 40MPH ZONE, SHE SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT THE VAN WAS SLOWING DOWN EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS REVVING HIGH. SINCE SHE WAS DRIVING ON A 2-LANE ROAD THAT HAD NO SHOULDERS, SHE PULLED THE VAN AS CLOSE TO THE CURB AS SHE COULD EVEN THOUGH THE VAN WAS STILL CAUSING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. WIFE TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, RESTARTED THE ENGINE, TRIED TO PUT THE VAN IN DRIVE, REVERSE, 1ST AND 2ND BUT ALL OF THESE ATTEMPTS FAILED TO MAKE THE VAN MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION. AFTER THE LOCAL FORD DEALER REFUSED TO ASSIST MY WIFE, WHO WAS ALONE WITH THE KIDS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, SHE WAS ABLE TO CONTACT A LOCAL MECHANIC THAT ASSISTED WITH TOWING THE DISABLED VAN TO HIS SHOP. UPON ANALYZING THE PROBLEM, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THERE WERE PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION LAYING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION AND REPLACE IT WITH A REMANUFACTURED, FORD UNIT. OTHER WORK PERFORMED BY THE MECHANIC INCLUDED FLUSHING ALL COOLER LINES AND COOLER PRIOR TO INSTALLATION. THE FINAL COST FOR PARTS AND LABOR FOR THE RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION WAS $2990.23. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED IN 2005 FORD FREESTAR. VEHICLE HAS 66,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND FAILED. NO WARNING. *TR

2005 FORD FREESTAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER TO THE DRIVETRAIN WHILE TRAVELING IN A 45 MPH ZONE. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT OR STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. MY WIFE WAS LUCKY TO HAVE GOTTEN THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC BEFORE SHE WAS REAR-ENDED WHICH WOULD HAVE OBVIOUSLY CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 62,000 MILES ON IT AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED, INCLUDING A TRANSMISSION FLUSH AT 42,000 MILES. FORD DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AND DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL WITH OTHER FORD OWNERS. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 FORD FREESTAR THAT I RECENTLY PURCHASED AT A USED CAR DEALERSHIP 6 MONTHS AGO. TODAY I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 75 IN PLANO, TX WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND THE RPM WENT UP AND THE TRANSMISSION DIED. I HAD TO CROSS LANES ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY AND COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND I HAD CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY DID SOME RESEARCH AND NOTICED THIS ISSUE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH FORD FREESTAR MINI-VANS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,326 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,344.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE ON MY WAY TO WORK ONE MORNING GOING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY IN THE FAST LANE PASSING A CAR, MY MOTOR JUST REVS. I COAST TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE (THIS WAS DURING 8:00AM RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC). THEN I WAS STRANDED THERE FOR OVER AN HOUR WAITING FOR MY BOSS TO COME PICK ME UP. LATER THAT AFTERNOON I HAD THE VAN TOWED TO A GARAGE AND HOOKED UP TO DIAGNOSTICS WHICH SAID THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS OUT AND THEN TOWED HOME AT A COST OF $225. MY VAN WHICH I LOVED UP UNTIL THAT DAY IS SITTING AT MY HOUSE WAITING TO BE REPAIRED WHICH I CAN NOT AFFORD AT THIS TIME. IT MAKES ME SICK TO HAVE TO PAY THE CAR PAYMENT AND FIX IT TOO. AND BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED I MISSED THREE DAYS OF WORK AND NOW NO LONGER HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WORK, WHICH MAY TURN END UP HAVING MY BELOVED VAN REPOSESSED AND END UP LOSING MY JOB. I HOPE THEY GET THE RECALL OUT THERE ASAP SO I CAN GET THIS FIXED!!! *TR

2005 FORD FREESTAR, 72,147 MILES. ENTERED HOV AND CAR CAME UP TO SPEED THEN RPMS INCREASED AND NO ENGAGEMENT OF TRANSMISSION. HAD TO AVOID TRAFFIC, COAST TO STOP. PUT VEHICLE IN PARK, THEN TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE TRANSMISSION. TRIED REV, D, 3, 2, AND ENGINE SEEMED TO ONLY BE IN NEUTRAL. STRANDED TWO HOURS DURING RUSH HOUR ON DC BELTWAY WAITING FOR TOW TRUCK. CAR AT REPAIR SHOP WAITING FOR ESTIMATE. *TR

AFTER LEAVING A STOPLIGHT AND ACCELERATING TO 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE STARTED TO RACE AND THE TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING. I WAS ABLE TO ROLL TO A STOP AT WHICH TIME I FOUND THAT NONE OF THE GEARS WOULD WORK, INCLUDING REVERSE. I WAS TOWED EVENTUALLY BY AAA AND HAVE A "BALLPARK" ESTIMATE OF OVER $1,100 FOR REPLACEMENT OF A TORQUE CONVERTER. I JUST RETURNED FROM A DRIVE FROM BOSTON TO D.C. AND BACK, AND CANNOT IMAGINE THE DANGER TO MYSELF AND OTHERS HAD THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON THAT TRIP. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING BEING WRONG, NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO CHANGE IN PERFORMANCE, IT JUST STOPPED WORKING. *TR