2005 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

VEHICLE HAS 88K MILES AND HAS RUN JUST FINE UNTIL TODAY. THIS MORNING I WAS DRIVING IN TO WORK, STOPPED FOR A LIGHT, WHEN LIGHT CHANGED I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE RESPONDED BUT I DIDN'T MOVE. NO WARNING, NO LIGHTS CAME ON, NO MOVEMENT IN ANY GEAR SELECTION, ONLY "PARK" WORKS. AS A TEENAGER I 100% DISASSEMBLED AND REBUILT SEVERAL ENGINES SO I KNOW A LITTLE SOMETHING BEYOND WHICH END OF THE WRENCH TO HOLD. THIS WAS SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED! MY WIFE HAS E-MAILED ME SEVERAL BLOGS ON THIS MATTER AND IT SEEMS QUITE PREVALENT. MY EXPERIENCE EXACTLY MATCHES THAT ON SEVERAL OTHERS AND THAT IS UNCANNY IN MY OPINION. THE BLOGS CLAIM THE TORQUE CONVERTER OR THE TORQUE CONVERTER OUTPUT SHAFT; THEY ALSO CLAIM THE TRANSMISSION IS FOR THE TAURUS WHICH IS ABOUT 1000 POUNDS LIGHTER, THUS THE FAILURE. I'VE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC, BUT AFTER READING THE BLOGS I DON'T NEED HIM TO TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG. IF THIS HAPPENS AS OTHERS HAVE ATTESTED THEN THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IT IS TOO LATE FOR A RECALL TO HELP ME - I'M TRADING THE VEHICLE THIS WEEKEND! I WAS GOING TO WEST TEXAS THIS WEEKEND - THANK GOD IT HAPPENED IN SAN ANTONIO, OTHERWISE I COULD BE BROKEN-DOWN IN A REAL 'MIDDLE OF NO WHERE'. BY THE WAY, THE VEHICLE HAS RELATIVELY EASY MILES EVEN THOUGH I LIVE IN A METRO AREA. VIRTUALLY ALL THE MILES ARE ON THIS VEHICLE ARE HIGH SPEED AND CONSTANT AS MOST IS ON THE INTERSTATE OR LIKE ROADWAYS; VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN SLOW STOP AND GO CITY STREET TYPE TRAFFIC; NO STEEP GRADES TO CLIMB EITHER. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET. HAD TO COAST TO A SAFE PLACE TO PARK THE CAR UNTIL WE CAN GET IT TOWED. DEALERSHIP IS NOW SAYING $3200 TO REPLACE THE APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND PROCEEDING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY A NO POWER RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERNS OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 61,500.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED AT A LOCAL FACILITY, AT AN EXPENSE OF $2500.00. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 86000.

THERE WERE NO SYMPTOMS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2005 FORD FREESTAR, IT SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS WATER IN MY FUEL DUE TO THE RECENT RAINS IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM AND THE FACT I HAD JUST PUT 15 GALLONS OF GAS IN THE VEHICLE THE NIGHT BEFORE. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE THE VAN WOULD NOT FULLY ENGAGE INTO DRIVE, IT MOVED FORWARD SLOWLY AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE REVERSE, AFTER RESTARTING IT WENT INTO DRIVE AND I PROCEEDED DOWN MY STREET, IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE OK AND THEN IT STALLED, I RESTARTED IT WENT FORWARD ABOUT 20 YARDS AND IT DIED AGAIN, AND AGAIN, THIS PROCESS BROUGHT ME BACK TO MY DRIVEWAY WHERE IT SITS UNTIL I CAN GET THE MONEY TOGETHER TO HAVE THE TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACED, WHICH IS WHAT I WAS TOLD HAD FAILED, THIS BOTHERS ME BECAUSE IT WAS NO SURPRISE TO THE MECHANICS OR THE DEALERSHIP THAT I HAD TALKED WITH. THE VAN HAS 77,565 MILES AND WAS PURCHASED USED LAST YEAR, I STILL OWE OVER $10,000.00 DOLLARS AND HAVE NO OTHER VEHICLES TO DRIVE WHILE THIS CLUNKER IS BROKE DOWN. *TR

WE HAVE A 2005 FORD FREESTAR VAN BOUGHT NEW IN 2006 WITH 62,000 MILES ON IT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TALKED TO DEALER THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTERS FAIL WITH OUT WARNING AND FORD IS NOT RECALLING? THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR THE CONSUMER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. IN THE SUMMER OF 2008 HE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE SURGED AND SHUT OFF WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO PARK AT LOW SPEEDS. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED; HOWEVER, THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE REAR CALIPERS WERE DEFECTED AND THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR THEM. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO THE RAMP FOR THE 70 MPH DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY IN FRISCO, TEXAS. WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGN(S) BEFORE FAILURE, I LOST ALL DRIVE POWER. FORTUNATELY, I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM THAT I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE RAMP, AND WAS JUST BARELY ABLE TO AVOID BECOMING A TRAFFIC HAZARD. I COULD REV MY ENGINE, BUT THERE WAS NO POWER TRANSFERRED TO THE WHEELS, NO MATTER WHICH GEARS I TRIED... FORWARD OR REVERSE. IT WAS LIKE BEING IN NEUTRAL. I LATER LEARNED THAT MY FLUID LEVELS AND SEALS WERE OK, BUT THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT, AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION REQUIRED COMPLETE REBUILDING. TOTAL COST = $2484. FORD SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR KNOWING THIS PROBLEM EXISTS, AND NOT REPAIRING SUCH A DANGEROUS CONDITION, OR EVEN NOTIFYING VEHICLE OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL FOR SUDDEN, UNANNOUNCED FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE WITH CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE TACHOMETER SHOT UP TO 6000 RPM. I TAPPED THE BRAKES AND THEN DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. AS I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I TRIED TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO A LOWER GEAR AND NONE OF THEM WOULD ENGAGE. WHEN I STOPPED, I TRIED ALL OF THE GEARS AND NONE OF THEM WOULD WORK, INCLUDING REVERSE. I HAD NO WARNING OF THE FAILURE AND AM CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A MECHANIC TO DIAGNOSE. I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS FAILURES EXACTLY LIKE MINE REPORTED ON THE INTERNET. THE VEHICLE HAS 111,999 MILES ON IT. *TR

I'VE A 2005 FORD FREESTAR WHOSE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 81,220 MILES. THE CAR WAS RELIGIOUSLY MAINTAINED AND WAS NOT DRIVEN ROUGHLY. IT HAS A POWER STEERING / TRANSMISSION COOLER ATTACHED. I TRIED TO BACK UP OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE; IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. I HAD A MECHANIC OPEN UP THE TRANSMISSION AND LEARNED THAT THE SPLINES HAD FAILED. HAD TO SPEND $2,000 REPLACING IT WITH A USED 2007 FREESTAR TRANSMISSION WITH 12,000 MILES ON IT. HERE'S WHAT A FORD MECHANIC, WITH 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE, HAS SAID ABOUT THE FREESTAR TRANSMISSION: THE TECHNICIAN WROTE THE FOLLOWING: THE FREESTAR TRANSMISSION WITHOUT THE DEFECT AND WELL MAINTAINED SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE 200,000 KM (124,000 MILES) IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN A NORMAL MANNER AND THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT ABUSED. THE FREESTAR IS KNOWN FOR HAVING CONVERTER FAILURE. THERE IS NOTHING YOU COULD OF DONE TO PREVENT THE CONVERTER PUMP SPLINES FROM STRIPPING. FORD USED A METAL THAT WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE GEAR. IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY SHOULD OF STOOD BEHIND THAT DEFECT AND WARRANTIED THE REPAIR BUT THEY DID NOT. I HAVE REPLACED OVER 50 OF THESE MYSELF. THE TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR