2004 MERCURY MONTEREY Complaints

ON SATURDAY JULY 2, 2011 WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY FROM THE UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN TO OUR HOME IN OHIO. MY WIFE, THREE CHILDREN, AND I THOUGHT WE HAD A DAY OF DRIVING AHEAD OF US AND THEN THE VACATION WOULD BE OVER. SUDDENLY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING, ON THE HIGHWAY NEAR GAYLORD MICHIGAN THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN BUT THE CAR WAS NOT BEING PULLED FORWARD. ALL WE COULD DO WAS COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. OUR VAN HAS ONLY 67,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS NEVER HAD ANY KIND OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THERE WERE NO CHECK ENGINE OR ANY OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. WE HAD THE VAN TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND THEY TOLD US THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS FORD MERCURY MONTEREY. SINCE IT WAS SATURDAY JULY 2 WE HAD TO WAIT THREE DAYS (SINCE MONDAY WAS JULY4TH) TO EVEN GET A QUOTE ON A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. ALL THE RENTAL CAR COMPANIES WERE ALSO CLOSED UNTIL TUESDAY. WE FINALLY GOT THE CAR BACK ON FRIDAY JULY 8TH WITH A REBUILT JASPER BRAND TRANSMISSION IN IT FOR A COST OF $3,422 PLUS A HOTEL, TOW, RENTAL CAR, ETC. THROUGH RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH FORD FREESTAR AND MERCURY MONTEREY MINIVANS. *KB

ON 7/25/11 I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, MY 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY JUST WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR. I HAD TO TOW MY VEHICLE TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHICH NOTIFIED ME THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. *KB

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES ON IT, DOING ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS, THE RPMS INCREASED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING. IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIFT OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE SHOULDER AND DISCOVERED WE HAD LOST ALL THE GEARS IN OUR VAN. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT THE 4 ADULTS AND 3 CHILDREN UNDER 2 WERE STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE 3 1/2 HOURS FROM HOME. *KB

WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON U.S. 10 IN MICHIGAN ON SATURDAY JULY 2, AT 77MPH. PULLED INTO LEFT LANE TO PASS SLOWER TRAFFIC & TACHOMETER SPUN BUT THERE WAS NO POWER - VEHICLE WAS COASTING WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ENGINE & THE TRANSMISSION. COASTED SAFELY TO THE SHOULDER & CALLED A TOW TRUCK. VEHICLE WAS SERVICED IN MT. PLEASANT, MI. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER SPLINES HAD WORN OFF. REPAIR INCLUDING DROPPING TRANS, FLUSHING VALVE BODY, FLUSHING COOLER LINES, REPLACEMENT OF SCREEN & SEVERAL GASKETS & SEALS COST $1682. TORQUE CONVERTER SPLINES SHOULD NEVER WEAR OFF UNDER NORMAL USE - MAKES ME THINK THAT COMPONENT WAS NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED. VEHICLE HAD 78,077 MILES AT TIME OF FAILURE. HAS BEEN MAINTAINED REGULARLY AT RECOMMENDED INTERVALS AT SELLING DEALER. *INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)TT

ON SEPT 27, 2010 I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM MY JOB AND MY 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. THERE WERE NOT SOUNDS, LIGHT OR WARNINGS ON THE DASH AND THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANY. I WAS ABLE TO COAST UP ONTO THE GRASS AREA ON THE SIDE OF THE 2 LANE ROAD AND OUT OF TRAFFIC BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. MY CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. MY CAR HAD 50180 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME THIS HAPPENED. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE A REPAIR WAS MADE. I HAVE ALL THE PAPERS REGARDING THE REPAIRS WHICH INCLUDED A REBUILT TORQUE CONVERTER, THE REMOVAL METAL CONTAMINATION THROUGHOUT THE UNIT, AND THE REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE REAR WHEEL WELL THAT SECURED THE REAR SEAT WAS COVERED WITH RUST AND BROKE AWAY. THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THEY OFFERED NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000. UPDATED 09/02/11*LJ UPDATED 10/31/11

I HAVE A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WIT 71,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM CHURCH VBS JUNE 24 AT 10 PM WITH MY KIDS GOING 55 MPH WHEN THE RPMS STARTED REVVING UP. I ENDED UP IN A REALLY BAD PLACE THAT COULD'VE BEEN FATAL. WE WERE IN A CURVE ON A HIGH TRAFFIC ROAD WITH A ABOUT A 3FT DITCH BESIDE US AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED US WAS MY HUSBAND WAS STILL AT THE CHURCH AND WAS ABLE TO GET TO US WITH SOME FRIENDS FROM CHURCH AND HELPED TOW THE VAN TO OUR HOUSE. THERE WAS NO WARNING JUST STOPPED MOVING AND RPMS REVVING UP. I HAVE 4 KIDS AND JUST PAID A HUGE DOWN PAYMENT ON THIS VAN SO I HAVE NO MONEY TO FIX IT. FORD IS NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. I HAVE HAD TWO CHEVROLETS IN THE PAST THAT DIDN'T EXPERIENCE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS UNTIL AFTER 250,000 MILES. PLEASE HELP! *TR

TRANSAXLE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. HAS MECHANIC CHECK CODES "TORQUE CONVERTER LOCKED UP." VAN IS IN THE TRANSMISSION SHOP NOW BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I SEE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS ALREADY FILED ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT I DON'T SEE ANY RESOLUTION OF IT AS OF YET. HTTP://CLASSACTIONLAWSUITSINTHENEWS.COM/CLASS-ACTION-LAWSUIT-COMPLAINTS/FORD-CLASS-ACTION-LAWSUIT-COMPLAINT-FILED-OVER-ALLEGED-DEFECT-IN-2004-2005-MODEL-YEAR-FORD-FREESTAR-AND-MERCURY-MONTEREY-TRANSMISSIONS-TORQUE-CONVERTERS/ *TR

WE ARE THE OWNERS OF A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WITH JUST OVER 64,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN MY WIFE CALLED ME ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 3RD, 2011 AND TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD GOTTEN INTO THE VAN, STARTED IT AND TRIED TO GO IN REVERSE AND THE VAN WOULDN'T MOVE. SHE THEN PUT IT INTO "DRIVE" AND IT SEEMED TO WORK FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN IT MADE AN AWFUL CLUNKING SOUND A FEW TIMES AND LOST POWER AS SHE WAS DRIVING NEAR OUR HOME HEADING TOWARD THE FREEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED AS SHE WAS TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEEDS ON SURFACE STREETS JUST BEFORE MAKING IT ONTO THE FREEWAY. IT SCARES ME TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THE PROBLEM NOT OCCURRED UNTIL 5 MINUTES LATER WHEN SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, THERE WERE NO OTHER SIGNS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS HAVING PROBLEMS, NO SLIPPING OR MISSING GEARS. IT HAD ALWAYS DRIVEN VERY SMOOTHLY. I GOT ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE MANY STORIES LIKE MINE WITH THE 2004-5 MERCURY MONTEREY/FORD FREESTAR. I'LL BE HAVING MY VAN TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC ON MONDAY, JUNE 5TH SO I CAN FIND OUT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE AND COST. I WON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN THEY TELL ME IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING FROM OTHERS WITH MY SAME MINI-VAN. THE VAN CURRENTLY WON'T SHIFT INTO REVERSE, IDLES HORRIBLY AND BARELY SHIFTS INTO DRIVE. *TR

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. SUDDEN LOSS OF ALL FORWARD MOTION. THE ENGINE DID NOT TURN OFF, JUST SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. CHANGING OF GEARS HAD NO RESPONSE. SINCE THE, ALL PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND STILL NO RESPONSE. *TR