This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
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 dollars and have no other vehicles to drive while this clunker is broke down.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Pointe-Claire, VT, USA
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Wife and young sons riding in our Ford Freestar on highway when suddenly and without warning Freestar loses acceleration and begins to slow down in the passing lane.no prior indication, warning light, or noise to alert my wife of this catastrophic failure. Fortunately wife was able to drift van through three lanes of high speed traffic and coast van to far right hand lane of highway. Spouse unable to get van to accelerate or move at all. Van had to be towed by a professional after checking all fluid levels, filters, pedals, brakes, for possible problems. None found. Upon investigation through forums found out that this is most likely the same problem many others have had with the Ford Freestar catastrophic engine failure. Van has less than 70,000 miles, has been well maintained and cared for. Also, van has other issues found to be specific to make and model. Van cannot be driven since date of incident and we are just now starting to investigate quotes for repair. We like many others hope that this incident will lead to a recall before someone loses a life as a result of this defect.
While driving on the highway at approximately 75 mph our 2005 Ford Freestar suddenly lost momentum. The engine increased RPM's but continued to lose speed, none of the gears would engage. I had it towed to a auto repair shop and am awaiting the diagnosis. Until this point the transmission never showed signs of a problem.
While driving on a highway at approximately 55mph the car suddenly lost all power to the transmission and began to coast. After drifting the vehicle off of the roadway we discovered that none of the gears on the automatic transmission were responding. The engine was revving normally but no power was making it to the transmission. We had to have the vehicle towed and a mechanic believes that the issue is the shaft on the torque converter. We have not been able to afford the repair yet so we cannot say for certain that is the issue.
05' Ford Freestar. On 8-27-09 my wife was driving the vehicle after picking up our daughter from daycare and was traveling about 55 mph when she lost all power to the tires. She was able to pull over onto a gravel road as it happened on a county road with no shoulders and heaving semi traffic. We towed the vehicle the following day and then this morning, 8-31-09 was given the diagnosis of a failed spline. Our transmission repairman stated he's seen several of these over the past two years not only in Freestars but 04-05 Taurus' as they share the same transmissions. He used the word spline, not sure if that is also the torque converter?? our vehicle only has 85,000 miles on it and is less than 5 years old.
I was driving my 2005 Ford Freestar down 6 mile rd in livonia, mi and the vehicle suddenly lost power and slowed down to a stop. The vehicle remained running but the transmission would not shift. The vehicle has 82,000 miles and I had to have the vehicle towed. I am glad I was not on the highway - who knows what could have happened ( I am 86 years old). I have numerous reports of this on the internet.
I returned home from work in order to drop off a few things before continuing on to do some shopping. I placed the vehicle into park and exited the van leaving the ignition on with the engine running. After unloading my items I decided not to go shopping and went out to turn off the van. While standing outside of the vehicle I opened the driver's door and reached into the van to turn off the ignition. In the process of reaching for the ignition switch I nudged the shift leaver and the transmission shifted into reverse. The vehicle began moving backward down my driveway trapping me in between the open door and the van. I was unable to make any attempts to stop the vehicle since it was moving too quickly. I held onto the steering wheel while being dragged down my driveway, across the grass and into some trees and bushes. The van door struck a tree bending the door back. At that time I fell under the van and the front driver's side tire ran over my legs, up my torso and across my chest. The van continued on and came to a rest at the bottom of my neighbor's yard. I was transported to the hospital by ambulance. I suffered contusions to the abdominal wall, legs and chest in addition to a cut to my left ankle. After the vehicle was repaired my husband had the van check by a Ford dealer. They determined there was nothing faulty with the safety mechanism, which does not allow the gear shifter unless the brake pedal is pressed. However, we have been able to shift the vehicle out of park into reverse without pressing the brake pedal several times since the initial failure.
While driving down the road, the transmission of my 2005 Ford Freestar minivan suddenly stopped pulling. Was about to safely get to the shoulder. Luckily, I was not trying to merge into traffic at an on ramp or other situation where N unexpected loss of acceleration could surprise me and other drivers and cause a major accident. Based on internet research, this vehicle has a history of this failure.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar which was purchased brand new in 2005. While accelerating at a stop sign, the transmission failed without warning. The engine shut off and vehicle lost power in the middle of a busy intersection. There were no warning lights that illuminated on the instrument panel. There were no recalls; however, the contact stated he found over 700 complaints online regarding the same failure. The current and failure mileages were approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly slowed down. The engine was on and the rpms were very high while the vehicle was in neutral. A local mechanic stated that the transmission caused the failure and there was an investigation for Ford Freestar 2004-2005, component : power train:automatic transmission power train:automatic transmission:torque converters. The dealer was not notified and is concerned about the safety hazard. The current and failure mileages were 96,000. Updated 11/12/09 the vehicle was repaired. Updated 11/16/09
On August 18,2008 was driving my 2005 Ford Freestar on the highway home from vacation when suddenly the RPM's shot up and then the car slowed down so we could pull over to side of road. Then car stopped and would not move when in gear. No warning what so ever, had the car towed to repair shop who stated it was something in transmission, had to have car towed again to transmission shop who stated that the torque converter had went. The car only has 58000K miles on the car...
I was stranded with my family on the way to St. Louis by my 2005 Ford Freestar. It's at a shop in springfield, il (thanks to my insurance company). The said it was a transmission failure. The cost was $1300 thanks Ford.
Complaint for 2nd transmission incident: On July 31, 2009, while crossing an intersection in a residential section of Santa Fe, Texas, the transmission of my 2005 Ford Freestar failed. The engine of the car was working but the van seemed to suddenly be in neutral. I guided the car to a safe stop and tried the various gears, but drive and reverse were not functioning at all. I had 3 passengers (my husband and two 12-year old girls) along with 4 large dogs. I called for a tow and had the vehicle taken to mcree Ford in dickinson, Texas. The service agent related that they believed the damage was in the torque converter and that the transmission had probably been damaged as well. Further inspection would require $400. This was the second time the torque converter went out and it was no longer covered by the initial warranty on the vehicle or the 12 month-12,000 mile warranty from the service in November 2007. I chose to have it repaired by someone besides Ford who would have a better warranty. Mr. Transmission informed me that the torque converter had gone out and damaged the transmission. I had the transmission rebuilt and the car was returned on August 11, 2009. Duplicate to 10279211*smch
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. While driving 65 mph, the rpms suddenly stopped and the vehicle lost power. The contact noticed that the vehicle could not be placed back into drive. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 81,000. Updated 9/1/09 the consumer stated the RPM's revved up and the vehicle would not move. The consumer lost speed rapidly. Updated 09/04/09.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Albuquerque, NM, USA