I was driving my 2004 Mercury Monterey van on a residential street when I lost all power. The engine revved up but there was no power. I coasted to the curb and had the van towed. It was in the shop for ten days. The torque converter had to be replaced.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The contact states while driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions the vehicle unexpectedly shifted into reverse without assistance. There was immediate pressure applied to the brake pedal and the emergency brake activated. The vehicle came to a complete stop. There were no prior warnings or injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the failures were contributed by a manufacturer defect within the transmission. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.

- Newark, NJ, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey 4.2 liter engine, on government business trip to boston and on return trip to Virginia, check transmission light came on. Stopped in ct at transmission shop and they read the code for torque converter problem. I contacted Ford hq and provided the information and they were not aware of any problem like this on the 4.2 liter mini van....however, there are many posting on the internet that dispute that claim. I feel that it is in the best interest of the van owners that an investigation takes place before someone is killed.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

We have a 2004 Mercury Monterey, while on the highway traveling at 65 mph, during rush hour, with our three children inside, the van dropped out of gear, all we could do is coast! no warning...nothing. They could have been seriously hurt. The engine continued to rev and the transmission just disengaged. Luckily for my family, I was near a ramp and was able to coast off of the highway and into the parking lot of an adjacent business, we are looking at 2-3,000K for the repairs. We just bought this van and it is only five years old and only 112000 miles. We have done some internet searching and found that this is a common problem and occurs about every fifty thousand miles or so.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

My wife was driving on highway 100 w in ellicott city with my kid last evening and suddenly the minivan starting de-accelerating. She pressed on the gas pedal but the car was not moving. Unfortunately, due to heavy traffic, she could not get the car to the shoulder and the car came to halt on the highway. Miraculously, there was a cop who noticed the problem and helped her to get out of the car. We called towing service, who took the car to the dealership. Upon diagnosis, the technician found that something in the transmission broke. There was no signs of transmission problem with the car. The vehicle is Mercury Monterey, 4 years old (2004 make, bought new in Jan 2005) and has 50,000 miles on it. We need department of vehicle to investigate in transmission problems with 2004 Mercury Monterey's as it will cause fatalities on the road. Fortunately, I can see my family but this horrific incident can happen with others. Ford, should be liable to pay for the transmission repair/replacement. Dealership provided an estimate of 3,300 dollars to replace the transmission which is unfair for a consumer in this tough economy.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

Our 2004 Mercury Monterey with 40000 thousand miles the torque converter went out on rt 25 near louisvlle Ms. We were very lucky that traffic was light on the 4 lane highway at the time.

- West Point, MS, USA

Transmission failure. Car suddenly went into neutral, almost causing me to be hit from behind by passing vehicles. Googling the problem shows many other consumers with Montereys and freestars (twin of the Monterey) with the same problem.

- Auburn, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The vehicle was purchased four months ago and is currently experiencing transmission issues. While shifting from park into drive, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The dealer stated that the transmission failed and clutch debris was found in the transmission fluid. A technician inspected the vehicle and found a seal that was allowing water to enter into the computer, which caused the computer and transmission to both fail. The vehicle will not yet be repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 69,000.

- Union City, CA, USA

No previous warning! driving down the highway when our 2004 Mercury Monterey suddenly geared up and then lost all acceleration. Thank god there was nobody behind us!!

- Indiana, PA, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey, 78K, spouse pulls up to entrance of our church and drops off my daughter. Engine still running, she puts in it park until my daughter comes back out. 2 minutes later, with my daughter in tow, she puts in back into drive and the van goes nowhere. Engine running, but auto transmission totally fails with absolutely no warning or trigger. Trans fluid is full. Car won't go reverse or forward. I feel this is a very dangerous situation - transmission fails while car still running!

- South Lyon, MI, USA

While traveling back to Connecticut from our winter home in Florida, our 2004 Mercury Monterey mini van's torque converter and pump shaft broke and left us on the side of the road in North Carolina. Luckily our grandchildren live close to where we broke down, however we are now stranded in nc for several days while the local Ford dealership (crossroads Ford cary, nc) waits on parts and fixes the problem. My wife and I have medical conditions that require us to see specific medical doctors, which we have to make appointments for months in advance, and we are now in danger of missing our much needed check ups. We have done some research on the issue and it appears that this has been a recurring issue with the Ford/Mercury mini-vans, however Ford has not done anything to help the consumer. As a loyal Ford customer in the my late 70's, I purchased this vehicle hoping it would last a long time and possibly be the last vehicle my wife and I purchased. Ford has told us our vehicle is out of warranty and therefore not their problems, but we only have 25,000 miles on the vehicle, so there is no reason this was caused by normal wear and tear. The fact that this same failure has occurred in so many of this model vehicles indicates a design flaw, and Ford needs to be held responsible for this.

- Cheshire, CT, USA

My wife and two young daughters were driving to the post office. They stopped at a light and when my wife tried to accelerate after the green light changed there was no response... the engine just roared. It was fortunate they were on a slope so my wife was able to cost off the roadway. This would have been a terribly dangerous situation if she was stuck in the middle of a busy road where a rear end collision could easily happen. There was no warning of this incident and at 57000 miles no reason it should have happened.

- Fenton, MO, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey van with sudden failure of (?) transmission without warning. Van went dead in the road in traffic and did not respond to acceleration/changing gears. Dealer said there was a need to replace torque converter and pump. Internet search revealed that this is an almost unheard of repair, but frequent with this model and make.

- Bernardston, MA, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey van with 64,408 miles, driven less than four years, lost its transmission as I was driving down the road. I could only coast to the shoulder. Luckily I was not injured....

- La Plata, MD, USA

Transmission failure. Transmission refused to engage while in traffic. Parked vehicle. Have not repaired yet. This is a Mercury Monterey with only 38,500 miles. I have already replaced the power window motor on drivers side. There are many owners complaining about this same problem. Ford should recall or fix for free.

- Zanesville, OH, USA

My wife was driving to a doctor's appointment with and for my 4 month old daughter when as she was accelerating from a highway stop light, the van seemed to shift into neutral. She luckily was able to coast to the side of the highway and into a parking lot. The gears don't shift and there is no movement forward or backward. We had it towed to a Ford dealership and they inspected it, saying it needed a new transmission. There were no signs there was an issue prior to this (lights, warnings, etc.). I haven't spoken with Ford yet, but from what others are saying, it looks like this is something they are turning a blind eye to. Seeing as how no one has had a complaint yet involving an injury or death, I wonder what will happen when someone does... Ford will be getting a nice lawsuit with all these records.

- Bristol, WI, USA

The transmission on my van suddenly and without warning let go as I was trying to accelerate onto a major highway in Florida. Thank god I had the sense to get it off the road and spare a potential disaster with my five children in the van. There was no warning signs prior to the sudden loss of power and it's very upsetting thinking of what could have happened.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

Full transmission failure coast to stop on major highway no notice warning or lights.

- Howell, MI, USA

I was backing out of my driveway, put my car into drive to go forward, and the transmission failed. It would not go forward and backward. My car never showed any signs of transmission failure. I had it towed to the dealership and the took it apart. They stated that it was the torque converter.

- Monroe, MI, USA

Driving at 40 mph when my transmission suddenly completely failed. Car will not go into any gear at all. There was no forewarning either immediately before the failure or in the weeks and months leading up to it. The transmission was operating with no problems or aberrant sounds. The transmission fluid was changed according to scheduled maintenance.

- Germantown, MD, USA