NHTSA opening probe into Ford Freestar/Mercury Monterey transmission defect
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating hundreds of reports that 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans are fitted with defective transmissions that could dangerously fail without warning. Most alarming is that many of the transmissions reportedly fail at highway speeds. In a common complaint, the engine will suddenly surge and then all power is immediately lost. The vehicle is forced to coast powerlessly to a safe spot out of the flow of traffic. Angry owners have flooded message boards to report incidents of transmission failures which leave them stranded and stuck with $3,500 repair bills.
To date, there have been 654 customer complaints and 2,791 warranty claims. However, according to NHTSA, as many as 205,000 vehicles may be affected. The investigation, expected to take a year, will focus on the torque converter output shaft which drives the wheels. Ford Motor Co. has not yet released an official statement regarding the investigation.
[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Gardiner Westbound 6:35PM (11/24/2009)
Fords with bad transmissions. Who knew?
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Bob-omb 7:57PM (11/24/2009)
Seriously. Can any of my family's three Windstars whose transmissions failed at around 55k get some money now?
BoxerFanatic 6:37PM (11/24/2009)
Now, I am not a genius with automatic gearboxes... but doesn't the torque converter output shaft drive the gearbox input shaft, which uses gear ratios to drive a lay shaft, which then drives a differential, which has two output driveshafts to the wheels?
There is a whole lot between the output of the torque converter, and the wheel hubs.
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John H. 6:43PM (11/24/2009)
You say you had a SVX, but don't know about automatic transmissions going bad?
Sadly, that's not right...
Soul Shinobi 8:33PM (11/24/2009)
Yeah, I caught that too.
"...The torque converter output shaft which drives the wheels."
Not right, needs revision.
Do they have editors or just bloggers?
BoxerFanatic 10:01PM (11/24/2009)
I just said I wasn't all that well versed about the more intricate particulars of the inner workings of an automatic gearbox, various brake bands, hydraulic circuits, and all...
Just that I am pretty sure there are lots of those intricate parts BETWEEN the output of the torque converter, and the wheels... as in the whole gearbox itself, as well as the differential, which the article seems to equate torque converter output directly to driving the wheels, and I am pretty sure that is FAR too simplistic.
I didn't say I was unfamiliar with automatic gearboxes failing.
And my SVX is running fine, although some do have some heat problems. I have had AOD Ford gearboxes break on me, twice in the same car, and caused me to sell the non-mobile vehicle, even though everything else worked.
Jepine88 6:41PM (11/24/2009)
Really wish the NHTSA would look into the 01-03 honda civic transmission issues. ive had my transmission die on my twice int he past 3 years. each time without warning and only 40,000 miles apart. in fact my cars going to the shop tomorrow to see if number 3 is indeed going again on me like i have a feeling it is.
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IOMTT 2:26PM (11/25/2009)
Manual Transmission FTW! Sorry to hear about your Civic trans issues. Don't want to jinx myself, but I am running an automatic Civic (1996) with 228K miles. Trans is original and only had fluid and filters and is going strong. I do appreciate you posting your info...I will probably be looking for a used Civic in your year range soon. Trying to stick with a 5spd then!
Jepine88 4:42PM (11/25/2009)
honda didnt have many issues with their trannies till around 2000. your 96 should be fine. my next car will defiantly be a 5spd
blackEldo 7:09PM (11/24/2009)
A sad day for..um..all of those Mercury Monterey owners.
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fixitfixitstop 8:21PM (11/24/2009)
I forgot that the Monterey even existed.
inline6 8:56PM (11/24/2009)
So did the Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealer I worked at in 2005, when the Monterey was in production.
Not once in the 3 months I was there did we have a single Monterey on the lot. Not one time. Plenty of Freestars, but never a Monterey. And wonder of wonders, I don't think any of our customers knew to complain.
fodder650 6:53PM (11/24/2009)
I own an 05 Freestar. Ive been very happy with it as an appliance. But I started to hear about this more then 6 months ago. I just hit 45k miles on it. Which, from what i have read, seems to be the point for a lot of people to see this failure. Everytime the transmission acts.. odd its making me nervous.
So now i have a year to hope that the van holds up since its out of warranty. What happens if it fails during the investigation and im out of warranty? I guess I have to eat the cost of a replacement transmission? Hell the vans only worth $4500 now (look it up its pretty sad).
Decisions, decisions
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Judy Zik 10:46PM (11/24/2009)
The extended warranty on our 2007 is sounding more and more like a good investment though I think they made changes to the transmission before then. I have heard from the guy at the local transmission shop that the one's he has seen that failed had never had their fluid changed. Either way you would think most of these should have been covered by the Powertrain Warranty. The Freestar might not be a current product but Ford needs to do right by their customers.
rsgoff 7:36PM (11/26/2009)
My 2005 Freestar Van transmission just bit the dust on the Interstate with my wife and kids in it. The van only had 40K miles. My wife almost wrecked, she was stranded 3 hrs on the Interstate on a late Friday afternoon.
The van just stopped with cars behind her trying to miss her. Thanks Ford (not) my last van or car I buy from you guys. It cost me with towing fees and repairs $3K+. This doesnt include the cussing I got from my wife for buying that van in the first place.
IRONFIST2 6:59PM (11/24/2009)
So how many miles are on all these vehicles that are failing? The vehicles affected are 4-6 years old, so I'd imagine plenty of them had failures out of warranty. No one offered to repair my transmission for free after the warranty expired.
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fodder650 11:02PM (11/24/2009)
What i had read back when this was heading was that it was happening between 40-50k miles. Which for a 5-6 model year old vehicle isnt high
Maxximtl 7:31PM (11/24/2009)
It seems that every classified ad I read for one of these vans references a "new transmission."
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Matt 7:40PM (11/24/2009)
Is anyone surprised that Ford is having quality issues?
You shouldn't be.
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BlackEmblem 7:45PM (11/24/2009)
Ford IS having quality issues?
You know you're using present tense on a car that was manufactured 4-5 years ago, right.