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SUVs Ford Freestyle Ford Freestyle CVT Transmissions
203 messages, Last post on Oct 23, 2009 at 6:23 PM
You are in the Ford Freestyle Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: drewmimi (Jul 16, 2008 7:50 pm) |
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Replying to: pjsexton (Aug 10, 2008 8:57 pm) Could you write back with what they found failed in the transmission? Sounds like the inner cones cracked or the steel belt broke (guessing). I don't know if I would single out the Freestyle for reliability problems. A friend of mine bought a Honda Pilot a couple of years ago and he was saying he bought it because it was predicted to be reliable. Then he had a cylinder bank head crack (serious stuff), and 3 months later his transmission failed. Still, like the Freestyle, you can look at the total population of Freestyles and Pilots out there and see they both do better than average than other models out there. I think we're seeing normal random failures, part of the chance we take when we own vehicles of any kind. I do hear and see in Consumer Reports that Chryslers fail at a higher rate than any other make of vehicle. |
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Replying to: pjsexton (Aug 10, 2008 8:57 pm) |
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Replying to: sully320 (Aug 23, 2008 5:45 pm) Lesson learned. One thing I ALWAYS do when leasing is to ensure that I have a warranty that will last the length of the lease, even if that means buying an extended warranty. With a lease you don't have any choice - you have to fix the car, or they will charge you for the fix when you turn in the lease... |
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Replying to: stevedebi (Aug 26, 2008 11:22 am)
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Replying to: sully320 (Aug 28, 2008 6:28 am) As far as Ford acronyms go I prefer Finest Operating Road Device or First On Race Day. Fortunately your transmission problem is not common and Consumer Reports rates Freestyles as better than average for reliability. - Chad
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Replying to: sully320 (Aug 28, 2008 6:28 am) As I recall, the FS has a 5 year, 50K warranty on the engine and transmission? This is different from the overall 3 year 36K warranty. You might want to check if the car was actually in warranty. If it was only a little past the warranty, contact the regional or national Ford representative and see if they will offer to cover part or all of the problem. After that, find another dealer, because THEY should have thought of that. As for cost, the entire reason that Ford went away from the CVT for the Taurus X was the cost of the transmission parts. So I'm not surprised it is expensive. I am sorry for the cost you have incurred. The question I have is if there is an issue with the CVT as a design or if this is a problem specific to your car. I think yours is one of only 2 or 3 reported as being a problem in the Edmunds forums. There is a fair possibiltiy that it is just a case of mechanical failure. I was simply making a suggestion for future leases with any car company. When I lease, I'm very careful to accurately estimate the actual miles to be driven, and then get an extended warranty to cover those miles. My last lease was 39 months, and I had a 45K, 42 month extended warranty, so that I would be covered for the duration of the lease. |
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I read this posting on CVT transmissions as well as others. I was buying a used Freestyle with 20 k on it and was concearned of the negative bloggs. I decided to see if this many complaints where happening with this trans along with other complaints. I went to someone I know that is a mechanic for Ford at a big dealership. I asked him whats the deal with CVT breakdowns and he said up front that they really dont get many problems at all on the CVT in fact he does not re- call any major problems as of yet in his shop. Thats in Northern Jersey. He did say they recommend changing the trans fluid every 30k of two years( Ford every 60k) Runs about 200.. He said the fluid thats changed is dirty black so it makes a difference and Ford is the only place to get the fluid. But he said they seem to be holding up fine as far as he can see. He said they had break problems that they where changing breaks and rotors and fixing the problem a while back. But Ford was picking up the bill for the work done. Then I went to a high performance tranny place that is a specialist on high tech trannys, A top rate place that deals with foreign and domestic and race cars. I talked to the owner about my concerns the CVT. His 1st reaction was that is a great tranny system and said as long as you change the fluid every 2 years you will be fine. He said he loved the entire CVT concept and it makes so much more sense for millage and less MOVABLE parts to breakdown. He went on to say only Ford is where he can get the trans fluid. So thats 2 direct exact answers. Then he went on to say he just got back from Fords unveiling of the 2009 F150s . He said Ford REPS said they will be implementing the CVT in other cars in the near future. He did say failures can be caused by people not being trained and using other type fluids cause failures. He said some mechanics should not get into areas they have no idea of the tech that makes them work. Anything new will start people talking negative. He said everyone will be going to CVT in the neat future because the great marriage with gas mirage that can't be over looked . Nissan going 100% in all their cars now. I love the Freestyle and I do get a honest 28 to 29 mpg hwy and 24 on country roads for which I drive on. I will as I do keep up on maintence and run mobile 1 and change the fluid in the CVT with Ford CVT fluid every 2 years.
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Replying to: saabturboid (Aug 28, 2008 9:34 am) www.fordparts.com has the CVT going for $5,000 (just the part), retail. Give generous labor and a few other small parts totaling $2,000, and you've got a dealership making more money off car repairs/parts than the profit on selling new vehicles, a scenario typical around the U.S..... It is probably true that the cost is extra high because other tranny repair shops won't go near our CVT, from what I've heard. I'll check Aamco to see if they will repair it. |
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Replying to: finelinevan (Aug 28, 2008 1:28 pm) |
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