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Ford Freestyle CVT Transmissions

420 messages,  Last post on May 16, 2013 at 5:58 AM

You are in the Ford Freestyle Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Freestyle, Transmission, SUV

Messages Page 16 of 43

#143 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [pjsexton] by sully320

Aug 23, 2008 (6:45 pm)

Replying to: pjsexton (Aug 10, 2008 9:57 pm)
My fiancee is leasing a 2007 Ford Freestyle. She has 50k miles on it. The engine was idling noisily. The noise got louder when she accelerated, so she took it to the dealer and was told that it was outside the warranty. The diaganosis? Transmission failure; the price? $7,000! We've been loyal to Ford for years and have about 20 Ford vans in her company's fleet. The dealer and Ford absolutely suck when it comes to addressing the problem. No wonder so many people are staying away from Ford. I wouldn't buy a cotton ball from them

#144 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [sully320] by stevedebi

Aug 26, 2008 (12:22 pm)

Replying to: sully320 (Aug 23, 2008 6:45 pm)
"My fiancee is leasing a 2007 Ford Freestyle. She has 50k miles on it. The engine was idling noisily. The noise got louder when she accelerated, so she took it to the dealer and was told that it was outside the warranty. "
 
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...

#145 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [stevedebi] by sully320

Aug 28, 2008 (7:28 am)

Replying to: stevedebi (Aug 26, 2008 12:22 pm)
The lease is for 3 years. The warranty is for 3 years or 36,0000 miles. The tranny failed at 50,000 miles. The vehicle was used for personal transportation. No towing. No way the tranny should fail after 50,000 of normal operation. It must be due to a defect, but Ford's stance is "tough luck. It'll cost you $7,000" While my fiancee is a loyal Ford customer, I have never purchased one because, when I first started driving 30 years ago, my dad told me that FORD stands for "Found On Road Dead" I guess not much has changed in the last 30 years at Ford.

#146 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [sully320] by saabturboid

Aug 28, 2008 (10:34 am)

Replying to: sully320 (Aug 28, 2008 7:28 am)
$7,000 is crazy talk for a transmission rebuild. Are CVTs really that expensive to rebuild or are we paying three times the cost of a traditional transmission rebuild because CVT owners are stuck without any other options? I was under the impression that CVTs were rather simple transmissions without many parts (at least compared to a standard automatic). This should translate into a less expensive rebuild process, not more.
 
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

#147 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [sully320] by stevedebi

Aug 28, 2008 (12:16 pm)

Replying to: sully320 (Aug 28, 2008 7:28 am)
"The lease is for 3 years. The warranty is for 3 years or 36,0000 miles. The tranny failed at 50,000 miles. "
 
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.

#148 of 420 Everyone cant have CVT problems by finelinevan

Aug 28, 2008 (2:28 pm)

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.

#149 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [saabturboid] by coldcranker

Aug 28, 2008 (5:05 pm)

Replying to: saabturboid (Aug 28, 2008 10:34 am)
It was previously said "...$7,000 is crazy talk for a transmission rebuild. Are CVTs really that expensive to rebuild or are we paying three times the cost of a traditional transmission rebuild because CVT owners are stuck without any other options?..."
 
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.

#150 of 420 Re: Everyone cant have CVT problems [finelinevan] by coldcranker

Aug 28, 2008 (5:13 pm)

Replying to: finelinevan (Aug 28, 2008 2:28 pm)
Consumer Reports contacted hundreds of random Freestyle owners, and they say collectively that the CVT is failing at lower rates than the average automatic tranny out there, so that does corroborate what the Ford mechanic is saying. Our CVT has above average reliability. When it does fail, people suddenly naturally feel motivated to call Henry Ford a jerk on forums on the web. When the CVT does just fine, it is ignored and there is no motivation to write about it on forums.

#151 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [sully320] by rmcwilliams

Sep 05, 2008 (9:40 am)

Replying to: sully320 (Aug 23, 2008 6:45 pm)
I am having similar problems. The car seems to run at very high RPM but only goes 40 MPH. It also bucks. The yellow warning light comes on that shows a slippery road with a car. That's probably just from the bucking but not sure. The Ford dealership has had my car 5 weeks with still no resolution. My car is from a Lease company as this is a company car. The lease company though told me that it is covered under warranty because the powertrain warranty is 60,000 miles. I have 54,000 miles on the car. That may be a special deal for the Lease company but I would double check to make sure it isn't covered under warranty. Call somebody else besides the dealer. I found the dealer lying to me on several itmes so don't trust what they say.

#152 of 420 Re: Several problems and now a bad transmission [sully320] by rmcwilliams

Sep 05, 2008 (10:03 am)

Replying to: sully320 (Aug 23, 2008 6:45 pm)
I checked FORD website and they list a warranty of 5 year 60,000 miles on 2007 and on 2006 with a $100 deductible. Seems to me you shouldn't be paying the $7,000 as it is in the coverage area. Go higher on the food chain at FORD.

Messages Page 16 of 43

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