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Ford Freestar Transmission Problems

1900 messages,  Last post on Jun 14, 2013 at 12:47 PM

You are in the Ford Freestar Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Freestar, Mercury Monterey, Transmission, Van


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Messages Page 25 of 191

#232 of 1900 Re: Ford Freestar-piece of junk [sharon8sla] by msq1224

Mar 11, 2008 (8:46 am)

Replying to: sharon8sla (Mar 11, 2008 7:56 am)
Sharon, so sorry to "welcome" another member to the club! I won't go into detail on mine (I think my initial post is ~#118), since the story is much like everyone else's. I'm fascinated by your description of how customer relations classifies callers, since I really DID want to continue as a loyal Ford customer, and told them that. If they had offerred 75% or even 50% restitution I probably would have taken it, and probably would have purchased another Ford...seems like they're trying to drive me away!
 
Jim, in the "never give up" category. In 1997 I replaced the entire engine in my 1995 Neon ($1600). I fought with Chyrsler for a while and eventually gave up. In December 2007 (10 years later), I finally disposed of all my records about that vehicle. In January this year (yes, one month after getting rid of all those records), I received notice that I was going to get a partial settlement from a class action suit on engine repair...all I needed was proof of repair...oh well! I'll never throw out car repair records again.
Mary Q.
 

#233 of 1900 Re: Another person to contact... [cowboys59] by mockingbird99

Mar 13, 2008 (1:23 am)

Replying to: cowboys59 (Mar 02, 2008 1:35 pm)
Well, I guess I am not alone with the FreeStar thing. I bought the car new, 2004, and without any noise or warning, it coasted to a stop out on the freeway (I-70 in the remote part of Utah) about 1 month ago. Luckily, there was little traffic, so I was able to get off the road over on the shoulder. I called my son in Grand Junction and he said that has access to a tow truck. So he pulled it back to Colorado that night. Next day, I was told by the Ford dealer (Western Slope Ford) that it was the torque converter. Now the bad news: 46,000 miles and out of warranty, and they wouldn't cover a dime. Estimate was $3200. Sooo, I had my son take it to an independent transmission place in Provo, Utah. Total cost, with after-market parts? $1150, with parts and labor. Pays to shop around, but the main thing is that the Ford dealer lied about the frequency of the failures. He (the shop foreman) said this was the first Freestar van that he had ever heard about breaking down (with transmission problems). The transmission shop in Provo, however, has repaired 9 of these cars with the same problme in the last 6 months. I would love to sue Ford, as would all of you out there. Perhaps if we get in touch with Consumer Reports, they may put us in touch with an attorney for a class-action litigation. Sad part is, I like the car, and this is the only trouble I have had.

#234 of 1900 Re: Another person to contact... [mockingbird99] by cowboys59

Mar 13, 2008 (12:08 pm)

Replying to: mockingbird99 (Mar 13, 2008 1:23 am)
I finally got my van repaired after three months of hoping Ford would do the right thing and cover it. Of course they didn't and I had to pay. I know what you mean about liking your car. I love my van. But I will never buy another Ford because of the way they have handled this situation. I have been a loyal Ford customer for almost 30 years. That means nothing to them. The Ford Motor Company would rather lose every customer they have than do the right thing and admit they need to cover a repair. Does that sound like good business to anyone? As we mentioned in earlier posts, Acura had a similar problem and took care of it right away. My brother is a loyal Acura owner for life because of that. Oh well, hopefully we can force Ford to finally do the right thing. Until then, let's all keep at them.
Kelly

#235 of 1900 Add Us To The Faulty Transmission List by 4206alton

Mar 15, 2008 (5:10 pm)

Our 2005 Ford Freestar's transmission went at 55,000 miles. We bought it for its quality and safety ratings. Our son, Zachary, was born in 2004 and has had 22 hospitalizations to date. We bought our van to give our family a safe and reliable family vehicle to get our son to the hospital on an emergency basis. We have no vehicle right now and have had to borrow my brother's car. We do not have $3,500 to fix our van. We do not have any credit cards or such to throw an emergency repair on. It would be a matter of us coming up with the cash. It is sick to know that Ford is aware of this problem and is doing nothing. I will be contacting both NHTSA and the WBAL newstation. Thanks to all for their hardwork and dedication. We too would like to join any class action suit.

#236 of 1900 Re: Ford Freestar-piece of junk [sharon8sla] by jgenovese

Mar 17, 2008 (7:46 pm)

Replying to: sharon8sla (Mar 11, 2008 7:56 am)
Sharon,
Thanks for the post. The information provided by your friend is intriguing and speaks volumes about why Ford is struggling in the marketplace. Apparently, the bottom line is that they obviously think customers are dispensible. I guess that is why Toyota is now #1 in the US. My reaction as a business owner, and I have owned a business, would be to reach out to my unhappy customer and see if the relationship can be salvaged. Knowing that a current customer is a potential repeat customer and a source for referrals, (not to mention that I don't have to spend 1 penny in advertising to reach a current customer), I recognize the value of the current customer relationship. Wasn't this taught in business 101? The executives at Ford need to fire whoever is responsible for this misguided policy or Ford will never recover. In the meantime, keep the faith. Together, we will hold Ford accountable.

#237 of 1900 Re: Ford Freestar-piece of junk [msq1224] by jgenovese

Mar 17, 2008 (7:54 pm)

Replying to: msq1224 (Mar 11, 2008 8:46 am)
Mary Q,
2 Things; First, it is amazing that you said that. I actually prefaced my whole conversation with those nitwits by stating that I was a loyal Ford customer and wished to continue to be. I further stated to them that, if the situation was resolved to my satisfaction that, not only would I continue to be a loyalist, but that I would also continue refering everybody I know to Ford. Still, they wrote me off and "drove me away." Now, I intend to be a thorn in their side until they step up and do the right thing. It is a shame too, because I told them all I would settle for 50% of the repair and they would have gotten the work! Second, I feel for you regarding the Neon paperwork. I am happy my wife read your post because she is always on me about keeping meticulous records and keeping them FOREVER. You never know when something is going to become useful again. Stay tuned to this forum. There is more to come.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD

#238 of 1900 Re: Another person to contact... [mockingbird99] by jgenovese

Mar 17, 2008 (8:05 pm)

Replying to: mockingbird99 (Mar 13, 2008 1:23 am)
Your story is another brick in the wall that will be our lawsuit. It is even more proof that Ford is engaging in CONSUMER FRAUD. I doubt it is a coincidence that every person who has had this problem is LIED TO and told that they are the first by the dealers. I would be willing to bet there is a memo or 2 floating around within the Ford organization instructing the dealers to LIE TO THE CUSTOMERS. It is just a matter of time before some disgruntled, recently laid off employee makes this type of information available to us. This is an intentional act by Ford to mislead its customers. I believe this is a crime. It makes you wonder if Ford is aware of the internet. This scheme sounds like something that a manufacturer would do in the time before the internet when it would have been harder for people to communicate about it. As I have said many times before, it is no wonder Ford can't compete in the marketplace anymore. I can't wait until my case gets in front of a judge. I will have mountains of evidence of this FRAUD that Ford is perpetuating on its customers.

#239 of 1900 Re: Another person to contact... [cowboys59] by jgenovese

Mar 17, 2008 (8:12 pm)

Replying to: cowboys59 (Mar 13, 2008 12:08 pm)
Kelly,
I couldn't have said it better myself. I have been buying Fords for over 20 years and my family had been buying Fords for 40 years until this experience. Instead of retaining a customer for life, Ford has not only lost a customer but has also gained an adversary like none thay have had before. It has become my mission in life to keep beating this drum until these vans get recalled. Livers are literally at stake.With regards to Acura, my neighbor relayed the same story to us when she heard about our Freestar. Her daughter's transmission went out in her Acura and they replaced it - no questions asked. That is why Acura has a fiercly loyal customer base and they don't take it for granted like Ford does. I know of many Acura owners beside my neighbor who would never buy anything else.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD

#240 of 1900 Re: Add Us To The Faulty Transmission List [4206alton] by jgenovese

Mar 17, 2008 (8:26 pm)

Replying to: 4206alton (Mar 15, 2008 5:10 pm)
We are sorry to hear about your situation. We too could not afford this repair. Ours went out right before Thanksgiving so, needless to say, Christmas was very lean this year. We too bought the Freestar based on Fords marketing it as, "The safest vehicle in its class." What a farse. Now, Ford is not only not stepping up and assisting its customers, but they are also engaging in sytematic, intentional FRAUD by misleading its customers when they get to dealership with this problem. Without exception, in each case, the customer is told that they are the first customer with this problem and that Ford has never heard of it. They even tell you that when you call the Customer Relationship Center, they also LIE and say they have never heard of it. While it is a little easier knowing that we are not alone in this, it is MADDENING that Ford continues to act in this way. It is only a matter of time before there is a fatality as a result of this defect. What is worse is that NHTSA, the federal agency that is supposed to be looking out for us is, apparently in Ford's back pocket becuase, to date, they have refused to even initiate an investigation into this defect. I guess thay don't care if someone gets killed because they probably can't be sued. stay tuned to this forum. There is more to come. And, most importantly, we will all be keeping your family in our thoughts and prayers.
Jim Genovese
Annapolis, MD

#241 of 1900 Re: Add Us To The Faulty Transmission List [jgenovese] by tbrown61

Mar 22, 2008 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: jgenovese (Mar 17, 2008 8:26 pm)
Sorry to hear your story too. I also was in the same boat, broke down..with no cash to fix it. yet still making payments for months to see the van sit in my driveway. I finally scraped the $$ up and got it fixed. Its a shame that the dealers lie to all of us. They act like its the first they heard of it, It makes you wanna (shake) the truth out of them. saying nicely. yes I did get in writing that the torque converter was the trouble, he said he never seen one fall apart so bad before. the one thats in it now is a custom rebuild, that he does himself. I sure hope the rest of the van holds up. Its a shame, Im a Ford loyal guy, I have 4 in my driveway. I bought this as well as the rest of you, thinking its a safe decent vehicle. I think the word is gettin out though, I cant sell this piece of crap for anything....guess ill drive it till the next part fails. I will not buy another Ford though, unless its a classic..the new crap is just that Crap!!

Messages Page 25 of 191

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