I became aware of other customer complaints about the Transmission/PCM related concerns in 2011 when experiencing a vibration when shifting from 2nd to 3rd (it seemed) and researched it. I followed a dealers recommendation by having my transmission fluid changed as recommended to ford specs. The vibration seemed to calm somewhat. Around this same time I noticed my cruise control would work only off and on at different speeds and times. No check engine light ever came on. I sent my an email to Ford of Canada at which time I was advised that a torque converter recall was coming and that I should contact the dealer. I did this however the dealer was only just getting word of the recall and there would be a backlog of course when it came out officially. I was advised to wait for the formal recall which I received and booked my recall and it was completed in 2012/early 2013. I also had another recall done for a seat concern just in May 2013.

While driving to the US May 19th 2013 at 100km/hr my vehicles cruise was acting suspicious and I disengaged it for this reason. I then noticed my vehicle was at 3000rpms so seemed to be stuck in 3rd gear or something. It then FAILED and I was BARELY able to get off at an exit and had to push my vehicle into a spot at a service station. I was very concerned for my safety and my family at this time. I was in total SHOCK that there was no real warning.

I checked the dipstick for the tranny there seemed to be enough fluid however slight amounts of smoke came from the dipstick reservoir. NO SIGNS of leaking below the vehicle whatsoever. It was towed to a Ford dealer and I was left with no real option other than new tranny for $3200. Very disappointed to say the least.

had a recall notice for torque converter, called and they were out stock , said they would send out another notice. on 03-20-13 car jerked going into reverse, didn't think much about it. put in drive and car didn't want to move so i pushed on excelerator and it got to the stop sign, made my turn and excelerated, car sounded like it was racing and i wasn't going anywhere till i excelerated more and noticed a yellow star like lited up on my dash that i have never seen before. got car to service station and and when i turned car off it jerked, i thought the engine was going to leap out. had car towed to ford dealership.no way i was going to drive it anymore without being fixed. total drive from where i started car to where i turned it off was two blocks.

IDIOTS FORD ENGINEERS!!!!!!!! THEY DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM KNOWING IT SINCE THE FIRST YEAR THE 2005 WENT ON THE ROAD. BUT WORSE THAN THAT IS GALPIN FORD IN PANORAMA CITY CALIFORNIA. THEY LIED TO ME AFTER THEY SAID THAT THE RECALL WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THEY CALLED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS UP AND RUNNING AFTER THE RECALL BUT THEY HEARD SOME NOISES AND RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVED THAT (I DID RECALL SOME NOISES) BUT AFTER THEY REPLACED IT THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT BEARINGS NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WERE NOISY.......I DID REFUSE TO HAVE THEM DOING MORE CRAP AND AND PAID FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION. I DID REPLACE THE DRIVER FRONT TIRE BEARING AT MY GARAGE AND THE NOISE STOP (REPLACED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT BEARING TOO). BUT I DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS NEVER TO BE EXCHANGED. GALPING FORD SUCH A LIARS SAME AS FORD COMPANY!!!!!!! IF ANY LAWYER FIRM WANTS TO MAKE MONEY WITH A CLASS A SUIT THERE ARE YOUR OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU AND FOR THE CONSUMERS TO RECOVER SOME MONEY FROM THESE BASTARDS. AGREE WITH ME MR, LEONARD FROM GALPING FORD?

This is really insane! I have purchased a 2005 Ford FreeStar minivan after saving for years. I purchased this van 2 days ago. Before purchasing it did some research related to prices and millage, etc. Forty five minutes after purchasing this vehicle the transmission started to hesitate when getting off the light when going into second gear. Once I got home I contacted the mechanic that I paid to inspect the vehicle before purchasing it and also the dealer where I bought the car. Neither of them wants to take responsibility about the issue. I mean this is insane. I would understand if it was after a month or so but not the next day. Now I actually did some really good research I found out blogs on this site about a recall and the issues customers with the same problems as I have are having with the Ford company. I really don’t know what to do now because it seems Ford is not willing to really follow through with this recall issue and take responsibility. The worst part is that is my only means of transportation and I spend all the money I had saved. Now I am stuck with this vehicle. If anyone has a suggestion please guide me further in solving this problem. Thanks.

I usually only drive the car on highway miles. Had been having a lot of jerking off and on lately and worried if I was going to get stuck in the mountains with no phone service. I happened in Wasilla, AK just after I had been to Kendall Ford. I had it towed to their service lot and left it there after telling Brad, the man in charge of the recall. He offered me no help other than renting a car from him for $33 DOLLARS A DAY. It took me almost a week to get a ride home, 160 miles away.

Now he tells me that my transmission is shot and it will cost between $3 and $4,000 to fix. I have a problem with that as I know that if the tourque converter is not running neither will the trany..

What they want to fix it is more than the car is worth, so what am I supposed to do with it??? Trash it with a new tourque converter. If Ford does not fix my transmission I am going to paint lemons on it and this is the 2nd ford product with a major transmission that I have owned and will never buy another FORD again. THE DO NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS. NOW i HAVE NO VEHICLE AND NO MONEY TO BUY ONE. THANKS FOR NOTHING.

Replaced torque converter and banner kit in August 2011 by a transmission specialist for $1800 because Ford quoted $3500. In April 2012 after receiving the recall information the transmission died on the way home from a late class, so I was able to just get to the exit and was stuck on the exit. State police and tow truck came to get me at 11pm. I towed it to my house because I wasn't sure where to take it the mechanic or the dealer for the recall. I called the number on the recall and they told me to take it to the dealer and gave me a case number. Towed it to the dealer only to be called to come pick it up before I even got home. So I had to bring it to the original mechanic, yes 3 tows. The original mechanic warranteed the work, put in a new torque converter and paid for the tow to his garage,. I ate the other 2. One week later I am driving 2 states away and I got the surge forward and the RPMs went over 3, while doing 70 mph on the highway. I was able to make it to the exit I needed, but once stopped had to push it into a hotel parking lot. I called the mechanic and he had it towed back to the shop again and is currently working on it and says the bearings also went this time. So I called Ford Customer Relations at 1800-392-3673 and at first they were going to help me then when I realized they called the wrong dealership to have my car fixed, I called back. When she called the correct dealership they advised her they went through this before and Customer relation wouldn't approve help because I used an independent garage and the part was no longer the original Ford part and because it was an after market part they wouldn't warrantee any of it. So I'm out of luck. I don't know about you but car parts whether from a dealership or car parts store should carry the same quality and they usually come from the same manufacturer just with a different cost because the dealer marks it up. If Fords transmission wasn't shoddy in the first place I wouldn't be going through this and obviously its not the torque converter but something else that is causing them to deteriorate so fast. This is ridiculous and I have been without a car for the second time in 2 weeks. Looking at all the complaints it seems this is happening to alot of people and others say that it is in fact the computer in theses cars. Although I can't see why or how a computer can wear a strong metal spline it seems that it may be a combination of problems that are happening. Since this traansmission was used in earlier cars with the same result Ford should never have put these in our vehicles which are minivans known to be the car of choice for moms with many kids such as myself. What are they waiting for? A young beautiful family to get killed due to their negligence. It's time they did what was right by the American people and take drastic steps to remedy this situation and stop blaming the consumer and their honest mechanics for their mistakes. p.s. We own the Windstar as well that is recalled for rear axle breakage and front frame warping. Guess they saw sucker when I was coming.

This story, for us, has a happy ending, but it started out really lousy. We bought this van, used, from Elway Chevrolet in Denver, Colorado. We had owned the car for 2 months and had put a thousand miles on it. I had driven the van to the store, parked it in the lot, did some shopping, came out to go home, started the car, put it in gear and NOTHING!!!. I had to walk home, several miles, in the rain.

The next day, the car was towed to Elway Chevy and the Service Manager said he would take a look at it and we would go from there. Well, the van spent 3 weeks at the dealership. We were initially going to have to split the cost of repairs with them, $1500.00 to us. They were not aware of the recalls, but when I pointed out the recalls, we wound up having all of the work done at no cost to us and to their credit, Elway Chevy even covered the cost of the tow to their shop. So, thank you to John Elway Chevrolet and Jimmy, the General Manager, for doing the right thing.

Yesterday I went for a drive to take care of all my errands as usual. I made it home and when I needed to go back out, the van would not go into reverse. The only thing it would do is stay in park. I messed with it for awhile and it was like stuck into neutral. The park still worked, but sometimes it would go into neutral. I don't know what is wrong with it. I had it towed today to the mechanic. They can't look at it until tomorrow. Can this problem be due to the recalls? I'm stuck without a car and I can't get myself or my children to school. Anyone know of any other information? Can this really be the transmission? There was no problems with it until this happened.

Update from Apr 9, 2012: I had my van towed to my local mechanic. He determined that it was the transmission and that he is 100 percent sure that it is due to the recall. I had to tow it again to the Ford dealership. They told me that they can't look at it until a few days later. I was also told that they can't provide a loaner or car rental. They also don't have the parts in to fix it. Now I'm without a vehicle since this is my only one. In the mean time, I can't go to school. I'm a full time college student and I also have three children. One of my children is disabled and has a doctor appointment comming up and I have no way to take him to his therapy appointment. My other child also has a check up and I won't be able to go to that appointment either. This is really unfair. All of my relatives live out of state or they would help me. Also renting a car is about 200 dollars a week and I can't afford that. I don't think Ford is handling these issues fairly. This isn't right to treat their customers like this. I also had to pay 60 dollars for the mechanic to look at it and I'm sure that I won't ever be reinburst.what are people suppose to do? Not everyone is rich and have other ways of transportation. Now I will probably be dropped from my classes and my children won't get the medical care that they need. Ive offered to pay friends, but they all have jobs and responsibilities of their own.

I was driving a large group of people 1-5 south from oregon. In extreme traffic, we were in the fast lane doing about 70mph, when the "Beast" our Freestar's nickname), suddenly without warning lost power and everything shut down. Luckily I was able to glide over to the side of the road. I had no turn signals or 4 way hazards working to alert other drivers of our emergency. Needless to say, we had to be towed back to portland. a true Bummer! Im not hating on ford though as nothing in this life is perfect, but I do believe that with such a great automobile, ford should definitely step up to the plate, stand behind thier product and correct the on going problem with these vehicals (freestar of charge). this should not happen on a regular basis to ford owners especially when ford is aware of this problem. we love our freestar. its been a great van other than that major problem that could have been prevented.

On 1/23/12 I was traveling in my Ford Freestar on Hwy 78 E and suddenly the vehicle cut off and proceeded to coast. I managed to pull over to the shoulder of the highway before coming to a complete stop. I was very lucky that day because a truck swerved over to the next lane to keep from crashing into me, and at the same time almost collided with another motorist. After pulling myself together I placed a call to AAA and requested a courtesy tow because I had utilized all my services allotted. I stressed to the AAA supervisor that the vehicle had broke down in a dangerous section of the highway and to please help me.

Thank God that the AAA supervisor was very nice and concerned for my safety and made a professional decision to authorize the tow. She also placed the call as priority and that gave me comfort that help would soon arrive. I own and operate a small flower shop in the city of Elizabeth and had a funeral scheduled to be delivered by 10 am. I was coming from the floral wholesaler when the vehicle broke down. I had to arrange for a friend to pick up the flowers and supplies and deliver them to the flower shop. Then I had to arrange for someone else to take me to rent a vehicle. Once I was approved for the vehicle I had to rush to the flower shop and quickly prepare the flowers for the scheduled delivery. Needless to say, the flowers were late and my customers were very upset.

The mental anguish that morning caused a severe migraine headache which resulted in the rest of the day being miserable, a day I’ll be glad to put behind me. On 1/25/12 I called my mechanic, Marcello at WR Auto Repair, to check on the vehicle and he informed me that the transmission failed and the cost to replace it would be $1600.00. I screamed out, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” “I CAN’T AFFORD THAT!” I happened to be at the Enterprise rent-a-car office and the agent over heard my conversation. He informed me of the Ford recall regarding the Freestar and urged me to check into it, so I did. I stopped by Salerno Duane Ford dealership of Summit N.J. and spoke with Daniel Jardim regarding my problem. Daniel entered the VIN# into the computer and the vehicle came up under recall status. Daniel told me to arrange for the vehicle to be towed from my mechanic to their dealership for a diagnostic check. I had to borrow and pay out of pocket $77 for the tow. After the vehicle arrived, Daniel called and said that the catch is if they take it apart and find that it’s not the torque converter input shaft splines stripped and something else that it would cost me $1300 just for taking it apart. And then I would either agree to pay their mechanic to replace the transmission or tow it back to my mechanic and his price was $1600. I screamed again, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” “I CAN’T AFFORD TO DO THAT!” I was informed by a customer relations supervisor that Ford will not pay for a rental at this time or for a mechanic that’s not certified by Ford to service the vehicle. I screamed, “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” “I’M DAMNED IF I DO, AND DAMNED IF I DON’T!” To date, the vehicle is still at Salerno Duane Ford dealership of Summit N.J. and I have been up all night and suffering from sleep deprivation worrying over how I’m going to continue to afford the rental services. I think this is making me sick, literally.

On October 7, 2005 along with my husband, I decided to purchase this vehicle. My husband drove and loved the experience of driving the Ford Freestar back and forth to work, for he was gainfully employed with Cintas Corp. He drove the van for approximately 30 days before he became ill and went into the hospital on November 3, 2005 and departed this life December 11, 2005. I’m without my husband, his support and income. I have three dependent children and we are experiencing financial hardship due to the circumstances. I CAN’T AFFORD ANYMORE PROBLEMS. Especially because this is the only vehicle we have to utilize for the family and business. Someone please help me. I am trying to keep my business operating and cannot hire someone to do the deliveries. In today’s economy small businesses in particular are struggling to remain open. I am no exception to the recession because I may be self employed, but on many days I have been unemployed with $0 coming into the shop. I desperately need my transportation and the car note is still due each month. It’s a shame that this has happened.

My wife was driving down the highway in heavy traffic and the vehicle suddenly lost all ability to move forward, backward, etc. The motor was running fine, just nothing from the transmission. She was 90 miles from home. We had it towed to the local Ford dealership. They treated us very well. We learned the output shaft from the Torque Converter into the transmission was bad. It is a known problem to FORD and this dealership has seen it several times. Apparently the output shaft is too soft (improperly hardened?) and the splines will strip off, all at once. The torque converter was replaced along with the output shaft. Total bill was around $1700.

Everything runs fine now, but since this is a known problem, FORD should have stepped up to fix it, at least at a discounted rate.

I filed a complaint with the NTSB and never heard anything back. I did learn there are several hundred similar complaints with the NTSB. Ford is apparently arguing that loss of power is not safety related and therefore not subject to recall. I strongly disagree as sudden failure with no warning can most definately place people's safety at risk.

car was running fine, then luckily having read all other reports that car was parked

in my driveway. It started right up, shifted to R and then nothing!!

car does not move. It is my only transportation to work for family, I do not

have the means to repair at this time and have no means of purchasing another car.

it really stinks that ford knows of this problem and has refused to do anything

about this. This will be the last FORD product I buy, My ford winstar was a "death trap" as well. Driving 60mph on dark highway and lost all lights. lucky wasn't rammed from behind. It was never fixed correctly either and kids refused to ride in the car.