NHTSA Complaint #10340881 — 2005 FORD EXPLORER

WHILE TRAVELING ON VACATION FROM CALIFORNIA TO OREGON ON I-5, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE, SHUTTER, THEN CLUNK. "OD OFF" LIGHT CAME ON, ALONG WITH A WARNING INDICATING CHECK TRANSMISSION. LOUD WHIRLING NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS NO POWER, AND THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO STOP. I WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE OFFRAMP, TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY. I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS SAFE TO TRY TO GET BACK UP TO FREEWAY SPEEDS, AS THERE SEEMED TO BE LITTLE POWER. DUE TO THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, I HAD THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME, RIGHT ON MY BUMPER. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW, AND HAS BEEN SERVICED AT ALL REQUIRED INTERVALS. VEHICLE HAS 48,000 MILES. MADE IT INTO A FORD DEALER IN OREGON, AND WAS TOLD AFTER PLACED ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND ALL WARNING CODES CLEARED IT MAY BE SAFE TO DRIVE BACK TO CALIFORNIA. WENT ABOUT 300' FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND "OD OFF" LIGHT CAME ON, "SERVICE VEHICLE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON, AND CHECK TRANSMISSION WARNING CAME ON. DROVE IT BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION PAN, AND DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. FOUND METAL, AND CLUTCH MATERIAL. COST TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION $3,657. *TR