NHTSA Complaint #10341252 — 2004 FORD FREESTAR

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 FORD FREESTAR AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. LET IT BE CLEAR FROM THE START THAT I AM IN FACT A FORD GUY! BUT WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AND I AM TO THE POINT WHERE I DO NOT KNOW IF I WILL PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD. SO A WEEK AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION + COMPUTER WENT OUT. MY WIFE TRIED STARTING IT AND IT WOULD NOT GO ANYWHERE. I TOWED IT TO MACKE FORD AND HAD THEM FIX IT. PAID $3800 FOR THEM TO FIX THESE TWO THINGS. A WEEK LATER IT RAINED EXTREMELY HARD AND THE VAN FAILED ON MY WIFE AS SHE WAS DRIVING AND WAS LUCKILY ON A GRAVEL ROAD WITH NO ONE AROUND HER. SHE WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A COMPLETE STOP BUT AGAIN THE VAN WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. HAD IT TOWED TO MACKE FORD IN COON RAPIDS, IA AGAIN AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD PCM. I MADE IT CLEAR TO THE SERVICE DEPT THAT I THOUGHT WATER WAS GETTING INTO THE PCM COMPARTMENT DUE TO OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ON THE INTERNET AND THE FACT THAT IT HAD RAINED EXTREMELY HARD THAT MORNING. THEY DID NOT THINK THIS WAS THE CASE AND PUT ANOTHER PCM IN AND SENT THE OTHER ONE BACK TO FORD AS THEY THOUGHT THEY RECEIVED A BAD PCM. TOOK IT HOME AND THE NEXT MORNING IT WOULD NOT START AND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. TESTED AND FOUND THAT THE RADIO WAS TURNING ON BY ITSELF AND DRAINING THE BATTERY...EVEN W/OUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. MACKE TRIED FIXING IT FOR THE NEXT 2 MONTHS AND EVEN AFTER DENYING WATER WAS GETTING INTO IT..FINALLY CALLED AND SAID THEY FOUND WATER IN THE PCM COMPARTMENT AND IT WAS A FORD ENGINEERING PROBLEM. THEY WANTED ME TO PAY FOR THE COMPUTER THIS TIME SINCE FORD WOULD NOT COVER THE WATER DAMAGE!! ANOTHER 700.00. WITH ALL THE INTERNET COMPLAINTS ABOUT THERE ABOUT WATER GETTING INTO THE COMPUTER THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND OUR MONEY RETURNED! *TR