NHTSA Complaint #10341297 — 2006 FORD TAURUS

I WAS DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE 1-96 IN MICHIGAN. WHILE PASSING A SEMI-TRUCK, WE WERE GOING 70 MPH. THE 2006 FORD TAURUS SE I WAS DRIVING FAILED TO ACCELERATE. I LAID ON THE GAS PEDAL, BUT IT ACTED LIKE THE CAR WAS STUCK IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE ROARED, AND THE RPM'S SOARED TO OVER 6,000. WE WERE JUST COASTING TO A STOP, AND WERE NEARLY REAR ENDED FROM BEHIND. WE GOT INTO THE RIGHT LANE, NEARLY HITTING THE TRUCK WE WERE TRYING TO GET OVER FOR. IT TOOK EVERYTHING I COULD DO TO GET THE CAR OVER INTO THE RIGHT LANE. THE CAR DIED JUST AS I GOT IT OVER, STILL CLOSE TO BEING HIT BY TRAFFIC WHIZZING BY. I TURNED IT OFF AND THEN RESTARTED. THE ENGINE STARTED, BUT WE COULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE. AAA HAD IT TOWED TO A NEARBY SHOP IN SOUTH LANSING. THEY TOLD ME THE NEXT DAY THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN "SHOT". THE TRANNY FLUID WAS BURNED BADLY. THEY SAID I NEEDED IT TOTALLY REPLACED AT A COST OF NEARLY $4,000. I HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS BEFORE THIS WITH THE CAR. AND THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A "SUDDEN FAILURE" OF THE TRANSMISSION. HE SAID HE HAD SEEN OTHER FORD TAURUS'S WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE CAR ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. I CALLED FORD AND WAS TOLD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. WE DID THAT AND WERE GIVEN THE SAME RESULT. I AM COMPLAINING BECAUSE I FEEL FORD NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF STORIES LIKE THIS ONLINE REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION IN THE 05, 06 TAURUS. WILL IT TAKE SOMEONE GETTING HURT BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE? I FEEL I AM VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING A FORD ANYMORE. A RECALL SHOULD BE MADE SO PEOPLE ARE AWARE THIS COULD HAPPEN. I NEVER EVEN KNEW THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THESE TRANSMISSION/TORQUE CONVERTERS UNTIL I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE. YOUR ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR INJURED (PERHAPS THIS IS ALREADY THE CASE). I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED AND I KNOW THESE BAD TRANSMISSIONS ARE OFF THE ROAD! *TR