NHTSA Complaint #10341596 — 2004 FORD FREESTAR

THE MANIFOLD AND TUBE ASSY WHICH RUNS FROM MY CONDENSER TO THE COMPRESSOR BLEW OUT WHILE MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. PRIOR TO THIS IN MAY OF 2010, AFTER THE BIRTH OF MY 3RD CHILD, I WAS TAKING HIM TO HIS 2 WEEK CHECKUP AND IT WAS POURING DOWN RAIN AND THE WINDOWS WERE FOGGING UP SO BAD THAT I HAD TO USE A PAPER TOWEL TO WIPE THE WINDOWS SO THAT I COULD SEE OUT THEM. THE A/C SYSTEM HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY FREESTAR IN FEB OF 2010. THERE WAS A TICKING NOISE BEFORE THE HOSE BLEW AND BEFORE WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM THE HOSE AND ALL OUR FREON WAS A CLOUD OF WHITE BEHIND US. WE HAVE TAKEN OUR VAN TO ONE SHOP WHICH SAID THAT THE CONDENSER AND EVAPORATOR WAS BAD THEN TOOK IT FOR A SECOND OPINION WHERE THEY REPLACED THE MANIFOLD AND TUBE ASSY AND RECHARGED THE SYSTEM. THEY FOUND THAT THE COMPRESSOR WAS ONLY PUTTING OUT 100 LBS OF PRESSURE BUT SHOULD BE PUTTING OUT 250 LBS. THEY SAID IT WAS SAFE TO USE (BUT THE AIR WOULD ONLY BE COOL WHILE HIGHWAY DRIVING NOT WHILE STOPPED) UNTIL THEY WERE TO REPLACE THE COMPRESSOR IN 3 DAYS, AND THAT WITH ONLY 100 LBS OF PRESSURE THE HOSE WOULD NOT BLOW AGAIN. AFTER LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND MAYBE 3 HOURS OF ACTUAL A/C TIME THE HOSE BLEW AGAIN AND OUT CAME ALL THE FREON. WHEN WE TOOK THE VAN BACK THEY WERE AT A LOSS OF WHY. I HAVE NOW SPENT OVER 300 DOLLARS THAT WAS USELESS AND WE ARE BACK AT SQUARE ONE BECAUSE NOONE KNOWS WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS BY FREESTAR OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. BEFORE THIS IS OVER I EXPECT TO SPEND OVER 1700 DOLLARS WHICH I DON'T HAVE FOR A PROBLEM IT SEEMS MANY OTHERS HAVE. *TR