NHTSA Complaint #10397253 — 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ON FEBRUARY 10, 2011, STARTED TO PASS A TRUCK AND NOTICED THAT I WAS LOSING POWER - I LOOKED AT THE TACHOMETER AND NOTICED THE RPM'S INCREASING. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND GOT BACK INTO THE RIGHT LANE. AS I GOT FURTHER DOWN THE INTERSTATE, I HEARD A LOUD, SCREAMING NOISE, AND I CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER. I PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AS SOON AS IT WAS SAFE (I WAS ON AN OVERPASS). THE CAR CONTINUED TO RUN BUT IT WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE THEY CHECKED AND REPLACED THE CV AXEL ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. IN MARCH 2011 I NOTICED THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE MISFIRING SO I TOOK IT TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY SAID THE PLUGS NEEDED REPLACED AND ONE MOTOR MOUNT WAS BROKEN AND NEEDED REPLACED. I WAS LEAVING FOR VACATION SO THEY SAID IT WOULD BE OK TO DRIVE TO THE AIRPORT AND RETURN AND THEN BRING BACK FOR REPAIR. I TOOK THE CAR BACK ON TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2011. WHILE CHECKING THE CAR OUT, THEY FOUND THE PART REPLACED FOR THE CV AXEL WAS ONCE AGAIN BROKEN, WHICH THEY REPLACED. I PICKED UP THE CAR ON FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2011. I LEFT THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP, DROVE APPROX 20 MILES WHEN I NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM STARTING. I RETURNED TO THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THE CV AXEL PROBLEM WAS AGAIN OCCURRING - THE SPLINES WERE BROKEN. CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE IT WAS FOUND THIS TIME TO HAVE AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, SAID THE CV AXEL ASSEMBLY WOULD BE WARRANTY, BUT IT WOULD BE APPROX $4,000 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A REBUILT ONE. *TR