NHTSA Complaint #10404465 — 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY

WE ARE THE OWNERS OF A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WITH JUST OVER 64,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN MY WIFE CALLED ME ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 3RD, 2011 AND TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD GOTTEN INTO THE VAN, STARTED IT AND TRIED TO GO IN REVERSE AND THE VAN WOULDN'T MOVE. SHE THEN PUT IT INTO "DRIVE" AND IT SEEMED TO WORK FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN IT MADE AN AWFUL CLUNKING SOUND A FEW TIMES AND LOST POWER AS SHE WAS DRIVING NEAR OUR HOME HEADING TOWARD THE FREEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED AS SHE WAS TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEEDS ON SURFACE STREETS JUST BEFORE MAKING IT ONTO THE FREEWAY. IT SCARES ME TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THE PROBLEM NOT OCCURRED UNTIL 5 MINUTES LATER WHEN SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, THERE WERE NO OTHER SIGNS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS HAVING PROBLEMS, NO SLIPPING OR MISSING GEARS. IT HAD ALWAYS DRIVEN VERY SMOOTHLY. I GOT ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE MANY STORIES LIKE MINE WITH THE 2004-5 MERCURY MONTEREY/FORD FREESTAR. I'LL BE HAVING MY VAN TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC ON MONDAY, JUNE 5TH SO I CAN FIND OUT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE AND COST. I WON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN THEY TELL ME IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING FROM OTHERS WITH MY SAME MINI-VAN. THE VAN CURRENTLY WON'T SHIFT INTO REVERSE, IDLES HORRIBLY AND BARELY SHIFTS INTO DRIVE. *TR