NHTSA Complaint #10453299 — 2005 FORD FREESTAR

ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 I NOTICED THAT MY 2005 FORD FREESTAR WAS HESITATING WHEN I PULLED OUT OF A PARKING SPOT IN FRONT OF MY HOME. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO MY FINAL DESTINATION, A LOCAL SUPERMARKET, WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT COULD TELL THAT THE CAR WAS NOT SHIFTING GEARS AS SMOOTHLY AS I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO. ON THE RETURN TRIP HOME, UPON MERGING ONTO THE EXPRESSWAY I TYPICALLY TAKE, MY FREESTAR'S ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER THEN IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE WAS LOST. POWER STEERING WAS LOST AS WELL MAKING THE CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND I WAS FORCED TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHIFT INTO PARK AND REENGAGE THE IGNITION. FROM THAT POINT ON, UNTIL I ARRIVED HOME, THE FREESTAR WOULD NOT SHIFT BEYOND SECOND GEAR. IF I MADE AN ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE, AGAIN THE ENGINE WOULD SPUTTER AND ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE, POWER STEERING AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WOULD SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. I MANAGED TO GET HOME THAT DAY BY STOPPING AND RESTARTING MY FREESTAR WHAT I CAN ONLY ESTIMATE TO BE 50 TO 75 TIMES. THE MOST HARROWING PART OF THIS EXPERIENCE WAS THE LOST OF POWER AND CONTROL WITHOUT WARNING. PRIOR TO THIS DAY, I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE THIS WITH THE FREESTAR, AND THEN FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT, I WAS HELPLESS ON THE EXPRESSWAY EXPECTING A FATAL COLLISION WITH AN UNSUSPECTING DRIVER. *TR