NHTSA Complaint #10472923 — 2006 FORD FREESTAR

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON BUSY HIGHWAY, MY FORD FREESTAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. LOOKING IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM MY VEHICLE. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER I NOTICED THE SMOKE, THEN MY THERMOSTAT WENT ALL THE WAY FROM C TO HOT IN A SPLIT SECOND. NO WARNING, CAR SMOKING AND MY BRAKES AND GAS WAS NOT WORKING. I TRIED TO PULL OVER SAFELY AND GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE QUICKLY. MY VAN WAS ENGULFED WITH SMOKE, AN AMBULANCE PULLED OVER TO ASSIST ME. THE CAR FIRE WAS PUT OUT AND TOWED TO A FORD DEALER. IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION THAT BLEW. IT WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY AND FIXED. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD TRANSMISSION. ONE YEAR AND TWO WEEKS LATER, MY FORD FREESTAR WAS NOT SHIFTING GEARS, I WAS GETTING STUCK, IN REVERSE. WHEN I SHIFT TO DRIVE, IT DOES NOT GO FORWARD. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AGAIN TO THE SAME FORD DEALER. I WAS TOLD MY TRANSMISSION WAS FILLED WITH WATER AND THE 1 YEAR WARRANTY I PURCHASED THE YEAR BEFORE WAS SHORTED BY TWO WEEKS. FORD WOULD NOT HONOR MY WARRANTY DUE TO IT BEING OVER BY 2 WEEKS TIME FRAME. SO, I THEN PURCHASED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION WITH ANOTHER WARRANTY. NOW IN 2012, A YEAR LATER, MY TRANSMISSION THAT I PURCHASED LAST YEAR IS DOING THE SAME THING, GETTING STUCK IN GEARS, WHEN I ACCELERATE, MY FREESTAR JUMPS. EVERY TIME IT RAINS, THIS CAR STALLS. WHEN I TOOK TO MY MECHANIC, HE SAYS THIS IS A HORRIBLE CAR. POORLY MADE AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. APPARENTLY IT STALLS IN THE RAIN DUE TO THE SEALING FROM FORD? WHY AND HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? THIS VEHICLE IS A HORRIBLE SAFETY PROBLEM. I AM FORTUNATE MY CHILDREN WERE NOT WITH ME IN THE FIRST CAR FIRE. WHEN IS FORD OR THE SAFETY COUNCIL GOING TO INVESTIGATE THIS CAR? SO IN MY VEHICLE, FORD THINKS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEIR CUSTOMER HAVING TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION 3 YEARS IN A ROW. NO SAFETY WARNINGS OR ENGINE LIGHT WARNINGS AT ALL. *TR