NHTSA Complaint #10504458 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

THE VEHICLE 'S ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF. AFTER PULLING OFF THE ROAD I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO START THE VEHICLE, TO NO AVAIL. I WAITED APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES BEFORE TRYING AGAIN. THE ENGINE STARTED, BUT WOULD NOT GO IN GEAR. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS OF TRYING TO PUT IT IN GEAR, IT SUDDENLY WORKED! KNOWING I HAD A 250 MILE TRIP BACK HOME, I WAS VERY LEERY ABOUT TAKING A CHANCE WITH IT. FORTUNATELY, I MADE IT. I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY. THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE WAS USED AND IT "THREW" SEVERAL DIFFERENT CODES, RENDERING IT UNDIAGNOSABLE? THE MECHANIC CALLED FORD MOTOR CORP. AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD GET BACK WITH HIM. AFTER 2 WEEKS OF WAITING, I CALLED FORD MYSELF AND WAS TREATED EXTREMELY RUDE AND ALSO WAS TOLD MY MECHANIC WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM! TWO MONTHS LATER, I GET A LETTER SAYING THE 'THROTTLE BODY" NEEDED TO BE "CLEANED OUT"...AT THEIR EXPENSE. THIS PROCEDURE WAS DONE AND I AM CONTINUOUSLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT GETS COLD (AROUND 32 DEGREES). THE VEHICLE WILL RUN AFTER WARMING THE ENGINE (SHUTTING IT DOWN/RESTARTING REPEATEDLY) BEFORE IT DECIDES TO FINALLY RUN "NORMAL". I WAS TOLD THIS RESETS THE CODE??? I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD, THEY DO NOT BACK THEIR PRODUCT OR THEIR NAME! FORD HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CVT TRANSMISSION AND THEY NEED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND WE, THE CONSUMER, NEED HELP WITH THIS ON GOING ISSUE. MOST CAN NOT AFFORD TO HANDLE THIS REPAIR AND THOSE WHO DID, HAD NOT RESOLVED THIS ISSUE AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! I BELIEVE, WHEN I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE (USED) IN 2007, FORD KNEW OF THIS ISSUE, BUT GAVE NO KNOWLEDGE TO ME. I DID ASK ABOUT THIS CVT TRANSMISSION BECAUSE I HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS THE GREATEST TRANSMISSION EVER...REALLY!!!! *TR