NHTSA Complaint #10504650 — 2005 FORD FREESTAR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, WITHOUT WARNING SUDDENLY HAD NO POWER, AT 40MPH, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED ONLY TO DIE AGAIN 3 MORE TIMES. I THOUGHT I WAS OUT OF GAS BUT THE GAGE SAID 1/8TH OF A TANK. PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND HAD FRIENDS BRING GAS. STARTED UP FINE AND DROVE MAYBE A BLOCK WHEN IT STARTED SPUTTERING AND BUCKING. THE CHECK ENGINE IDIOT LIGHT CAME ON SO I PULLED OVER AGAIN. I RESET THE BATTERY CONNECTION AND LIGHT WENT OFF. I PULLED OFF TO DRIVE AROUND IN THE PARKING LOT AND IT DIED WHEN I CRANKED THE WHEEL TURNING EVERY CORNER. STARTED AGAIN, THIS TIME IT WAS HARD TO TURN OVER, AND IT SPUTTERED AND THE TRANSAXLE IDIOT LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, THE RADIO CAME ON BY ITSELF AND THE EVE PLAYER EJECTED. INTERIOR LIGHTS WERE ON BUT SWITCH WAS TURNED OFF. CHECKED THE TRANNY FLUID, IT LOOKED A LITTLE LOW IN THE DARK(MIDNIGHT) SO PUT IN HALF A QUART. LIGHT WENT OUT BUT THE VAN REFUSED TO GO FORWARD. I DROPPED IT MANUALLY INTO 1ST AND IT SLOWLY MOVED. PARKED IT AND TRIED OTHER GEARS, ALL UNRESPONSIVE BUT WHEN SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL THE ENGINE JUMPED AND THE RPMS REVVED UP TO 3000!! AFRAID IT WOULD JUMP INTO GEAR AND RUN OVER MY FRIEND, I CUT OFF THE IGNITION WHILE IN NEUTRAL. I WAITED UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR NO TRAFFIC, THEN DROVE THE VAN HOME, KEEPING THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. WAS ABLE TO TRAVEL ABOUT 25 FEET PER RESTART, EACH TIME THE VAN WOULD DIE WHEN SPEED EXCEEDED 15MPH OR 2000RPMS. TOOK AN HOUR TO GET THE 1.5 MILES HOME. THIS VAN HAD JUST GOTTEN A FULL SERVICE OIL CHANGE/LUBE/FILTER SERVICE AND I HAD THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AT SEARS UPON PURCHASING IT JUST 6 MONTHS AGO AND HAD NO OTHER ISSUES AT ALL. UPON RESEARCHING, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT FORD PUBLISHED BUT REFUSES TO FIX/RECALL. THERE IS A RECALL ON MY VAN'S TORQUE CONVERTER, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND A MAJOR DEFECT THAT WILL GET SOMEONE KILLED OR SERIOUS INJURED. *TR