NHTSA Complaint #10622268 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

CAR WAS FINANCED AND PURCHASED USED FROM AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER IN 2007 @ APPROX. 64K MILES. PREVIOUS OWNER WAS REGISTERED AS FORD MOTOR CO., INDIANA. ON 12 JUN 2014, WITHOUT WARNING, THE CONTINUOUSLY-VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) FIRST SHOWED SIGNS OF A PROBLEM: FAILING TO SHIFT OUT OF LOWER SPEED GEAR FROM A STOP TO HIGHER GEARS DURING TRAVEL. PROBLEM WAS REMEDIED TEMPORARILY BY SHIFTING FROM D TO R AND BACK TO D WHILE STOPPED. THE PROBLEM RECURRED SPORADICALLY, BUT WITHIN LAST WEEK FREQUENCY OF PROBLEM HAS INCREASED WHILE AWAITING SERVICE APPOINTMENT. THIS MORNING, 13-AUG-2014, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND FAILED TO ENGAGE IN ANY FORWARD GEAR WHILE STOPPED AT INTERSECTION, RESULTING IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF FORWARD PROPULSION. PROBLEM REMEDIED BY SHIFTING FROM D TO R AND BACK TO D, WITH SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTLY. SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATES THAT CVT FAILURES IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL ARE COMMON AND RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION WITH REBUILT (AS TRANSMISSION IS NO LONGER MANUFACTURED BY FORD). MOREOVER, ONLY FORD CAN PERFORM THE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED DURING ANY OF THESE EVENTS. COST OF REPAIR WILL EXCEED VALUE OF CAR. $5800 OR MORE VERSUS $3600 TRADE-IN OR INSTANT-CASH OFFER PRICE $1500. AC COMPRESSOR FAILURE AND REBUILD (INCLUDING REAR AC) IN 2012 COST $875. *TR