NHTSA Complaint #11283100 — 2006 MERCURY MONTEREY

MY FAMILY WAS TRAVELING ON THE I-65 SOUTH INTERSTATE AND THE VAN, 2006 MERCURY MONTEREY, STOP RESPONDING IN THE MIDDLE OF FAST TRAFFIC. IT TOOK ME BY TOTAL SURPRISE. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. SO, I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT HAD ACCIDENTLY WENT IN NEUTRAL BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE. I TRIED A LOWER GEAR WITH NOT LUCK. NOT WANTING TO BE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE I THEN TURNED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND FRANTICALLY MANEUVERED THE VAN TO THE SIDE OF THE BUSY INTERSTATE ROAD. ONCE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD MY HUSBAND TRIED EVERY GEAR AND THE VAN WASN'T RESPONDING IN ANY OF THEM. WE ENDED UP GETTING IT TOWED TO OUR HOUSE. AFTER WE GOT HOME MY HUSBAND STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM BECAUSE HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF A VEHICLE STOP RESPONDING LIKE THAT WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS. HE SAID THIS HAS TO BE VEHICLE DEFECT AND LOOKED UP RECALLS FOR THE VAN ON THE NHTSA.ORG WEBSITE. THERE WASN'T A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS EXACT SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER DOING MORE RESEARCH WE FOUND THAT THE 2004 MODEL OF THIS VAN HAD THE SAME ISSUE WHICH FORD DID DO A RECALL FOR THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE FORD COMPANY NEEDS TO BE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THAT THIS IS ALSO A BIG SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE 2006 MODEL. ONE THE REASONS MY HUSBAND BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WAS BECAUSE IT WAS BUILT BY FORD AND HE TRUSTED THEIR PRODUCTS. I HOPE FORD WILL TAKE THE COMPLAINT SERIOUSLY AND STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND GET THIS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER ON THE MERCURY MONTEREY 2006 VEHICLES RESOLVED QUICKLY.