2006 MERCURY MONTEREY — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT APPROX. 30-35 MPH, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A HIGH PITCHED SQUEALING SOUND, OCCURED AND MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FORWARD ANYMORE. I COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT, PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, AND THEN SHIFTED THE CAR INTO R,D, AND OD AND NOTHING ENGAGED... THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET...HAD IT TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS SOMETHING WITH MY TRANSMISSION, BUT THEY DIDNT SAY WHAT, ONLY THAT IS WAS GOING TO COST $2250 TO REPLACE IT.....HAD IT TOWED HOME..NOT REPAIRED

MY 2006 MERCURY MMONTEREY STARTED JUMPING WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND MAKING A NOISE WHEN YOU PRESS THE GAS. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE TCC SELENOID SO WE REPLACED IT AN THAT DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE SO TOOK IT BACKTO FIND THE TORQUE CONVETER IS BAD.

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MONTEREY. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND AS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING DEPRESSED. ALSO, THE RPMS INCREASED TO HIGH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS STRIPPED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000.

OUR VAN WAS DRIVING JUST FINE AND SUDDENLY, WITH NO WARNING AT ALL, WENT INTO NEUTRAL, STOPPING IN AN INTERSECTION. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS AROUND 88000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND THE LINCOLN DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD FAILED. I NOTICED FORD HAD ALREADY RECALLED ALL OF THE 2004 FREESTARS AND 2005 MONTEREYS FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT YET SOMEHOW MY 2006 WITH A SEPTEMBER 2005 BUILD DATE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. SO GUESS WHAT? FORD KNOWINGLY LEFT ME IN AN UNSAFE VEHICLE, AND NOW I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR BILL. FORD SO VERY CLEARLY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND NEVER CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BY THE TIME BY VEHICLE WAS BUILT. NHTSA NEEDS TO ENCOURAGE FORD TO RECALL ALL THE 2006 AND PROBABLY ALL THE 2007S AS WELL. FORD SHOULD BE PAYING FOR MY REPAIR, NOT ME.