Problems with 2006 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

As i was turning through traffic to drive up a hill, the transmission stopped working and the car no longer was able to move forward under its own power. i was lucky enough to be able to use the momentum i had to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. the transmission had to be replaced at a cost of 3,500 dollars. *tr

I am usually satisfied with the fords that i have possessed. until i leased a 2006 ford freestar. as my husband was driving with our 3 young children, the van had stalled in the middle of high traffic as we were entering. thank god that none of the other vehicles had hit us. come to find out that it was the torque converter. we had also found out that the ford freestar 2004 an 2005 torque converters have been recalled. it is obvious that it is a flaw of the model. now we are on foot having to pay the 1100 expense out of pocket. how are we to do that when we are having financial situation as it is. *js

05/07/12 as the brake was applied to turn a corner in traffic, the car just quit forward motion! turned engine off and restarted engine, and was then able to drive forward. 05/21/12 started parked van , put it in reverse,applied accelerator, the engine revved up, but no reverse motion(car rolled backwards as was parked on an incline), put it in drive, applied accelerator, and again the engine revved up, but no forward motion drive(again van rolled backwards). van was towed to garage. assumed that it was the torque converter problem that a recall was issued for 2004 and 2005 ford freestars. diagnosis was indeed a bad torque converter in our 2006 ford freestar(not currently recalled for the torque converter like the 2004 and 2005 ford freestars). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. while traveling 55 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle had suddenly shifted out of gear, as if the vehicle was shifted into neutral. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter) did not apply to his vin. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 146,000.

After heavy rain the van began to misfire and shake. check engine light came on. 2 days later it went out after drying off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. while the contact was driving approximately 45 mph, the wrench warning indicator began to illuminate on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. the technician stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that there was not a recall related to the malfunction. the approximate failure mileage was 27,116.

Driving with my two young daughters in the vehicle. had just driven about 50 miles at 60 mph. luckily had just gotten off the highway when the vehicle felt like i had shifted into neutral. the engine sounded like it was revving but i had absolutely no power. it's now going to cost me $2500 for a new transmission. i wouldn't even give it a second thought if i hadn't just read that the 2004-5 freestars have been recalled because of transmission problems. i'm wondering why the 2006 wasn't included since i'm guessing the transmissions are identical. we were incredibally lucky since i had just gotten off the highway, but 5 minutes earlier would have been a different story. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph and turning into a residential garage, the transmission would not engage in any gear, preventing the vehicle from being driven. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who advised the contact that that the torque converter was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred one week later. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 83,000.

Without warning and at various speeds the transmission on our 2006 ford freestar will lose power. i would describe it as a hiccup effect were power is lost and gained several times in a 15-30 second time period (switching gears?). consistently this will happen between the speeds of 55 -60 mph, and almost all the time this will happen when the engine requires more power going up hills. we are taking it to our second repair shop in one month today. *tr

Driving with the family, going 50 mph and the car cuts out completely dead with no warning. had to coast into the median. put car in park and restarted. exactly one week later, car died while accelerating from a stop sign. car would not go into any gear. same issues with 04 and 05 fords that are being recalled. 06 needs to be recalled too. now i have to spend 3k on a new transmission because of a ford documented issue. *kb

Yesterday while traveling on interstate 30, our 2006 ford freestar suddenly made a loud revving up noise with the rpms shooting up for a second and then i had no propulsion. the motor was running, but all i could do was coast as far as i could to get to the shoulder. my husband and three young children were with us, and it was very scary to lose power like that and then to sit on the shoulder being shaken by every big rig that came by. we had to be towed to the nearest ford dealership and rent a vehicle to drive the 100 miles home. once home last night, we found info about the same thing happening to many other freestars and that ford is voluntarily recalling '04 and '05 models to replace the torque converters. what about the '06 models this is happening to? we were amazed at the stories we found identical to ours. will the 2006 models be addressed as well? when i heard the automated message from ford concerning the '04 and '05 models and how this issue does not affect safety because a vehicle can be coasted to safety, i was appalled. i wonder if they have tried that in interstate traffic consisting to a large degree of 18-wheelers barreling downhill on you as you try to get past a bridge to the shoulder while carrying your husband and three kids! and then to sit there not able to move one way or the other while more 18-wheelers fly by, feeling relief each time they don't hit you, trying to decide if we'd all be safer standing in the ditch! didn't feel so safe to me! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting gears. the contact also stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but he was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact stated that she also had to have the vehicle towed on a few occasions. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 116,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 83,161 and the /current /mileage was 110,000. updated 2/27/13 *cn updated 03/11/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 to 45 mph, all of the power shut off, but the engine continued to run. the vehicle was later towed to an authorized dealer and they informed the contact that the failure may be due to the torque converter. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were approximately 108,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the contact felt the vehicle slip before stalling completely. the contact attempted to shift into drive and reverse but the vehicle would not move from its position. the vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer where it was diagnosed that the forward and reverse gears malfunctioned. the dealer also stated that the vehicle needed a new torque converter, which was replaced. the failure mileage was 83,161 and the current mileage was 83,300.

Van started shuddering and shaking upon acceleration brought the van to a transmission shop and they told me the transmission torque converter was faulty and about ready to fail totally. the transmission repair shop replaced the torque converter and shaft in the transmission. i called ford and they told me they are currently only recalling the 2004's and 2005's. my van is a 2006 and according to the transmission shop it has the exact same defective components in the transmission as the 2004's and 2005's. ford needs to recall the 2006's. this repair cost me $1700.00 and i feel ford should have to pay for the repair on my vehicle. if you have a 2006 or 2007 and are having transmission torque converter issues you need to file a complaint with the nhtsa. so they can make ford recall the rest of the defective transmissions! *tr

Every time it rained, my engine would shudder, shake, sometimes knock, the transmission would shift for no good reason, and i stalled out in traffic once. the vehicle became non-drivable when it rained (and only when it rained). i took the vehicle to my ford dealer (schults ford of harmarville, pa), where technician pat sand indicated that this is a known problem with ford freestars, and said a ford service bulletin indicates that because of a manufacturing problem (incorrect sealer application to the pcm and poor position of pcm in relation to windshield run-off) water leakage into the program control module causes it to issue random commands and errors. they followed the ford bulletin and by simply better sealing against moisture / blocking the water flow, resolved the problem. this is a safety issue and a known manufacturing defect. *tr

Transmission is dead. without warning. i towed my car. mechanic asking me 2500$. *tr

On 1/27/12 while heading out of town with my family on a busy highway at a speed of 72mph my van lost all power. the van was suddenly dropping speed with no prior warning at all. there were semis all around and thank the lord i was able to pull the van over to the side of the road out of harms way. once on the side of the road i turned off the iginition and waited a few minutes before trying to start again. the van started but, would not go into gear at all. i had to call a tow truck which costs me money i did not have and now to find out that there are many others out there with the same make,model and year vehicle that are having the same exact problem and nothing is being done about it by ford is crazy. this could have cost me and my family our lives and others that were driving around me. when is something going to be done.?! to have ford recall the '04 and '05 models for this exact reason, should make them realize there is something extremely wrong with this make and model vehicle. i purchased this vehicle for the family thinking of safety all along but am now scared to drive it once it gets fixed. this is death trap as far as i am concerned. *tt

i own a 2006 ford freestar and as of jan 9 2012 they have recalled 04-05 for the transmission blowing up! torque converter ,pump and output shaft to give you the pats! my family was in the van on the 400 hwy driving on jan 22 2012 with two children and my van shouts down no control,driving 105-110 in the middle lane.. we did get to the side of the road and no one was hurt thank god, to realize our transmission blow,with only 105,000km on the van not knowing there was a problem out from ford canada all ready for the 04-05 ,we have called ford canada and told them what happened and they informed us that we have no warranty and its not in the recalls, so the van was fixed with a billof 2975.00at aamco transmission on jan 25th 2012 with no help from ford, i cant believe this has happened they were aware of this problem and are not concerned about lives, someone or all of us and anyone around us could have lost there lives due to this problem with the transmissions failing and there know about it, and don't feel there is enough repaired with the 06 are you kidding me not enough reports this is a joke, there are aware of this and when someone loses there life there recall them , give your head a shake, fix the problem before this even happens, i don't know where to begin and where or who to talk to but i am email everyone i can so that no one loses there life over this!!!i need help from all parties out there please i am heard this happened to me and my family and it could have turn out very bad!!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact was attempting a left turn at 15 mph when a grinding noise emitted from the transmission. the vehicle lunged forward and the vehicle failed to continue accelerating. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and they advised the contact that the vin failed to qualify for repairs under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 57,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 58 mph, the rpms increased and the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the torque converter caused the transmission to fail and that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. no repairs were performed. the current and the failure mileages were 123,000.

After engaging the vehicle into drive, the vehicle went approximately 30 feet then suddenly stopped. the engine remained running, the vehicle just stopped and would not go in any gear. after towing it to the dealer, we were informed that the torque converter was bad. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel and no prior warnings of failure. the vehicle had been at the dealer for routine maintenance one week prior to the failure and the technicians reported no incidents of concern. the majority of the mileage on this vehicle are highway miles and there is not a situation of frequent gear changes. as there are many other 2006 ford freestar vehicle owners with similar complaints and occurrences, and the vehicle was built in 2005 (but not included in the 2005 recall), ford should recall this vehicle and others with similar incidences. *tr

Recurrent intermittent problems with slipping transmission. problem has become increasingly worse. waiting for catastrophic failure with this known ford transmission problem. i will probably die,when this(transmission) fails and puts me in the path of a speeding vehicle; giving me no chance to get out of the way. a 6 year old vehicle should not have this problem. *tr

While driving on the highway the torque converter would malfunction causing the vehicle to hesitate and make a rumbling sound. the right front wheel makes tapping sounds when turning to the right or left. the ford mechanic and my personal mechanic have said the torque converter, cv joints and drive shafts will have to be replaced, and that the transmission may have to be rebuilt or replaced. i purchased the van form ford in 2007. i am looking forward to hearing for the nhtsa board on these issues. *tr

I had just left home and turned out onto major highway - i was picking up speed and it was like i put my van into neutral - i just pulled off highway and it would not go into any gear. had to tow it and have it repaired. torque converter went out -- had to have transmission rebuilt. aamco rebuilt transmission and they told us it had a 2005 transmission in it. i feel like the 2006 ford freestars should be placed in the same recall as the 2004 and 2005 ford freestars as some were actually made in 2005. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph the vehicle stopped accelerating however the engine was still running. the contact smelled burning fluids. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission, torque converter and shaft had failed and would need to be rebuilt. the vehicle was repaired. afterward he was informed of a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission). the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 106,000. ..updated 01/30/13 *bf the consumer stated the vehicle ws repaired. the consumer was advised the defective transmission is the same as those included in the recall. updated 2/1/2013 *js

The engine revved up real high and then there was no drive train. the transmission would not move in any gear. the motor was fine. just no drive. *tr

On nov. 18, 2011 while on a trip of approximately 600 miles round trip this 2006 ford freestar shuddered a few times which was presumed to be rough road. on nov. 23 the van did not go into reverse. after a few tries it did slip into reverse. the following day nov. 24 the same thing happened. the van was in another town about 60 miles away, my daughter had borrowed it, so on dec.06, 2011 she took it to a ford dealership for diagnosis. the dealership gave me a paper stating the oss was bad. i picked up the van (after the ford dealership told me it could be driven home), and on the way home it started to jerk when changing gears while going up or down hills. the lights inside and out went out also. i took the van to a transmission shop and after they checked it over it was determined the transmission was bad. there was nothing wrong with the oss sensor. a washer had broken inside the transmission, the fluid was full of metal, bushings were worn, and gears needed replacing. i trust this transmission place totally and since i had experienced the reverse and gear jerk problems myself i felt this was the correct diagnosis. i had the transmission repaired. now, this may be reasonable for some 2006 vehicles which may had been driven hard, however.. this van had 56683 miles when taken to the dealership. this vehicle is used mostly for transportation for a disabled person. which makes it twice as frightening about the transmission. i keep thinking about the possibilities of breaking down miles away from home. when is it acceptable for a bought new, gently treated vehicle with 56683 miles on it have a bad transmission? even though it is 5 years old the mileage is not great. i cannot think what might have been if it had gone totally while on the road transporting a disabled person. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated the engine remained in the on position but the vehicle failed to move forward. the mechanic stated the torque converter failed. the contact found nhtsa recall campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train automatic transmission: torque converter) and wanted to know why the 2006 model year was not included. the current and failure mileage was 70,000.

I have filed a complaint before on this website about my frod freestar suddenly not moving. going up a ramp in the dark when car just stopped going forward. same complaint as many others here. i have emailed ford several times to find out if the 2006 will be recalled like the 04 and 05 models with the same exact problem. just kept getting the standard we aren't responsible answer. i called ford 2 days ago to verbally file a complaint. i was told that 1) rebuilt parts are better than new parts, so that's why i have a rebuilt transmission in my van now and 2) that ford won't respond about a recall unless they start getting phone calls from people with the same complaint. so do letters an emails about the problem not count? don't know if anyone is following the complaints on here but i thought i would share just in case. i paid $2600 to get a rebuilt transmission put in my car by ford and i really want my money back and faith once again in my vehicle. *tt

We were accelerating from a stop light, just getting to 10mph when the transmission failed. it was like the transmission shifted into neutral. there were no warning signs or indicators that the transmission was failing. it just went out. *tr

Driving home on tollraod at night going up on ramp. van gave no warning, no lights, no issues. engine still on but van would not move. was able to roll back down ramp partway and get on to small houlder area. this ramp was curved and we were in a blind spot with a carfull of people and the cat. had to wait for hctra to tow us to a safe location, then had to wait another 2 hours for a tow truck. couls not get a rental from ford nor did we get any help replacing the transmission. $2600 later we have a erbulit transmission. i drive 2 hours to and from work. the van has all of its maintence done on time. ford has recalled the 04 nad o5 freestar for the same exact problem but will not acknowledge the issue with the 2006. very frustrating. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact was driving between 40-50 mph when the engine stalled briefly and the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 126,000.

I have a 2006 ford freestar and it periodically decides to slam on the brakes on the freeway without my foot touching the brake pedal. the traction control light flashes and will not go faster than 25 mph. turned off traction control button and ran fine. turned traction control back on and the van slammed on the breaks again. had to pull over turn off motor and restart engine to make the van stop. this has happened on six occasions over a period of 4 years. rapid deceleration from cruising speed (65 mph) to 25mph with absolutely no operator control on the freeway and with children in the rear seat. this is a serious safety issue and must be investigated by the ntsb and remedied by ford. it's only a matter of time before there are deaths associated with this defect. this car has been in the dealer's shop for a fix on three occasions and the problem persists. *tr

Bought the 2006 ford freestar on 9/14/11. 5 minutes after the purchase, i came to a light and the car lost all power. turned right around and went back to the dealership and assumed it was from sitting in the lot through a massive snow storm. in the 18 weeks that i have had the vehicle, it has been brought back to the shop 4 times totaling 12 full weeks. we have constant loss of power. we also experience a jerking/bucking which results in the engine light flashing and as soon as the car slows down enough, it will lose power. this usually happens right after rain. these problems have left me with a non mobile car in intersections. this is not safe at all and there should be a recall on this vehicle before someone ends up in a fatal crash. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated the vehicle failed to accelerate when driving uphill. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the manufacturer was contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 41,163.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. while driving for over 20 minutes at an unknown speed, the vehicle independently failed to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 50,000.

After starting vehicle, very high rpm's. when put in drive it stalls out. sitting at stop light it stalls out. mechanic said, "pcm is bad." it's not worth replacing if it's a design flaw. us as consumers shouldn't have to pay for car manufactures mistakes!! *tr

As i was driving my 2006 ford freestar on a busy highway, the vehicle acted as if it went into neutral and i had to coast to the side of the road. the vehicle would not go into forward or reverse gear at all - it was simply stuck on the side of the road.this van has only 69,000 miles on it and should not have such an issue at this point! i have had it towed to a mechanic who informs me that the torque converter and possibly more will need to be replaced leaving me out of pocket over $3,000.00. i have researched this problem and as i entered "2006 ford freestar" into google search it seems that this is an ongoing problem that is happening with thousands of other vehicles of the same year/make. why is this not a recall from ford? this is a very dangerous problem! i was traveling at a speed of 72mph in heavy traffic when this occurred and could have been killed! when will these people have to start doing something about the faulty vehicles being made and sold to the public???? i do not have the time or money to replace a transmission at 69,000 miles on a vehicle that obviously has a defect from the factory! *tr

Van was on cruise control. engine reved up and van slowed to a stop. even on manual control (not on cruise control) the engine would speed up, but the van would not move. lucky that there was s shoulder to stop on. sale ford service department diagnosed the problem as a transmission department. many, many people have reported this same problem to ford motor company.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that water penetrated the hood, causing the transmission and the electrical system to fail. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that water damaged the transmission, instrumental cluster, and smart module. the dealer replaced the transmission. the instrumental cluster and smart module were not replaced. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was replaced 105,000. the vin was unavailable.

2006 ford freestar failed to move forward in gear while driving on busy road. this occurred two different times. most recent instance saw me and my 4 year old daughter placed in peril. i have had transmission replaced only to find that problems may be the result of the pcm failing as a result of getting "wet" due to a faulty seal on the box that houses the pcm. most recent incident nearly resulted in our nearly being rear ended by a semi tractor trailer at 50 mph. fortunately, i had the presence of mind to shift to neutral, restart van and coast off road just ahead of truck. van stalled and would not run. had to leave at garage out of town and get a ride home for my and my 4 year old daughter. *tr

I was driving into a parking lot, slowed my speed, when i put my foot back on the gas, nothing happened. the engine would rev but there was no movement at all. i tried all gears and none worked. this has not happened with this van before. the car is being repaired now. the mechanic believes it will be one part of the transmission that needs repair and not a whole transmission rebuild. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that the transmission failed without warning and the vehicle would not accelerate or reverse. the vehicle was not inspected for the failure. the contact inspected the vehicle and they think the pump on the transmission has failed. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 102,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact was driving 30 mph when the vehicle shifted to neutral without any warning, causing the vehicle to suddenly come to a stop and the contact was unable to accelerate or change gears. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the mechanic diagnosed the failure as the torque converter and also advised that the transmission would need replacing. the manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance stating that there were no recalls on the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 60,600.

I had just gotten of the interstate when my 2006 ford freestar would not drive. i coasted in a parking lot. this is a very busy street. the would not drive without any warning or any lights on the dash. the check engine light is still not on. i called a mechanic and he said that they just fix a van like mine and it was the torque converter and it will cost 975.00 to fix if this is the problem. this is the second ford mini van i have had the first one i had it for 3 days and it caught fire 3am this was a ford windstar. i had no compensation for it i even had to come up with an additional down payment because the insurance company only covered the value of the car not what i bought it for. ford will never get my business. *tr

Sudden loss of power to wheels @ 114,000 miles; ford dealer: "you need to purchase a rebuilt transmission" this is the torque converter as known to nhtsa; demanded ford refund, refused. second ford remanufactured transmission warranty not being honored with failure @ 93,000. ford dealer: "replaced fuse, torque converter shudder; your van has over 200,000 miles on it!!" significant transmission vibration with steering shudder, re-diagnosed january 10, 2014; continuation of 93,000 failure and claimed repair. pcm failed at aprox. 85,000 miles; power steering leaks year after purchase @ 53,000 original miles. ford dealer refuses repair/refund. all documents in possession. *tr

2006 ford freestar, transmission gone without warn or noise. just quiet stop working during driving. unreasonable! the weather was snowstorm. i am not happy after have been with ford for 30 years. ford should take responsible the problem. please help us or i will not buy another ford. thanks. *tr

We had our 2006 ford freestar transmission replaced back in late 2009 due to water getting into the transmission. on feb 21, we brought it back in to find that our transmission has yet again got water in it!!! we are lucky that this falls under the power train warranty, but what is going to happen next year when we are bound to encounter this problem again. ford tells us that we will have to pay for it ourselves. this is bs seeing as this is a recurring problem that they have yet corrected. if you initiate a complaint about a vehicle during your warranty timeline and they cannot remedy the problem, even after the warranty is up, then it should be on ford to correct it. tell me, when do these motor companies have to take ownership for their short comings? when my ipod kept having issues, i did not have to keep paying to get the issue fixed, i received a brand new ipod!!! motor companies should have stricter rules to follow seeing as we are putting lives at stake. *tr