Problems with 2006 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

Returned to vehicle from the store, started, selected reverse and nothing happened. engine would respond to gas with revs, but no movement. tried other gears--nothing would engage: it was as if every gear was neutral. has to be towed to service center. have now read online that this is very common and that the 2004-5 were recalled for this very issue. i am so frustrated that ford would not recall the 06 as well. an hour earlier my wife and children could have been killed if this had happened on the freeway! also pretty disappointed in nhtsa for not leveraging its position to force ford to address this. *tr

I was on my way to work at 5am and was at a red light. on the green light, hit the gas and the van would not move. i couldn't get it to go into gear. it was like i didn't have any shifting abilities. the engine was running, but it wouldn't move. called a tow truck, and yes i have a transmission problem. the torque converter is shot plus whatever else can go wrong with broken metal in your transmission. we don't have the money to fix it, so we have a pretty piece of junk in our driveway that we still owe $4,500 on. i think i will plant flowers around it so the neighbors will not see the grass growing under it. plus that will give it a proper burial, because without a ford recall, it will never move. *tr

I was driving my 2006 ford freestar in my neighbor hood with my kids with me. all of a sudden the car shook and i lost all power in my vehicle. the engine just revved like i was in neutral. i pulled over in a parking lot. none of the gears on van were working. i was very fortunate that i was not on highway and not traveling at a high speed. there is a problem with the torque converter and ford knows it. they did a recall on the 2004-2005 torque converter but not the 2006. i have spoken to several repair facilities including a ford dealership and they advised me that they all use the same transmission. i can not believe that ford would consider the torque converter issue a safety recall but not one for the 2006 freestar. i called ford and they said that would notify me if there is a future recall but basically i am on my own. they are putting people in jeopardy of their safety and they are aware of the issue. *tr

The same as everyone else. the van does not shift from first to second gear. if it does shift, it is a very hard shift. some times need to back off on gas so it shifts. once in second gear, van runs good. reverse is sporadic as well. some times it wants to. sometimes not so much. changed transmission filter. did not correct the situation. did some research to see if anyone else has had issues like i am having to find out that there are many people with the same issue. i have noticed that there was a recall for the same make and model but previous 2 years. not sure why this year has not had a recall to fix the torque converter, but i am hoping that there will be a recall soon.... it is obvious that there is an issue that needs to be resolved.... *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while traveling approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power. the vehicle was moved to the shoulder where it was shut down and restarted, but to no avail. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was awaiting diagnosis of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 95,000.

I reported to the dealer i bought the vehicle from the 2nd week i owned it that there was a wrench light on and it was flashing.they told me to come to the store and they would look at it,they discovered a solenoid had blown and they replaced it.they told me it was fixed but if it were to come back on that i should get back to them.the light would come on and off randomly,sometimes weekly,other times bi weekly and i called them each and every time.they sent me to a garage in biddeford that only replaced a spark plug and they called it good.i have been driving the van this way since june and despite the fact that the problem was brought to their attention,it now remains unresolved.i went to drive it 2 days ago,wrench light was on when i left,on the way home,the wrench light and engine light were on and it wouldn't shift.i couldn't go above 40 and prayed to make it home.i have no money for another car and would love to get a resolution to this soon.i am in a severe time crunch and can't afford not to have a car. *tr

While driving in traffic, power to the wheels was disconnected and the engine revved. car acted as though it was out of gear. after coasting off the roadway, vehicle would not engage in gear. there was no prior warning or issue. took the car to a mechanic who changed the torque converter - problem solved. we are surprised this was not covered under the recall for 2004-2005 vehicles as it seems to be the same issue! *tr

While driving on highway 11/70 in knoxville tennessee, traveling west my wife lost propulsion and had to coast into a parking lot. engine is fine, transmission does not provide power to wheels. this happened suddenly and without warning. we have not had any warnings that anything was going wrong with the vehicle. i realize that there is a recall for this model for the years 04, and 05, for the transmission. my failure symptom is consistent with the failure described for the 04, 05 recall. thank you, *tr

I was driving approximately 25 mph on a side street when the car lost power to the power train. the check engine light came on before losing power. the engine did not stall and as i pressed the accelerator, i could hear the engine revving. it was if the car was in neutral. i steered the car to the side of the road and stopped it. i turned it off and restarted it to see if i could get it to operate in gear. again, the card turned over but there was no power in drive or reverse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while traveling 35 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the engine was still running but the vehicle would not move. the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer and it was determined that the torque converter had failed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 170,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis. the technician stated that the torque converter would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000. *tr

May 4, 2013 , 2006 ford freestar w/ 87,785 mi. stopped moving in intersection with children in van.all gears acted like neutral except park. 2 1/2 hrs from home. wife had to call carmel, in police dept. for assistance to move out of intersection for her & children's safety. ford is aware of this issue, had recalls on 04-05 freestars, many complaints on 06 also, no recall. local mechanic diagnosed it as either torque converter failure or pcm, both well known issues on this car. build date on freestar is 12/05. we had to pay $400 to have it towed home.. this issues demands a recall before someone is seriously injured or dies. no warning before this happened.. *tr

Pulled into parking lot at work, then the engine revved up as if it was in neutral and transmission would not engage. had to coast to parking spot. if this would've happened moments earlier i would've been traveling down the highway at 75mph in traffic and could have caused a very serious wreck. i have learned since this incident the 2004 and 2005 models were recalled for this exact issue, the manufacturer date on my freestar is oct. 2005, so why has the 2006 models not been recalled when they have the same torque converters with the same issue as the 2004-2005 models. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the transmission failed to without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the technician stated that the torque converter would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, there was a sudden loss of engine power and the mil illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 104,000.

I was going to work traveling at exactly 40 mph and engine was working fine but transmission was not engaging. the van came to a slow gradual stop. i turned the van off ant started it again with no problems but when tried to shift into gear, it would not engage. my brother who is a certified auto repair technician in puerto rico was visiting and checked it for me an stated that the transmission pump failed causing the torque converter to break. it would need to be repaired at a cost of at least $1200.00. i am making payments and i have no other vehicle and now i can't get to work. ford knew about this problem because it is the same transmission recalled in 2005 the freestar i am preparing to sue. *tr

My children and i were returning from a trip to and were driving through kentucky on the interstate. while we were going up a hill the car just started to rev as though it were stuck in neutral. i tried lower gears and finally we were able to move of the freeway and on to the side. thankfully we were all okay. after leaving it in a different state from which we live and having the torque converter repaired, we were able to return and drive it home. approximately 4 and a half months later, i am driving home from a night class on road that does not have great lighting and going up a hill the same thing happens. this time it is towed to a local shop and we are told that it will cost us $2400 to put in a new transmission. from what i can see here by other complaints and other web-sites, this is a common problem, that ford knows about. i am really disappointed. until this happened the first time, this was a great vehicle. i would not be so upset, if we had not just had this problem repaired such a short time ago and if it were not so over abundant in these and other vehicles.

I was driving my van home from the grocery store. all of a sudden the speedometer said i was traveling at over 100 miles an hour and began to vibrate. i pulled over, turned the car off and restarted it. it seemed to be okay at first. then when i tried to get it up to speed it would only move down the road at a crawl. same problem as the 2004-2005 models. *tr

Engines runs fine and accelerates, but van does not move. as if in neutral. same problem as recalled 2004 - 2005 faulty factory torque converter. was almost hit on highway as speed decelerated rapidly. seeing many others online have filed similar complaints, i am quite sure ford knows this defect extends to the 2006 model which was built in 2005 using the same parts known to be faulty.*tr

While driving in heavy traffic during a snow storm with my 9 year old daughter on the freeway my 2006 ford freestar started jerking and trying to stall out when trying to get off the freeway to safety speedometer was showing i was driving 120 at a stop light. the rpm's were at a 3 while sitting still. if the van had stalled on the freeway the incident would have been horrific. then a second incident happen on march 28, 2013 when i was preparing pull onto a side street my van started jerking and stalling out on me and the speedometer showed i going a 120 while sitting still at a stop sign. *tr

When i placed the shifter lever to reverse the vehicle would not move backward. the torque converter had to be replaced. brake booster had to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle came to a complete halt without any warnings and there was a sudden increase of engine rpm. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the torque converter was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 92,000.

My husband and 5 passengers were traveling home at night from my son's hockey game ( 2 hours away) when the car felt like it was sent into neutral. could not go forward or reverse. thankfully they were able to coast safely to a stop. they were stranded and had to flag down help. the torque converter was totally stripped out which resulted in a repair bill of $902.00. ( not to mention the cost of towing) i found out that the 2004 and 2005 freestar torque converters were on recall. why were the 2006 models not included in this? i was told they have the same transmission and such. i will be holding onto my receipt in hopes that we can be reimbursed for this major inconvenience and safety issue. this could have been a bad situation had they been on a freeway. i am hoping that ford will recognize that the 2006 models should be included on this recall. if not.... the next breakdown, accident, injury or death could be on your shoulders. sorry for the rant but i am frustrated! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving uphill. the vehicle was towed to a transmission specialist, who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the transmission torque converter. the transmission was rebuilt and the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,555 and the approximate current mileage was 65,655. updated 5/7/13 *cn updated 05/16/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the transmission suddenly pulled then the electrical system failed. the vehicle engine was still running but the vehicle failed to respond to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was awaiting diagnosis. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 103,218.

Van quit moving. engine was running fine throughout the entire incident, but the transmission would no longer engage and move the van in any direction. waiting on diagnostic report, but have checked the vin and there is no recall notice at this time. *tr

2006 ford freestar. consumer writes in regards to transmission malfunction. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle slowed to a stop, in the middle of the interstate.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was determined that the torque converter failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure and current mileages were 266,000. the vin was not available.

Running sluggish on acceleration. no warning lights regarding any problem until total failure while driving on a major highway. was able to get to dealer. at stop sign car would not move. re-started and was able to park. needs transmission replaced. *tr

I was traveling down the highway when my transmission completely quit working and my rpm's shot up to 5000. i coasted to the side of the road and the transmission would not engage. i had it towed to a local shop where i was referred to cottman transmission to get it evaluated. cottman transmission said the transmission was full of water and completely burned up. they said that these vans have a problem with water leaking through the wiper vents onto the top of the pcm and water entering into the transmission. upon more investigation i have found out that ford has even acknowledged the problem and still has not issued a recall. they have issued a recall on some of the 04 and 05's for torque converter issues that sound like the same problem with the 06's. something has to be done about this because i was traveling on a busy highway with my wife and kids and had the transmission locked up i could have caused a serious, possibly even fatal, wreck because of ford's failure to correct a problem that they know exists! thankyou. *tr

While driving at highway speed (75mph) the transmission failed, there was no warning and there were no previous problems with the transmission. the transmission has no forward or reverse gears leaving it essentially in neutral. this left the car without power or the ability to safely exit the highway in the middle of crowded traffic. except for the ability of other drivers to avoid our car this could have resulted in a catastrophic accident. *tr

Transmission failed without warning while driving at city speeds under normal conditions. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while traveling 35 mph, the vehicle became resistant to acceleration attempts. the contact merged off the roadway where the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic. the mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the torque converter failed. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission), which he believed was similar to the failure, but did not confirm if the vehicle was included in the recall campaign. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the failure and current mileages were 118,000.

My wife was driving home from work when she turned onto a side street, the van lost all power and the wouldn't go into gear. after researching the problem i came across alot of people with this same problem with there 2006 freestar. i also found out that the 2004 and 2005 freestar had recalls for this same problem. could someone please look into this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled unexpectedly as the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact also mentioned that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle would not accelerate and would stall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 136,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while traveling 25 mph the vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. the engine was running, but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was told the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. the failure and current mileage was 120,000.

Have a 2006 ford freestyle that has the wrench icon coming on. when this happens the vehicle loses acceleration and i have to turn it off then turn it back on to get the light to go off. i have called prater ford in calhoun ga. when this started happening to see if by chance there was a recall on the defect. they told me no recalls. my point is if this is happening more and more on this model someone needs to fix it. they also told me that it would cost about 400.00 to fix this problem, which is money i don't have. the problem happens when you drive it on the road. too scared to hit the interstate with it.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact was driving approximately 15 mph when the vehicle completely stalled. the contact moved to the shoulder of the road and powered on the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that there was a recall for the 2004 and 2005 ford freestar vehicles however, not for the 2006 models (nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 power train:automatic transmission:torque converter). the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the torque converter would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 97,780. the current mileage was 98,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle became resistant to forward acceleration. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home. the contact called a local dealer and was informed of a recall for the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission) . the contact was also informed that his vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 99,000.

Vehicle started but when placed into drive or reverse nothing would happen even when the engine was revved. no warning, no noise, no previous indications at all that there was a problem. car was towed to ford dealership who informed me that the torque converter would need to be replaced as it was broken. thankfully my wife and kids had just pulled off the main highway for a fuel stop and were just going to continue their journey when the problem occurred. how can ford issue a recall for 2004 and 2005 freestar torque converters and not issue one for the 2006 when i'm sure that some 2006 models were actually made in 2005. *tr

I was traveling at a steady speed of 40 mph when i experienced instant and total transmission failure. the engine remained running and all subsystems continued to function but there was no power applied to the wheels in any gear. after being towed to the nearest ford dealership (lindsay ford in wheaton, md) the service department said that i needed a new transmission for $4,000. i eventually had the transmission repaired at a local shop for a total cost to me of $2,600. i learned that i had the same transmission problem that seems to be common to the ford freestar: a broken pump shaft caused the torque converter teeth to break off. it is obvious that this is a serious design flaw that remains uncorrected. ford should be held accountable and made liable for all failures and repairs related to this issue. *tr

Van was in motion on secondary roadway/county highway at approx 30mph. operator slowed vehicle for traffic and then attempted to continue on but received no response from the van. engine was operating and gear selector was in drive. the incident could be classed as near miss accident as other operators had to drive around the van which had come to a stop in the middle of road. ford diagnostics are that the torque converter has failed and has to be replaced. the symptoms and problem are the same as the 2004 & 2005 freestar torque converter recall. however, ford has not included the 2006 model year in the same recall. *tr

Van was driving on a city street as it should when with no warning or indication of any problem at all driving power was lost while on a public roadway. the car would not move at all in any gear and was stuck on the roadway as far over as was possible, but could not get completely off of the roadway once momentum was lost. had i known there would be no way to drive the vehicle i might have been able to get farther off of the road into a ditch. this is the van with the 3.9 liter engine. i hope no one has had this happen when crossing a highway or trying to merge on to the interstate.

At a grocery store parking lot, after turning into a parking spot i put the van into reverse to straighten it out, when i put back into drive, it didn't move, there was no engagement whatsoever of the gears. i had to push the vehicle into the spot out of the lane of traffic and have it towed. ironically this happened 3 days after i learned about ford recalling the freestar for 2005 models to replace torque converter; when the service center who towed my vehicle told me i needed a torque converter replacement i had them provide pictures of the part and can clearly see the part itself was a 2005 part! however ford is not taking responsibility because the year of my vehicle is 2006, it cost me over $1300 to repair. i notified customer service at ford on 8/31/12 to request a refund but so far nothing. *tr

I was driving down a city street, stopped at a light, when it turned green i pushed on the pedal gently (someone was in front of me) and it made a huge jerk and clank clank clank. it then started to go. at this point it had the "powertrain malfunction light on". i drove it to ford and the car wouldn't go into reverse at all and wouldn't drive with out jerking. it also wouldn't go back in neutral when the key was turned on. no warning, drove fine before this. *tr

Driving north of idaho falls on i-15 on august 26, 2012. cruise control on at 75 mph. sudden loss of gear, engine rpm spiked. removed cruise control, now coasting in drive. pulled over to the shoulder and placed in park. attempted to engage the transmission with no response in any gear. the transmission has a date code of august 16, 2005. *tr

Driving down the road the van just lost forward motion, like it went into neutral. coasted to side of road, tried all gears and had nothing no drive or reverse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate. the contact was able to see that the engine and tachometer continued running however the vehicle would not respond to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where it was determined that the torque converter failed. the vehicle was repaired by replacing the torque converter. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the current and failure mileage was 84,000.

I got into my van, after dropping my mom off and was during approximately 15 miles am hour, got half way down her street when i heard this strange noise, like the sound of ron's revving on a race car or something. than. my rpm gage was going all the way up and down. it was moving pretty slow, and i got scared and pulled over and put it in park and shut it down. i than tried to start it up again and it would not go . it just kept revving. the ron's moving up and down again. i had to have it towed to a transmission shop and they charged me $1,550 to have trainee rebuilt. i was out of a vehicle for months trying to come up with the money. also spending money on rentals to get to work and bring my kids to school. than just three months after getting my van back, i drove to the akron reservation and nearly the same thing happened driving up a hill on the way back. i had to have it towed again and went without my van for another week and a half. they fixed it again and than told me there was a recall on the torque converters through ford. the 2004 and 2005 ford freestar. my van is an 06, and their are a lot of 2006 story's and complaints i have heard besides mine. ford needs to extend the recall and add the 2006 models also, because it's the same defective problem as the 04, and 05. *tr

The vehicle would do 35 or 40 mph and would not shift gear. took vehicle to two automotive repair shops to find out the issue. had the torque converter replaced along with transmission gaskets and seals. the 3rd gear shift solenoid was also replaced and vehicle still does the same thing. took it to the ford dealership and they told me that they know there's a problem and what it is (without even looking at the vehicle), but my vehicle does not fall under the recall notice. i am asking that the recall be extended to include the 2006 model ford freestar and not limited to the 2004-2005 model year as ford has not corrected the manufacturer issue in regard to the power train performance. *tr