| Issue ID | 755216 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10298897 |
| Manufacurer | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| Brand | FORD |
| Model | FREESTAR |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 13/12/09 |
| Component | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | In early december, i purchased a very well-maintained 2004 ford freestar van. This van was owned by close, lifelong friends and i can attest to the fact that the van, with 45,000 miles on its odometer, was in perfectly maintained physical and mechanical condition when purchased. On december 13, 2009, i was driving south on interstate 94 near kenosha, wisconsin when the vehicle's transmission suddenly, and without warning, failed. Traveling in the left-hand lane at freeway speed, i had to maneuver the vehicle without any forward propulsion through three lanes of heavy sunday traffic. Fortunately, i was able to coast without any forward propulsion onto the right shoulder of the freeway while avoiding a massive pile-up involving the dozens of automobiles and tractor-trailers surrounding me at the time of the transmission failure. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 45000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | WEST BEND, WI |
| VIN pattern | 2FMDA58204BXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | Y |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 68 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |