Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||||||
| PE10033 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/23/2010 | 07/15/2011 | Engine Stalling | ||
| The subject vehicles suffered from a design issue whereby water could run down onto the cowling under the hood and located in the area of the windshield wipers and then drip onto a computer module, the powertrain control module (pcm), which could be manifested in a variety of symptoms depending on which part of the circuit board became wet or which of the connector pins shorted out.in addition to causing an engine to stall, which may or may not then restart, the water intrusion could also cause the transmission to shift poorly, the vehicle to have erratic power, a malfunction indicator light to come on, or result in an inability to start the vehicle, an inability to shift the vehicle into either forward or reverse. also the problem could cause a higher than normal idle rpm in park, or for the radio to malfunction, or the interior lights to stay on.during this investigation odi was concerned with the effect of the engine stalling or a drastic and sudden loss of power either of which may create a safety risk.in reviewing the actual number of these types of incidents, collectively referred to here as engine stalls, the number was found to be below what would be considered a defect trend.for example, the number of engine stalls identified in ford's warranty claims for the model year (my) 2004 subject vehicles, the my with the most failures, was 200 out of population of 125,865, for a failure rate of 0.16%.the one crash recorded by a complainant to nhtsa, voq 10311522, alleged that the engine stalled, due to water intrusion into the pcm, while the road was turning causing her to go off the road and according to the police report the vehicle then hit an embankment and a tree stump. ford reported in their response that there were three alleged crashes but none of these were validated as being caused by a problem with water intrusion into the pcm causing a stall.accordingly this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
| PE10033 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 08/23/2010 | Engine stalling | |||
| This preliminary evaluation (pe) is being opened based on information obtained during the investigation dp09-004, which was specifically related to model year (my) 2004 ford freestar vehicles.the manufacturer's numbers presented on the failure report of the opening of this pe are for my 2004 ford freestar vehicles only, the odi number represents 15 my 2004 complaints and 12 my 2005 complaints; the scope of this pe investigation for my 2004 to 2007 freestars and montereys is based on complaints received to odi and on ford's technical service bulletin tsb 06-14-10. the one crash noted is for a my freestar, voq #10311522.this pe has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety-related consequences of the alleged defect. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 05/15/2012 | 52100 | 1 | |
| While parking the car, the engine/gas surged taking me slightly forward until i put on the brake. the first time happened in may, but it continues to happen especially when i am going slowly (parking etc) both in forward and reverse and have the air conditioning on. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2012 | 52100 | ||
| While parking the car, the engine/gas surged taking me slightly forward until i put on the brake. the first time happened in may, but it continues to happen especially when i am going slowly (parking etc) both in forward and reverse and have the air conditioning on. | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated abnormally when in reverse and with the brakes depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle was in need of maintenance and needed a tune up performed. the repairs were performed on the vehicle but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerated abnormally when in reverse and with the brakes depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle was in need of maintenance and needed a tune up performed. the repairs were performed on the vehicle but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. kmj | |||
| 07/21/2012 | 81978 | 1 | |
| Vehicle lunges forward and tachometer shows momentary engine rpms up to 2500 causing vehicle to surge. using the brake pedal to control the unexpected motion stalls out the engine which when restarted can only drive at very reduced speed. ford dealership replaced throttle body and reprogrammed sensor for more tolerance as per new ford specs. service advisor attributed the bad throttle body to low quality gasoline. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2012 | 81978 | ||
| Vehicle lunges forward and tachometer shows momentary engine rpms up to 2500 causing vehicle to surge. using the brake pedal to control the unexpected motion stalls out the engine which when restarted can only drive at very reduced speed. ford dealership replaced throttle body and reprogrammed sensor for more tolerance as per new ford specs. service advisor attributed the bad throttle body to low quality gasoline. | |||
| 06/08/2012 | 90258 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would unexpectedly jerk forward. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were 90,258. the vin was not available. | |||
| 06/08/2012 | 90258 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would unexpectedly jerk forward. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were 90,258. the vin was not available. sm. | |||
| 06/08/2012 | 90258 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact stated that her vehicle would start jumping without passing on the gas pedal. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacture was not contacted. the failure and current mileage 90,258. the vin was not available.jp | |||
| 01/23/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact was driving in reverse at approximately 5 mph into a parking space with the brake pedal engaged when the vehicle began to lunge unexpectedly. the failure occurred sporadically while driving at low speed. the vehicle recently stalled with the illumination of the engine warning indicator. the vehicle restarted and resumed as normal. the contact notified the dealer and they recommended the vehicle be diagnosed to determine the cause of failure. the contact planned to take the vehicle for diagnosis. the manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. there was an open investigation related to the failure under nhtsa action number pe10033 (vehicle speed control; power train: automatic transmission: control module/tcm,). the failure mileage was 90,000. rk | |||
| 01/23/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. the contact was driving in reverse at approximately 5 mph into a parking space, and when the brake pedal was engaged the vehicle began to lunge unexpectedly. the failure occurred sporadic when driving at low speeds. most recent the engine stalled with the illumination of the engine warning indicator. the engine restarted and resumed as normal. the contact notified the dealer and they recommended the vehicle be diagnosed to determine the cause of failure. the contact planned to take the vehicle for diagnosis. the manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. there was an open investigation related to the malfunctions under nhtsa action number pe10033 (vehicle speed control; power train: automatic transmission: control module/tcm,). the failure mileage was 90,000. js | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 76955 | ||
| Tl. the contact owns a 2007 ford freestyle. the contact stated while driving with the air conditioner on the vehicle will surge forward while slowing down. this also happens in reverse as well. also while trying to stop the vehicle from surging the engine shut off after slamming on the brakes. the contact has not taken the vehicle to the dealer to have a diagnostic test but saw via the internet numerous complaints regarding the throttle body. the contact stated the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs. the failure mileage was 76,955. jo | |||
| 05/30/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| My 2007 van has stopped driving on over 6 occasions while i am driving, it has been repaired 4x and always told it was a new issue. on the last occasion i left the van on the road got my mom to pick me up. i have 3 kids that i drive in the vehicle and ford will not take any responsibility, i think 4 attempts to fix a van is more then fair on my part, it is evident that ford does not know what the problem is, and i will not be their guinea pig. *tr | |||