2006 Ford Freestar: harsh or hard shifting

6 of the 356 complaints about the 2006 Ford Freestar describe harsh or hard shifting.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 97,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 1 service bulletin covers this area of the car. See below

Harsh or hard shifting by model year

2006
6
2005
6
2004
4

What owners say

Filed Oct 11, 2017 · Electrical, Transmission · NY

I have problems with transmission when shift, some times is really hard shifting and also I have problem with battery light in the cluster is always on but the charging system works normally, this happen all the times

Filed Jul 1, 2016 · Transmission · 97,000 miles · OH

Oct. 2015. Our 2006 ford freestar transmission and torque converter failed while in florida. A new, not rebuilt, transmission was installed by garret gordon ford in davenport, fl. The new transmission had a hard shift between first and second gear from day one. The reason given by the dealer was "new transmission/computer adjusting." nov. 2015. Hard shift continued intermittently so we took it to the sarchione ford garage in randolph ohio. They could not confirm the problem june 2015. Hard shift has continued intermittently and on occasion has failed to shift from first to second without letting off the accelerator completely. On more than 2 occasions the shift from first to second was so hard that the tires actually peeled on the road service. The sarchione ford garage in randolph is, at this time, trying to troubleshoot the problem. Sometimes weeks go by with no problem, yet accelerating into traffic on occasion is hampered by the problem. $4000.00 and 9 months later and the problem persists.

Filed Dec 13, 2015 · Transmission · 97,000 miles · CT

Replacement torque converters continued to fail after replacing original transmission and failed torque converter at 97k miles. Replaced torque converter four times in 37k miles under warranty for "shudder". Ford dealership refused to diagnose or determine the continued failures. Independent diagnosis stated failures were due to the introduction of debris from the original failure, during the installation of the replacement transmission, or the replacement was defective when installed. Ford dealer and company would not replace the transmission. Ford warranty ended on 12/12/15 and the situation remains unresolved. Fortunately shudder failures occurred on the road, but vehicle could be driven to dealership for repair. The first original failure occurred on a off ramp and other motorist's assisted in pushing it to the side, avoiding a possible rear end collision! The newest torque converter can fail at any time and could result in a serious accident. Vehicle is used only in local driving as safety considerations have to be considered first. Ford customer service in detroit refused any consideration of the situation. You cannot contact anyone with authority at ford as they are shielded by customer service. The consumer has to consider legal options at what cost to them? There is also a problem with hard shifts from into a drive gear(r,od,d, 1) from "n" or "p". This is an indication of failure of the internal neutral to drive accumulator. Resulting from a stuck piston or seals, or springs damaged or missing. When demonstrated to the dealership service manager and mechanic they ignored it and refused to accept it and properly diagnosis the situation. The independent diagnosis said the transmission had to be replaced and the installation done under proper clean conditions and flushing of the cooler and lines. If not done properly the the situation would reoccur .

Filed Dec 1, 2014 · Transmission · 119,086 miles · NC

Power train just went out while driving on a major roadway. No warning lights on the dash, no indication of slipping, hard shifts, or skipping of gears. I just left a traffic light and it started to go in a forward motion, I came off the gas for a second or two pressed on the gas and the RPM's shot up and no power to the power train. I had to cross over three lanes of traffic to safety.

Filed Jul 16, 2014 · Acceleration, Engine · 172,000 miles · TX

Accelerated away from a stop sign within a walmart parking lot and after about fifteen feet the vehicle began to slow down while depressing the accelerator. Attempted to accelerate and the RPM's went up with no propulsion. Allowed vehicle to stop then pushed in a parking space. There was never any indication that the transmission would fail via warning light nor was there a noise/bang/clunk etc associated. Vehicle just stopped accelerating. Had vehicle towed to shop and they said there were no codes indicating the failure and a transmission rebuild would be in order for $2000.

Filed Jul 18, 2013 · Transmission · 10,670 miles · PA

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....