1994 Ford Aerostar Transmission Problems

FRONT COIL SPRINGS SNAPPED, HAD TO REPLACED WITH READING SPRING WORKS, THEY HAD TO SEND THE SPECKS TO CHICAGO. MY FORD AERO STAR 4 WHEEL DRIVE & 4.0 V6 IS NOT AVAILABLE FROM AFTER MARKET. THE ONLY OPTION IS TO BUY NEW OR USED FORD SPRINGS WHICH ARE MADE IN CHINA. THE LOCAL FORD DEALER ADMITS REPLACING COIL & LEAF SPRINGS ON SEVERAL MODELS. MIDAS WAS SO BUSY REPLACING FORD SPRINGS, THEY COULD NOT SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO INSTALL SPRINGS EVEN IF I HAD THE SPRINGS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10217895

Incident

Jun 20, 2006

Mileage

120,000 mi

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE GEAR SHIFT CAN BE PUSHED DOWN WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10026717

Incident

May 25, 2003

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE - TRANSMISSION FALLS OUT OF GEAR. *JB

NHTSA ID

10017023

Incident

Dec 4, 2002

THE TRANFER CASE HEATED UP AND SEPARATED FROM THE TRANSMISSION IN THE PROCESS THE TRANSMSSION WAS CRACKED AND REPLACED, THREE TIMES BY THE MANUFACTURER.*JB THE TRANSFER CASE WAS RECALLED (97V-204) BY THE MANUFACTURER AFTER THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED THREE TIMES. *YH

NHTSA ID

8010438

Incident

May 9, 2002

AFTER CONSUMER PARKED VEHICLE AND TOOK KEY OUT OF IGNITION, WHILE GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE, IT STARTED ROLLING BACKWARD, CONSUMER WAS CAUGHT BY DOOR, BRUISED BADLY. VEHICLE WAS STOPPED BY A TREE. SINCE IT ROLLED VERY SLOWLY THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER YET. *AK *SLC

NHTSA ID

899421

Incident

Nov 25, 2001

WHILE DRIVING IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS IN NC THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED AND POURED OUT TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE VAN BEGAN TO SMOKE AND I PULLED OVER IN A DANGEROUS PLACE. I DECIDED TO TURN AROUND (ALSO IN DANGEROUS PLACE) I WENT BACK TO CHEROKEE, NC AND A MECHANIC SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR AREOSTARS. HE SAID MANY PEOPLE GET RIPPED OFF BY UNTRUSTWORTHY MECHANICS. WHILE TRAVELING OVER THE MOUNTAINS WE SAW THREE OTHER AREOSTARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. TWO WERE BEING TOWED BY WRECKERS. AREOSTAR OWNERS NEED TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM. THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL OVERHEAT UNDER A LOAD AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WILL BE LOST. WE WERE VERY UPSET BY THIS AND OUR VACATION WAS RUINED. BUT BECAUSE WE FOUND A GOOD MECHANIC WE WERE NOT RIPPED OFF. I CANNOT SAY THE SAME ABOUT THE OTHER VANS THAT WE SAW BEING TOWED FROM THE MOUNTAIN AND WE WERE ONLY THERE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND SAW THREE OTHERS IN TROUBLE.*AK

NHTSA ID

747646

Incident

Jun 21, 2001

THE STARTER, DISTRIBUTOR, AND IGNITION WIRING WERE ALL REPLACED. *SLC

NHTSA ID

558844

RECALL REQUIRED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE BE REPAIRED, IT WAS REPLACED WITH A DEFECTIVE ONE. THE ELECTRONIC CLUTCH IN THE NEW TRANSFER CASE STARTED MAKING POPPING SOUNDS AT APPROX. 8057 MILES. PROBLEM REPORTED WHILE UNDER RECALL PART WARRANTEE BUT I WAS TOLD THE TRANSFER CASE WOULD NOT MAKE THAT SOUND. IT DID AND LATER FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY. IT WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE VEHICLE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, FORD SHOULD REPLACE DEFECTIVE UNIT WITH A GOOD ONE BUT REFUSE TO DO SO. *AK

NHTSA ID

726602

Incident

Aug 14, 1998

TRANSFER CASE PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN FLUID WAS LEAKING. TOOK TO MECHANIC, WHO REPLACED THE GASKETS. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT, AND WAS REBUILT BY DIFFERENT MECHANIC. FLUID CONTINUED TO LEAK, GASKETS WERE REPLACED A SECOND TIME. FLUID SPEWED DURING DRIVING, WHICH MECHANIC SAID WAS DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER BLOWING HOT AIR ON TRANSMISSION FLUID, CAUSING ITS RELEASE. REPLACED CATALYTIC CONVERTER. FLUID STILL CONTINUED TO SPEW, ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DRIVEN 120 MILES, A QT. OF TRANSMISSION FLUID ADDED, AND BACK 120 MILES, WITH ANOTHER QT. ADDED. MECHANIC TAKES TRANSFER CASE APART, FINDING THE BEARINGS WORN TO A NON-ROUND SHAPE, AND THE SHAFT END WORN DOWN. CHECKED FOR RECALL, AND THERE IS ONE, 99V094000 BUT FORD SAYS OUR VAN DOESN'T FALL INTO THIS RECALL AND REFUSES TO HELP.

NHTSA ID

725657

Incident

Feb 3, 2000

VEHICLE WOULD NOT TRAVEL OVER 35 MPH. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REBUILT TWO TIMES.HOWEVER, PROBLEM RETURNED AFTER REPAIRS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

862247

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HESITATED FOR ABOUT 40 SECONDS. DEALER FLUSHED OUT FLUID AND IT GOT WORSE. CONSUMER SAID IT WAS THE EXACT RECALL LISTED ON WEB. *AK

NHTSA ID

860072

Incident

Sep 11, 1999

THIS AEROSTAR VAN HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY GOOD VEHICLE UNTIL WE RECENTLY STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT TRANSFER CASE. WE RECEIVED A RECALL IN 1998 FOR THE TRANSFER CASE, ALTHOUGH ALL THAT WAS REPLACED WAS THE REAR CASE. ABOUT 1 YEAR LATER WE STARTED HAVING LEAKAGE FROM THE FRONT TRANSFER CASE. WE RETURNED THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THIS CRACK REPAIRED. WE WENT TO SEVERAL TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITIES AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY SEE THIS CRACK IN THE FRONT CASE FREQUENTLY IN THE AEROSTAR VAN. WE HAVE HAD IT WELDED, BUT WILL NOT TAKE THE VAN OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. WE WANT IT REPLACED AND IF IT IS HAPPENING AS FREQUENTLY AS THEY SAY, IT IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

NHTSA ID

717622

THIS VAN RELEASES AUTOMATIC TRANS. FLUID FROM THE SEAL BETWEEN THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND THE TRANSMISSION BODY. IT DOES THIS WHEN HOT (BUT NOT OVERHEATING), IN THE SUMMER, WHILE TOWING A LIGHT WEIGHT CAMPING TRAILER (LOAD WITHIN FORD TOWING LIMITS). THIS OCCURS TYPICALLY WHILE CLIMBING, BUT ALSO ON A FLAT GRADE AT HIGH SPEEDS (65-70 MPH) IN HOT TEMPERATURES (85F +). THE FLUID SQUIRTS ONTO THE EXHAUST PIPE, RELEASING LARGE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE. THERE WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS VAN FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH RELEASING TRANS. FLUID ONTO THE EXHAUST PIPE, AND I HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE, BUT IT INVOLVED THE TRANSFER CASE AND DRIVESHAFT, NOT THE TORQUE CONVERTER TO TRANSMISSION SEAL. I HAVE HAD A LARGE AFTERMARKET TRANS. COOLER INSTALLED AS WELL AS A TRANS. FLUID TEMP. GUAGE. THE ENGINE COOLANT AND TRANS. FLUID ARE WITHIN NORMAL TEMP. LIMITS WHEN THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPT. HAS TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT BE FIXED BY REPLACING THE SEAL; THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE BECAUSE OF COMPONENT LIMITATIONS. ALTHOUGH THE DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS HAVE NOT BEEN DETECTABLY MECHANICALLY DAMAGED BY THESE INCIDENTS, THE INCIDENTS ARE A CLEAR SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE OF THE FIRE HAZARD AS WELL AS THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL IF THE DRIVTRAIN COMPONENTS WERE TO FAIL PRECIPITOUSLY. WHEN THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR, I HAVE TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND LET THE TRANS. COOL FOR A TIME, AND THIS IS ANOTHER SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ALWAYS A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. I BELIEVE THAT THE PREVIOUS RECALL FOR THIS (OR A SIMILAR) PROBLEM DID NOT RESULT IN AN ADEQUATE FIX AND THAT THE ISSUE SHOULD BE RE-EXAMINED. THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT NOTED ON THIS REPORT WAS THE FIRST OCCURRENCE.

NHTSA ID

716941

Incident

Aug 1, 1997

RECALL WORK COMPLETED ON THE TRANSFER CASE ON JULY 1998, HOWEVER TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT ON MARCH 1999, TRANSFER CASE WAS LEAKING. MJS

NHTSA ID

545736

Incident

Mar 1, 1999

TRANSFER CASE HAS REPEATEDLY LEAKED AND EVENTUALLY BLEW. IT HAS BEEN WORKED ON/REPLACED 8 TIMES. STILL LEAKING AFTER RECALL REPLACEMENT (97V204000). DEALER REFUSES TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO THEIR 12 MONTHS/12000MI PARTS POLICY. *AK

NHTSA ID

704910

Incident

Jul 24, 1996

TRANSFER CASE FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE, HOWEVER REPAIR IS NOT SUFFICIENT OR PROPER, ORIGINAL TRANSFER CASE REPLACED WITHOUT THE ALUMINUM DRIVESHAFT INSTALLATION.

NHTSA ID

544211

Incident

Aug 10, 1997

NO SUMMARY.

NHTSA ID

702726

Incident

Aug 1, 1994

NOVEMBER 21, 1998 THIS COMPLAINT HAS ALREADY BEEN INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL HAS BEEN ORDERED. WE HAD ALREADY REPAIRED OUR 1994 FORD AEROSTAR VAN BECAUSE IT BROKE DOWN ON OCTOBER 4, 1997. WE SUBMITTED A REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT ON AUGUST 7, 1998. AS OF NOVEMBER 21, 1998, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REIMBURSEMENT CHECK. IS THERE A WINDOW OF TIME FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO MAIL REIMBURSEMENT CHECKS? I FEEL THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR EXPENSES INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE DEFECT PLUS INTEREST AND LATE FEES FOR FAILING TO SEND A REIMBURSEMENT CHECK WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME (3 WEEKS). I FEEL THAT $3,292.60 WOULD BE A FAIR REIMBURSEMENT AT THIS TIME. FORD MOTOR CO. HAS BEEN COLLECTING INTEREST ON THE MONEY IT OWES ITS CUSTOMERS OR INVESTING IT. SAFETY RECALL NUMBER: 97S83 CAMPAIGN # 97V204000 I SUBMITTED RECEIPTS TO: STANLEY CARROLL RADFORD FORD, INC. 6832 LEE HIGHWAY RADFORD, VA 24141 (540) 639-3934 I HAVE CONTACTED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER 1-800-392-3673 SEVERAL TIMES AS WELL AS MR. CARROLL. THEY PROMISE TO CHECK INTO THE PROGRESS OF MY REIMBURSEMENT AND CALL BACK. THEY DO NOT CALL BACK. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME AND CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF MY MESSAGE. SINCERELY, CAROLYN C. MCCAIN (540) 731-1945 (H) (540) 674-4663 (W) [email protected]

NHTSA ID

700796

Incident

Oct 4, 1997

WAS DRIVING 7 KIDS IN VEHICLE, GOING ABOUT 45MPH, WHEN TRANSFER CASE WAS LEAKING UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. ANOTHER TRUCK FORCED AEROSTAR OFF ROAD DUE TO BEING ON FIRE. FLAMES HAD MADE TANK GLOW RED. FLAMES PUT OUT W/FIRE EXTINGUISHER. VEHICLE TOWED TO FORD DEALER. REPAIRS DONE ON TRANSFER CASE UNDER RECALL 97V-204.000. TOOK VEHICLE HOME & PARKED IT. STARTED TO LEAK. THIS WAS THE 8TH TRANSFER CASE REPLACED IN VEHICLE & THE 2ND TO CATCH ON FIRE.MANUFACTURER AGREED TO BUY VEHICLE BACK FROM OWNER AT PRICE IT WAS PAID FOR. *AK

NHTSA ID

825395

Incident

Mar 15, 1995

WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 40MPH. NOTICED VEHICLE STARTED GOING IN NEUTRAL. TOOK TO DEALER & NOTHING WAS DONE BY MECHANICS. DECIDED TO TAKE VEHICLE TO AMOCO. MECHANIC FOUND 2 CLUTCHES FUSED TOGETHER. FRICTION PLATES BETWEEN CLUTCH DISINTERGRATED. BUSHINGS BURNT OUT & WARPED PUMP. *AK

NHTSA ID

824044

Incident

May 5, 1998

TRANSMISSION FAILED.

NHTSA ID

533419

Incident

Dec 28, 1997

GEAR SHIFT CABLE BROKE TWICE. *AK

NHTSA ID

533110

Incident

Mar 17, 1998

TRANSFER CASE FAILED CAUSING LOSS OF FLUID.

NHTSA ID

531758

Incident

Aug 1, 1997

TRANSFER CASE FAILED FOUR TIMES. *AK

NHTSA ID

526314

Incident

Jan 1, 1996

TRANSMISSION/TRANSFER CASE FAILED.

NHTSA ID

526017