While traveling in heavy traffic on I-95 South at the Connecticut/New York border at 55 mph the tachometer had a sudden and dramatic rise in RPM's but all power out to the drive wheels was lost. It was as if the transmission went into neutral. Luckily, we were able to pull off the highway and avoided being run over by a semi. After stopping on the shoulder with the brakes releasewd and the transmission gear selector still in drive the van proceeded to roll backwards down the hill we had to stop on. We were left in a precarious position between the guardrail and the cars and trucks still moving on the highway. Luckily we weren't hit by any passing vehicles! this was a very dangerous occurance. Being a common problem that has been continually reported to your Agency and there is an ongoing class action suit againt Ford Motor Company for this problem, I think there should be some kind of investigation of this problem of this problem and Ford should be made to notify oi ers of this vehicle of the problem before someone does get killed or seriously injured. I feel this is definitely a safety related problem.

- Hampden, MA, USA

I backed out of a parking space and attempted to put my vehicle in drive. The vehicle would not go and had to be towed. I am told by the Ford dealership that the transmission needs to be replaced and it will cost aprox. $3,000.

- Quincy, MI, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey mini van transmission went out on highway no warning cost $3000 to fix at aamco approx.90,000 mile on vehicle.trans. Was serviced 3 times at regular intervals and was never abused.trans. Failure was the same as ongoing complaint on edmunds, there is a problem here that Ford needs to recall and or rebate, before someone gets hurt while driving these vehicles!!!

- Charles Town, WV, USA

My wife was driving my 2004 Mercury Monterey around the perimeter of our local mall. Suddenly the van slowed, and she noticed the tachometer showed the rpms increasing as the pressed the accelerator. The van stopped dead. She had to call me to push the van into a parking space until we could have it towed the following day. The could have been extremely dangerous in traffic. I have a handicapped 19 year old daughter, and rely on this van for her transportation, so on top of the safety issue, this is a tremendous inconvenience for us.

- Albany, GA, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey - wife driving down the highway (with one child as a passenger) at 65 mph. Vehicle lost all ability to accelerate. No gear. Had to coast to the side of the highway (during rush hour) where there was little to no room to even exit the vehicle safely. She was stuck in the vehicle while cars and trucks sped by rapidly often coming close to hitting her. Police were called and also a tow truck. The van had no movement in any gear. Only had park and neutral. Van was towed and the problem was determined to be a failed torque converter. Specifically the splines inside the converter where the shaft coming out of the transmission engages. Repair cost plus tow is $2000. Luckily no one was hurt but it was a very dangerous situation. After some research there is apparently a class action suit against Ford on this issue and a NHTSA investigation underway (EA09016).

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

Traveling along rt.270 towards St.louis regional airport at 60 mpr lost go power. Luckily engine continued to run so was able to move out of traffic and pull over on shoulder. Having being pulled to nearest Mercury dealer they found the torque converter had gone out worth over $1500.

- Springfield, IL, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey lost power while driving 65mph on freeway. I was able to coast to the next exit ramp and called a tow truck. Van is at mechanic, but I suspect it is a bad torque converter.

- Canton, MI, USA

Our 2004 Mercury Monterey has approx.64,000. On July 7,2010 the torque converter output shaft failed. The vehicle is now having to have the transmission rebuilt. Approximate cost $3,000.

- Denver, NC, USA

While traveling back to Connecticut from our winter home in Florida, our 2004 Mercury Monterey mini van's torque converter and pump shaft broke and left us on the side of the road in North Carolina. Luckily our grandchildren live close to where we broke down, however we are now stranded in nc for several days while the local Ford dealership (crossroads Ford cary, nc) waits on parts and fixes the problem. My wife and I have medical conditions that require us to see specific medical doctors, which we have to make appointments for months in advance, and we are now in danger of missing our much needed check ups. We have done some research on the issue and it appears that this has been a recurring issue with the Ford/Mercury mini-vans, however Ford has not done anything to help the consumer. As a loyal Ford customer in the my late 70's, I purchased this vehicle hoping it would last a long time and possibly be the last vehicle my wife and I purchased. Ford has told us our vehicle is out of warranty and therefore not their problems, but we only have 25,000 miles on the vehicle, so there is no reason this was caused by normal wear and tear. The fact that this same failure has occurred in so many of this model vehicles indicates a design flaw, and Ford needs to be held responsible for this.

- Cheshire, CT, USA

Transmission failure. Transmission refused to engage while in traffic. Parked vehicle. Have not repaired yet. This is a Mercury Monterey with only 38,500 miles. I have already replaced the power window motor on drivers side. There are many owners complaining about this same problem. Ford should recall or fix for free.

- Zanesville, OH, USA