Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Had the recall work done on the torque converter end of august beginning of september 2012, upon return of vehicle have had nothing but problems. last thursday april 4 the vehicle suddenly lost power while going through an intersection. friday did the same thing 3 times in less than 20 minutes of driving. replaced alternator, belt tensioner and belt. mechanic asked what it did, then said it might be the torque converter. he checked power steering, and water pump they are fine. not sure how a part less than year old could go bad. when my vehicle went in for recall was perfectly fine, since it's return is has been running horrible and nothing seems to really fix it. *tr

Message center dims as to be unreadable during daylight driving, making it impossible to read warnings or mileage remaining or service needs. *tr

Vehicle shut off going down the road at slow speed after making loud squeaky sound. this has happened on many occasions since then and today 11/01/2012 it became more severe. my wife attempted to go to the local ford dealership around august/september describing the problem and was told that since the vehicle was not currently experiencing the problems described that there was nothing they were able to do. the vehicle is very unsafe and i have called the ford hotline because of the recall, the voice claims that the vehicle is still safe because the steering remains functional, this is not the case for my vehicle. after, one of the many "incidents", often the van will lose complete power and the power steering will disengage and the steering wheel becomes very difficult to turn even for a large male. we bought the van as a family vehicle, as most do, which makes it even more problematic and disturbing. i am disgusted with ford for their negligence. *tr

Vehicle lost power while driving. there was no power steering or power brakes and the engine stopped running. there was no warning before the power failure. vehicle was able to be started up after power failure. the same evening, starting up the vehicle, the idle was rough and the power failed in about 1 minute. vehicle was brought to a ford dealer the next morning and they could not replicate the problem and no engine codes were present. about 1 week later, after a rain storm, the power failed again while driving at 30 mph. it was possible to start the vehicle after the power failure. a ford dealer looked at the vehicle after the latest power failure and could not replicate the problem and there were no engine codes. in april 2010, i experienced a similar problem which was caused by water getting into the pcm. within a month in 2010, the pcm was replaced twice. *tr

Had powertrain symptoms related to ford tsb 06-14-10, for engine/transmission driveablity. had vehicle towed because i had no reverse & forward engagement, and high idle in neutral. ford dealer, fixed transaxle per safety recall 11s25, and tsb 06-14-10, for water entering the pcm. dealer returned our vehicle on july 10th, everything appeared okay. one july 11th, the van began have shift issues, and then stall going down the road at 20-25mph. if the pcm is damaged from water, then why don't they require replacement in the tsb. this is a serious safety issued, especially at 70mph on a freeway. this tsb should be reconsidered as a safety recall. how many people should be injured or killed due to this condition? one is to many! *tr

Upon exiting the freeway onto secondary street the vehicle stalled out completely. we lost all driving function, power steering etc in an instant. luckily it was later in the evening and not much traffic was behind us as this road is typically very congested. we were able to glide into a turn lane and off of the main road. the vehicle would not start and had to be towed. local ford dealer concluded the pcm shorted out and there was a blown ignition coil. we had car towed for second opinion as we could not believe that at 40,000 miles the entire computer that controls the engine would short for no apparent reason. our regular auto shop agreed that the pcm had shorted causing ignition coil to fail and both had to be replaced resulting in $1200 in fees/services and a week without our vehicle since the part (according to the service shop) should never go bad and they don't keep them in stock. we feel as if ford should be held responsible for their faulty manufacturing as we did nothing to aid in the failing of this part and minimal mileage/ wear and tear has occurred to the vehicle. we were merely a family driving home (with two toddlers) from a father's day dinner who ended up at significant safety risk when our van just stopped moving, thank goodness for the slow traffic flow that evening! *tr

I left work, got 3 parking spots away, lost steering, brakes and gas. engine was still running. transaxle light came on, shut off van, tried again and it drove maybe a few feet and it was as if it was in neutral. engine light, battery light and oil light came on. shut it down tried again, drove about 10 feet and it died. had it towed to vip who had no answers, towed to ford who said it there was water in the pcm. they dried it out and said give it a go. got it home drove it one day and the next(after raining) it would not move out of driveway. it would go into gear but hitting the gas was again like in neutral. it would move maybe a few inches and then no longer. the engine light came back on and the van bucked some. towed to ford again and they said it is defiantly water getting in the pcm. i have been searching online and i see many people complaining about this issue. i am worried because there is another recall coming in a month or so for the torque converter and i have 2 small children that rely on that van. i can't trade it in cause they are only will to give us $1000 when we owe 6. we are without vehicle again, with my husband and i having jobs and two kids. i feel unsafe in my van, even if we are to get it fixed, we have to hope the torque converter does not go while we are driving before the recall. *jb

Driving and battery light, abs and brake light all illuminated. no issues with braking. replaced pcm in nov 2011 for similar issue. car at dealer for a week so far and indicate needs an alternator (maybe) and pcm. multiple pcm issues reported on this make and model. tsbs, etc. when is action going to be taken. dealer indicates part is on back order from ford. please take some action this is in addition to a torque converter issue already under recall. the pcm controls everything and could have caused this car to fail and hurt someone. *tr

My van would not go in reverse , when it finally did it kept dying . took to ford dealership the problem was the computer brain cost 1100. 2days later the exact same thing. the problem is sudden leaving u stranded with no warnings. *tr

Pcm wet and engine will die when under load. turn on power option will cause the engine to die. *tr

I was driving down the road with my kids in this can, and it suddenly stalled.it happened repeatedly every time it snowed or rained. it will also not want to accelerate and jerks or hesitates as you are driving. this can is dangerous!! ford needs to accept responsibility and get this problem fixed! *tr

Drove vehicle to store, went in to do shopping came out to leave vehicle would start but wouldn't accelerate. two days before incident it had been raining in grand junction colorado. had vehicle towed to ford and was told today that the pmc is full of water! it's going to cost me over 1500.00 to fix this! what would of happened had it decided to go out as i was driving down the road with my two kids in the car? or when rushing my severe asthmatic to hospital? *tr

While on the highway, at about 35 mph, my 2004 ford freestar died. i was able to coast into a side street without power. after about 10 minutes, i was able to restart the vehicle, but it ran roughly for several minutes and then behaved normally until two days later when the transmission would not engage in any gear. i thought it was a transmission problem. the vehicle was towed home and the tow truck driver said it was behaving like there was a problem with the computer. apparently he has seen this problem before. examination of the computer (pcm) and the attachment plug showed significant water entry. water actually ran out of the plug and there was water in the pcm enclosure. after several days of drying time, the pcm was put back into the vehicle and the vehicle ran normally. ford has issued a tsb that covers the problem of water getting into the pcm and cable, so i am sure it is a common occurrence. i believe that if the vehicle is allowed to set idle for a number of days, the pcm will dry out by itself and then run normally until the next rain storm. no doubt, many transmissions have been replaced in error, and the problem reoccurs when the pcm again gets wet. loss of power on the highway means no power steering or power brakes, which can lead to loss of control of the vehicle. the location of the pcm lends itself to water entry and appears to me to be a design defect that ford should address more forcefully than just to issue a technical service bulletin. *tr

Abs warning light comes on and then sometimes it goes out. is abs system not working properly or electrical? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that when starting the vehicle, she would occasionally become locked inside the vehicle or locked out of the vehicle by the anti-theft system. the vehicle would also sporadically fail to start. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the trans receiver was replaced and the computer was updated however, the failure persisted. the current and the failure mileages were 135,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and all electrical systems stopped functioning. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the failure mileage was 111,000.

Alpr system on telephone poles and police cars are attacking my vehicle. already destroyed my abs brake system module and now working on my starter motor, blower motor, speed control and etc. some attacks cause loud base drum like thumping on my dashboard. other attacks lock my gearshift lever in park, unlock my doors. stop my speed control from working, and etc. these attacks have been ongoing for about 4 years. along with these attacks, police cars frequently threaten me with head-on collisions. the thumping scares me when it occurs in heavy traffic and could cause an accident. these attacks occur in all modes of vehicle operation and when passing alpr telephone poles and police cars.

I was driving down the highway at 55 mph and my van starting cutting out really bad and died. i was a mile from anywhere i got it to a safe place eventually and then could no longer start the van. this is the third time this has happened and have had to replace the computer already once. it was raining heavily so i know it is the computer because the mechanic who replaced the computer 3 months ago said this is a known problem with the 2004 ford freestar. every time it rains i have trouble with my car. it was raining last night so i know water has once again gotten into my computer. when is there ever going to be a recall on this. i am a single mom of 4 kids and feel like ford should be held responsible for this vehicle. i can't afford to just go out and buy a new vehicle because ford messed up. i have owned this vehicle for 4 years now and it has been in the shop or broke down for at least 2 years of this time for the same issues. *tr

I am writing about this 12/8/11 incident today, because this happened to me again! on 3/14/13 (i will enter a separate complaint the 3/14/13 event immediately after this one is registered). in both cases, the entire computer brain had to be replaced, each time costing over $1,000. 12/8/11 incident: while driving, i found the gas pedal was not responding to acceleration. a symbol lit up on the dashboard. having experienced a torque converter failure 8 months before (safercar.gov odi no.: 10397445), i worried that this might be transmission related again. i was losing movement, but the engine still ran, and coasted into a vacant lot. while waiting for a tow, i found that i could sometimes drive forward or reverse a bit (a few feet), but sometimes i could not. the mechanic had to replace the computer brain. he bought the part from medford ford, in new jersey. i can locate the exact cost of the repair at a later time, but it was approximately $1,000. i had no significant symptoms ahead of time, which would lead me to believe that i was about to break down. i have totally broken down 5 times in this vehicle, each for major repairs. *tr

It started with my driver side window working erratically. simultaneously, the buttons on my radio quit working, although it randomly kept trying to reprogram "preset 2". without warning, at 65mph on a busy road, i abruptly lost power and could not maintain speed or accelerate. i also experienced erratic rpm. currently vehicle will chronically not start due to power failure, even though battery and alternator have been checked and are functioning properly. the sudden and unexpected loss of acceleration and erratic rpm is dangerous. i am unable to drive this vehicle because i fear for my safety. *tr

Power control modual (pcm) gets wet due to poor design and transmission fails to work. *tr

The van began to jerk and lose power. i was able to make it home and was told that the pcm was wet. i contacted the ford dealership where i purchased the van and learned about the service bulletin. i emailed ford and was told there was no recall and i would need to fix this issue myself. *tr

the main engine computer (ecm, pcm, aka eec) constantly gets wet due to a design flaw. water drips down on the computer and will cause the engine just to die while driving the car on the highway. this causes a very dangerous situation! *tt

We bought our 2004 freestar new. wife now is unable to drive it due to safety concerns. it stalls, misses, and bucks while driving. it is much worse after rain. we have taken to dealership and they want to do a tune-up. took to local mechanic and he says that there is water in pcm. have located hundreds of complaints in forums. very expensive fix and it looks as though many people have had fixed several times. *tr

Transmission issues had to be replace, check engine light will not turn off. i have read many reports online about issues with the transmission in the 2004 ford freestar, sensor light issues, tracking light issues. no warning transmission just died 200 miles from home. *tr

Transmission went out while driving. thankfully we were not on the highway. no grinding or slipping, the engine just revved and would vehicle would not move. had 3 children in the car at the time. very dangerous to trust this car. got the car to a parking lot, now it has been towed to a mechanic to be checked out. we previously had problems with something in the ignition or something where the car would just sputter and die while driving. replaced driver side window motor, but passenger side does not work either. please get these off the road! *tr

My husband was driving on a 4 lane hwy in pensacola, fl when my 2004 ford freestar suddenly stopped pulling. no forward, no backwards, neutral, nothing and the rpms went extremely high. zero warnings, and in heavy rush hour traffic. it is only due to my husbands race car driving experience and quick reaction time that he was immediately able to get the van on the side of the hwy. my husband and our two boys thankfully were safe but they were stranded in intense florida heat. i have had a lean fuel, various electrical, coil pack and pcm issues since i got the van june 2007. the ford dealership, and the easterns dealership i purchased the van from, could not figure out the problems. while under warranty, easterns worked on it but none of the issues were ever able to be fixed. i choose the freestar for its safety features so i knew i had a safe way to transport my children. this is no longer the case, i do not trust ford to take care of their defective products and i will not purchase another ford. *kb

Rear window popped / shattered while parked. no vandalism. car was running and rear defroster was on. weather was 60 degrees and cloudy. *tr

Just exited interstate, van simply stopped moving forward, needed to replace transmission spline, cost 1385.76 plus towing. front window also stopped working, various electric problems including battery draining for no reason, locks work sporadically, damp weather causes problems with electrical, chugging of engine ect. *tr

My 2004 ford freestar engine light and other lights came on, and the minivan started to stall, each time i would have to restart and drive with hazards on trying to get home, it became dangerous and had to take my chance and pull off the road into a business driveway, and leave the van. the brakes would not work, they stiffened up as did the steering wheel. i was lucky i wasn't in an accident as it started out of the blue. it had been sitting in my driveway for two days and the weather had been rainy for those two days, and i think it was caused due to some water leakage into the transmission area. i had a similar issue a few years ago and took it to the ford dealer where i bought the van and they said it was a water getting into the system and they fixed the problem at the time. now i am being told that i have to have it put onto a machine and pay 85 dollars to have it checked out. i know this is an issue with these minivans and i don't feel i should have to fork out a lot of money to get it fixed when it is a problem with the model, and ford should do something about it. it is a safety issue and one day someone will get hurt or worse from this. someone needs to issue a recall so that these concerns are dealt with!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the air conditioning would not cool the inside of the vehicle. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer added freon, but it did not correct the problem. the dealer also stated that the compressor was operating properly. the contact stated that the air conditioning did not seem to truly start working until the vehicle speed was at 40 mph and above. the vehicle was not further repaired.the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 140,000. *tr

2004 ford freestar rpm's 3000 at idle. diagnosed as water intrusion in original pcm (powertrain control module) in april of 2011. water intrusion occurred on replacement pcm as well within 3 months because rain kit per service bulletin ( # tsb-06-14-10) was not installed at the ford dealer. second incident occurred with the replacement (new) pcm on 9/8/11. on 9/8/11 vehicle stalled out while in traffic. replacement pcm diagnosed as water intrusion as well by different ford. second dealer noted rain kit had not been installed by 1st dealer when new pcm was put in. second dealer installed kit, but vehicle stalled out in traffic once again on 9/17/11. replacement (new) pcm had been contaminated prior to rain kit installation. vehicle is now at the ford dealer (that installed tsb rain kit) for 3rd pcm unit. contact was made with the original dealer that installed the replacement pcm as well as ford warranty department, and as of this date of 9/23/11 neither has accepted responsibility for failure to install the recommended tsb rain kit that caused the replacement (new) pcm failure. we were very fortunate that no one was hurt during the 2 incidents when the vehicle stalled out while in traffic. we will continue to pursue action to make the first ford dealer / ford motor company financially responsible for neglecting to install the rain kit per fords service bulletin upon installation of the first new pcm unit. *tr

Repeated problems with moisture/rain getting into pcm(computer). car is back at transmission shop again due to car stalling during braking. i have had fuel pump/module replaced in error, due to false check engine codes due to moisture/rain getting into pcm, owner of transmission said issue is with water in pcm causing torque converter to engage during braking. *tr

This is the second issue i have had with water getting into the pcm(computer). the first occurrence (03/10) i had the car towed to the ford dealership and was advises per the obdb scan codes that the transmission needed an overhaul. i told the dealership that i had just pulled the car out of my driveway and had no reverse and had slippage in other gears, it was raining very heavily that day- i asked the dealership if it could be an issue of moisture getting into pcm(computer), the dealership said that that was not the issue. i then had the car towed to a reputable transmission repair shop, there i was told that my car was the third to freestar to have been brought in with an issue of water getting into the pcm(computer). the owner of the transmission shop was able to let the pcm dry out for three days and reinstall with no transmission issues. the second event (04/11) happened after several days of rain; while driving to work the instrument panel displayed the following lights: check engine, brakes, abs, fuel, battery, and trans axle light. the vehicle stalled out in the middle of traffic, and i had the car towed back to my mechanic who advised that the fuel pump and fuel pump module was defective and replaced. however, the trans axle light was still appearing intermittently. i took the vehicle back to transmission shop for second time, and through careful trouble isolation, they determined that the pcu was telling the torque converter to shift into fourth gear while coming to a stop. they allowed the pcu to dry out, but then determined that the transmission module had shorted out and that it need to be brought to dealership to reprogram pcu. i contacted the dealership who stated that they are not aware of any moisture/water issues with freestars and i advised them that i am filing a complaint nhtsa and will also forward letter to ford motor company.

I to own a 2004 ford freestar. i never had any trouble with the van until febuary 2011. i was pulling out in an intersection the van started to go but decided not to. i tried to put the van in reverse to get out of traffic and it wouldn't go. then all of a sudden it decided to go in a big hurry squealing tires. i was pretty happy there wasn't another car at the stop sign waiting to get out. i finally got the van home and it wouldn't stay running. we towed it over to a local dealer. he finally looked at the computer and dumped water out of it. he had called the ford dealer parts department and they told him it was a common problem with the freestar vans. i ended up taking it to the same ford dealer and i was told they had never seen this problem. they put a new computer in it and a wiring harness. $1,800.00 dollars of work. they test drove it and it threw 2 more sensors. that would be another 500.00 to fix that and they wouldn't guarantee that if i fixed that it wouldn't happen again on another sensor. apparently the water from the computer and down the wiring harness and followed down to the sensors and corroded most of them. they suggested i just hurry and get rid of my van. of course, after i pay them the 1,800.00. i called ford, the manager at the ford dealership and they are really sorry but there is nothing they can do to help me. i paid 26,000.00 for this van and i had it for 7 years and ford just basically said get rid of it. i have the van back with the 2 sensors still bad it runs alright now but they said it wouldn't for long. *tr

Water keeps getting into the pcm. common problem with this vehicle. van will stall out, not have power in drive or reverse, and anything electrical acts up. *tr

2004 ford freestar engine control module computer die @ about 80000 miles tranmission fail at about 65000 miles defective oe conformal coating is removed from the entire ecm board including underneath chips and replaced with upgraded conformal coating; corrects an oe design flaw and ensure chips will not lift from the board causing the unit to fail. *tr

While driving the traction control disingages for no apparant reason. also the cruise control will be working fine and after the traction control disinages the cruise control also stops then sometimes after you press resume it reingages and sometimes in doesen't if you shut off the car and restart it the traction control liight goes off again. it may come on again a few miles later or it may not problem seems to be intermitttent same with the cruise control. there are also times that the radio controls in the steering wheel work fine other times if you press the volume control it will change the stations. van purchased in july of 2010 problem bagan sometime in october of 2010. *tr

Stop running sometime would start,then wouldn't start,took to a shop they said look at it been submerged or under water,at eclt plug where,wet with water,said it wood need new wiring harness, possible computer box..at cost of $1200-1500 part and then there labor..here in kenai alaska..got to fixer if i want to do this...i bought this used here came up from the south ,arizona, done car fax all good. *tr

There have been random electrical occurrences happening to my vehicle. while the vehicle is parked in my driveway at night, the exterior lights would come on. i went out to turn them off and discovered that the gps screen and radio were also on. this is without the keys in the ignition. i found out that a lot of 2004 ford freestar owners were having similar issues, and after spending thousands of dollars on repair attempts it has been determined that water in the pcm is the issue. this make/model's pcm is located in line with the waterflow from the windshield. when it rains, the water will make its way past the plastic, sun warped cowling and soaks the pcm. i have had the pcm removed, and several teaspoons of water drained out of the pcm. i have done this several times since the first electrical issues started. every time water would get in the pcm a different electrical issue would occur, like electric windows not working, door locks not working, and the last issue was everything would work, but the van would not drive smoothly, had sudden power surges and then loss of power, and at night, when the vehicle is parked, the battery would be dead the next morning, this has happened several times. i just had my pcm replaced at a ford dealership yesterday. i drove the van home, and a few hours later, after washing my van, i tried to start it, all the dash lights came on but no engine turn over. i thought the battery might need replaced since it sat for several months, so i bought a new battery. all the dash lights will come on, but no engine turn over at all. this is a major design flaw from ford motor, and there are hundreds of owners that are spending thousands of dollars trying to get this problem fixed. even if i do actually get my van running, i feel it is not safe or reliable enough for me to drive it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would stall without warning when driving various speeds. the vehicle would restart sporadically or the contact would have the vehicle towed. in addition, the vehicle would also start independently without the key being in the ignition. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who advised that water had entered the computer corroded the system which caused the failure. the contact confirmed that the failure would most recur when there was rainy weather. the manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was approximately 90,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

When driving our van it started to jerk and the engine light started flashing. it then stalled out on us. it was raining that day and it continued to do this. the next day when the rain stopped it quit and ran fine, but started again the minute we hit any moisture. the computer in the van also started sending error messages constantly, check brake fluid, check oil, check rear brake lights, check traction control, check doors and so on when these things were checked there were no problems with them. the engine light continued to flash so we had someone look at it and fix it. they told us the coil pak was bad and replaced it for us. the van ran fine for 1 week and then this started again. so when i went online to do some research on this i found a site on topix, complaints about ford freestar that had 100's of complaints about this van. alot of people were having the same promblems and they took it to garages where they said it is a design flaw by ford that water gets up under the engine into the pcm (computer) shorts it out and then eventually messes up the coil. we continue to have all these problems with the van, it stalls out on me in rain or any moisture. i have had the van stall while turning onto a road and my van be stuck across the road right above a dangerous curve with my youngest child and i alone in the vehicle.

This has been on an on going problem for several years now (this is the 4th time ford serviced the vehicle). after a rain storm my freestar does not start or will start & stall. today, after raining all night, i was driving my 3 kids to school apx 0800hrs, as i was turning onto rochelle ave from chestnut st in rochelle park, nj the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection with loss of all power including the brakes which caused me to roll into on coming traffic. luckily the garbage truck was able to stop before hitting my vehicle. i have found that you had an open case under id number pe10033 the pcm has been changed 3 times and repaired once, on the following dates at the following locations: 5/13/2010 all american ford, 520 river street, hackensack, nj 3/19/2011, 12/13/2011 & 1/13/2012 all american ford, 375 rt 17 south, paramus, nj on all these occasions it was water from rain that effected the pcm.

We recently purchased a 2004 ford freestar and have had nothing but problems with it. let it be clear from the start that i am in fact a ford guy! but what has transpired is absolutely ridiculous and i am to the point where i do not know if i will purchase another ford. so a week after purchasing the vehicle, the transmission + computer went out. my wife tried starting it and it would not go anywhere. i towed it to macke ford and had them fix it. paid $3800 for them to fix these two things. a week later it rained extremely hard and the van failed on my wife as she was driving and was luckily on a gravel road with no one around her. she was able to coast to a complete stop but again the van would not go into reverse or drive. had it towed to macke ford in coon rapids, ia again and they thought it was a bad pcm. i made it clear to the service dept that i thought water was getting into the pcm compartment due to other people complaining about this on the internet and the fact that it had rained extremely hard that morning. they did not think this was the case and put another pcm in and sent the other one back to ford as they thought they received a bad pcm. took it home and the next morning it would not start and the battery was dead. tested and found that the radio was turning on by itself and draining the battery...even w/out the key in the ignition. macke tried fixing it for the next 2 months and even after denying water was getting into it..finally called and said they found water in the pcm compartment and it was a ford engineering problem. they wanted me to pay for the computer this time since ford would not cover the water damage!! another 700.00. with all the internet complaints about there about water getting into the computer this should be recalled and our money returned! *tr

Purchased this 2004 ford freestar 6 months ago with 98,000 miles on it from oak motors on w. 3th street in indianapolis. every time it rains, the vehicle stopped on me. finally, i suggested that this dealership take the vehicle to a ford dealer to diagnose the problem as the selling dealership did not know how. i also suggested my fear in going through a car wash. the ford dealer takes the car through a car wash and determines it is the #1 and #3 coil pack, plugs and wires. while trying to take the vehicle back in for the repair after haggling with the selling dealer about who should pay, the vehicle demonstrated what seemed like transmission failure. the selling dealership today told me that a transmission specialist informed them today that it is not a transmission problem but they think it is a problem with the van's computer system. it will not go forward or backwards but it is not a transmission problem. also, every time it rains, the breaks squeak but when the weather is dry, breaks demonstrate no problem. almost phantom problems. please help. ongoing problem since less than 30 days after purchase date of 9/31/2009.

While driving in the rain the van started to jerk and cut out. stalling on occasion. we had the coil pack replaced and this repair lasted for 1 week then it started all over again. when it is dry outside the check engine light stays on but the van drives fine. as soon as it starts to rain or we hit any moisture or mud puddle the van starts jerking again and sometimes back fires or even stalls out while driving and has to be restarted. we have found that this is a problem that alot of 2004 freestar owners are having that the pcm or computer gets wet and causes this problem due to a flaw in the design. *tr

Vehicle purchased used with 62,000 miles in may 2006. frequent & random dash warning lights coming on & off for no reason--including transaxle, brake, emissions system light, etc. radio will turn on & off without the keys in the vehicle. mechanic says that there was some moisture in pcm & that pcm does not look original. vehicle has lost power without warning while driving several times & then 'recovered' with no warning lights on. transmission 'went' in driveway without warning. needed approx. $1500.00 in repairs to transmission. mechanic says failing part includes pump shaft & veins. also reconditioned pump slide & seals. *tr

Engine stalling, electrical problems, traction control system disengages, and cruise control will not engage. all problems are intermittent and occur during or after rain. problems linked to pcm water intrusion. today entire electrical system failure. *tr

I bought the vehicle used in 2008. when traveling at approximately 60-70 mph the vehicle will suddenly jerk as if it's turned off and back on. this occurs 2-3 times on every highway trip of 15-20 miles. this also happens on shorter trips 2-3 times a week. when i start the vehicle the radio automatically turns on and resets the stations and digital clock. the battery seems to have trouble keeping a charge. overnight the battery may weaken and the vehicle will fail to start. after the failed start all the needles on the control panel dials will vibrate and create a "clicking/ticking" noise which ends after 3-6 seconds. subsequently, a jump-start is required to start the vehicle. i cannot afford expensive diagnostics so i simply keep jumper cables handy and plan around trips that may leave us stranded without assistance. i have maintained routine service like oil/fluid changes and have not had any reports on a defective battery. all indications point to a defective pcm (powertrain control module). i've done some personal research and found this to be an underlying problem for many issues affecting the 2004 ford freestar minivans. this problem has not been fixed. due to the projected cost estimates of more than $1000 to diagnose and resolve, i cannot afford to have a mechanic work on it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions, the idle speed increased and the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. suddenly, the vehicle stalled. the engine restarted and resumed normal operation. in addition, the vehicle failed to operate intermittently when shifted into reverse. the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that water was leaking from the front windshield, which damaged the computerized system. the vehicle was repaired. on a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and independent mechanic for identical failures. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 58,000.