Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

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

Started in feb 2012 with the torque converter - then the pcm which lead to different electrical issues - from dash lights staying on running the battery dead - a ford dealer said the pcm was getting wet because of a manufacturing issue or design flaw - there fix from corporate ford was to redirect the water away from the pcm by laying down a bead of chalk ( that's fords rain kit service bulletin #tsb-06-14-10 ) - but by that time i was told the pcm could already be damaged - here it is july 18 2012 my freestar is again at a ford dealership - i am thinking the only way to resolve this is to include the attorney general. *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

Without any warning transmission fails. i take it to a ford dealer ,of course it is not under the recall. so i had to replace transmission out of pocket to a cost of $3327. *tr

I purchased this vehicle in 2009. had it in the shop 3 times in the first year for suspected transmission problems while under dealer warranty. each time i was told there was no issue and the tranny was strong. have had issues since the beginning. during a recent trip to the grocery store the transmission seemed to slip out of gear with top speeds reaching 23 mph. luckily i was able to make it home. parked the van. next morning when i went to start it, it wouldn't even turn over. i put a new battery in it and it ran. continued transmission problems. i took it back to the ford dealer and was told i needed a new transmission to the tune of $3500. they didn't even inspect it. i was told there was a recall but mine needed more than the torque converter so i would be responsible. this is crazy. ford needs to fix these vans. i still owe on this vehicle. how am i supposed to continue making payments as well as dump another $3500 into the transmission? what is going to go out next on it? *tr

2004 ford freestar: 18 months ago, transmission went out; van had less than 100 miles on it. new transmission put in but again my transmission is acting up. power loss is very clear! today, i called the ford company to address my concern because my van again lost power. transporting four children on a daily basis in dangerous winter temperatures is a great reason for concern! a ford representative told me that my vehicle is part of the "power train torque" recall and called my local ford dealerships (1-2 hours away) to see if they could fix my van, they were unable because they don't have the parts in but would have the parts in (early-mid) spring. i asked the representative what i should do as i can not wait until spring, she advised me to not have it fixed by an independent mechanic because ford may not cover the costs. also, wondered if ford would be responsible for the transmission cost based on this recall. "no"! this is suppose to be a "family" vehicle, why do i have to put my family in danger until spring (when the part arrives)? i feel that ford should be responsible for the cost of my transmission and they should fix my vehicle at the time that it's dangerous....like now (not spring)! *tt

As i was taking off from a red light, i noticed that my car would not accelerate. i pulled to the side of the road and tried changing gears but it still would not go. took it to the local ford dealership and they changed out the torque converter. six months later on july 14th, it starts doing the same thing but i still had first gear. took it back to ford and they said that it was the transmission this time. come to find out when they changed the part they did not change the filter, fluid, or blow out the lines. they will not take responsibility for their actions on this. i will never buy another ford or use the ford place for repairs. *tr

I was driving on the highway and began to exit when the car alerted to "check traction." it started to make a loud noise, then began to decelerate and no matter if i pressed on the accelerator the car began to slow down until it eventually stopped. i was able to get myself to a safe area before it lost its ability to drive. i had it towed and was told by the auto repair person that it was my transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph when the vehicle began to jerk violently with the illumination of the battery and engine warning indicators. the engine suddenly staled and restarted with the continuous illumination of the engine warning indicator. the similar failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the power train control module would need to be replaced as a result to water leakage. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 151,000. the vin was unavailable.

In january 2012 as per recall notice that was on cnn news, ford advised us in march 2012 that our 2004 freestar was being recalled for a faulty torque converter. if this part were to fail, the vehicle will cease to function. the ford website states that the part is still not available and will not be until the 2nd half of 2012 which we are already in. ford states that the vehicle will not lose electrical function so that we can use our directional signals and coast to a safe stop. how can this be possible if you are driving on a highway at 70 mph and the vehicle suddenly loses all power to go forward or backwards and you happen to be in a lane that is not alongside a median? we received a phone call a couple of days ago telling us to contact our local dealership as the part may be available. when we did make contact we were told yet again that the part is still unavailable. i cannot fathom how this part can take so long to be manufactured and sent to dealerships. doesn't the ford motor company value life? i find it inexcusable for them to take so much time to remedy a situation, a situation that puts my families life in peril everytime we take it out on the road. there is nothing that they can use as a defense when they have known for such a long time that this problem has existed. listening to the phone information on the # that ford lists is utterly ridiculous. they tell you not to worry, just pull off to the side of the road when your vehicle will not go in forward or reverse...but it will coast to a safe stop...that is if someone doesn't crash into you as you are making the attempt to get off the road. *js

While driving at posted highway speed (65mph) a failure occurred in my freestar minivan. the engine was running but there was no power to the rear wheels. this happened suddenly and unexpectedly on a busy highway (route 17) and rendered my van powerless with my wife and three young children aboard. there was no warning that this was going to happen. luckily she was able to get to the side of the road and avoid accident. the van was towed to a service station and awaits repair. doing some research found that there have been numerous complaints to the nhtsb about the transmission/torque converters on these vehicles and also a class action lawsuit filed with no address by the nhtsb. this repair will no doubt cost me well over $2000. the main issue here is that this defect has been known for some time and no corrective action has been taken. my family could have been hurt from a known problem. please address this. thank you *tr

Without warning and while engine still running the transmission gave out. i now have no forward or reverse. costing over $1700 to repair, not replace the transmission. *tr

Daughter's were driving 55 miles an hour when the transmission failed / no power in traffic. car acted as if it was in neutral .turned onto side street to avoid being rear ended slid into brush and rocks. paint scratches,towing,transmission replacement and possible deadly condition ! *tr

Came out from work, went to start my ford freestar, the car turned on but could not move it. the wheels would turn, attempt to reverse or drive and nothing would happen. was initially told by a mechanic about the torque converter, then had to replace the transmission. *tr

Transmission failed going down interstate at 65 mph. *tr

My husband was driving up the hill to our house when our van had a sudden loss of power. he managed to get on the side of the road and out of traffic. now the van will not engage in any gear. if you put it in drive or reverse and hit the gas the engine just revs. we need a new transmission. *tr

Fire in engine. mechanical assessment right now is transmission failure. don't have specifics outside of that, but i see transmission failures this month by ford for my vehicle, and i'm naturally concerned. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the transmission torque converter. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 61,000.

Whilst driving, engine rpm increased with no vehicle acceleration. had to coast into parking lot and found transmission had no forward or reverse movement. luckily there was light traffic and emergency actions were not present to remove vehicle off road safely. *tr

Traveling on the highway in connecticuit going back home to maine. lost all power on rte 84. luckily there was no accident. would not move at all. $850 tow back home. torque converter. vehicle has not been fixed yet. *tr

While driving vehicle, i lost all power to the drive train. engine continued to run fine, but would not move vehicle forward or reverse. had it towed to repair shop and was advised that the transmission had failed due to being full of metal shavings from the torque converter. had to replace complete transmission at a cost of $3039.00. several months later i got a letter from ford motor company about a problem with the torque causing the transmission to fail. they said they would send more information later. so far i have no further information from ford. *tr

Purchased used vehicle from marshall used cars in sacramento, ca, where reside currently. purchased 05/2011, paid full no loan at time of purchase. purchased add. ext. warranty which was 6months. from the dos til present date; i have paid, and was mislead in all the insurance covering major defects, owner(me) had came out of pocket paying for service to fix warranty parts. now this is the current and serious issue. i am disabled, i have a disable child. my vehicle was reported under vin to ford corporate to notate for service to be check and worked on at local ford dealer. complained about multiple (4) issues. dealership mislead me, and did not perform work. only work they did was replace 1 recall 10/12. after recall service i (owner) recall manufac. made claim, again and then went to dealer. i was turned away...and told to do normal maintenance before putting a service claim in. this is a problem. i am not ignorant to the anatomy of a vehicle. i am very literate on understanding vehicle operations as well as maintaining maintenance. i can say this because i believe i should be aware of every issue so i wont have a disabled vehicle. vehicle mileage applied from the date recall replaced 5800 within the time til i made another claim in oct 2013. took vehicle in, told to check everything. did. brought vehicle back and vehicle was in service dept for week which rolled over to nov 1, 2013. vehicle was dx and found to be the same thing i made a claim about. vehicle has a defected recall part. part was not replaced. and owner is now left with a defect recall part, plus more damage on other parts related to torque converter, fuel line, 3rd bench, front r-wheel hub. i have multiple health appts to maintain for me and my child's disability. my children need to get to school, and i missed legal appt dates from court. *tr

the torque converter went out without any kind of notice, no noise , no slippage. it was pulling it self real good then just quit. in the long run of getting it fixed, it costs us almost $2000.00. the transmission pump went out at the same time causing other problems, hence, rebuilding the whole transmission. heard that ford new about the problem and didn't want to fix it cause it is a high dollar repair making them money. *tr

My wife started the vehicle up and put it in drive. as she pulled into traffic the vehicle lost all forward momentum while the engine rpm's accellerated to the point it caused the engine to stall. my wife was on an incline when this happened. she put on the brake and restarted the engine, it started fine and sounded normal until she put the engine into drive. the motor reved up and there was no forward momentum. the motor stalled once again. she started the vehicle again and put the transmission into low gear and was able to drive it one block to a ford dealership parking lot. this all happened with no proir warnig of failure. she drove the van to work a few hours earlier with no indications of imenent failure. after researching the internet, i found several hundreds of other 2004/2005 freestar owners that have the same systematical failure of the torque converter. this seems to be an ongoing issue with this make/model and should be recalled before someone is hurt or killed from an accident cused by immediate loss of forward momentum due to a failed torque converter/transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2004 ford freestar. the contact received nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train: automatic transmission: torque converter). the contact stated that the recall exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair and caused fumes to release from the torque converter. the contact also heard noises being releasing from the vehicle. the contact also stated that the failure recurred for the last six months. the vehicle was taken to local a mechanic and the mechanic stated that the fumes were emitted from the torque converter. the approximate failure mileage was 117,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.

Driving on freeway at 60mph the van just stopped accelerating, the rpm acted crazy. we pulled too side of road and would not move in any gear. i have had routine oil changes and maintenance, there was no signs or warning of any transmission problems. vehicle towed. i have been told my van needs new transmission. *tr

I purchased my 2004 ford freestar minivan new and had experienced no problems or symptoms whatsoever leading up to the date of my recent transmission failure in 11/11. recently, while merging onto a major highway (wife, two children, grandmother in car with me), my transmission simply failed. the vehicle would not engage in drive or reverse and we were stuck in the middle of the highway at night. we pushed the vehicle off the road as much as possible and had it towed to the ford dealership. the result was a new transmission for nearly $3000. i had been reading for years about identical problems with the 04-05 ford freestar transmission and had taken extra precautions hoping to prevent it. my vehicle is very well maintained and i had absolutely no symptoms or indications of a transmission problem. the dealership gave me no reason for the failure other than to give me options for repairing it and to say there have been a number of transmission issues for these vehicles. *tr

We were leaving for a short trip. while driving on the highway the engine rpm's increase and the van was hardly moving. no advance notice at all. we turned around and made it back to the house. just creeping along. it was just pure luck, early morning with hardly any traffic. from reading other complaint on the internet, it could be a costly repair. as of today, i haven't had a mechanic look at it. with only 60k miles i would think a transmission should last longer. too many of the same complaints. ford must of had it designed with "costing cutting" in mind. my opinion ford motor company should offer some type of allowance for shoddy design. there seems to be a great number of failures not just one or two. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically become resistant to acceleration. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer replaced the transmission fluid but the failure was not corrected. the vehicle continued to lose acceleration power while driving. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train: automatic transmission: torque converter) but the parts needed for the recall repairs were not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 165,000 and the current mileage was 180,000.

The transmission has been rebuilt twice. both times the mechanic found water in the transmission. the vehicle's radiator has been changed and the torque converter was changed, as possible culprits, but that did not alleviate the issue at hand, as the water returned to the transmission. the car is now at the mechanic for the third time within the year, with water in the transmission. the mechanic is stumped as to what the cause of the water may be. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that while at a stop sign, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where it was confirmed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 47,146 and the current mileage was 48,000.

Going to work with my kids in the car 2004 freestar. going to drop them off at family's house went to give gas lost all power no warning no indication there was a problem coasting in middle of main road very lucky its a busy road could have been bad. needs to be solved before there is a fatality. no money to get it fixed right now with 3 kids and christmas round the corner. *tr

2004 ford freestar lost all acceleration and stopped on major roadway. no previous signs of trouble from transmission. class action filed in us district court august 2010 declaring faulty manufacturing. ford refusing to repair without full payment of $3200. current mileage 94,000. how many must get robbed before this is addressed? *kb

When driving my car, it was hard to shift and when i came to a stop, it had a hard time shifting gears. i brought it to my mechanic who diagnosed the torque converter had gone bad. he replaced the torque converter and i had the car back for a week and the car died again while driving. the car is now diagnosed with a bad pcm and that will need to be replaced. *tr

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

2004 ford freestar transmission quit for no reason while driving , just cut out while traveling 25 mph up a hill in heavy traffic. *tt

Transmission went out. *tt

I was stopped at a red light. i then proceeded to cross the intersection when the light turned green and my van just stopped without any warning. had it towed and was told i needed a new transmission and torque converter. *tr

My wife was driving the van when the transmission gave out, no propulsion but motor still running, and it coasted to a stop. only she and i (driving instructor and safety officer) have carefully driven and maintained this vehicle since it was factory ordered and delivered from the dealer in 2004. majority of mileage was on the open highway. today we picked it up from the shop it was towed to and where it underwent major repair for four days. they rebuilt the transmission and replaced the valve body and torque converter. the total cost of this repair including towing and tax was $3499. *tr

Pulling away from a stop sign on a busy two lane highway, vehicle stop accelerating and engine revved freely. no shoulder and vehicle could not move under own power. pulled over a little but vehicle was still in lane of travel, at night, with no street lights and small children in car! *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

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 45 mph, there was an increase in engine rpms. the vehicle received no response from the transmission and slowly decelerated. the dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a faulty torque converter and advised having it replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. no repairs were performed. the current and failure mileages were 75,381.

Driving at freeway speed (65mph) the transmission lost power. vehicle will not engage in drive or reverse. coasted to shoulder of the freeway and had to get a tow truck. transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of over 3,000.00 dollars. nhtsa investigation number ea09016. *tr

While driving at 45 mph my van's transmission stopped working as if it was in neutral, but it was in drive. while hitting the gas the rpm's increase but the van does not move. the road was crowded and i was almost rear ended due to the loss of power. several cars had to honk and slam on their brakes to avoid an accident. luckily my 3 kids and i were not injured due to this malfunction. the failure is the transmission torque converter according to the mechanic. i could only imagine what the results would be if i were on a major highway during rush hour traffic. i have read of hundreds of other failures on the internet using a simple google search. please hold ford accountable and recall this failure before someone gets hurt due to this failure. it is a safety recall and there are already class action lawsuits pending. *tr

As i started crossing a 5 lane intersection to turn on a side street, the van lost all drive power. motor was still running. had to avoid cross traffic coming at me as i slowly glided through the intersection to find a safe place to stop. had the vehicle repaired and it was a bad torque converter and was told a very common problem with this vehicle. very upset about the cost as well as my children were in the car when it lost power. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while the contact was driving approximately 70 mph with the accelerator pedal engaged, when the transmission failed to respond. suddenly the engine rmps began to increase. the vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. after restarting the engine there was an illumination of the abs and emergency warning indicators. also, the odometer became inoperable; unable to display a reading. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. currently, there is an open investigation associated with nhtsa campaign id number ea09016 (power train: automatic transmission: torque converter). the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 86,000. the vin was unavailable.

Transmission went out in my 2004 ford freestar we where driving on freeway at 65 mph and the transmission went to 6000 rpms the repair shop said it was most likely the torque converter because of the way it happened. please help we don't have that type of money. *tr

I have a 2004 ford freestar. i was on my way to the store with my 2 young sons. i stopped at the stop sign and when i went to turn, i lost any power that i had, without any warning my transmission went. i didn't have 1st, 3rd or reverse, i had to get my van towed home arrange for a ride. this is very dangerous and needs to be taken care of. now my van is in the shop and $2000.00 later hopefully i can get a year out of this. *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