Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

Tranmission grinding and loss of power... *tr

Traveling on interstate in far left lane and the transmission suddenly failed leaving us without ability to accelerate. only because there was not much traffic at the time, we were able to coast to the right hand lane.

Today (8-9-11) while entering i-95 sb at ga exit 107, i was in the acceleration lane to blend with traffic when my 2004 ford freestar completely lost all forward power and speed. the engine runs fine and went to idol. i was almost struck by a tractor trailer, trying to coast onto the shoulder. i/ve been advised that ford's 2004 freestar has a 'torque converter' problem (by the tow driver) and it simply stops providing forward movement without warning. additionally this vehicle does not provide any power-door 'auto-stop' when an obstruction in the open door. (it bruised my arm trying to close and the passenger had to help pull the door back). *tr

When slowing to make a left turn at a traffic light the van suddenly lost power. i found myself stuck in the intersection for several moments as i attempted shifting to neutral and back but there was no response. i narrowly avoided being hit by traffic coming from the other direction and was able to coast into the parking lot next to my office building. i contacted my ford dealer and had the van towed there for repair. the torque converter had failed and i had it replaced.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. the contact merged the vehicle to the side of the road where it was towed to the dealer. the dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the pump shaft and seal and the torque converter would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 60,600. updaetd 12/06/11*lj updated 12/14/11

Without warning or noticeable symptoms our 2004 ford freestar minivan lost forward power while driving in traffic. the van would not go into gear, engine was still running but only revved when pushing accelerator luckily we were able to coast into a parking lot and park the car. *tr

I own a 2004 ford freestar. last night, under normal driving conditions, the transmission disengaged suddenly and without warning while my two children were in the car. the car had no power, as though it was in neutral. thankfully, it was going downhill so it was safely rolled to a side street. however, under other circumstances, it could have been very dangerous. i have seen many postings on line about this same problem with the 2004 ford freestar and hope that the nhtsa forces ford to recall and repair these vehicles. my vehicle has since been towed and i expect it will cost me $1,000 - $3,000 to repair, not withstanding the danger that ford has created by putting a defective product on the road without so much as a warning to the vehicle owners. *tr

Driving down the highway at about 50 miles per hour in my ford freestar van and i lost all power for a second and the my transmission was gone. i barely got it to the shoulder on a busy highway. engine was still running but it would not go into gear. i had to walk back (on the busy highway) to my residence and call a tow truck. i was lucky to get it to the side of the road without causing a wreck. ford has a problem and they know it and wont do anything about it. this is a very dangerous problem they know about. *tt

Transmission warning light appeared while on vacation. stopped at a dealer said we were ok to continue. car has felt weird since. auto shop just told us we need a new transmission. *tr

I passed a vehicle going home from work7/20/2011,i just got back on my side of road, when i lost all power, like the transmission slammed into neutral.the vehicle i just passed al most hit me in the back inn,because i could not get off the road. *tr

I had driven 20 miles to do some shopping with my husband and father. when we got back in the car and started it everything worked until i took it out of park and into reverse. it wouldn't move. i tried drive and it wouldn't move. i called and had it towed to the local ford garage. the next day they said it was the splines in the torque converter. the next day they said the oil pump had frozen up. when they called to say it was ready they said the abs indicator was on...had it done it before? no..just the tire reset indicator. i picked up the car and the abs light was still on and brakes felt strange. informed them that it had never come on so must have happened there. they said to bring it back monday. when i returned home i put the van in park and it rolled backwards again and the brake wouldn't hold. i got it stopped and pulled emergency brake, and called them. they said they would have checked on monday. on the way back to the dealer i stopped for gas and i had actually gotten out of the car and it rolled away on its own. a witness watched me chase it. i told the dealer. when they called they said it was the parking pawls and was ok now, but the sensor in the hub of the right wheel was malfunctioning. when i picked it up today with my neighbor and got to her driveway it rolled backwards when i put it in park and she was almost knocked over by the door. it did the same in my drive again so i called and they said to bring it back. we tested it both back and forward on inclines and it rolled and even in the dealer's parking lot. the manager witnessed it and jumped in and it did it for him. he took it for a test drive up a hill and it wouldn't do it but back in the lot he got it to roll again. i don't know if old parts are available. they replaced torque converter, valve body, shaft and teflon seals. they adjusted shift cable. this ...

On sunday, july 17, 2011, i had just driven onto the freeway, and was getting up to freeway speeds of about 50, when i noticed that the van felt like it was not wanting to accelerate and the transaxle light started flashing on the left side of the control panel. the van felt like it was stuck in mud and didn't want to pick up speed, and when i tried to accelerate, even the slightest bit, to maintain my speed on the busy freeway, the rpms went way up and it made a squealing sound, so i didn't want to push it. i let the van coast and got off the freeway at the next exit. once i was off the freeway, the van would drive without the rpms going up, as long as i kept it under 35 miles an hour, and didn't have to accelerate to go up a hill, so i dropped off my son's girlfriend at her house and slowly drove the van back to my house and parked it. a quick search on the internet produced dozens if not hundreds of stories just like this. the cost to fix the transmission is likely to be as much as the trade-in value on the car so i'm not sure what i'll do with the van now. *kb

Transmission failure. torque converter failure. transmission failed 07/10 at approx 110,000 miles while driving at speed of approx. 45-50 mph. had previously had intermittent hesitation, attempted trouble shooting what was thought to be engine performance issues (replaced spark plugs, fuel injectors, various connections). vehicle currently at repair facility. *kb

Vehicle lost transmission power in the while traveling in the middle of the road with no prior warning signs. able to move it out the road before causing a crash. currently at shop waiting to be repaired. *tt

Traveling at highway speed, rpms began to race,car slowed down-no warning. towed to transmission shop. transaxle assembly removed and replaced. torque converter was stripped out, needed to be replaced. *tr

While traveling on very busy highway with three children and infant aboard, transmission suddenly failed. all drive power suddenly lost.

No previous problems,just driving down 101 towards san francisco with my 2004 ford freestar with my cruise control on when suddenly the rpm's raced and the transmission failed completely! no drive or reverse in any gear. luckily i was in the right hand lane and had reached the top of the grade and was travelling down grade through the waldo tunnel. i was able to get the vehicle off the shoulder of the road without incident. i had not had any transmission problems with this vehicle, no loss of fluid, no shifting issues, no sluggishness. no inclination there was a problem, it just failed. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated the vehicle suddenly stalled immediately after it stopped. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. there was an open investigation under nhtsa action number: pe10033 (vehicle speed control power, train:automatic transmission control module (tcm, pcm)) that may be related to the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

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

We were driving east on the pa turnpike just past hershey exit and the vehicle was set on cruise at 65mph. all of the sudden the engine went into a high rev and the tach shot up to 5000 rpm. i hit the brake to kill the cruise and then stepped on the gas and it just revved up, as i was continually losing speed. i pulled off the highway,thank god there was a pullover so i didn't have to stay on the shoulder of the road. i was dead in the water, no forward or reverse at all! no warning it just happened out of no where. i was taking my girlfriend to her doctor appoint at u of penn childrens hospital for her disease,she is severely disabled and we need the van for her power wheel chair. i am very disappointed ford will not own up to the failures in this particular transmission. there are complaints all over the web about this model and it's failing transmissions at 70 to 80 k miles. we are both disabled and now have no transportation and no way to pay for a $2500-$3400 transmission replacement!

2004 ford freestar transmission failure with no advanced warning (ie. no transmission slipping, no noise, no shaking etc...) on expressway with wife and two children. deceleration in traffic traveling 65 mph with no brake warning to those behind us could have been catastrophic!!! *tr

2004 ford freestar transmissions are faulty and it should be the manufaturers responsibility to fix the problems they created. *tr

Our 2004 ford freestar limited without warning suddenly lost power in heavy traffic. the vehicle started to slow down, and the engine rpm raced. we were able to coast to the side of the roadway, where the vehicle had no forward or backwards power. we were stuck until a repair garage could be reached and arrangements made for retrieval. the vehicle had to be loaded on a trailer and towed from the side of the roadway. the vehicle is now at the repair facility awaiting disassembly and diagnosis of the failure. *tr

My daughter's boyfriend was driving our 2004 ford freestar home from his work on interstate 70 yesterday. he had it set on cruise and suddenly the rpm shot up to max and the vehicle was not being propelled any longer. he immediately pulled out of traffic and stopped on the side of the interstate. when he did it, the shifter would move, but no gear, including reverse would engage. i have read many complaints of the very same issue today and i'm just adding ours to the list. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the torque converter failed and the vehicle could not be moved. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter) and had the vehicle towed to the dealer for repairs. the dealer advised the contact that because the component was not the original manufacturing equipment, then he would not be able to have the vehicle serviced under the recall. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage and vin was unavailable.

2004 ford freestar transmission failure with 93,000 miles. the transmission just stopped working while driving on i-895, a major interstate through baltimore, md. the van had to be abandoned, but caused two other accidents while we waited for a tow truck. this seriously put my family and the safety others in jeopardy. *tr

I have 2004 ford freestar van & have been having problems with it suddenly loosing power and loss of acceleration. i had to have the transmission replaced at 68,000 miles and van seemed to run fine for while then about 2 weeks ago with 109,000 miles i was leaving work after late shift at hospital & van would not get any power or accelerate. i was left stranded in downtown area that is known for crime and homeless. i was able to get ride home & had van towed, after over $300 van was running again. i was on way to work on 6-5-2011 & same thing happened to van, no power or accel, late in evening ,woman by myself on street where many hoodlums frequent. i was very fearful of my safety. i was able to get tow from aaa & ride to work. i'm still without my van after 2 weeks. the mechanic who originally fixed it can't get it to keep running again now, some defect in van is apparently causing coil packs to go bad and melting fuses into fuse box, this is somehow making computer system malfunction & sending various error codes that clear when fuses are replaced but fuses aren't able to be maintained and continue to blow and melt into fuse box repeating cycle, therefore van is not drivable at this time. it has been sent to another mechanic who is currently trying to fix it. i work about 30 miles from my home, i have young children that i have to take places, & have to drive to get to any stores for food &/or supplies. i am fearful if my van is fixed that it will break down again & i won't be as lucky as the last few times and me &/or my family will be injured in accident or worse. i hope this information is helpful .thank you. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph when the transmission failed and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. the vehicle coasted to a stop before being towed to an independent repair shop where the torque converter was replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 81,000.

Letter from senator graham on behalf of constituent re the transmission failure in his 2004 ford freestar *tgw

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that when first starting the vehicle, the gear shifter would not shift into gear. the vehicle was inspected by the owner who discovered that the failure could potentially have been caused by the transmission. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

While driving with our two daughters in the car on memorial day weekend, my wife was 30 miles from home, made a right turn at an intersection and car just stopped driving. vehicle engine remained running but unable to make the car drive. waited two hours for aaa to show up and tow her to a garage. three days later we were told that the garage could not fix the van because it was a transmission issue and they were not a transmission shop. called aaa again to have vehicle towed 30 miles to our local shop. i was aware to not bring it to a ford dealership to have it fixed because they will put the same bad part in the transmission again and would have another failure. rebuilt transmission was installed with better torque converter than a ford dealership would put in. rebuilt transmission has a 4 year/100,000 mile guarantee. i have been aware of the ongoing torque converter issues with these vans and had expected this one to break as well. i sent an email to nhtsa last year with my concerns and got no response from them. this van had 80000 miles on it. this problem needs to be addressed with ford. luckily noone has been seriously injured in these break downs but it is only a matter of time. there has been a serious failure of oversight into ford motor company by nhtsa not to make ford recall these vehicles considering there has been so many with the same problems. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated while driving 20 mph the vehicle stalled with out any warning. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 54,000. updated 10/12/11*lj updated 10/24/11

I was driving down the road and the vehicle dropped out of gear and loss acceleration. it would not go back into gear. *kb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 60 mph, the transmission failed to respond. the failure occurred three times. the vehicle was towed to an independent transmission repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt on two separate occasions. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired for the most recent transmission failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable.

Started freestar and right away sputtering and didn't want to accelerate when given gas, would stall but start back up and do the same thing when trying to accelerate, sputter and stall out and lose power. first shop says its the transmission, had it towed to another shop for 2nd opinion and currently waiting on their word. *tr

Failure of transmission. i had my transmission overhauled 35,000 miles ago on my ford freestar and now i'm going to have to do it again or replace it entirely. i've noticed online that many others have had the same problem with the same year and model as mine. *tr

While driving approx 40 on a suburban road car began to surge forward and i found it would not accelerate past 40 and then not at all. then it surge again and drove for a bit and repeated the cycle. i had my toddler in the car and was almost to the sitters so i slowly made it near their home when i got stuck at a light. while stopped it began to violently shake and the battery light was flashing. it also began to smell as if something was burning. it shook a little longer and died. it started back up after a few tries and i was able to drop her off and get it to the shop. i bought this used 3 months ago and have already replaced all door contacts, the wiring in the steering column, all wiring in the heating system, the rear power windows, the horn and other small things. now this. i will never buy another ford and want something done about this monstrosity ford put out on the road. *tr

Driver was at a full stop at a traffic light preparing to make a left-hand turn onto a major 4-lane divided highway. once the light turned green, the driver accelerated from full stop to about 10-15 mph and put the vehicle into a left-hand turn. after the initial acceleration, driver coasted through the actual turn. coming out of the turn into the straightaway, the driver pressed down on the accelerator to continue accelerating into the travel lanes of the 4-lane divided highway. no response from the vehicle other than hearing the engine rev higher with depression of the gas pedal. no acceleration, no forward momentum other than the vehicle coasting. driver was able to coast safely to a stop on the shoulder of the road. when trying to diagnose the problem, driver noted that the shifting gears did not result in any detectable gear shift noise or vibration, even when going to park or reverese. pressing the gas pedal only resulted in revving the engine - this was true for all gear positions, including reverse. no acceleration was noted at all. vehicle was towed to the nearest ford dealership for diagnosis and repair. dealership investigated and noted that the transmission had failed. when speaking to the service rep it was mentioned that the torque converter had failed and there were broken off metal parts in the collection pan of the case. the entire transmission assembly had to be replaced. it is fortunate that the failure occurred at low speed in a controlled intersection on a clear road without approaching traffic. with no ability to accelerate, the driver only had a small amount of forward momentum to work with to clear the travel lanes safely. if this failure occurred at highway speeds the outcome would not have been as positive.

Driving down rural highway, sudden loss of drive ability to vehicle, vehicle coasted to stop on shoulder of highway. engine still had power. towed van to ford dealership, result of diagnosis and repair: torque converter failed causing severe damage to transmission and radiator. damage required new components to be installed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving 65 mph when the transmission failed. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who replaced the transmission. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that there were no recalls. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 76,000.

Transmission failure at 88,000 miles. this is apparently a known issue with these vehicles and there is a class action pending. no indication of any problem then suddenly the car will not go into gear and is dead in the water even though engine is running. *tr

Driving a ford 2004 freestar 113k miles no previous transmission issue. backed car out of driveway, lost gears when shifting into drive. could not recover gear. no slipping gears or other symptom prior to failure. no prior history of transmission related problems at all. towed to mechanics shop, recommended replace transmission. replaced with used trans, $1800. *tr

Transmission failure 2004 freestar. *tr

I was traveling on the new jersey turnpike, heading north bound in the middle lane. i felt a sudden thump and then notice the mini van started to rev up to 4500 - 5000 rpm, which it has never done. i pull to the emergency pull off. the car would turn on and shift however, it would not move in forward or reverse.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the while driving out of a parking lot she put the vehicle into drive and it would not move forward. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. forty five days after the repairs were done the transmission failed again. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 76,000 and current mileage was 77,000. updated 07/08/11 *bf the consumer was informed the torque converter in the transmission needed to be replaced. two weeks later, there was a loud screeching noise coming from under the vehicle. when the consumer attempted to put the vehicle in reverse, the engine just revved. it was determined it was the same problem as before. updated 09/01/11*jb

My 2004 ford freestar suddenly would not accelerate or maintain speed while i was driving. i was able to coast a few feet to a safe place to leave the car. the car was running, but would not move in any gear. there was no indication of anything wrong with the car before then. when the failure occurred, i did hear a sound lasting maybe 5 seconds, a bit like hissing. the dealership repair guy told me the input shaft to the transmission snapped. the cost to repair is estimated at $3,200. this occurred on april 24, 2011. *tr

We were driving eastbound on highway 26 in the state of oregon. we were driving up the hill when there was a odd sound, then the rpm of the vehicle went over 3000. we were able to pull the vehicle off the high way barely past the white line. i let off the brake and tried to drive the rpm revved but the car drifted backwards. we put the vehicle in park and then tried again in 1, 3 and drive and again same result. we drifted the car backwards further off the road and contacted a tow. if we were not lucky enough to have had no traffic behind us and have a large enough side bar on the road we would have likely been in an accident. *tr

Transmission failed at highway speeds (55mph). total loss of motive power. after coasting to a stop i was unable to get the car to move in any gear (drive, reverse, 1, 2, etc.) *tr

Driving on the tollway when suddenly the van's rpm revved up but the van would not go into any gear. the van was towed three times because of the easter holiday. we were told by ford that the transmission imploded. 0 we had to have the transmission replaced. *tr

2004 ford freestar sel traveling @ 60 mph. as i was proceeding up a hill, i noticed that the rpms were increasing but the car was not accelerating. i tried to moved to the shoulder but the car slowed to a stop before i could get completely off the road. after rolling it off the roadway, my husband who was following us arrived. after several attempts to shift into different gears it was apparent there nothing happening in the transmission. we are getting the transmission repaired/rebuilt as we speak. mileage, 104,000. *tr