Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

Power train automatic transmission. my wife while driving with children on a secondary highway lost forward motion while traveling up a hill. was lucky she was able to brake and steer off highway and no vehicles behind her. it has been a nightmare ever since. had the vehicle towed to a german ford dealership that quoted us a $10,000 dollar repair to replace the transmission. found a reputable transmission shop that repaired it for about $4,000, but now the vehicle had multiple error codes, (transaxle, and check engine lite). replaced multiple sensors trying to solve problem and bounced back and forth between the transmission shop and a different ford dealership that guaranteed they could fix and repair any problem on an american ford. thought i had a power train control module problem affected because of the tsb (06-14-10). i was assured this was not the problem. in between this, ford issued the recall (nhtsa id 12v006000, action number ea09016, recall number 11s25). my vehicle had to sit from january-july 2012 waiting on the recall to be issued on my particular vehicle. after replacing the torque converter under the recall, the german ford dealership still had the transaxle lite come back on, so replaced a sensor. following this work, the oil pressure lite came on. the german ford dealership replaced the sensor. now the vehicle will not even start. the vehicle has not been able to be test driven to determine if the transmission is good or not, and the german ford dealership is refusing to do additional work on the vehicle. they do not know what is wrong andmy vehicle continues to just sit there. i have not had this vehicle operational for almost 19 months. *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

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and she couldn't accelerate. there were no warning lights on the instrumental panel prior or after the failure. the driver then coasted to the side of the highway. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who advised her that it might be the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance but they advised her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were approximately 70,000. the vin was unavailable.

I was driving down the highway and the transmission just suddenly went out. it was like the vehicle was stuck in neutral. i have no power to the wheels; forward or reverse. *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

It happened to me on wed april 13, 2011. driving along step on gas, rpm?s rise but my 2004 ford freestar van wasn?t going anywhere. the van has only 91,000 miles on it. my transmission shop said there where two problems, first the main seal on the transmission failed. it warping which caused the seal to tear, secondly the main shaft from the transmission to the torque converter would not come out of the torque converter. he stated that both of these issue are factory defects. after spending $3,175.00 transmission is totally rebuilt. ford should pay for this. does anybody out there know how to attach pictures to this class action lawsuit? if you do please put post here how to post them. i would like to post the pictures of the problems that my transmission shop took. *tr

Was driving kids to basketball and before getting out of apartment complex (thank goodness not on highway!) the car stopped moving. fortunately i was able to maneuver it to a parking area. it would not go forward or backward but the engine was still running. had it towed to afford dealership with my recall letter regarding torque converter but of course after telling me they first had to do a diagnostic test (for $250.00) eventually, they determine that "it was not the torque converter (t/c) but internal problems within the transmission!?" (appears this is what they tell everyone!) i had brought the car there earlier in march when i received the recall letter and was told that the parts for the recall were not available until 2nd quarter of 2012. i went back in early april and again was told the same thing. then on or around april 10th guess what? my car broke down. i towed it to ford and asked that the torque converter be replaced. that was when i was told about the charge for the "diagnostic test". at first i refused and just asked that they replace the t/c. they said they could not because "what if they replaced it and the car still did not work?" i said i'll take that chance. they said no, and we do not have the parts available. eventually i had to get the trans rebuilt for $3400.00! what a racket they have! an american company whom i was trying to be loyal to taking advantage of their consumers!! we have to fight back, don't let ford get away with this!!!!!! *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.

Transmission torque converter failed. *tr

2004 freestar van going down road at 60 miles and car lost power transmission failed. now we need a new transmission because ford built a faulty design and won't recall them. *tr

2004 ford freestar transmission has gone out again. second transmission trans was replaced by ford just after we bought it. this is the second time it has left us stranded. *tr

I was driving at 35 mph and went to speed up coming out of town. when i went to accelerate, my rpms revved upto 5 and my speed drastically declined to where i had no power and could not go in drive or reverse. i had t call a tow truck to take van back to town. have been told torque converter is bad and that transmission needs to be replaced. no signs of anything leading up to the car not driving. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle would surge forward between one and two rpms. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced the ball bearings and hoses. six days later, while attempting to decelerate, the contact noticed that the check engine, battery, and oil warning lights illuminated when the vehicle stalled. she was able to restart the vehicle; however, it stalled again and she was unable to place the vehicle in reverse. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test which determined that the torque converter and vacuum had failed. the vehicle was towed to a dealer. the current and failure mileage was 85,000.

Had transmission fixed in jan 2010 and my transmission just went out again march 10 2011... i have had nothing but problems with this vehicle ranging from broken motor mounts, tranny, a/c, radiator, spark plugs 02 sensors and so forth. this is the 5th time i have reported on here. please do something before it kills more people. on top of this, i was driving and the dvd player fell out of the ceiling landing on my child's legs causing bruises. *tr

On 3/5/11, my husband, myself, and 2 of our children were traveling uphill on route 79 in upstate ny. suddenly our 2004 ford freestar minivan acted as though it were in neutral. my husband pushed on the gas pedal, the engine revved, but the car just wouldn't go. we had to coast backwards down the hill and into someone's driveway. fortunately, it was the driveway of a local mechanic who quickly diagnosed the problem as transmission failure. upon researching this issue, i found on www. edmunds.com that hundreds of others had experienced the exact same problem at about the same mileage (ours is approximately 72k). i was hoping to find that this would be a recall issue, but apparently hundreds of complaints just isn't enough. *tr

My 2004 ford freestar had a catastrophic transmission failure while i was on the freeway with my family in the car. my car has only 88k miles and gave absolutely no indication of anything mechanically wrong prior to the failure. i have since learned that this is an extremely common problem for ford freestar owners; i am appalled that the n.h.t.s.a. has done absolutely nothing about this. ford has made a lemon with an extremely dangerous safety issue; we were fortunate to have made it across five lanes of busy highway before our car came to a complete stop. this is unacceptable. ford needs to make restitution to its owners. it is unacceptable that you, the entity that is supposed to protect consumers, is doing nothing. *tr

Driving to work the transmission in 2004 freestar with only 78,000 miles catastrophically failed without any warning, stranding the vehicle in the southbound lane of traffic on a rural highway creating traffic hazards for myself and other motorists. the vehicle had to be towed to a private transmission repair shop for replacement of failed transmission components and a complete transmission rebuild. the local ford dealer could not accommodate repairs because they did not have the necessary parts available due to "national backorder" of the parts. several phone calls to transmission shops and a google search revealed that the 2004-7 ford freestars are well known for" sudden catastrophic failures" due to inferior torque converters, input shafts and pumps. this is clearly a design defect since most automobiles and vans in this class do not have histories of large numbers of sudden failures, especially at such low miles. ford needs to accept this design flaw and honor recall repairs to customers. *tr

Was traveling in the vehicle and all of a sudden lost all power to the transmission. was very concerning as it occurred in traffic at highway speeds. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 10 mph, she heard a loud bang. the vehicle lost all power and would not accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the torque converter was replaced. in addition, five other unknown components that failed due to the torque converter were replaced. the failure and current mileage was 73,000. updated *lj updated 5/2/11 *cn updated 05/13/11

#1398 of 1400 another tran fails "death trap" by alton5 feb 20, 2011 (1:31 pm) i have a 2004 freestar and was traveling on a 5 line freeway when all the sudden the tran light came on. the car lost all power even the power steering. i was in the inside lane and had to coast to try and make it off the highway cutting off traffic. i had my 3 kids in the car and was terrified as we almost got slammed in to twice since i was coasting at 30 and the traffic was going 70. once on the side of the road i tried to start the van and nothing worked. had to walk with my 3 girls 2 mikes along side the highway "against the law" to get to a pay phone and call aaa. had the van towed to a shop and it will cost me $3000 to fix. ford- shame on you! you have put a big burden on my family and put our lives at risk!!! - [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

2004 ford freestar transmission failure. ford service manager stated a substance -appears to be water-enter through transaxle vent. vent is suppose to be cover by a cowl grille panel. loss of power while driving and unable to shift into any gear, although engine running. transaxle light came on back in june 2010 taken to bangor, me ford, transmission drained, flushed with bg flush machine and refilled. feb 17, 2011 transaxle light again came on .was able to get safely back into driveway when all transmission power loss. unable to shift into any gear. towed to ford dealership again in ny where i live. after tranny torn down ($450.00) ford service manager stated a substance -appears to be water-enter through transaxle vent. vent is suppose to be cover by a cowl grille panel. found tsb06-04-10 report that identified that water may leake into pcm and or transaxle vent if the pcm connector cover is not properly seated and allows water to leak into these two areas. in nov.2006, i incurred a failure of the pcm . three scary loss of power on a major highway and three attempts to fix the problem before ford hotline contacted by technician and tsb bulletin used to install new pcm and install cowl panel fix described. this panels seal may have failed allowing water to enter the transaxle's vent. ford's consumer's 800 line refused to help and denied any responsibility for repairs as did my warranty company. they said that water intrusion isn't covered. ford needs to recall these vehicles as there is a large number of complaints (many that could have ended in tragedy on highways. any number of google searches will show hundreds of complaints. please nhtsa help us get these vehicles recalled. remember the denials by toyota. they are paying for that fatal accident that killed a family of 4. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving 35 mph when the vehicle experienced a loss of power and abnormally decelerated to 10 mph. the vehicle would not accelerate over 10 mph and was towed to a local mechanic where the fuel filter was replaced. later, the contact was driving 40 mph when the vehicle became resistant to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who stated that the torque converter was the cause of the failure. the vehicle was being repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage was approximately 75,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

2004 ford freestar se 3.9 litre transmission started to not engage in and out of gears properly at 57,000 miles . after several estimates of $1700 - $2000 all repair shops recommended transmission needed to removed and rebuilt and new torque converter installed. *tr

2004 ford freestar transmission failed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that when trying to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle did not move. the contact shifted into a lower gear which allowed the vehicle to accelerate slowly but the failure occurred again. the vehicle moved fine in reverse but not in the drive position. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the failure mileage was 134,250.

While turning left in a busy intersection, the engine lost all power. when i pressed the gas pedal, the engine revved, but would not engage. i coasted to the right side of the road and i put the vehicle in park. i tried all gears and the vehicle would not move. after having it towed to the nearest repair shop, the diagnosis was a failed transmission. the mechanic put in a new turbine shaft, pump assembly, pressure regulating solenoid and replaced the torque converter, transmission filter and fluids. it was a $1900.00 repair. several auto mechanics i spoke with were well aware of the problem. this seemed unusual to me. they all said that this is a widely known problem with ford freestars at about 80,000 miles. i contacted ford motor company. it denied any knowledge. i began researching. after reading several auto blogs and message boards, i learned that nhtsa had opened a investigation into this possible transmission defect.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was traveling down the highway with the cruise control activated at 78 mph up a hill, when suddenly, the engine began to rev and the vehicle started to decelerate quickly. the contact was able to get to the side of the highway with no acceleration because the transmission had just seemed to disengage. the vehicle was taken to the dealership. upon inspection, it was determined the transmission pump and torque converter had literally sheared off without cause. updated 3/11/11 *cn updated 04/29/11

I own a 2004 ford freestar. on wednesday, jan. 26,2011, i try to move my van in my garage, found the engine started normally, but the van cannot move.. the gear looked not functional at all. the van would not move forward as well. i had my mechanic to take a look, and he informed me that the transmission went on our van. he suggested that we have it towed to the ford dealership where we purchased it. so, this is what we plan to do. the van only has around 83, 000 miles on it!! i understand, after doing lots of research, that this is a common problem with this make and model, and i am infuriated that we will have to cover the expense associated with the repairs! unacceptable! shame on ford! i will never purchase another ford vehicle again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 45 mph the vehicle began to hesitate as if were running out of gasoline. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or a local mechanic for the failure. the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the failure began on january 25, 2011. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 126,000.

Luckily i was not driving my freestar when the transmission went out, however, it was the coldest day of the year and i was stranded. i was on my way home from work when i went to get in and put the vehicle in reverse and nothing happened. i had to replace my transmission with a nice bill of $2500.00. i am happy that ford has finally realized this is a problem and is going to fix it. however, what are they going to do with the people that have already paid for the repair?? *tr

Was driving home from school with my husband and son. approximate speed was 40 mph while pressing gas slightly to go up small incline motor revved as if it was in neutral. van had no power to move, not even reverse. had to had towed. mechanic states pump in transmission is out and transmission is completely gone. there was no warning or anything. it was 12 degrees outside when we were stranded. after reading other complaints my story sounds the same as everyone else's. the costs not counting labor to fix will be approximately $2500.00. almost equal to what we owe. very frustrated with ford- this needs to be looked into. *tr

Ford freestar 2004- going down hwy, engine suddenly revved loudly then we had no gears whatso ever. the engine was running fine but couldn't propel the vehicle. mechanic told us this is a recurring problem with this make/model. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while accelerating from a stop light at approximately 5 mph the contact heard a clanging noise in the front end of the vehicle and then it stalled. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the spline was stripped and the torque converter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 82,576 and the current mileage was 86,000. updated 03/24/11*lj the dealer found the transmission pump shaft stripped out of place. updated 05/05/11*jb

My wife was driving 2004 freestar van when just pass a intersection when transmission went out, she is ok but, had to replace converter in transmission cost $838.34 only 72925 miles on van this should not have happen , i think ford should recall this van. *tr

Ford transmission is slipping out of gear at highway speeds. *tr

During normal operation of the vehicle, without warning, the vehicle lost all power as i pulled off the road. ford diagnosed and recommended replacing the transmission. transmission is currently being rebuilt by aamco transmissions.

2004 freestar- traveling down road when car's engine just started revving and car would not go forward or backwards- had to call tow truck to tow us to shop. this could have been even worse if would have happened on highway, or in bad weather- as my husband is disabled unable to walk very well!!! car did not have alot of mileage for this to have happened- very disappointed will cost us over $2000 to get repaired- very difficult on a fixed income. have owned many ford vehicles and have never had anything like this happen. always felt a ford was a very dependable vehicle- questioning that now! *tr

On december 23, we were driving our 2004 ford freestar limited, and while making a left hand turn across traffic, the vehicle simply fell out of gear, and the rpms increased, thus causing the van to coast to a stop. luckily the van was not in a collision during the incident. after being diagnosed by the mechanic, it was determined that the splines to the output shaft (female side) of the torque converter were stripped, thus not driving the transmission pump due to lack of pressure. as this is a known issue, it appears that the initial manufacturer of the part had a metallurgy flaw and this issue should be corrected. the repairs to the vehicle were $2300 and not covered by ford. *tr

I own a 2004 ford freestar. on wednesday, december 22, 2010 i proceeded to back my van into my garage after running errands for the day and after backing up about a foot, the vehicle ceased movement. it would not move forward as well. i had my local mechanic stop by my home to take a look, and he informed my husband and i that the transmission went on our van. he suggested that we have it towed to the ford dealership where we purchased it. so, this is what we plan to do. the van only has around 60, 000 miles on it!! i understand, after doing lots of research, that this is a common problem with this make and model, and i am infuriated that my husband and i will have to cover the expense associated with the repairs! unacceptable! shame on ford! i will never purchase another ford vehicle again. *tr

2005 ford freestar. consumer writes in regards to recall concerning transmission torque converter *tgw in march 2012, the consumer received a safety recall notice. after a few weeks, he decided to contact the customer service number listed on the memo. the consumer stated to his knowledge, he never received an update to the original notice that was promised for 2nd quarter 2012. on 04/02/12, the consumer was advised by a customer service rep, that his vehicle was eligible for the recall. the consumer then informed the rep, that the torque converter failed on 12/17/10 and he had it replaced at his expense. he was then advised to go to the dealership and to seek a replacement and they would assist him in recouping his costs through the ford roadside assistance program. the next day, the consumer arrived at the dealer. they stated they were aware of the recall, but it was still new and they had no details on how to proceed. a few weeks later, the consumer was informed they were waiting for production of suitable replacement parts. weeks later, the parts arrived. however, he was informed they were not doing repairs, unless the vehicle was not running. the consumer then called customer service again and relayed what was said to him. the rep informed the consumer the dealer was wrong and eventually an appointment was made. ford customer service informed the consumer, he would only be reimbursed for the torque converter, not the towing, because the work was not performed by a ford dealer. *jb

I have a 04 ford freestar that continues to have transmission problems. it started early around 40k. fmc service stated 'just a leak'. repeat complaints equaled 'nothing found, etc, etc'. beginning last year it would lose power and backfire while the transmission would not engage and almost caused my wife and daughter to be broadsided when she tried to pull out in traffic and the van did not go forward. the transmission would slip and not engage to second gear. i took it to aamco and paid $1800 to have it fixed. they said they had to basically replace everything. now, a year later and it is doing it again, but this time by not engaging into second gear, it caused a person behind me to get hit in the rear because he thought i would turn as a normal car would, but i couldn't accelerate due to the trans. additionally now it will shudder, shake and lose power at 40 to 50 mph. it is not even drivable as i tried to go out to the store today and it made terrible noises and shook like crazy when put into reverse. tried to go up my driveway and it shook even harder and made terrible grinding noises in drive, 3rd and 1st gear. does not matter what position the shifter is in, it has problems. looked at the dip stick for the trans and it is rusted showing that obviously now some type of water is in the system too. i am disabled and on a disability income and do not have the funds to have this repaired again. ford will do nothing for it unless of course i want to pay to have it rebuilt at $4000. this van is a danger to all on the road and luckily no one has been killed as a result of it not pulling out into traffic as it should. please force ford to buy back these vans and refund the expenses of people who had to pay to have it fixed. for me, it looks like it is going to be a double trouble problem. i do not know what to do, i know it will just break down again if i do have it fixed. the van needs to be taken to a junk yard and crushed to save lives. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was accelerating at 30 mph when the transmission failed without warning and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. the contact was able to push the vehicle off the roadway. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and the mechanic stated that the failure was not from the timing chain but he was unable to determine the exact cause of failure because he was unable to take apart the entire transmission. the transmission was replaced. the failure and current mileage was 119,000.

My wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar yesterday with our 10 year old son in the car. at speeds around 35-45 mph, she felt some shuddering as if the transmission was "shifting in and out of gears". she was able to maintain control while driving and drove the car home and parked it fearing that driving it further would result in losing control and ending up in a potentially fatal motor vehicle crash. at this point and time, the vehicle will not shift into any gear which again, thankfully ended up parked at home as opposed to what could have occurred. with research, i discovered that this likely is a manufacturer defect that results in failed transmissions that ford is aware of but has not addressed. must somebody die before the issue is addressed? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 55 mph, the transmission failed without warning and the vehicle began to hesitate. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileages were approximately 76,000.

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

2004 ford freestar transmission died at 48,100 miles. i was driving and all of a sudden there was a loss of motive power. the engine was running with absolutely no acceleration. i almost got hit by a car because the mini van stop moving at an intersection. had the 2004 ford freestar checked and there was water in the transmission. no rain, no flood. only very cold weather. $4000 to fix and extended warranty don't want to cover. *tr

My wife was driving our 2004 freestar down a busy road and she said it made a revving noise and then would not move. she coasted to the side of the road and the van would run but not move. we had to have it towed. she had kids in the car. *tr

We own a 2004 ford freestar with a 4.2l motor. thank god we bought an extended warranty when we bought the vehicle new in october 2004. at approximately 55,000 miles the vehicle stopped suddenly in traffic and needed to be towed. the transmission would not engage in any gear. i had the van towed to rodman ford in foxboro ma where i was told the transmission fluid was contaminated with water. the warranty covered the entire repair except for a $50 deductible, also covered rental and the tow. great, right. the only problem is that at 67,000 miles the same thing happened. same coverage, paid for the whole thing again. well here we are at 82,000 miles (no longer under 75,000 covered under warranty) and the tranny goes again. now the last one was replaced last december at rodman ford again. they are now trying to tell me that there is no coverage and a new tranny is going to cost me $3500 to replace. huh? your kidding right? there seems to be another issue at play here. after reading some info on the web, i see there are several hundred reports of this same thing happening in this particular vehicle. there is an e-mail on line from stephen mchenry of the nhtsa stating that water has been getting into the pcm or transaxle vent. if this is a known problem then why is ford not following the detailed repair instructions outlined in this e-mail. why do they continue to replace transmissions several time in these vans when they know the cause of the problem. are the service departments not busy enough and are they trying to create repeat customers. i am not going to pay a nickel toward this repair. i also have noticed several attorneys soliciting clients online for class action suits trying to get these other people their money back for the repairs that for them were not covered by an extended warranty. thanks for your time. *tr

Coming into town in busy traffic, our vehicle suddenly slipped out of gear and then would not switch back into gear above 20mph. we were 30 miles or so from home, so we went at low speed out of town and down highway continuing to see if it would kick into gear. it did not go over 20 to 25 mph until about 10 miles from home, we stopped for gas and then when we started up again it shifted as normal into gears as needed for highway travel. took it to mechanic and ended up needing new transmission. a rebuilt one cost us almost $3000. would love to know if this will be a recall and our money refunded from ford? *ln

11/26/2010: ford freestar 2004 minivan driving city street at about 30 mph lost power. pulled over to side of street. vehicle would not go into drive or reverse, if attempted, engine would race. vehicle towed to ford dealership - torque converter is said to be the failure. bill est to be $3,900 to repair transmission. *tr updated ivoq 12/30/10