Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

Was traveling from new jersey to south carolina and stopped in stanton,va. approx 400 miles from home.after getting fuel,the van would not accelerate in forward or reverse. had van towed to a ford dealership and was informed the transmission needed replacing at a cost of $3000. the van only had 62k miles on it and is maintained regularly. the fluid was changed at 37k miles as per ford recommendation. did not have any prior warning up to that point of any problem. *tr

April 2009, the 2004 ford freestar van was parked in our driveway. it had been outside for a while, not being driven, and it had been wet outside. my husband needed to move the cars around and went to move the van. it would not catch. he continued to crank it and the engine would catch but immediately bog and die out. this continue so long, i was surprised the battery didn't die out. when the engine did catch, the idle would rev way high up and would not go down until it would just plunge and the engine would die. while it was arching, he attempted to put the van in gear but it would not reverse or go forward. the dealer was called and a tow truck came that saturday. when it was looked at on monday, the van started right up, apparently put on the computer and the diagnosis was "it's a non-issue." *tr

We have a 2004 ford freestar that the transmission died on the highway. there was no warning and no indication that the transmission needed repair. this was an extremely dangerous situation. thankfully, my husband was able to pull over without getting into an accident. i'm not so sure if i was driving i would have been able to maneuver as well as him. we have heard that this has happened to many other 2004 & 2005 freestars and believe they are defective. *tr

2004 freestar without warning no motion f-or r saw hundreds of same on web ...needs to be recalled billion dollar corp should man up. *tr

I was driving down the highway and the transmission in my 2004 ford freestar dropped into neutral . towed it to ford dealership and they said they transmission was gone. i have done some research and it seems that there is a problem with the transmission that ford is using in these freestars. there are to small and the vains on the torque converters are shearing off, due to the strain on them. i do not understand why this is not being investigate by nhtsa. this a legal complaint and it seems that you all are just closing your eyes to the matter. it shouldn't take someone getting killed before it is investigated, but i guess that is what you all are waiting for. i know there has been several complaints filed about the same problem. i hope nhtsa is not being bought off by the car manufacturers . *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 55 mph, the contact heard a thumping noise. the transmission switched into neutral and the vehicle suddenly stopped moving. the vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to the contact's residence. the dealer stated that there was no recall and they were not performing any repairs under warranty. the contact would have to pay for the repair. the dealer also stated that this was a common issue with these vehicles when they reach 35,000 miles and above. the failure mileage was 80,000.

2004 ford freestar. s10 appropriate handling - letter to the president from consumer re vehicle hazards due to major defects (full document not imaged). *nj the check engine light illuminated. the codes were for a cmp sensor and ac pressure sensor. the power train control module needed to be replaced due to water intrusion. the vehicle would stall while driving on the highway. the consumer stated there were no problems with the vehicle until a water leak occurred. *jb updated *jb 08/26/10 updated 11/10/10*jb the consumer stated after the third repair, the dealership stated they could not adjust the hood latch down enough to prevent water from blowing in from the front of the vehicle. the consumer believed the problem was a safety issue and not a customer satisfaction issue. updated 07/26/11 updated 08/23/11

In october of 2009, while traveling i65 with my 7 year old to his fall cub scout camp out, my 2004 ford freestar dropped out of gear. after cautiously steering to the emergency lane and getting the van towed to my mechanic, it was determined that the torque converted needed replacing. ok, so bad luck, i don't like it, but i'll pay it. i was then told that the steel ford used in that years transmission was a soft metal and i will eventually more than likely have to replace it. now, approximately 6 months later, my family and i are traveling i75 and my trans axle light starts to flash. we have the van home and i am scared to know how much this is going to cost. the reason for my complaint is that after looking on the internet and seeing all of the issues reported about the '04 freestar, i am shocked that the nhtsa nor ford has done anything to remedy the matter. with transmissions and torque converters going out with no warning signs, especially on highways, i find it very dangerous and disheartening that it is still a matter that is lingering. can i have the information that the nhtsa has accumulated over time concerning the freestar and what the department of transportation uses a "measuring stick" when determining something is unsafe and should be remedied? *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.

At freeway speeds of 60 mph, transaxle light begins to flash on and off on my 2004 ford freestar. ford service told me that if the light only flashes and does not remain lit, don't bother bringing it in because they will not be able to diagnose a problem. on two occasions, the vehicle lost power of acceleration. rpms increased to 4,000 but vehicle forward motion slowed to a stop. both occasions were on the interstate. *tr

My 2004 ford freestar van with about 75,000 miles on it stopped working while i was driving about 55mph. the car did not die but it just would not drive and started making a wining sound. there was no warning, no light on the dash. it just stopped. had i been in traffic or on the interstate, there could have been a major accident. ford will not pay for the problem because the warranty is out, but i am not the only one driving a freestar with this problem. i believe a recall is needed on ford freestar vans made in 2004. *tr

While accelerating onto the freeway, the transmission failed completely. we were forced to coast off of the freeway into an abandoned weigh-station. the transmission was completely inoperable as no gear would work. vehicle towed to the dealership where it was purchased, and we are forced to replace the entire transmission unit at a cost of $3500. vehicle has just over 82,000 miles on the odometer. *tr

While driving on i20 the van lost power, while trying to pull over it pick back up and continued. after changing fuel filter and pump it is still doing the same thing. on going up hill or passing other vehicles it will still lose power. too scared to drive it. *tr

The issue i am having is with a 2004 ford freestar. i was driving on i35e, in st paul, mn, at about 70-75 mph when without warning the transmission quit. i would push the pedal and the engine would rev up, but the van didn't move. i was in the left lane and had to move over to the next off ramp, while the van was slowing down. we were almost rearended twice while trying to move over. i was driving and had my 2 kids and my wife (who was pregnant at the time) in the van with me. it happened in march, so it was still cold out. i had this van for about 3 years now, and never had an issue with it. i still like the van and am still a ford guy. i am just disappointed with the fact that they won't resolve the issue. *tr

Transmission dies with no warnings at less than 70,000 miles. *tr

This is the second time in two years that the transmission has inexplicably gone out in my 2004 ford freestar van. this time it had been parked overnight in my driveway and my wife started it and tried to leave for work and the vehicle would not engage any forward or reverse gears when moving gear shift lever. early morning, cool and dry. *tr

On 3/12/09 my wife was driving on the highway when the transmission went out on her. 100,309 miles, 1,000 miles out of warranty. didn't get it fixed yet because it happened today and i am trying to figure out where to get the money. *tr

There were no prior events leading up to this failure, it just happened out of no where. no signs of failure or no warning signals indicating this malfunction. i own a 2004 ford freestar with 61,121 miles on it and i purchased an extended warranty on it. my warranty expired at 60,00 miles. my transmission went out on me and i will not pay 3,300.00 dollars to have it repaired. i called ford and they told me that the warranty was purchased through a third party. i was unable to contact them and they haven't called me back. my vehicle was at the dealership and they did a full diagnosis on it and they couldn't find anything wrong with it, they were quick to assume it was the transmission. the engine light did not come on at all nor were there any signs of this happening. i've gone over my miles by 1,000 and i cant get help from the dealer i purchased my vehicle from but they were really fast on determining that it was the transmission. i as well as others seem to be having this problem and nothing seems to be happening to fix this problem. i did more research and found that some ford dealerships have made repairs that do not need to be done. they are quick to take your money but they wont help u out when this occurs. i think i have made myself clear on this issue. *tr

Transmission failed. after reading a lot of post this is a issue that ford knows about and will not do anything about. i took it to the local ford dealer and was told i needed to flush my fluid. i did and it was still acting up and they said they could find nothing wrong. a couple of moths later the transmission went out. i was able to drive it to the shop and the guy said he was surprised it was even driving the way it was. fluid was full of metal and had water in it. they question if the ford dealer even did the flush because it was so bad. *tr

Leaving work one evening put the car in reverse backed up, put the car in drive and no movement. the van sounded like it was in neutral. tried reverse again, no movement. there were no warning lights on, no noises prior, it just quit! the van has 69,000 and was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle from a ford dealership. i spoke with a service tech yesterday and he stated he wasn't aware of this being a common problem, which is ironic to find so many of the same issues posted here and elsewhere. said the van was only warranty for 3 years/36,000 miles under the powertrain warranty. estimated cost to replace was 2,300 for ford service center to rebuild(comes with 12mo/12,000 mile warranty) or 3,600 for a ford manufactured rebuilt transmission(comes with 3year/36,000 mile warranty) the van has not been fixed as i don't have the money to repair. *tr

Driving 2004 ford freestar transmission suddenly and without warning failed, leaving the car disabled. transmission will need to be replaced at cost of over $2,000. *tr

Transmission failure in vehicle with only 52k miles. vehicle is out of warranty. had to have the transmission replaced to repair the problem. *tr

Purchased a 2004 ford freestar (my father is retired from ford so we have always owned fords) so i was thrilled to be able to purchase another ford. i have four dogs and go to dog shows, so the freestar would (at least i hoped) serve my traveling needs. well, i only had the van for a year and started having serious problems--windshield was not "sealed" and i had to have this serviced, but it did not correct the problem, and then had problems with the brakes. but, these were just minor problems to me. now, two weeks ago, my van "locked" up on me and wouldn't go anywhere!!! had it towed to my house because i did not have a repairman at the time. now, i discover by researching, that this has been a problem and ford has known about it. a week after this happened to me, my sister-in-law's (who purchased her ford freestar new in 2004) van had the same thing happen. cost her over $2000.00 to have it fixed--and my problem is that my van will be sitting for a long time, because i don't have the money to fix it. to make matters worse, i am still paying for a vehicle i can't drive now!!! all those years my father worked for ford we have respected the company, and now i am disgusted because ford hasn't done anything about this!! the company that i have always lived by and endorsed, is now ruined in my eye. will probably never own another ford, and i will have to continue to pay for one i will probably never drive again. in these economic times, we "little men" don't need these headaches. my husband is still driving a 2001 ford ranger--ready to tell him to trash that thing too!!! *tr

Owner of a 2004 freestar. driving down the highway 65-70 mph and without warning the car will no long accelerate. i coasted to the side of the road and tried to calm my kids after we were almost in an accident. towed into deal and we need a new transmission. car has been regularly services and has 79,000 miles. no warning that this was going to happen. *tr

Transmission failure. *tr

My 2004 ford freestar had the transmission/torque convertor go out at 58,000 miles, costing a lot of money. *tr

The transmission on my 2004 ford freestar with only 60,000 km's failed on a busy iowa interstate on our trip to florida. i had to push the van by hand to get it to the exit lane with vehicles passing by at full interstate speeds. it was fortunate for my wife and i that this incident did not end in a tragedy. the van was towed to a repair shop where the transmission was removed and sent to a transmission repair shop. a new torque converter was installed and after a 2 day delay we were back on the road. when i returned back to canada i contacted ford canada in an effort to be reimbursed for the $1,500.00 canadian that i spent for repairs. ford canada refused to honor the claim for the following reasons. the repair was not done by a ford dealer and i failed to have the 50,000 km inspection performed on this vehicle. when i checked the internet i find that this vehicle has a bad history of failure due to faulty torque converters. this is a problem that i am sure ford is fully aware of. the transmission shop that repaired this transmission for me used upgraded parts as they have experienced this problem on many of the 2004 freestars. the warranty on the repaired transmission is now from another parts provider. i believe that if i had this vehicle repaired at a ford dealer they would have installed the same replacement parts that failed prematurely on this van. i know that i am in a no win battle with ford. what does bother me is how unconcerned ford is towards their customers. during my discussion with the ford service representative there was never any type of an expressed apology for the stress my wife and i experienced during this incident. this will be my last ford. *tr

Transmission failure - 2004 ford freestar with 53,000 miles - transmission failed with no prior indication of a problem - the vehicle is in otherwise excellent condition with no excessive road wear (one driver) excellent maintenance schedule. i'm lead t believe that ford motor company is aware of early transmission failure problems yet seems to be unwilling to make any corrections to said problems or make any concessions to consumers with vehicle transmission repairs. i.e. extend mileage warranty or monetary compensation for early repairs. *tr

Torque converter went bad and transmission had to be replaced. this vehicle has 66,000 miles and is no longer covered under for warranty. i also have has a continuous noise in the right front wheel, trac light always come on and no finds a problem, the rear door opens at times when the front door is closed. *tr

My wife drives the van. no long distance driving. she was going to pick up our son from school when the transmission completely failed. no warning, no slippage or squealing. just stopped working. as a result i had to have the car towed from the middle of the street. i also had to interrupt a family member to go get my son from school on a very cold winter day. i had the transmission fixed by a certified mechanic. final cost was $3098 not including car rental for the 8 days it took to get the work done. very upsetting. many complaints on the internet yet nothing has been done yet. i would like some kind of restitution. *tr

While driving on the interstate, my 2004 ford freestar had a complete and sudden transmission failure. the rpm's shot up and it coasted to the side of the road. the van would not go into any gear; the engine would just rev. there was no pre-warning of the problem. *tr

We bought a 2004 ford freestar with 68,000 miles on it 3 years ago, 1 month after purchasing the transmission failed with no warning going 75 down the interstate. had transmission repaired after an expensive tow and rental cars got the vehicle back. 1 1/2 years later i am having the same trouble again. can't afford to keep fixing an obvious defect. *tr

Transmission went out on my 2004 ford freestyle. there was no warning. i was only adult the car with my three children and the car stopped on the highway. *tr

My wife was driving. she was braking around a slight turn. when she went to press the gas pedal to continue moving forward nothing happened. she could no longer go forward. this occurred with no warning. thankfully she was not crossing an intersection. she had both of our children in the vehicle at the time and luckily no one was hurt. we then had to have our vehicle towed. we found out that our 2004 ford freestar transmission had to be replaced. *tr

While parking my 2004 ford freestar my transmission went out without warning, i was in busy downtown traffic and the vehicle would not move, this put me in a very dangerous situation of having to push my van on a busy road. it was later towed and now we are in need of a transmission replacement. *tr

While traveling in our 2004 ford freestar minivan at 70 mph this past sunday on i-95 n in virginia, the transmission completely let go with no warning. vehicle mileage is 66k. we were 1 hour into day 2 of our return home to boston after spending christmas week with relatives in florida. we were on fairly flat terrain when i heard a high pitched whine. i looked down at the tachometer and realized the engine was revving to 6,000+. i thought maybe it had simply slipped out of gear, so i let off the gas, slipped it into 3rd, then 2nd. nothing. i coasted across 2 lanes to get to the breakdown lane. myself, my wife and three children waited for 1 hour for a tow truck. the weather was clear but it was on a busy, curved section of the highway. we all rode in the tow truck and spent the night in fredericksburg waiting for a mechanic monday morning. we got home in a rental car last night . repairs will be $2,500+ plus the cost of the rental car and extra hotel stay. the mechanic said it was the torque converter that failed, and that several fords have had that same problem. *tr

On christmas, my husband, 3 year old and i were driving on the freeway to visit family an hour away. 20 minutes into the trip we decided to stop at a gas station to get a snack for my son, but once we pulled off we realized it was closed. while heading for the drive to get back to the highway, the engine suddenly just revved, not sending any power to the gas pedal in either drive or reverse. the car directly behind us luckily avoided rear-ending us. as we were stranded in a driveway with curbs on either side, we had to get out and divert several others to back away and use a different drive. another van had to physically push us back down the drive into the meter parking lot so we were out of the way of more traffic. we then had to call my father (interrupting his christmas celebration) who lives 40 minutes away to pick us up and drive us back to our house so we could switch to our other car. we ended up getting to our christmas celebration over 2 hours late, and had to entertain a confused and tired 3 year old during that entire time! overall, we're thankful that we decided to pull off the freeway or else it would have blown while we were driving 70 mph--and who knows what might have happened. our freestar is only at 69,000 miles, and will need a new torque converter and rebuilt transmission, estimated at $2200, plus towing fees. since this happened over the holidays, when garages are closed for many days, we also have to pay for a rental car for 2-3 days until our van is done next week. when my husband initially talked with our ford dealer on 12/26, the service guy admitted that this is very common with this model. when i called the same place today (12/31), someone else told me curtly that he is "not aware that there are a high number of vehicles with this problem." he said that the corp. won't do anything for a car with "this kind of mileage" since we don't have the extended warranty. we're frustrated that this has been allowed to happen so often. *tr

Ford freestar, transmission, while driving home turning corner and motor revved but vehicle stopped moving forward, no warning nothing, when this happens and a car is following no tail lights will come on and a rear end collision is a total possibility. this happened 1000 miles past my extended warranty, at 74,000 miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle lunged into gear and then stopped. the vehicle sounds as if it is in neutral when attempting to change gears. the failure occurs with any gear. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop and they stated that a new transmission was needed at the cost of $2,000. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 64,000.

Wife was driving the vehicle, with no warning the transmission stopped working .this required a rebuilt done costing $2,100 ..out of warranty at 41,000 miles. *tr

Transmission skips or slips with only 60,000 miles on van. *tr

Issues noticed with electrical systems within a year of purchasing brand new vehicle. dealerships never found anything wrong. while driving down the road, vehicle would lose power. radio would go out, all lights on dashboard would go out etc. then all of a sudden they'd all come back on as if nothing happened. noticed mostly during rainy and humid days. then once in a while van would chug and act doggy. in december 2008, while driving down a busy city street, van just stopped "driving" and would rev. didn't have money to fix until april of 2009 so it sat in our driveway. had it towed to transmission shop after calling ford dealership and was told it was double the cost for them to fix. transmission shop told me that the splines stripped off the torque converter causing the transmission to fail. repair cost for tranny rebuild #1: $1,830.97. shortly after, the a/c stopped working (summer 2009). replaced condenser for price of parts as neighbor who's a technician provided free labor. van ran okay for about a year. then in summer 2010, started running sluggishly again and still had issues with power loss (as stated in beginning). found info online about everyone having issues with pcm so replaced that as well for $500. worked for a couple months but then in december 2010 van started having issues with power loss again and chugging. little did i know, this was the start of the tranny beginning to fail again! july 2, 2011 tranny failed again. doing 50mph in road construction zone. again, told by transmission shop (different shop as we were 9.5hrs from home), that the torque converter failed again and tranny needed to be rebuilt. cost to rebuild tranny #2: $1,850.00. still having issues with sluggishness, thinking water getting into pc still. tire pressure lights have been on for years, having issues with sliding doors, back up sensors, a/c etc. i'm tired of this lemon!!!!! *tr

Sudden failure of the transmission on 2004 ford freestar at 70 mph on interstate. no prior warning. total replacement of transmission required. vehicle has 95,000 miles. *tr

Vehicle is on 4 years old with less than 40,000 miles and the transmission failed while driving. lost steering control while driving. *tr

Our 2004 ford freestar transmission just stopped, as if it were in neutral, as we drove. *tr

2004 ford freestar has been in to the dealer for repair 4 times since april 2008 for repair. an intermittent problem of hesitations, stalling and slippage. i had also had the car in for a tuneup at a private service company. twice when i took it in i was told they couldn't find anything wrong. replaced a camshaft sensor worked for a while. today stalled was able to start but van would not go in forward or reverse. shut the car off. tried again was able to return home with the van chugging the whole way. the rpms were going crazy. i had it towed in once again to the dealer and i am waiting to hear from them. after seeing online the number of complaints on this vehicle with similar problems i feel i need to report as well. i think a recall is in order from ford. the have also in this mess replaced the computer. i would appreciate your assistance in looking into this matter. had i been driving on the highway today and lost the transmission i hate to think of what type of accident may have occurred. thanks *tr

I was driving with my two small children in the car and was doing 60km and my car seemed to have lost it's acceleration, so lucky enough i got to the side of the road and put the vehicle in park and then back into drive, but the vehicle would not move, then i tried reverse but no movement, car was still running but would not go anywhere, so got road side assistance and they took the car to a garage, have been told that it is my torque converter and needs a new one, so just before christmas got a big pay out, great just what i need. but i am so upset as my car is only 4 years old and i have only had it a year and a half and this has happened, fords will not cover me through the warranty which i am so mad about, as you are only covered to 100,000km on the power train and i have done 117,000. i have read so many complaints regarding this problem with these vehicles and am so upset, i think ford's should do a recall on this problem as it is so dangerous, driving and then the car just stops in the middle of the road, if they do not do anything then there will be an accident one day and i hope that no one gets hurt out there. so ford i really think you should stand up and recall the cars with this problem and help people before it is too late. *tr

At approx. 60k miles, while driving at steady speeds between 40-45mph and 55-65 mph, the engine will stutter/hesitate for less than a second. the occurs at random but seems to be increasing in frequency and intensity lately. from the hundreds of complaints, the most logical in my view are a failed coil pack; the pcm module or a transmission sensor. my research alerted me to the hundreds of unexpected transmission failures that occurred without any prior warning. we are senior citizens and live and commute in a very rural area. if we had a transmission failure as has been reported/described repeatedly, our safety and welfare would be seriously at risk. we don't have another $30k to replace this van, so we are having the transmission rebuilt as a "pre-emtive" measure. we are also replacing the coil pack at this time. the dealer is to evaluate the other suspect components and replace as needed. the cost of these repairs and rental car is estimated to be about $3k. ford motor company will lose a bigger market share by ignoring these complaints. we have been a ford customer for decades. *tr

2004 ford freestar had the transmission overheat message on dash. next thing i know, no acceleration. engine smoking, left stranded on thanksgiving eve on i 81 with only 87,000 miles, this is not acceptable. van needs a completely new transmission. *tr

2004 ford freestar-transmission failed @ 65 mph without any warning, just quit. we were driving on the mass turnpike ( i90 east ) @ night w/ cruise control on and suddenly the care revved to 5000 rpm. we pulled over to find that there were no gears, no parking gear, reverse or forward gears. dealership says transmission has to come out. the fluid level was fine prior to the trip. no indication of any trouble leading up the event. *tr