Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

1. my wife was backing out of a parking space and the van would not go backward or foreword any more. 2. this failure was catastrophic causing the vehicle to be immobile. fortunately it occurred in a parking lot and not on the highway in heavy traffic. vehicle was towed to shop where it was determined that the torque converter failed damaging the front pump. 3. transmission was completely cleaned and rebuilt and a rebuilt torque converter was installed. old part was exchanged for rebuilt one. the mileage of the vehicle was 68845. *tr

My 7 year old and i pulled out of a grocery store parking lot onto a busy road and the transmission completely died with no warning. up to this point had no trouble. i was able to quickly coast us into the turning lane before being hit from behind. the repair work has not been completed at this time. i was informed a piece in the transmission is broken, and that it was a common problem with the vehicle. the cost of repairs will be 3500. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle spontaneously jerked forward. the dealer could not duplicate the failure or provide a remedy. months later, while driving approximately 30 mph, the rpm's dramatically increased. the vehicle then went into a neutral state before shifting into gear, which caused the vehicle to jerk forward again. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced at the cost of $1,400. the vehicle has not been repaired and the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 55,000.

My wife had just turned through a traffic signal, and, without warning, the transmission completely disengaged. fortunately, she was able to coast off of the road and out of traffic without incident. the van had to be towed to a transmission repair shop where we learned that the converter had to be replaced because it was "stripped". *tr

I was driving on the highway with my 2 children in november 2008 and all of a sudden with no indication of a problem my van came to a stop. no lights came on or no wired noises happen to let me know that something was going on. i had to have my transmission rebuilt. in which i paid $2300 for. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. suddenly, the transmission failed without warning. roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the transmission torque component was determined to be the cause of the failure. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the current and failure mileages were 68,000. updated 12/15/08. *lj updated 12/15/08. *jb

While driving off the interstate onto an exit ramp, the transmission stopped working. the engine revved as i came to the stop sign, and when i tried to go again, the van would not move. it acted like it was in neutral -- it would not go either forward or back. a tow truck was called and the vehicle towed. the shop diagnosed the problem as transmission failure, requiring replacement. the van was just 255 miles past the extended warranty, and ford will not accept any responsibility. *tr

2004 freestar while driving at approximately 35-40mph transmission stopped working can was still running but would not move. luckily was able to pull to the side of the road safely talked to local dealership was quoted 3500 to repair was told needed new transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. when attempting to place the vehicle in drive it stalled and the contact was unable to drive in reverse. the check engine light was illuminated. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that water was leaking into the pcm. the contact is responsible for the repair cost of $873.23. one month later, while driving 5 mph the failure recurred. the dealer stated that water and oil were in the main connector air box caused the failure. the contact was responsible for paying $888.27 to repair the vehicle. one month later while driving the vehicle stalled. the third duplicate failure, the technician determined that when the vehicle was repaired it was not done according to the service bulletin stating that the cowl gill would have to be replaced. the contact was responsible for paying $751.23 to repair the vehicle according to the service bulletin. the manufacturer stated that there was no current recall and no compensation would be offered; however, the contact received a refund for the first two repairs. the failure mileage was 66,643 and the current mileage was 75,000.

The transmission on my '04 ford freestar failed. the dealer fixed it telling me that it was the torque converter. the next day while traveling on the highway the tachometer started to bounce around 2000 rpms and i could feel surges where the 'torque converter was not converting.' i returned it to my ford dealer this morning and they told me there is nothing wrong. so here i am with a faulty transmission and ford claiming it is alright. i wonder how long it will go before breaking down? i have no confidence in driving it at all. hopefully when it does break down there is no car barreling down behind me as i cruise to a stop. fortunately no deaths or injuries, so far. *tr

On october 14th, 2008 as my wife and 4 yr old were traveling in i-90 outside of cleveland, the 2004 ford freestar she was driving began to slow although the engine began to rev higher. the car eventually stopped in the center lane of i-90 and luckily a passerby stopped to help get the vehicle off the road. my wife and 4 yr old walked to my place of employment and then took my car home. i had the 2004 freestar towed to john lance ford where it was diagnosed as having a failed oil pump in the transmission which caused the failure of a drive shaft and the burning up of essential gears. the cost of the repair was $1,600.00. *tr

Last week, in order to prepare for a trip away i had my 2004 ford freestar serviced and got new tires, etc., and then the mechanic said i needed new brakes and rotors and spent $1,000.00 on parts and labor (including the tires). he showed me the rotors and explained how bad of shape they were in, there were deep grooves in them. at least feeling confident that all this work was completed and i was ready for my trip, off i went. then all of a sudden driving at 70 mph on the pa turnpike i realized the power had gone from the gas pedal and the van would not go forward. i quickly pulled to the side and turned vehicle off, then tried again, it would not go in drive or reverse or any lower gear. my van is now in the transmission shop and the mechanic has just informed me that the torque converter is totally shot and he explained to me that this seems to be a problem with these vehicles and now i have to spend another $1,000.00 or more to have this problem fixed. so within one week, i have now spent $2,000.00 on this vehicle. if it was an old piece of junk i would have just bought a new vehicle. but it's only four years old. this is totally unacceptable and i will never buy a ford again. *tr

My wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar se down a country road yesterday. without warning, the vehicle slowed to a stop and would not move forward or reverse. this is the first time we have had this trouble with the freestar. upon having the vehicle towed to a mechanic, it was learned that the transmission had gone out. the vehicle has 107,000 miles on it and gave no warning signs to indicate trouble. we haven't had the vehicle fixed yet as it's going to cost between 1800.00-3000.00 plus. depending on if we have the transmission rebuilt or purchase a used or new one. this is money we really can't afford right now. while i was looking at a forum, i found this was a very common issue with the 2004 ford freestar transmissions. yet, ford has not issued a recall. now, i"m stuck with a van that does not run and a lot of payments still owed on it. i hope something can be done about ford and these freestar's. *tr

The transmission on my car went out at 75000 miles. i had a 100,000 warranty so i had it towed to the dealer. my warranty company would not pay for the repairs since i could not located my 30k service on the transmission. i had just moved and since my papers where not available to me i tried to contact the dealer where i had service. i could not get the paperwork from them since they had gone out of business. i tried to located my service online and in the process came across hundreds of complaints of the same make and model transmissions. the problems all seem to come from the torque converter. these complaints have been filed with the nhtsa. ford has even admitted to the problem and has paid many of the complaints. when i call and asked to have my covered they just kept repeating that they did not cover any out of warranty work. as late as sept 22 2008 they had just paid a 1600 claim on a car that had 90k on it with no warranty. 1).why is there no recall after all the hundreds of complaints some risking injury. 2).why are they allowed to pay some and not others depending on someone's whim. i call the dealer back and even he admitted to me that if i would have brought my car in before oct. 1 that i would have had alot better chance of getting some help. this is crazy. i had problems with my transmission at 10k but they "claim" this is unrelated. how can this be allowed to go on. your warranty that i paid 1000.00 for rest on a piece of paper and ford is allow to pick and choose whatever they want to do. *tr

Transmission failure 2004 ford freestar. *tr

Ford freestar 2004, 50k miles on it. just stopped in the middle of the road. towed to dealership. diagnostic suggested failure of the torque converter. *tr

My van started acting up at about 60,000 miles. the transmission skips heavily when driving and no one can figure it out. i'll be driving and all of a sudden is like jumps or stutters its crazy. *tr

Wife was driving down the road, and the van quit pulling. like it was put into neutral. she coasted to the railroad crossing by our house, and was stopped by the signal going down. there the van sat till the tow truck came. *tr

I was driving my 2004 ford freestar on i-44 when it suddenly appeared to be in neutral and would not go forward or backward. a wrecker was called and the transmission was ruined and has to be replaced. we were lucky to not have been involved in an accident. the mechanic said that with only 65000 miles on the van he couldn't find a reason why it stopped. the torque converter was stripped and transmission had to be replaced. we have owned fords before and never had this type of problem. i have read that this has happened to many people on myride.com. are there any recalls. we were in a very small town and were lucky to find a transmission mechanic. i have not contacted ford since i got home. we had to rent a car to get to okc from missouri. *tr

The front of the vehicle has made an intermittent high-pitched whistling sound since it was purchased at 13,000 miles. as it was so intermittent, i thought it was some unusual wind noise. i recently learned (now vehicle has 60,000 miles) that there is a technical service bulletin (17892) that addresses the problem exactly, specifying defective wheel bearings. i contacted the dealer, and was told that the "wheel bearings could eventually lock up" because of this problem, but that ford would not repair it as it is outside of the warranty period (36,000 miles). is this a safety issue that should be addressed by a recall? *tr

The electrical has been wiggy ever since --just after the factory warranty ran out. this includes: back-up safety sensors stopped working, heated drivers seat stopped working(passenger still works), the stereo system doesn't have all of it's functions, passenger airbag light is on, van very noisy when backing up--we call it the moose. had to replace transmission and then we get re-call notice! and, it still doesn't feel 100% still waiting for a refund(?) brakes are squishy--even after replacement of front end everything! side electric doors will sometimes open and close several times until we just have to manually force them to stay closed. *tr

My husband and i along with our 3 children were driving home from vacation. the whole ride went very smoothly no problems no warning lights nothing. we were stopped at a traffic light, when the light turned green my husband started going all of a sudden the engine started to rev and our van would not move. it was like it was stuck in neutral. my husband got out and pushed the van to the side of the road and called for assistance. when they got there they checked the transmission fluid and it all was good. we have to van towed to our house and there it now sits. i am completely amazed on how a vital part of my van can just stop working with no warning nothing. *tr

My wife and six children were traveling east on i-90 nearing the rt. 615 exit for mentor, ohio when our 2004 ford freestar suffered an immediate and complete loss of the drive train function. fortunately she was able to coast to the shoulder where she called for a towtruck and had the van delivered to the firestone auto care center in mentor, ohio. it was determined that the van, which had no history of drive train problems, had sheared off and destroyed its drive components after the torque converter. firestone did the repairs in a timely and satisfactory manner. the total bill thru firestone including the tow, troubleshooting, parts and repairs was 2,867.08. the old parts are not available. *tr

Our family was driving in our car when all of a sudden the car went into "neutral" no advance warning or problems. thank the lord we were able to coast off of the road without incident and had to have our car towed to a transmission specialist. *tr

My transmission went out on my van without warning or notice and i had to fight traffic really busy traffic with my kids and grandkids in the car around 1:30 am. this shouldn't have happened and it did. why no warning and why all of a sudden did it quit. this is a recall problem and needs to be recalled so this can be fixed so i can find a job. this caused lots of grief and problems and now i am out a car and it costs over $3000 to fix it. what can be done to fix this? please recall this so others like me can bet there van fixed... thank you *tr

I was driving my 2004 ford freestar on interstate 95 in virginia when the automatic transmission cut out. i was driving at 65 mph and was lucky to get off the road. i bought the van used from a ford dealer last year. it only has 40,000 miles on it. *tr

I have a 2004 ford free star with only 67k miles on it. my transmission slid out of gear on a back country road with my 3 year old son. my mechanic said this was known issue with ford vehicles. from what i read on line there are multiple owners of this same kind of vehicle where the transmission is failing at this amount of miles or less. ford is doing nothing about it. they say there are no recalls on this vin # i can't believe they wont recall the transmission and have fixed. they know there is a issue with them. i read over 20 different blogs on ford and there transmissions failing. *tr

I was driving down the road and with no warning or lights the rpm's just went nuts and then the car had no power when using gas, the car was still running but did not move, was stuck in the middle of traffic with children in the car. i was told these cars do this with no warning and this is just not fair and safe. so i was told to report this to you with these problems, now i have a big bill on my hands, what really upsets me is that i cou ld have wrecked, the warning lights should have atleast came on and some sort of noise in the tranny should have been there. but no nothing. i have not had it replaced yet but i still was told to tell you about this issue with my van. *tr

Very dangerous. i was driving home with my kids and my grandkids in the car and all of a sudden with no warning, no lights, no nothing, the car recs into high rpm's and then all of a sudden just coasting hoping to not crash the vehicle. no power, wow what a mess. i have read all of the forums on this, ford or the nhtsa doing anything on this, these cars are suppose to be safe and when things go wrong with them you atleast get a warning of some kind with lights. this really needs to be recalled before someone gets hurt or killed in this matter. i myself was lucky it died at the top of the hill so i coasted to my closest spot off the highway so there was not an issue with carrying babies on the highway? ford should address this problem immediately. this is suppose to be a family vehicle not a deadly drive. please take care of this immediately so this does not happen to others. *tr

While driving on straight and level highway at @ 50 mph experienced sudden transmission failure in 2004 ford freestar; basic symptom was sense that transmission was suddenly shifted into neutral. after pulling off highway and coming to full stop was unable to get transmission to respond in any gear setting. was required to call a tow truck; repair required full transmission replacement. *tr

I was driving down the road when the transmission started to slip. i continued to my home (less than 1 mile away) where i then checked the transmission fluid level (it was normal) and looked to see if there were any leaks (none). i then started the engine and it made a clicking and grinding noise in park. the noise stopped after 2-3 seconds and then i attempted to back out of the drive. it slipped again, and when i shifted into drive, i there was no response except for the increase in rpm's. the vehicle is currently at the local ford dealer to asses the repair bill. *tr

After replacing all brakes and hardware my freestar developed tranny shudder. upon investigating on the internet,i found it is a persistent problem with freestars. it is expensive to fix. without looking my local ford dealer said it was the tranny or torque convertor. this shows that ford is aware of the problem and should help consumers cover the cost. they wouldn't even take it as a trade-in. i still owe $5800 on it and it's almost worthless. *tr

I was just driving on the highway at about 3 in the afternoon 58-60 mph and then nothing. no transmission, tach went up and down but no speed change had to get towed no gears forward or reverse. *tr

Serviced at the ford dealer-la mesa last 05/27/2008. and on 07/05/2008 the transmission broke down and replaced at the ford dealer-pasadena. went back to la mesa to complain & said whatever visible was performed on the multi point inspection only. and they can't tell what's inside the transmission. *tr

I am writing about the problem with the 2004 ford freestar transmission. on 6/28/08 with only 84,000 mile on the way home from tn with no warning i lose my transmission on a busy highway. thank god i we were able to get over to the shoulder. i have read many comets left on the internet on other websites about the same issue. i can not believe ford is not doing anything about this or is anyone else. there is no reason that a veh that is properly maintenance should have problems like this with such low mileage. hope something is done soon about this before someone gets hurt or killed. as of right now i am unable to get it fixed so as for now we have to try to figure out how to get around in a 3 seater truck with 5 members in a household. *tr

I was driving down the street with 5 children and my mother in the van, and the torque converter went out and the car went into neutral and wouldn't respond to gear changes. luckily, we were going downhill and were able to coast into an apartment complex to avoid an accident. we were, however, blocking the entrance to complex and had to wait there for a tow. it was horrible. ford should be held responsible for this defect with the car. it is obviously something that is defective with the car. *tr

The torque converter went out when we were driving down the interstate in june 2008. we had the torque converter replaced, not under warranty, only to have the same thing happen again in june 2009. again we had the torque converter replaced, no longer under warranty. in sept 2010 the check transaxel light came on. after taking it to the ford dealership we have been told that it is the torque converter again & they can't explain why this keeps happening (3rd time in 26 months). their suggestion was to replace the transmission! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. when attempting to drive, he cold not shift the vehicle into any of the gears. prior to the failure he heard a very peculiar noise. the dealer was notified, but because the warranty expired he was not provided with any assistance. the failure mileage was 83,000.

While driving on the highway, my 2004 ford freestar lost all drive power and i had to drift over to the breakdown lane. upon inspection my mechanic discovered that the torque converter needed to be replaced. i had the torque converter replaced with factory original parts for $800.00. that was in 2008. *tr

My 2004 freestar, gave no warning..the transmission slipped into low gear and then it was done. i called ford motor co, found out because i chose to have it repaired at a private / non ford dealer they wouldn't even begin to assist me. i have approx 46,000 on the vehicle. both the repair facility and the tow truck driver informed us this was a common problem with these transmissions. and after researching online i soon discovered they couldn't be any more right. now its cost me $2500 to have it rebuilt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 45 mph uphill, the transmission failed. the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle did not move. there were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. the vehicle was towed to an auto shop. the manufacturer wanted her to have the vehicle towed to a dealer an hour away, but the contact refused because it would cost nearly $300 in towing costs. the manufacturer also stated that she should have purchased an extended warranty on the vehicle. the contact was informed that the transmission repair would cost approximately $3,000. she stated that the vehicle underwent regular oil changes and maintenance; therefore, she could not understand why the failure occurred so suddenly. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 39,000.

2004 ford freestar. consumer requests reimbursement for torque converter recall notice. *smd the consumer stated he received a call from the dealer informing him, he could bring the vehicle in, to have the torque converter replaced. the consumer stated in june of 2008, a few months after the three warranty had expired. he experienced a sudden loss of engine power while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an inspection, and it was determined the torque converter had failed. the consumer paid $ 2761.17 to have the torque converter replaced. *jb

Automatic transmission died without warning. *tr

On may 20 2008 while driving a 2004 ford freestar on vacation. with 2 other adults and 3 dogs in the minivan the transmission with only about 40,000 miles without warning quit. the engine accelerated but nothing was happening. at 73mph in the left lane allot of traffic the transmission of the vehicle failed without any warning. i was able to safely roll onto the left shoulder of the i-23 expressway. but while sitting waiting for help to arrive i sure thought of many situations that the outcome could have been alot different. what if we had been on a bridge overpass and nowhere to pullover to? the vehicle has been towed to a transmission repair shop and that is all so far. but looking at other wed sites about the ford freestar minivan, it looks like i am not the only one to have a fairly low mileage transmission to just suddenly quit. *tr

Failure of cam sensor, then complete failure of transmission 2 weeks later. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving 50 mph when the accelerator pedal was depressed yet the vehicle began to decelerate independently. the contact moved the vehicle from the roadway and depressed the accelerator with extreme force. the vehicle began to jerk forward abnormally before engaging into gear and accelerating as normal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the transmission would need replacing. the manufacturer was contacted and a claim was filed but no other assistance was provided. the vehicle was not repaired. in addition, the contact stated that the torque converter failed twice. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.

My 2004 freestar transmission failure had about 39,000 or 41,000 miles on vehicle had just gotten into passing lane on highway to pass truck,when without and warning the trans just quit no power to wheels at all, luckily i was able to coast into the median of road between divided highways. i want to report because like hundreds of others i made no reports because vehicle was just over the 36,000 mile warranty so i had to just pay the bill and have vehicle fixed there were no recalls according to repair shop. *tr

Transmission failure. *tr

Driving on a busy highway(rte 422 -ohio) in moderate to heavy traffic. stopped for a school bus and the cars made a pop then would not go forward or reverse. had to be towed , took two hours and caused some traffic congestion. transmission failure. *tr

Transmission failure at 47,000 miles of use. vehicle was serviced at required mileage by dealer. transmission repair shop states that failure may be torque converter. cost to confirm will be $350.00. repair will be additional. *tr