Problems with 2005 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

2005 ford freestar, 72,147 miles. entered hov and car came up to speed then rpms increased and no engagement of transmission. had to avoid traffic, coast to stop. put vehicle in park, then tried to re-engage transmission. tried rev, d, 3, 2, and engine seemed to only be in neutral. stranded two hours during rush hour on dc beltway waiting for tow truck. car at repair shop waiting for estimate. *tr

Transmission failure. *tr

Shortly after proceeding through a busy intersection while driving in the left lane, at approximately 55 mph, my vehicle simply quit moving. the engine would rev, but the vehicle came to a sudden stop. how i didn't get rear ended at that time, or as i sat waiting for assistance, is a complete miracle. the car would shift in gears, however would not move. a fireman ended up stopping and sitting behind me with his lights on to avoid a collision. eventually, a policeman arrived, had me put the car in neutral, and "pushed" me with his push bar about a mile down the road to avoid a road hazard. the mechanic suggested not rebuilding the existing transmission because of known problems with 2005 ford freestar transmissions, and was able to get me a 2007 transmission with 10,000 miles. hopefully this one will last longer. *tr

Car is kept in garage. all recommended services are up to date. drove it fine yesterday. today, vehicle started fine, gear shift works fine but automatic transmission not engaging. transmission seems locked in neutral. when a gear is selected, the car just revs without going anywhere. same in all gears. *tr

After leaving a stoplight and accelerating to 25 mph, the vehicle's engine started to race and the transmission stopped working. i was able to roll to a stop at which time i found that none of the gears would work, including reverse. i was towed eventually by aaa and have a "ballpark" estimate of over $1,100 for replacement of a torque converter. i just returned from a drive from boston to d.c. and back, and cannot imagine the danger to myself and others had this happened at highway speed on that trip. there was no indication of anything being wrong, no warning lights, no change in performance, it just stopped working. *tr

Transmission failure 2005 freestar - 49000 miles. *tr

I was driving along in my 2005 ford freestar minivan at about 40 mph and the engine suddenly surges and revs out. there was no power and the van coasted to a stop. the transmission would not go into drive or reverse and the van would no longer move .there was no warning or check light no sounds or smells nothing. the thing just died suddenly for no apparent reason .this is a well maintained vehicle with relatively low mileage. *tr

2005 ford freestar 70,000 miles wife was driving vehicle on highway when vehicle lost power. luckily she safely coasted over to the shoulder. local ford dealer inspected vehicle and stated the transmission needed to be replaced and price was $3000. vehicle had no noticeable problems with shifting or any transmission issues prior to this problem. *tr

I am filing this complaint on my 2005 ford freestar. two days ago without warning the transmission failed. the van only has 75,000 miles on it. while driving down the road the van just lost power. this is a very dangerous situation and could have been much worse (caused an accident). i have researched the issue and have found thousands of complaints of this problem with ford freestars. it is currently at the dealership and will cost approx. $3000.00 to fix. this unacceptable for such a new vehicle and seems to be very common for this make and model. *tr

I have a 2005 ford freestar with 43,000 miles on it. while leaving the parking lit,the vehicle would not go forward or reverse. had vehicle towed to ford garage. they said i needed a torque converter. the cost is $1500 dollars. *tr

2005 ford freestar, transmission. on saturday 4/17/2010 my van worked fine. on monday morning i went to take it to work and the transmission was slipping. and reverse would not work. i was able to get it back home. but today when i tried to fine out what was wrong. the engine would just stall. and i could not get it back home. i was able to push it back home but do not want to drive it. this problem had no warning of anything being wrong. i have read other peoples problems that they have had and mine is the same. *tr

Accelerating onto the interstate and the transmission failed without warning. fortunately i had enough acceleration to pull off to the side of the road. was at the ford dealership the week before for routine oil change and maintenance check at which time they told me transmission fluid checked out fine and was told it would be good for another 10,000 miles. transmission only has 66,500 miles on it currently. have done routine maintenance regularly on vehicle at same dealership since we bought it new with less than 100 miles on it in 2005. *tr

On friday, 4/16/10, i was driving down the interstate at 65 mph when my 2005 ford freestar van suddenly spiked in rpm's and then started coasting. in the middle of rush hour traffic...i had to make it safely onto the shoulder. i turned off the engine and let it sit for a few minutes, in hopes that it would be fine after cooling down. it cranked up fine, but when put into gear, it did nothing. it wouldn't go backward or forward. i had to have it towed to the shop where i found out this is a common problem with the transmission on this make and model. in fact, its so common, that the transmission is hard to come by and if i do find one the cost will be about $2500 to repair. do you see a problem here? also, i was told that ford hasn't figured out how to fix the problem yet, so the vehicles that are getting a new transmission are getting another faulty one. so not only do you have to replace it once, but every few years. can we please do something about this. ford needs to be held accountable. *tr

I had just left my driveway. as i was pulling onto calabash drive from a stop sign at maplewood drive my vehicle lost speed. although the vehicle was running i lost connection with the transmission. since i was only traveling approx. 25 mph i was able to drift into a driveway. i tried all the gears and had no response from any. i shut the vehicle off and waited approx. 2 minutes and restarted it. i was able to move the vehicle approx 100 feet before i again lost contact with the transmission. i repeated this procedure 4 times before i was able to pull back into my driveway. i contacted a transmission repair shop and had the vehicle towed there. i had to have a new torque converter installed which cost me a total of $991.84 i had no warning of this occurrence as the vehicle had been driven earlier that day without incident. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. while driving at speeds of 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the torque converter was replaced. the failure mileage was 61,326 and the current mileage was 62,344.

Was driving vehicle on highway speedometer started to move rapidly in highway traffic, car stopped abruptly almost have a mac truck slam into the rear, transmission wouldn't go into drive or reverse. had transmission redone at authorized transmission, 1,800 dollars notified ford corporate they blew me off stated my warranty expired . october 2011 same issue happened again just paid van off bought brand new in july of 2005 this car cost me enough for 6 years and no recall please help ford could have cost me and my family our lives is it worth dyeing over a mistake. jesus..... *tr

My wife was driving down the interstate in her 2005 ford freestar van when she suddenly lost forward momentum. she coasted to the side of the road and found the transmission had gone completely out with no warning. no forward or reverse. it is my understanding from reading reports on the internet that this is an ongoing problem and i feel it should be resolved. i expect to have to pay to fix mine, but i hope something will happen to help the next guy who is unfortunate enough to buy one of these vehicles. thank you for your help! *tr

2005 ford freestar limited -- vehicle stalls while driving and loses power steering and brakes. vehicle has had acceleration and revving of engine when idling in neutral, and also sometimes no reverse gear. sometimes it just fails to start. all of these problems have been attempted to be repaired by two different ford dealership maintenance departments and another local mechanic. all problems appear to be related to the computer (pcm) and/or transmission. the computer (pcm) has been replaced twice by ford in the last eight months but the problem persists. water keeps getting into the pcm compartment and causing havoc. they don't seem to know how to stop it, and the problem keeps repeating itself. last time, two weeks ago, we had to call 911 when we stopped for a red light on a busy highway. when the light turned green, i stepped on the gas, but the van did not go forward. cars were now racing past our stopped van, on both sides, at high speed. we were sitting ducks. we called 911 to get police out to stop traffic for fear of being rearended at high speed. myself, wife and three kids (10,7,2) were stuck there. good samaratin risked his life and stopped all traffic behind us while i carried kids out of van to safety. others helped push the van off the road. van has been at dealership since then for the last two weeks, but they say "can't duplicate the problem" (when they know exactly what it is). i asked them to open computer again to check for water but they refuse -- saying it's too difficult and it can't be in there (even though it has proven to be the problem on numerous previous instances). i reported issue to ford national "customer care" hotline several times. i have asked them to recall the van for safety issues and to help me. they refuse (citing "out of warranty"). the vehicle has about 42k miles on it now. problems began spring 2009 (at about 35k miles) when heavy rains happened all year. many other owners with same dangerous problem. *tr

2005 ford freestar - my wife was driving on the highway with my kids and the car just started losing its accileration. and then would not move. she is right now on the highway waiting for a tow truck. this is the second time this has happened, it happened to me a couple of months ago and i took it into ford and they told me they fixed the problem. a recall should be issued on all these vehicles.

On wednesday, march 31, 2010 my wife went to leave the driveway with our 2005 ford freestar with my two sons. the minivan would start then die. roadside assistance took it to the dealership. dealership called and told me that the pcm had water and corrosion and needed to be replaced. regardless of the current tsb for this issue they say it is not covered under the premium warranty that i purchased and that i must pay in full for this problem which is approximately $940. thankfully this happened at home and not somewhere out on the road. this is an issue that ford is fully aware of and refuses to remedy so the owner is stuck holding the bill. this safety issue should be addressed by the nhsta board to force ford to fix this before someone gets killed.

I was driving along i-55 in central illinois at 65 mph. all of a sudden, with no warning whatsoever, my 2005 ford freestar minivan revved up - the tachometer needle flew up to between 5000 and 6000 rpm - and all power was lost immediately. all i could do was coast over to the shoulder of the road. luckily, there were no vehicles traveling very close behind me - with the loss of power, any vehicle near me would have crashed into my vehicle. i ended up spending 2 hours on the side of the road - waiting for a tow truck... and had the van towed approximately 60 miles to the ford dealership back in the town in which i live. the ford dealership informed me that the main input shaft was broken and the van would need a new transmission installed - to the tune of approximately $3400. my husband and i are still trying to determine at this point whether we want to put this much money into fixing this car and after reading the discussion forums about the trouble that many consumers are having more than one time, whether we will ever trust this vehicle again. *tr

2005 ford freestar, would not go into reverse. once it did, and i began driving, car just stopped in the middle of intersection. i was able to restart and pull over to safer area. no previous signs of a problem.

2005 ford freestar. 67066 miles lost power while driving. engine starts none of the gears work. the vehicle will not drive *cn

While driving vehicle approx 25 mph, vehicle had slight surge then came to a stop. would not go into drive or reverse. acted as if it was always in neutral. occurred only once, currently at dealership. indicating failed torque converter. need to replace torque converter and overhaul transmission for $2500.

While driving vehicle approx 25 mph, vehicle had slight surge then came to a stop. would not go into drive or reverse. acted as if it was always in neutral. occurred only once, currently at dealership. indicating failed torque converter. need to replace torque converter and overhaul transmission for $2500.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. the contact was driving at approximately 30 mph and making a left turn when the engine began to rev and the rpms increased. the vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. he stated that he believed the failure to be attributed to the transmission. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 54,000. updated 05/11/10. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. the contact was attempting to make a right turn at speeds of 25 mph when the vehicle would not respond to the contact?s attempts to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. there were no warning lights indicating that there was a failure. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls or warranty's for the failure. repairs will be made at the owners expense. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 83,000.

Vehicle lost power while driving through a residential area going up a hill. i was able to coast backwards into a parking position -- vehicle would not go in forward or reverse. vehicle had to be towed and transmission replaced. *tr

Driving at 65 mph under cruise control rpm surged up. tapped brakes and engine appeared disconnect from drive wheels. coasted to the shoulder and stopped. complete transmission failure. could not move in any gear including reverse. transmission fluid mark was above full mark. result was failure in the torque converter spline.

I was traveling down i-77 in rock hill sc when with no warning the van felt like it popped out of gear. luckily i was beginning to exit when the failure occurred or me and my 3 children could have been killed. turns out the transmission blew! no warning,nothing. $2200.00 later i have a new transmission. after researching i found that this is a very common occurrence with ford freestars. i also understand that there are hundreds of complaints filed with your agency. there needs to be an investigation. by the way, my van only had 71,000 miles. *tr

I was traveling down the highway at 45 mph, when the van suddenly went down to 20 mph. i was traveling on the inside lane of a two lane highway, and i was having a hard time getting over to the right. the left side was a median. i finally managed to get over to the right and pulled into a driveway. once in the driveway, the vehicle would not move any more. there were no indications anything was wrong prior to this. i had just traveled to this town 30 miles away from my home. no noises, no difficulty shifting gears - nothing. the vehicle is currently in the shop it happened on friday today is sunday and i won't hear anything from the mechanic until monday. the reason i am filing this complaint is - i travel to houston on a regular basis in this vehicle. i cringe when i think about what would have happened to me and my family if this would have happened to us while we were in houston's traffic. the normal speed on a highway in houston is 80mph. if nothing is done -death is ultimate. *tr

On march 19th, i traveled to port lavaca (30 miles) to see my aunt and take her out to eat. after picking her up at her home we were on hwy. 35 travelling about 45 mph when the vehicle dropped to 20 mph and would not accelerate. i was able to maneuver it enough to move right into a driveway. the vehicle was on, but would not drive. i sat in shock with my mother, my daughter, and my aunt. i never had any warning that the transmission was going out. no noise, no trouble shifting gears, nothing. i had the van picked up and taken back to victoria and it is now at the local ford dealership waiting for us to gather the money for a new transmission (a little over $3000).

No sign of transmission problems prior to the actual transmission failure. wife was driving herself and kids to school while i was away on business travel and as she was driving in a 40mph zone, she suddenly noticed that the van was slowing down even though the engine was revving high. since she was driving on a 2-lane road that had no shoulders, she pulled the van as close to the curb as she could even though the van was still causing traffic problems. wife turned the engine off, restarted the engine, tried to put the van in drive, reverse, 1st and 2nd but all of these attempts failed to make the van move in any direction. after the local ford dealer refused to assist my wife, who was alone with the kids when the transmission failed, she was able to contact a local mechanic that assisted with towing the disabled van to his shop. upon analyzing the problem, the mechanic noticed that there were parts of the transmission laying at the bottom of the transmission. the mechanic removed the original transmission and replace it with a remanufactured, ford unit. other work performed by the mechanic included flushing all cooler lines and cooler prior to installation. the final cost for parts and labor for the re-manufactured transmission was $2990.23. *tr

2005 ford freestar. transmision just stopped with no warning. aprox 80,000 miles. almost had a serious accident. cost me 1800 dollars to fix.will never buy another ford again. i don't know why they have not recalled them.i guess they only recall foreign made cars. *tr

We experienced 3 failures of the power train module of our 2005 ford freestar van from october 2009 to march 2010. the 1st and 3rd failures occurred after rain. fortunately, all three times we were traveling at low speeds, at times of day with light traffic and did not have children in the van. on the october 9 the failure resulted in the van bucking then shutting off without warning with very limited ability to steer the van. we were told that moisture had entered the power train module. the module was dried and passed diagnostic tests. on october 22 the van would not reverse and jerked going into gear. the module required replacement. when asked, ford denied this was a known problem. on march 15, 2010 the van again bucked then shut off without warning. this time i narrowly avoided an accident on a rural road with no shoulder and trees close on either side. the police parked behind the van blocking the lane of travel until aaa arrived. i was told the new module failed due to moisture. the module was dried and passed diagnostic tests. again ford denied knowledge of a problem with the part and even put their 'transmission expert' on the phone to tell me so. upon checking the internet, we discovered the problem with this part is, in fact, known. we informed ford who again denied the problem until we pointed out the number of complaints filed with nhtsa. then ford did acknowledge that they had a bulletin on the part but, as we knew, there was no recall. ford told us that a warped plastic cowl and seal contributed to the problem. both were replaced at our expense. to date this part failure has cost us $1,600. the transmission is still not working properly and has to be replaced again. to their credit, a ford dealer is covering the cost of the second module since the failure occurred so soon after the part was replaced. however, if this part fails again, we may not be so lucky. we would like to see a permanent fix for this problem. *cn

Sudden loss of power, the torque converter failed. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). i have a 2005 ford freestar minivan, [xxx] . i was driving it tonight at 75 mph on interstate 75 in eight lanes of traffic in atlanta, ga and the transmission went out completely and shifted to neutral with no warning. i was forced to try and get over to the shoulder and could not. i called 911 and had to block the interstate to move my vehicle out of the middle of it. i had my six year old child in the car and we could have been badly injured or killed. i read on posting boards on the internet that several other people are having the same problem with their ford freestar. i plan on calling ford also. i am very angry. *tr

I own a 2005 ford freestar, while driving on the on a busy road i pressed the gas pedal but the engine just revved. it would not accelerate or reverse.this was an abrupt loss of power with no prior problems. as a consequence of this destabilizing event the small children i had in the car were in danger. fortunately, i was able to coast down due to an incline in the road. a tow truck company was called and taken to a dealership service mechanic. i am going to have to pay around $3000 for new transmission. *tr

February 2010- van lurched forward then failed to shift into gear. less than 65000 miles on vehicle. turned out to be transmission failure- ford stated it would cost $3100 to fix. got it fixed at a local repair shop for $1800. mechanic stated he sees this often with this year of freestars. in february 2011, car started having powertrain issues, skipping and slipping gear. diagnosed as cam shaft sensor failure. cost was over $400 to fix. stated water was getting into the cam shaft. in july 2011, car had issues in rain- again, water in cam shaft. mechanic drained it and it appeared to be better. december 29th, 2011 van lurched forward and would not go into gear. was traveling 65mph and had no warning. was stuck on busy highway in the middle of crosslane. mechanic stated the transmission was dead at 130,000 miles- after only having had the last one for less than two years. we consumers bought these freestars in good faith that we would have a safe, reliable vehicle. ford has failed to deliver. i have found several other freestar consumers stating the same complaints on websites nationwide. ford claims "no record of failure" because they overcharge on their repairs so we end up going to local shops for fixes- i doubt they bother logging it since we won't pay them to fix it! after coasting the car into an abandoned lot, i was stuck. there was a shed that was clearly used by drug addicts (clothes, trash, needles, etc inside.) the company should stand by their vehicles- i believe if they drove these vans they would know how terrified i and other freestar drivers are to even think about the "what-if's" that could have occurred because of their transmission failures. i am stuck because i would never risk driving the vehicle again but cannot sell it because it could put someone else in danger. my childrens' lives far outweigh the dollar amount left on the loan of this junk! *tr

On 2/20/2010 i went to back out of a driveway. i put my 2005 ford freestar into reverse and it did not move. the engine was running, the gear shifter went into reverse, but my van didn't move. when i pressed the gas pedal, my tires didn't spin to move. i had to have van towed back to my home there were no problems or signs of problems prior to the event, or prior to the day this happened. there were no sounds, misses, dash warning lights, or any other clue that something was wrong. my car was driving fine prior to and up to the point that i turned into the driveway. i am now out of a car for about a month as of 3/8/2010. i had another adult in my van, and she also did not hear or feel anything that suggested there was a problem. my van just stopped, no warnings of any kind. *tr

Transmission failure while driving in traffic.

I own a 2005 ford freestar. on 19 february 2010, my wife was driving our freestar when it had a sudden loss of power. she was able to steer it safely off the road. my mechanic confirmed that it was the torque converter splines that were stripped which also caused the pump to fail. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. while driving 65 mph, the engine started to surge and the rpms were rapidly increasing but the vehicle was slowing down. the contact was able to drive onto the emergency lane before the vehicle came to a complete stop. the dealer advised the contact on the day the complaint was filed that the repair cost was $1,800. the current failure mileage was 57,200.

We were merging onto the interstate in heavy work traffic when all transmission power was lost. no prior problems. we were almost hit several times trying to coast to the side of the road. we have not had the van looked at as this just happened to 2-19-2010. *tr

While driving to work today, my wife had just turned onto a highway, traveled about 1/4 mile and the van lost all motive power to the wheels. the engine was running, but no acceleration. she was able to safely navigate to the shoulder of the highway. we had the van towed to our local mechanic who said the transmission is damaged and needs to be rebuilt. the van is only 4 1/2 years old with 58k miles. *tr

While completing a right hand turn there was a catastrophic loss of all motive power. i was able to safely coast into the wide centre median, avoiding any collisions with other vehicles. no gear functioned including reverse. there had been no prior indication of any impending issue with the transmission. a complete safety was completed only six weeks earlier. the van was towed to a ford dealership and a complete transmission rebuild was required, inclusive of torque converter, shaft , bearing, screen assembly. the dealership indicated that this type of rebuild had been common on the 2005 ford freestar. the dealership used aftermarket parts that were hardened and chose not to source the parts from ford. *tr

We have a 2005 ford freestar vin #[xxx] with 89,000 miles on it, it has been serviced on a regular basis. we are the third owners. the transmission quit while my wife was driving on a two lane road with no shoulders when the transmission quit working with out warning. it is going to cost $2700 to repair. this is not a safe thing to happen and from what i have gathered this happens a lot. why have we not had a recall of this or at least a safety notice. ford knows it has a problem with this minivan. i hope you are doing something about this issue. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Transmission failure. torque converter failure. complete transmission replacement required. converter failed while making a left turn at an intersection. luckily it was late evening an no oncoming traffic or my entire family could have been hit. *tr

On feb. 8, 2010 about 9:30 pm i was returning home. without warning, the forward motion of my vehicle stopped, tho' the engine was running. i was able to pull over to the side of the 2-way road and called for help. the next day, the mechanic determined that probably the torque converter had failed. the transmission shop agreed and replaced the converter in my 2005 ford freestar se vehicle. *tr

Driving on the highway and all of a sudden lost power to the transmission. there were no problems leading up to this loss. the vehicle coasted to a stop and now will not move in forward or reverse gears. i had to have the vehicle towed and now cannot move it. *cn