Problems with 2004 Ford Freestar POWER TRAIN

I'd like to add my complaint to the list of unhappy ford consumers who've had problems with their transmissions on the ford freestar minivans. i have a 2004 ford freestar and it has a little over 44,000 miles on it. we were going down the highway and suddenly we had no power to go anywhere, the rpm indicator would move up but we had no power, it basically died. we had no forward or reverse, we were just coasting with no power. luckily we were able to pull over to the side of the road and call a tow truck. took it to the ford garage and was told it was the torque converter that went out. we had it fixed and thankfully it was under warranty yet. i know you've had numerous complaints about the ford freestar vans...come on people do something before someone gets hurt. we had no power to go anywhere. *tr

Very dangerous! bought a new 2004 ford freestar mini van on jan. 22. of 2005 leftover . i have 35,000 miles on it. driving home with my family on the heavily traffic long island expressway i 495 at approx 10:30 in the evening. no warning the transmission dies. no power at all. i coast to the right lane and with no shoulder where i was i just prayed i would not get plowed into the rear with my two boys age 5 and 10 sleeping. this was extremely dangerous. after reading the forums on the internet i find this is a common problem with this vehicle. check out this link which is one of a few i have found... http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_77118_1.html what recourse do i have and why isn't ford made to redesign / repair this deficiency in their design. some family will get injured if not killed. these vans were designed for families with young children. very disappointed and concerned. *tr

2004 ford freestar transmission failed while driving. towed to ford dealership and needed torque converter replaced because of failed spline. inspection of spline showed it was worn away yet other gears remained in good shape. review of internet complaints of this problem were numerous. some of the failures were with children in vehicle while driving on busy highways. fortunately my transmission failure was on a empty country road i just coasted to a stop ( i was only going about 10 mph at the time ) without incident. *tr

April 2008. driving home from sisters wedding in canada to north carolina. torque converter came apart and damaged the transmission, (97000 miles). new transmission install at aamco in manchester, ct. 65000 miles later (november 2011) that transmission fails. had it checked out and water was getting into the transmission. no visible signs as to how. *tr

Vehicle suddenly would not go forward on highway. vehicle was towed approximately 35 miles to auto repair shop. transmission failure was diagnosed, specifically torque converter failure. a rebuilt transmission was installed and vehicle now runs normally. *tr

The have been 2 incidences of transmission failure with our 2004 ford freestar. transmission failed without warning in march 2008, again in february 2010. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford free start. he experience transmission failure three times. once while driving up hill at 15mph the gear stuck in neutral, one a year later the the gear will not change into drive, or reverse. the vehicle was towed to the garage twice. the diagnose located the transmission oil contaminated. the garage replaced the transmission fluid, solenoids, and the gas pump. the repair corrected the failure; however he feels that he could experience the failure again. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 106,050. li

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated while driving uphill at speeds of 15 mph, the vehicle became stuck in neutral. the dealer advised the failure was due to transmission fluid contamination. the transmission fluid solenoids and fuel pump were replaced. the failure recurred within one year and the contact was unable to shift the gear shift selector in drive or reverse. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they again, found transmission fluid contamination and the exact repairs were performed from the previous year. the failure did not persist however; the contact was concerned that the failure would recur. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 106,050.

Driving down the road and lost all forward motion due to no pulling power. i can hear the transmission going into gear put my foot on gas and the moto reves but the transmission and the engine are not working together. *tr

Transmission fails and car stalls in traffic without warning, which creates a safety hazard. the ford dealer service department replaced the pcm, wiring harness, and multiple sensors, but the problem continued. the cause appears to be flooding of pcm, related wiring, and attached sensors due to design defect. ford tsb exists on this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving 40 mph, the engine revved and the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle coasted to a stop. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission failed for an unknown reason. the transmission needed to be replaced. the vin, engine size, and powertrain were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 61,300.

Bought van in june 2007 nothing but problems since. replaced battery within 2 months of purchase. replace o2 sensors 3 times and need done again. replaced transmission, radiator, egr valve, brakes 4 times, tie rod 2 times, calibers 2 times, rotors 3 times, fuel line, you name it, we have had to fix it. nothing but problems. we have spent close to 8k since feb 2008 on this vehicle and we can not get ford to help us at all. now the axles need replaced as well as sensors again. the dvd player quit working after 4 months, driver side heated seats quit working after 4 months. back passenger door sometimes won't open or unlock and sometimes it won't close when you try to close it. this vehicle has put my family in serious harm and we almost got into major accident do to most of the issues ie transmission stalled on interstate and had no warning at all. worst vehicle of all times. i can not trade in becasue i owe over 11k on this piece of crap. ford needs to refund me all of my money and suffering as well. i have thought about suing them for damages and selling this crap to us especially with 3 small children and having to travel to see family due to husband being a marine and always being deployed. almost missed seeing my grandpa for the last time before he did back in sept because of the transmission. this vehicle needs to be off of the roads forever. all of them. everyone that we know that has these vehicles have the same problems as us.

My 2004 ford freestar stopped going forwards or backwards. had it towed and it needs a new transmission with less than 30,000 miles on it. *tr

Our 2004 ford freestar limited only has 48000 miles on it. this morning while moving slowly through our daughters school parking lot the van lost all power and she coasted into a parking place. the gear shift shifts into all gears but doesn't move. when you crank the vehicle in park it just whines and does the same thing no matter what gear you are in. i had the van towed to an independent garage and the mechanic said the splines on the torque converter were gone and due to the torque converter failing it has also lead to the transmission failure. i am being quoted repair prices between 1800 and 2200 to repair it. this vehicle is too new for this type of a problem on so many vehicles, the company should step up or the nhtsa should require them to. *tr

Vehicle transmission went on my 2004 ford freestar van with no warning signs while driving. (car only had 74,000). i have read online and there are many other owners of these same vans the same problem which is extremely dangerous.. vans are primarily purchased to transport kids and this should be a number one reason ford should have a recall to take care of this problem before anyone has a dangerous accident. *tr

I have a 2004 ford freestar whose transmission failed without warning in the middle of the road while my husband was coming to pick me up from the hospital right after i had a baby. the transmission was totally gone and needed to be replaced. there were only 45000 miles on the vehicle at the time. this could have been a very dangerous situation if there were cars nearby, and even worse if i was in the car with him and our newborn when the transmission failed, to be stranded somewhere with a 2 day old baby. i can't imagine the transmission failing at 45000 miles on a vehicle that you think is reliable. *tr

I have a 2004 ford freestar that has 77,938miles on it and the torque converter went causing third gear to burn up in the transmission. it cost me 1600.00. *tr

Transmission failure after 59,000 miles due to stripped splies on torque converter. a search for torque converter stripped splines returns ford freestar as the top result. there are several other people experiencing the same issue. it should be review to see if there is a general defect with the torque converters. it seems early in this model years life for transmission failures. *tr

My 04 freestar just stopped no warning nothing just stop while i was driving my daughter to the doctor my son in law had to take off work and tow me home i cant afford to have it fixed i live on a disability and barely make my bills then i read on the internet that hundreds of the same vehicles are doing the same thing i can bet that it is my transmission and torque converter when i can get it fixed ford needs to make this right. *tr

Since january 21, 2008 we have been experiencing problems with our ford freestar. on several occasions our vehicle has stopped working/stalled on major road ways in pennsylvania including a major expressway in the city of philadelphia. our family car has been back the dealerships autoshop for over 68 days since january 2008. presently we have been without our vehicle since may 13, 2008 without a contact from the dealership, keyer miller in collegeville, regarding any specific problems with our car. the dealership has not offered us anything to reconcile this situation. *tr

With 51,000 miles on my 2004 ford freestar the transmission simply failed while traveling 70 mph on the interstate. vehicle basically slipped into neutral and coasted to a stop on the shoulder. gears would no longer engage and had to be towed to the ford dealership. dealership blames a faulty torque converter and wants $1,600.00 in repairs. *tr

Just driving along and the transmission stopped working. would not work in any gear, but would go into park. no warning lights or noises. *tr

We own a 2004 freestar that has had the transmission replaced in feb 2008 with less than 43,000 miles on it. in july 2008 we spend $450 on repairing part of the breaking system, and this week the van would not go into reverse and did not have any pull to it when it finally did after several attempts. once i got out of the parking space, i got an estimate of a block and onto a busy highway, only to have the van stall on me, almost causing a wreck. the dealership and ford paid for the transmission to be replaced, we paid for the caliper, drum, rotor, and break pad to be replaced on the front driver side brake. when having the van checked out this week, we were told yesterday that they did diagnostics on it, and the only thing that came back was a cam sensor and that there was probably moisture involved that would cause the stalling. nothing was repaired, and this could happen again, esp during the winter months, when winter driving is already dangerous. there is also an issue with the track control. it works most of the time but not all of the time. the light comes on at least 2 time per month. the reason can't be found for it. ford needs to be made to do recalls on these vans for the safety of the owners. *tr

While accelerating at a stop light. i felt a pop and there was no power to go forward or reverse. it was like running in neutral. tried shifting gears but it would not move. i did research about what had happened and found many similar cases of internal problems with the torque converter and transmission. there where no warning signs. no lights on the dash column even after the problem occurred. i had my 3 year old son in the vehicle and we were very lucky that we were not on the highway where something horrible could have happened. *tr

Van without warning stopped moving and engine cut off. this is a follow up from our christmas adventure. got it towed to dealer and after 2 days of "looking into the problem" told me that water leaked in from under dash(it had not rained or snowed for days- roads weren't even wet) and got the computer wet an caused it to malfunction. sealed leak and $250 later sent us on our way. fast forward 2weeks and our van is back in the shop again for the same problems. come on now, enough is enough!!!!! recall this problem before people get killed!!!!! *tr

I have a ford freestar 2004 & at 44,000 miles my transmission needs to be replaced. i am not getting anywhere with ford and i think this could result in a fatal accident. i have seen a lot of other 2004 freestars with the same problem & i think ford should address this problem. *tr

2004 ford freestar....driving 45 mph in very heavy traffic...wife driving with a 5 year old, 2 year old, and 6 month old....transmission just disengaged....just went into non-operational mode even though you could shift from r to d to 1 to 2...van is at repair shop and they are indicating trans. failure....ie torque converter.*cn

2004 ford freestar mini-van on 12/31/2008, i was driving about 45 mph and the transmission quit, rpms went very high, since i was pressing the gas pedal. of course it was new years eve, so it could not be looked at until jan 2, 2008. i only had about 42,000 miles, so not much passed the warranty. i had it towed to lenawee transmission in adrian, michigan since that were i was out of town visiting my mother. it costs $1,200 to get the torque converter and pump to the transmission replaced. lt mentioned that is a known problem with ford freestar minivans. now guess what the transmission is starting to slip again and i am going to get it checked on jan. 10, 2009. i cannot afford another transmission repair for this van. i have sent three emails to whitman ford in temperance, mi regarding this van where i purchased it and did not receive a response. thanks*tr

Driving down the interstate, cruise control set at 74, and all at once the engine revs and all power is lost . managed to get off to the side. 3 adults and a 4 year old. it took 2 hours for a tow truck to get there. now i find out that the transmission will have to be replaced and that this is a big problem with this type of ford products. *tr

The first time we experienced problems with our 2004 ford freestar (approximately 38,000 miles)was in april of 2007. we were experiencing many problems related to the transmission. we took the vehicle in to our dealership and was told that a dead mouse was causing the problems. the next time the problems were the same, but they couldn't find anything wrong with the van when taken into the dealer. the third time, they said the torque converter needed replaced. at this time they kept our van for three days waiting for ford to get back to them because the local dealer didn't understand what was wrong with it. they fixed it by replacing the torque converter....$1109 later. the first two visits amounted to approximately $400.00 i should add the first time it stopped working, my wife and two young children were driving in a not so hot part of town and had to pull into a seedy area. cars were honking their horns and yelling at my wife to move. our littlest child was crying and extremely upset. i was able to get to them and we drove the sputtering van home where we had it towed. the second time we were lucky. my wife was in her work parking lot. the third time we were even luckier...we were home. the fourth time we were coming home (just to let you know...it was christmas) we had the same things happen..sputtering, jerking of the transmission, engine shut off. all times we had to have the van towed. my wife is terrified to drive it in fear that when we pull out of our driveway, she and the children may be hit and killed. we live in between two hills of a very busy road. this road is frequented by dump trucks and landfill trucks! not only have we spent an extreme amount of money on the van, we read were many families have experienced the same thing. my wife had always felt safe in a ford....not any more. we need help from whoever can help us. please, let's stop ford before someone gets killed. *tr

Driving along at highway speed when i noticed my tachometer spike upward and the engine racing. i turned off the cruise control and gave the van gas only to hear the engine race and no pick up in speed. i was lucky enough to be able to get onto the shoulder safely. the ford dealer tells me that the "planetary shaft" has broken off inside the pump in my transmission and that my repair will cost me roughly $3000.00. this free star is only 3 years old. why is this happening to these fairly new vehicles? i have notices over 1300 complaints on edmunds not to mention the one on this site. why isn't ford doing a recall. do they need the extra money to make their stock holder happy! *tr

1. there was no prior warning 2. after normal highway driving, i came to a complete stop. i attempted to put the vehicle in reverse but the vehicle would not shift. 3. the mechanic said it was the torque convertor and the shaft were damaged, causing metal to entire the transmission, scoring in the valve compartment. the entire transmission and radiator are being replaced. *tr

Vehicle lost power while moving. no forward or reverse. problem diagnosed as a torque converter failure on transmission at 49,500 miles. transmission rebuild necessary to correct problem. *tr

Engine misfires, will not go into gear, nor move, sometimes driveing down the road engine will shut off, ford dealer told us the transmission was bad, i took van to another repair shop, they found water in the pcm, replaced pcm, cost 1300 dollars, and still have same problem every time it rains. *tt

2004 ford freestar van with 32,593 miles on odometer was being driven on a flat, straight, stretch of highway at a constant 60 mph when driver experienced sudden loss of power. driver dangerously maneuvered out of traffic on highway, but could only coast and soon discovered there were no gears working in the transmission, no drive, no reverse, no low gears....no ability to move van at all! waited for two hours for a tow truck on a cold minnesota winter night in december. car was towed to ford dealer. was initially told by service advisor that our ford freestar with 32,593 miles (9 weeks out of warranty) needed an entire transmission replacement for $3700, they told us it was too extensive of damage to repair any parts individually (this recommendation came from them despite the fact that they admitted they had not even put the car up on a lift). we called ford directly to request assistance and plead our case for a vehicle that had extremely low mileage and was barely out of warranty. the ford representative told us they would call the dealership directly to discuss problem. a day later we received a call from the service advisor at the dealership and they told us they would be repairing the broken part, a torque converter. ford offered $1000 towards the repair. it took 10 days for the dealership to repair the broken torque converter. our cost was ultimately $1220.41. this was an outrageous balance due to repair a part that should not have broken at such low mileage! ford didn't give us a loaner car during the repair time and then slapped us with an insult of a bill.*cn

Transmission failure on my2004 ford freestar with 56,000 miles. my wife was driving the van approximately two weeks ago...she accelerated onto the freeway and pulling in front of an 18 wheeler when the van just stopped accelerating and she quickly activated her hazard lights and merged off of the freeway. my four children where in the back seats and this could have turn tragic in the blink of an eye. there were no warning signs. we towed the van to the ford dealer and they stated it was probably the transmission. i explained to them that i looked on the internet to see if there were any recalls on the ford freestar transmissions and did not find any. however, i was able to read over 1300 blogs similar complaints and very dissatisfied customers on edmunds.com website. the horrible thing that raise the red flag is that no one seems to be doing anything about this. i just recently returned from a one year tour iraq, not thinking my family would be in danger on the roads here in the great u.s of a. this is a cry for help / request that someone looks into the ford freestar transmission failures before someone gets killed, i pray that no one has already been killed. senior chief troy thibeaux u.s. navy *tr

After leaving a family gathering on thanksgiving day we were driving home (my husband, 2 kids and i) when after stopping at a red light the car wouldn't accelerate, my husband tried to put it on reverse and and other gears but it would not move, all of this was happening in the middle of a 3 lines street with other cars honking at us. because it was a holiday we have the car towed to our house first and to the dealer the next morning. to put a new transmission the dealer told us that it'll cost us $4390. after complaining to ford's customer service they agreed to let us pay $1293. *tr

On 11/15/07, my wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar with 45,000 miles near our home, (luckily), when, without warning of any kind, the transmission failed, rendering the vehicle inoperable. the vehicle simply would not move under it's own power and stopped in an intersection with traffic. i contacted the dealer i bought it from the next day and was told by the service writer that ford was unaware of any problems with this year and model. obviously, this was a lie. i then had the vehicle towed to the local aamco dealer. the operator of the aamco dealer is a retired ford technician with over 20 years of experience. in fact, he maintains his ford certification. not only did he inspect the transmission and find it to be defective, but he also advised me that ours is the third vehicle of this make and model with this same exact transmission failure in the last week or so. all 3 vehicles have around the same mileage as well. so far, fords customer satisfaction center in dearborn has been less than helpful and is stonewalling me on a resolution. i am awaiting a phone call from a supervisor at the call center but i am not holding my breath. i have contacted an attorney and meet with them this week. the vehicle needs a new transmission and we are without transportation until the issue is resolved. this is a serious defect that the public needs to be aware of. this is a family vehicle that was marketed for its safety. the vehicle is unsafe and the public needs to be aware and ford needs to take the lead and step up to the plate and do the right thing. *tr

Failure of the torque converter/automatic transmission in the 2004 ford freestar is a serious and widespread safety defect. nhtsa needs to wake up and issue a recall before someone gets killed driving one of these things. this is a family vehicle! families deserve safe vehicles, especially when purchasing decisions are made based on safety claims!*cn duplicateto 10290338*smch

We have a 2004 ford freestar (bought used in 2006 with 46,000 miles on it) with 82,426 miles on it. my wife came home from work on friday november 9, 2007, parked the van. when she went to leave for work on monday the 12th the van wouldn't move. we had the transmission power flushed and fluid changed at the dealer at 70,000 miles. we haven't had the money to get the transmission replaced so we have a very expensive, nice looking, driveway ornament that we're still making payments on and insuring. from the thousand of post i've read complaining about these transmission failures, i can only be thankful that ours failed in the driveway at home and not in the middle of downtown traffic. *tr

My wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar to work. she was stopped at a red light on a freeway overpass ready to enter the freeway. when the light turned green and she took her foot off the brake the van would not move. the vans transmission has been diagnosed be the dealer as the problem. there were no warning signs or warning lights to the failure. she was lucky that the van did not die on the freeway 20 feet away and that she did not roll into the car behind her. the van has 62,000 miles on it. after reviewing edmunds comment boards on the ford freestar it seems that this is a common occurrence. apparently, others have had the same problem with the transmission failing without notice. one poster was going 40mph when his van died. this in my opinion is a severe safety hazard and ford should be recalling these vehicles and reimbursing people for new transmissions. a transmission should not fail at 60,000 miles and without any warning. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving approximately 5 mph, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and noticed that the engine exhibited an increase in rpms but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home and later inspected by an independent mechanic who advised that the torque converter needed to be replaced because it had detached from the vehicle. the repairs were performed yet the failure recurred while driving approximately 55 mph and the torque converter was detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

Myself, my husband and our two children were leaving a restaurant when without any warning my 2004 ford freestar would not accelerate. my husband stopped the car and tried several gears and it would not go in any direction. he turned the car off and then restarted it and it still would not go in any gear. he pushed it back into the parking lot and we called aaa for a tow to the nearest ford dealership. several hours later they told us that the transmission was shot and it would cost about $3,000 to replace it (which i can't afford). this van has approximately 60,000 miles on it. we bought it new and still owe over $13,000.00 on it. i researched the internet and found many other people have had the same problem with freestar transmissions going out anywhere from 30,000 miles to 70,000 miles - way earlier than they should. just visit http://townhall talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0fb94a/71 this is an obvious problem with the freestar, but when i contacted the dealership where i purchased mine (byerly ford in louisville, ky), they told me there was no recall and therefore nothing they could do. we have since towed my freestar to a transmission specialist near us where it is in line to be worked on. he isn't yet sure if he can rebuild the transmission or if a new one will have to be ordered. this is now september 11 and i have been without my van for 8 days. i'm already out over $300 just for car rental and no end is in sight. *tr updated 01-16-08. *kb

We purchased a 2004 ford freestar limited mini-van with 36,000 miles in june 2007 from the local ford dealership. three months later while driving on the interstate headed for vacation, the van lost power without warning and we coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. fortunately, we had only gotten about 15 miles outside of our home city. unfortunately, after having the vehicle towed to the dealership where we purchased the van, we learned that the transmission went out. owned for approximately 3 months, just over 36,000 miles, two small children in the van traveling at close to 70mph and packed with luggage for a family vacation...all i can say is i was very disappointed. ford did pay for half the cost, however, i still paid $1,500 out of pocket to fix the transmission, $ for towing, and $ to rent another van while this one was being fixed. ford told me that the 3 year warranty had already expired. we still own the van and have had many other problems, of which some are still not fixed. we are now closing in on 70,000 miles and i'm very concerned that we will soon experience another transmission problem. i would get rid of this vehicle in a heartbeat, but i'm still upside down as this purchase will easily go down as the worst decision i will make when it comes to buying a vehicle in my lifetime. *tr

Complete and sudden loss of power on 2004 ford freestar. this occurred in heavy traffic on interstate 81 just before crossing the susquehanna river bridge in harrisburg, pa. my wife and infant daughter were in the freestar. they coasted down an exit ramp to a stop. had the exit ramp not been there, they would have been stalled in 3 lanes of traffic on the bridge. the freestar was fine up until this sudden failure. the van was towed to a ford dealership in harrisburg and repaired under the extended warranty, which i had purchased with the new vehicle. the cause of the problem was a failed torque converter. the freestar had 78360 miles at the time of the torque converter failure. *tr

While driving my 2004 ford freestar with 44,800 miles, it caught on fire. the fire was put out by a passing truck driver with his fire extinguisher. the car was towed to a local garage, then it was moved to a ford dealership close to my home. the van needs a new transmission and an oxygen sensor that was damaged in the fire. ford will not cover any of this, and my insurance is only willing to pay for the oxygen sensor. the car has not been repaired yet, because the dealer is waiting for the rebuilt transmission to arrive. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while accelerating from a stop with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle would not shift properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they discovered a transmission torque converter slippage. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was 94,000 and failure mileage was 79,000. the consumer stated he didn't changed the transmission fluid, because the dealer told him it was not necessary.

This is a national issue of a defective and unsafe transmissions of a ford motor company product that ford refuses to accept or be held accountable for and issue a recall. this is not a warranty issue but a defective product and integrity issue. *tr

2004 ford freestar (minivan). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving 70 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the failure was experienced several times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the local dealer where a diagnostic was performed twice. the failure was located at the transmission shaving shaft. the transmission was replaced twice but the failure was not corrected and the vehicle continued to stall sporadically and without warning. the failure mileage was 63,369 and the current mileage was 137,000.