Automatic Transmission Control Module problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar - part 1

Pcm has issues do to moisture which affects electrical slipping gears abs sensor problem power steering issues and tcm and this vehicle has all safety problems according to recalls none of it was fixed because Ford says your VIN number is not on list.

2nd time that this has happened. Was driving when the van started bucking/sputtering/surging. It would die and then fire right back up just to do it once again. Soaked pcm connector was to blame both times. This is obviously a design flaw by Ford and needs to be taken care of. I'm glad I was not on the interstate or in the middle of an intersection.

I was driving the vehicle and it was raining outside and as I was driving all of a sudden my car just died in the middle of the freeway no warning ,no nothing just died I almost was rear ended, I took it to a mechanic who said the pcm is not sealed properly and got wet and fried out this is unbelievable that Ford would see tons of these complaints like I have seen online same problems and put people lives and their childrens lives in danger with this poor manufacturing. What can I do ??? thank you brandi r berger.

Started sputtering, jerking, and stalling pcm was wet causing all kinds of havic lost power going into a turn and almost went into a ditch Ford needs to recall this ongoing problem and get it fixed before something major happens alot of people are complaining and Ford knows it is there fault and they have a problem but refuses to take care of it.

Had the torque recall done last August by a local dealership, and while accelerating yesterday I lost all control of the vehicle and the engine stalled, transmission is now shot and the pcm is damaged from the moisture even though I had completed the TSB the dealership advised me of. Several sensors kept failing randomly, and would only last about a month.

In good weather without warning the engine stalled in traffic. Restarted, but the engine ran extremely rough. Also the transmission would not go into reverse. Managed to get to a independent service shop. There the technician found water in the pcm. Dried out pcm and car ran fine. Then the transmission light came on. Now they found water in the transmission connector. Two weeks later the car would often not start, and when it did the transmission would not shift out of first gear. On our third visit they replaced the throttle position sensor (tps). One week later same symptoms, this time tps and mass airflow sensors have failed. The problems are all related to the wet pcm! recall this car, now!!!!!.

I currently own a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan. I have been experiencing start problems for a couple of weeks now. I drove the car about 10 miles to get gas. I turned the engine off to fuel up. I attempted to start the vehicle and it would not start. I called my husband to try to jump start the vehicle and it worked. Drove the car 1/4 mile down the road to autozone to have the battery tested. The battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle seemed to be repaired after the battery was replaced. About 5 days after the battery was replaced the vehicle would not start after several attempts. I called aaa to have it towed to the Ford dealership for repairs. The aaa mechanic tried to start it before just towing it. He moved the shifter to neutral and back and started to vehicle right up. Maybe I did not have the shifter in the proper position? since then, the vehicle has not started up quite a few times. . . . At random times, over the last few days. I was stranded at the doctors office with a no start. Called aaa again for a tow again. However, right before aaa got to me. . . . The vehicle started right up. I cancelled the aaa call and drove straight to the dealership for repair. The Ford dealership can not find any problem as to why the vehicle will not start. It starts every time for them. The alternator and the starter are fine. The battery has been replaced and there are no transmission error codes being emitted. I have a hunch that this is an electrical problem. It isn't anything else. The Ford dealership explained that they took a look at the pcm but could not see any water corrosion. So they did not replace it. So now, I am faced with picking up the vehicle and not knowing when I'll be stranded again because the vehicle will not start.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated while driving 75 mph the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after 2 hours but did not operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed that a failed seal was allowing water to leak into the trans-axle vent causing a failure to the pcm. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 160,000.

Van started running poorly suddenly, then would not run at all. After shutting down and allowing cool down time, restarted van and it would not go into gear. Ran well in park or neutral, but shifting into any gear would "clunk" and the engine would immediately quit. After 5 days of troubleshooting, traced trouble to engine pcm after reading in on-line forums about it. Found pcm wet and pins on pcm and contacts on wire harness corroded and green due to water leaking past cowl-to-body seal. The pcm connector is not sealed, so if water does drip on it, it is dripping directly onto back side of the contacts and Ford did release a TSB about this issue but not a recall. TSB says to remove some plugs from body (my van is severely rusted in one of those 2 spots), seal around clips that hold plastic cowl to body with silicone sealant and add additional weather stripping on the outer edges of cowl to try to prevent water. I had to replace my pcm. Had my wife been on the highway when this happened, there would have most certainly been an accident or injury.

The transmission is slipping in and out and very sluggish and no power, backfiring and smells very strong of gas fumes. Has been going on for a few weeks. I was driving on the highway and it slipped out of drive and lost power. I had to slow myself down at a pace to turn the van into a safe area off the highway I was traveling at the speed of 60. . Very scary . . . The van would not move. I had the van towed by a friend at the cost of $65. 00 (he saved me a lot of money ) which was not offered back to me from the dealership. . . . I didn't know abt the recall or the pcm problem until I was looking for info on ytube. . I called my dealer where I had bought the van( and it is paid for) when I talked with an advisor he said for me to have it towed to the dealership and they would look at it. I refused to pay for the tow (they did do that at least) he called me and said that the toque converter was under a recall and they would replace that part. . . 3 days later I went to pick the van up and it still wasn't driving right. Still loosing power and gas smell and it felt as if the transmission was slipping still. It was a Saturday and the lady helping me knew nothing couldn't even find my paperwork and had to call the advisor. She said to call him back on Monday so needless to say I tried to drive the van and it just wasn't drivable so I parked it. . Was afraid it might do more damage if I didn't. On Monday I called and spoke to the advisor and he informed me that they only did the recall part as I had requested to be done. He also said the tech told him that the van needed a lot of work. I in return ask why they didn't check out all of the problems and his answer was we did the recall and that's all we can do unless I wanted to pay $100. 00 for a diagnostic . So needless to say my van sits until I can pay or Ford does something to make this right. The ball is n your park Ford.

I had my van in park while I dropped my kids off to the sitter. . Came back out the van had died. . I tried to start and it would not even turn. Though maybe battery. . Put a knew one in and still nothing. Had to have towed to a shop and they said it was the pcm where it was corroded due to water leaking in. A total of a little over $1200 for part and labor. Very lucky I was parked and not driving at the time when the vehicle died. This part needs to be recalled. There is a flaw in the design that is allowing water to get into the pcm and causing it to go bad. There have been numerous complaints about the same part with other owners.

Bought care Nov 2012 from truck junction and from the day we bought it the car stalled ran ruff wouldnt start. Gave us the run around while under warrinty now Ford says pcm wet n ruined from day one. Ive had a broken van in my drive for 8 mnths what the fuck how can Ford make a product that is this bad with no recall fuck american products this is bullshit.

Power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm) vehicle speed control the pcm shorted out because it got wet through the cover of the hood. This appears to be a relatively wide-spread problem and if not addressed and repaired correctly, it could happen again.

Vehicle lost power while driving. There was no power steering or power brakes and the engine stopped running. There was no warning before the power failure. Vehicle was able to be started up after power failure. The same evening, starting up the vehicle, the idle was rough and the power failed in about 1 minute. Vehicle was brought to a Ford dealer the next morning and they could not replicate the problem and no engine codes were present. About 1 week later, after a rain storm, the power failed again while driving at 30 mph. It was possible to start the vehicle after the power failure. A Ford dealer looked at the vehicle after the latest power failure and could not replicate the problem and there were no engine codes. In April 2010, I experienced a similar problem which was caused by water getting into the pcm. Within a month in 2010, the pcm was replaced twice.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. The failure recurred at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was due to water penetrating the pcm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,600. The VIN was unavailable.

Had powertrain symptoms related to Ford TSB 06-14-10, for engine/transmission driveablity. Had vehicle towed because I had no reverse & forward engagement, and high idle in neutral. Ford dealer, fixed transaxle per safety recall 11s25, and TSB 06-14-10, for water entering the pcm. Dealer returned our vehicle on July 10th, everything appeared okay. One July 11th, the van began have shift issues, and then stall going down the road at 20-25mph. If the pcm is damaged from water, then why don't they require replacement in the TSB. This is a serious safety issued, especially at 70mph on a freeway. This TSB should be reconsidered as a safety recall. How many people should be injured or killed due to this condition? one is to many!.

Just purchased this used 2004 Freestar. Within days the engine would fail while driving. Transmission shifting issues. Not starting. Etc. . Had transmission replaced before knowing of recall on that item. Still had the issues. Pulled out pcm and it was filled with water. Installed new one. I live in florida. Rainy season. Issues happened again within a week. New pcm removed and was filled with water. I myself found the service bulletin about the issue as well as several complaints by owners on the internet. My local dealership walker Ford swept the issue under the rug and wanted to charge $900 to find the leak. I showed them the bulletin that they were un aware of. They would not replace my pcm without charging me again. Went to another dealership and paid for new pcm and told them to perforce service bulletin. Seemed fine until last 6 months. Starting to stall a lot. High hum when accelerating and turning. More research online and I found 2 more recalls on vehicle. The pcm issue should be a recall. Find out how to permanently fix the issue and perform it for free with a new pcm.

I left work, got 3 parking spots away, lost steering, brakes and gas. Engine was still running. Transaxle light came on, shut off van, tried again and it drove maybe a few feet and it was as if it was in neutral. Engine light, battery light and oil light came on. Shut it down tried again, drove about 10 feet and it died. Had it towed to vip who had no answers, towed to Ford who said it there was water in the pcm. They dried it out and said give it a go. Got it home drove it one day and the next(after raining) it would not move out of driveway. It would go into gear but hitting the gas was again like in neutral. It would move maybe a few inches and then no longer. The engine light came back on and the van bucked some. Towed to Ford again and they said it is defiantly water getting in the pcm. I have been searching online and I see many people complaining about this issue. I am worried because there is another recall coming in a month or so for the torque converter and I have 2 small children that rely on that van. I can't trade it in cause they are only will to give us $1000 when we owe 6. We are without vehicle again, with my husband and I having jobs and two kids. I feel unsafe in my van, even if we are to get it fixed, we have to hope the torque converter does not go while we are driving before the recall.

The van would start and die - when it did stay running you could put it in drive or reverse and it wouldn't move - took it to sanders Ford in jacksonville, north carolina. - their inspection found water in the pcm connector - they cleaned the pcm connector and applied dielectric grease - the service manager also said Ford advised them to apply a bead of chauking to divert the water away from the pcm connector - is this been a problem with other Freestar owners. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving my 2004 Ford Freestar 4. 2 litre ,at speed of 60mph on highway suddenly vehicle stalled , and I had to act fast and coasted vehicle 2 lanes over to hug shoulder of highway. Put vehicle in park turn ignition off turn the key over vehicle starts fine I drive back on the highway vehicle drives good like nothing occurred, my thought was fuel line problem, so had mechanic look at it he changed my fuel pump , fuel filter, fuel pressure sensor , so back on the road with vehicle , vehicle keeps stalling at 50-60mph and also stalls at traffic stop light while idling. Having done some research online my problem seems like Ford motor company has a defect problem in the pcm (powertrain control module)with the Ford Freestars/Mercury monterey models it sold. I believe now my vehicle is not safe to drive and endangers other drivers on the road. Please look into this systematic problem with Ford Freestars/monterey minivans.

1) we now have transmission failure. The cost to repair equals most of the vehicle's value. 2) driver-side passenger door closes and opens again continually. We get out and do that manually. 3) with foot off accelerator, going down hills, the Freestar transmission has "chugged" for a couple of years now, reproduce-able at dealer last year but they could not find cause (we ran out of money letting them study it). . . . We now know these things are all related. Research online shows other owners have found wet pcm to be promulgating cause for door sensors and the cause for premature failure of transmission due to damage caused by pcm over time. To put pcm below windshield, without proper waterproof housing, this is a design error that causes very, very expensive damage and repairs that will be required again, without pcm being touched. Dealers repair damage (not cause) under warranty, but most of us are now out of warranty. We've only got 74000 very well-cared for miles. Problem is the vehicle is now not drivable; transmission is shot. Ford refuses to make good for us. . Read more...

While on the highway, at about 35 mph, my 2004 Ford Freestar died. I was able to coast into a side street without power. After about 10 minutes, I was able to restart the vehicle, but it ran roughly for several minutes and then behaved normally until two days later when the transmission would not engage in any gear. I thought it was a transmission problem. The vehicle was towed home and the tow truck driver said it was behaving like there was a problem with the computer. Apparently he has seen this problem before. Examination of the computer (pcm) and the attachment plug showed significant water entry. Water actually ran out of the plug and there was water in the pcm enclosure. After several days of drying time, the pcm was put back into the vehicle and the vehicle ran normally. Ford has issued a TSB that covers the problem of water getting into the pcm and cable, so I am sure it is a common occurrence. I believe that if the vehicle is allowed to set idle for a number of days, the pcm will dry out by itself and then run normally until the next rain storm. No doubt, many transmissions have been replaced in error, and the problem reoccurs when the pcm again gets wet. Loss of power on the highway means no power steering or power brakes, which can lead to loss of control of the vehicle. The location of the pcm lends itself to water entry and appears to me to be a design defect that Ford should address more forcefully than just to issue a technical service bulletin.

Power control modual (pcm) gets wet due to poor design and transmission fails to work.

My husband was driving on a 4 lane hwy in pensacola, FL when my 2004 Ford Freestar suddenly stopped pulling. No forward, no backwards, neutral, nothing and the rpms went extremely high. Zero warnings, and in heavy rush hour traffic. It is only due to my husbands race car driving experience and quick reaction time that he was immediately able to get the van on the side of the hwy. My husband and our two boys thankfully were safe but they were stranded in intense florida heat. I have had a lean fuel, various electrical, coil pack and pcm issues since I got the van June 2007. The Ford dealership, and the easterns dealership I purchased the van from, could not figure out the problems. While under warranty, easterns worked on it but none of the issues were ever able to be fixed. I choose the Freestar for its safety features so I knew I had a safe way to transport my children. This is no longer the case, I do not trust Ford to take care of their defective products and I will not purchase another Ford.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated the vehicle suddenly stalled immediately after it stopped. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. There was an open investigation under NHTSA action number: pe10033 (vehicle speed control power, train:automatic transmission control module (tcm, pcm)) that may be related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

A few months ago my check engine light came on and vehicle felt like it wanted to stall out, the computer at the shop said that there was a misfire, replaced spark plugs and wires, light went out, 2 days later light back on same thing, shop could find nothing else wrong with the van, we then went to another shop who after having it for a week and not being able to figure out the problem said it was an oxygen sensor, paid $460 to have this replaced, van ran great for 3 days then lght back on and same thing, within 2 days the light went back off, this happened on and off for months then finally 3 weeks ago while turning a corner, the van just died and lost power in the middle of an intersection, unable to go into reverse or anything was able to restart the van long enough to get out of intersection then it died again and was able to coast to side of road but was unable to put van in reverse, my normal mechanic could not figure out the problem the computer kept reading different error codes , he then took it to the local dealer, where they have now had it for 3 weeks and are unable to find anything wrong with it, they did admit that they have been having problems with the pcm getting wet but they cannot find anything wrong with it, it is now running, going into reverse and no check engine light (at this time). I was also told that this could lead to eventual transmission problems as well, so now I have to worry about driving it at all, because noone can fix it, so it will eventually do it again???.

2004 Ford Freestar rpm's 3000 at idle. Diagnosed as water intrusion in original pcm (powertrain control module) in April of 2011. Water intrusion occurred on replacement pcm as well within 3 months because rain kit per service bulliten ( # TSB-06-14-10) was not installed at the Ford dealer. Second incident occurred with the replacement (new) pcm on 9/8/11. On 9/8/11 vehicled stalled out while in traffic. Replacement pcm diagnosed as water intrusion as well by different Ford. Second dealer noted rain kit had not been installed by 1st dealer when new pcm was put in. Second dealer installed kit, but vehicled stalled out in traffic once again on 9/17/11. Replacement (new) pcm had been contaminated prior to rain kit installation. Vehicle is now at the Ford dealer (that installed TSB rain kit) for 3rd pcm unit. Contact was made with the original dealer that installed the replacement pcm as well as Ford warranty department, and as of this date of 9/23/11 neither has accepted responsibility for failure to install the recommended TSB rain kit that caused the replacement (new) pcm failure. We were very fortunate that no one was hurt during the 2 incidents when the vehicle stalled out while in traffic. We will continue to pursue action to make the first Ford dealer / Ford motor company financially responsible for neglecting to install the rain kit per Fords service bulliten upon installation of the first new pcm unit.

2004 Ford Freestar transmission failure. Ford service manager stated a substance -appears to be water-enter through transaxle vent. Vent is suppose to be cover by a cowl grille panel. Loss of power while driving and unable to shift into any gear, although engine running. Transaxle light came on back in June 2010 taken to bangor, me Ford, transmission drained, flushed with bg flush machine and refilled. Feb 17, 2011 transaxle light again came on . Was able to get safely back into driveway when all transmission power loss. Unable to shift into any gear. Towed to Ford dealership again in NY where I live. After tranny torn down ($450. 00) Ford service manager stated a substance -appears to be water-enter through transaxle vent. Vent is suppose to be cover by a cowl grille panel. Found tsb06-04-10 report that identified that water may leake into pcm and or transaxle vent if the pcm connector cover is not properly seated and allows water to leak into these two areas. In Nov. 2006, I incurred a failure of the pcm . Three scary loss of power on a major highway and three attempts to fix the problem before Ford hotline contacted by technician and TSB bullentin used to install new pcm and install cowl panel fix described. This panel's seal may have failed allowing water to enter the transaxle's vent. Ford's consumer's 800 line refused to help and denied any responsibility for repairs as did my warranty company. They said that water intrusion isn't covered. Ford needs to recall these vehicles as there is a large number of complaints (many that could have ended in tragedy on highways. Any number of google searches will show hundreds of complaints. Please nhsta help us get these vehicles recalled. Remember the denials by Toyota. They are paying for that fatal accident that killed a family of 4.

We own a 2004 Ford Freestar with a 4. 2l motor. Thank god we bought an extended warranty when we bought the vehicle new in October 2004. At approximately 55,000 miles the vehicle stopped suddenly in traffic and needed to be towed. The transmission would not engage in any gear. I had the van towed to rodman Ford in foxboro MA where I was told the transmission fluid was contaminated with water. The warranty covered the entire repair except for a $50 deductible, also covered rental and the tow. Great, right. The only problem is that at 67,000 miles the same thing happened. Same coverage, paid for the whole thing again. Well here we are at 82,000 miles (no longer under 75,000 covered under warranty) and the tranny goes again. Now the last one was replaced last December at rodman Ford again. They are now trying to tell me that there is no coverage and a new tranny is going to cost me $3500 to replace. Huh? your kidding right? there seems to be another issue at play here. After reading some info on the web, I see there are several hundred reports of this same thing happening in this particular vehicle. There is an e-mail on line from stephen mchenry of the NHTSA stating that water has been getting into the pcm or transaxle vent. If this is a known problem then why is Ford not following the detailed repair instructions outlined in this e-mail. Why do they continue to replace transmissions several time in these vans when they know the cause of the problem. Are the service departments not busy enough and are they trying to create repeat customers. I am not going to pay a nickel toward this repair. I also have noticed several attorneys soliciting clients online for class action suits trying to get these other people their money back for the repairs that for them were not covered by an extended warranty. Thanks for your time.

Vehicle stalled, would not stay running, bucked violently. After taking to my mechanic, diagnosed it to be water entering the pcm module. Ford has a TSB for the issue, TSB 06-14-10. Ford would not stand behind vehicle as it was out of warranty. Only has 48,500 miles. This incident could kill someone if the the right driving conditions are met when the failure happens. Only a matter of time, if it has not already happened and it is undetected. Still at the shop to be repaired at this time with the mechanics I trust, not Ford.

2004 Ford Freestar: vehicle would not go into reverse on March 26 and also had problems going forward. Vehicle would not go over 20 mph. Did not drive vehicle after this event and had towed to Ford dealer on April 6. Pcm was replaced. Picked car up on April 19. Delay in pickup due to vacation. A week later (April 26), same problem returned after driving a total of about 110 miles. While driving in traffic, vehicle dropped to under 20 mph without warning. Vehicle failed at a busy intersection. This was a frightening experience and there was a child in the car. Pcm was replaced a second time. Picked up repaired vehicle at Ford dealer on may 1 and on the way home from Ford dealer, drove vehicle 18 miles, when vehicle failed again. Vehicle shut down in traffic, no power steering or brakes available, barely missed hitting a house. Vehicle towed back to Ford dealer for 3rd time. Vehicle would not go in reverse when unloaded from tow truck. We were fortunate that no one got hurt in either of these incidents and we are very concerned that we will not be so fortunate the next time. We are afraid to drive this car.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact was driving at approximately 5 mph when he noticed that the transmission felt as if it were slipping. The contact then took the vehicle to a local mechanic who test drove the vehicle and experienced no problems. The next day when attempting to pull out of his driveway, the vehicle would not shift into drive or reverse. The contact called the dealership and the dealer informed him that the pcm had gotten wet and was the cause for the failure. The dealer instructed him on how to perform the repair for the vehicle and the contact noticed no more problems after the repair. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 65,100. The failure mileage was approximately 64,800.

Water getting into pcm causing transmission to stop shifting , engine stalling and fast idle. Had Ford TSB 06-14-10 done but still have same problem when it rains. I tried to tell Ford and they just don't care. This a very serious problem they have and they are ignoring it ! I have four kids and this van is totally unsafe to drive I've had to pull over on the side of the road several times. I've had it towed three times for the same problem . The dealer has tried to fix it three times and replaced the pcm once and we still have the same problem. I have seen many complaints on the internet for the same problem. All you have to do is punch in the TSB 06-14-10 and you will see the problems that Ford is having with this issue. I still owe $8,400 on this van and I can't sell it and I am afraid to drive it especially with my children in the van. If this is not a safety concern then I don't know what is! the problem began in October 2009 and we are still dealing with it as of today January 28, 2010.

My Ford Freestar 2004 had complete mobility failure in intersection,was said to have bad transmission was replaced problems of motor failure continued had towed 10 x's with my investigations we found water in the pcm replaced computer problem of water regained many attempts to reseal while transmission reaffected then replaced throttle sensor have spent over $4000. 00 while Ford offers no compensation or help even thou the problems are under investigation. Ineed my vehicle to get to work to maintain paying my bills Ford should have to do something for all of us and I would like to know what my next steps are I cant afford an attorney for this. They are aware of the problems but take no responsibility for them. When my car fails it gives great difficulty steering and braking as it shuts off I am in fear of my children's lives and others drivers while I continue to drive this vehicle and an accident should not be the forcing hand for Ford motor corp to have to stand behind their product!.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While driving at approximately 25 mph, the vehicle lost power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the contact was informed the transmission would need to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The failure recurred eight times after repairs. At each failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the computer would be reset. After the 4th failure, the mechanic found water in the pcm and it was replaced. The failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 114,000. Updated 12/02/10 updated 12/08/10.