Body problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar - part 2

Severe rust in the driver side rear wheel well caused the third row seat to detach from the vehicle. The third row seat is now unsafe and cannot be used. The seat can no longer be securely latched in place. This vehicle was garage kept and only has 72,938 miles on it.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while parked the contact pulled the rear seats up and noticed the stud which holds the back seat in place was loose. The contact pushed the stud and it fractured. Also, the wheel weld was corroded on the rear driver and passenger side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine how to remedy the failure. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic who welded new metal pieces to the wheel wells on the rear driver and passenger side. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: ea12003 (seats:mid/rear assembly structure structure:body) that may be related to the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Pmb.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph smoke emitted into the vehicle. The contact was able to maneuver to the shoulder when she noticed that flames were coming from under the vehicle right before it was completely engulf in flames. The police and fire department were contacted. The dealer was contacted who stated that the failure might had been cause by the torque converter and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who filed a report and did not offer any further assistance. The failure and current mileage was 86,000. Pmb.

Left rear seat anchor was loose, so we looked. A large hole had rusted out of the inner fender causing the anchor to completely detach from the body. We took it in to get checked out and they agreed it had completely rusted through and the right side is also rusting out, although not the point of completely rusting through, yet. We are just thankful this was noticed when we were parked and not driving 65 mph causing an accident.

Drivers side rear passenger seat bracket failure. The bracket is mounted through the weel well. The weld around the bracket had severe rusting, no where similar to other parts of the car. The plate holding the bracket rusted through completely dropping the seat. The plate and bracket began rubbing against the tire. If I had not stopped and found the problem and secured the bracket, the tire could have blown causing an accident. Accident was prevented, but serious body failure occurred. This needs to be addressed. As is this seat should no longer be used until it can be fixed, there is no cost effective fix.

The third row seat was loose when locked in the upright position. When I looked underneath from the driver side rear tire I noticed the metal plate was loose. I put down the third row seat and looked through the plastic to see that all around the metal plate rotted away. Since the third row seat was not locked in place when I touched the bracket on the metal plate, the entire plate fell out onto the rear tire. The metal all around the plate inside the rear quarter panel is rotted and there is nothing to weld the plate back to. There is also a large opening into the vehicle because that plate is no longer there. My seven seat van can only hold four people safely.

On 08/13/2012 tried to engage the third row folding seat to the full upright position. The drivers side latch for the third row seat would not engage. After further inspection I found the seat anchor to be loose. After I looked at the outside of the wheel well the plate that the anchor mounts to was completely corroded all the way around and the plate and anchor is detached from the vehicle and falling into the wheel well. There is now a big hole from the outside of the wheel well directly into the interior of the rear of the vehicle. The interior of the vehicle becomes soaked when driven in the rain. Safety issue as our kids ride in the third row seat and there is no way to latch the seat safely now.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that whenever she engaged the brake pedal, it felt hot to the touch. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle she noticed that there was a piece of metal rubbing against the tire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the rear wheel well needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000. Pmb.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the rear quarter panel on the driver side had excessive rust build up and as a result, the panel rubs on the tire while driving. The contact decided to remove part of the quarter panel in order to stop the tire from rubbing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the quarter panel needed to be replaced with new metal. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 83,000.

We had the 3rd row seat folded down for cargo space. Upon pulling the seat back up, the left side of the seat wouldn't latch and the seat moved when someone was sitting on it. When my husband tried to secure the latch by folding the seat back down and then back up again - the entire left side latch and plate it's attached to fell into the wheel well. He had to reach up over the left rear wheel to remove the part and saw that there is now a hole in the wheel well that goes right into the van - you can literally see in the van! the latch unit: the plate it's bolted to and the metal section of the wheel well that the plate is welded to were completely rusted out. We can no longer use the back seat due to safety reasons. We are having a hard time finding someone to repair it. One person said we'd have to replace the entire wheel well. We read on line that Ford has responded that there are no replacement "parts" for this issue because it wasn't manufactured to be replaced. Now we have a van we can't get fixed, we can't use the 3rd row seats (we haul the neighbor's 2 kids in addition to our 2 kids to and from school), and gets wet on the inside when it's raining because of the open hole in the wheel well.

The rear left metal u-shaped post that is used to secure the front of the rear bench seat and is attached through the body by a metal plate in the rear wheel well fell out of the vehicle as the vehicle was moving at a speed of 10 miles per hour. The rear seat was folded into the floor at the time of the incident. The post and the attached plate fell out into the wheel well and then fell to the roadway. Upon inspection, the edge of the metal plate, and much of the surrounding wheel well had rusted away causing the incident. The incident resulted in a large hole in the wheel well that goes clear though to the interior of the van. We brought the van to a local Ford dealer for repair. They acknowledged seeing this issue recently in the same make, model, and year of van. They said they were unable to make a repair. They suggested taking the issue to a body shop. Two local body shops were unable to make the repair. As it stands, the rear bench seat is unusable as it can't be secured in the upright position, and there is a hole near the exhaust system that makes the van unsafe to drive. It is frustrating that the same issue has been seen by Ford, yet no suitable repair or solution has been provided.

Third row seat no longer latches securely, caused by corrosion from left rear wheel well area ruining body latching holding seat in place.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the rear wheel wells were completely rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired and the contact was informed that the dealer would not touch the vehicle to avoid the liability. The rust had damaged the lugs for the seat belt anchors. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the vehicle was used as a taxi and a customer complained that the rear seats were loose. The contact then noticed that the rear seats were out of place and the rear driver’s side wheel well was rusted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repair shop for repair. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure and current mileages were 269,359.

Inability to latch the rear seat, entire driver side anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle,.

I had my vehicle to the Ford dealership on a recall for the third row latch/corrosion issue. While in the process of doing the repair, the service dept. Found massive undercarriage corrosion, in which other parts of my car were disintegrating & falling apart, such as the starter and the engine mounts, as well as parts of my exhaust system. While my car was on the premises there were also two other Freestars with similar amounts of massive corrosion on the body of the vehicle, particularly all of the doors. My vehicle is only 9 years old and has been taken care of with regular maintenance and should not look 20 years old with the corrosion that it has accumulated. I also have a large, visible crack in my wheel well in the rear passenger area caused by corrosion and my vehicle may not pass inspection. I have been in touch with Ford motor CO. And they seemed only casually interested, but did give me a case file # cas-270-2675-s3d5h6. They report that there is currently no recall on any of the peripheral corrosion problems and could not guarantee that there would be a recall on this. The supervisor at the dealership expressed to me that he has seen at least 6-8 other Freestars with the same corrosion in the same places. My car is rotting from the inside. . . Presently when it rains, my front passenger door accumulates water inside, which eventually drains itself out through the corrosion underneath that panel. Please help me to force a recall on this issue so that I can get my car repaired in an appropriate manner and feel safe in driving without worrying that my vehicle will disintegrate underneath me from this massive corrosion problem.

While turning a corner we heard a loud noise coming from the left rear tire. After getting home we pulled the left rear tire off to inspect the brakes, which were fine. We did notice that the wheel well was rusting out around the third row seat latch. The latch was loose and upon further inspection did not lock the third row seat into place. When carrying passengers in the back seat the latch is pushed out far enough that it actually rubs on the rear tire, which could result in tire failure.

3rd row bench seat, drivers side u type bolt bracket( the inside piece that the rear seat locks into). . . Competely rusted through and partialy fell onto the tire and brake assembly. The passengers side in also cracked and brittle. The van still runs fine but we cannot use the 3rd row seat. Our childeren were sitting on it when it finally broke and fell on the wheel. It made a hell of a noise . We were able to get stopped without much of a problem.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the rear driver side of the vehicle was rusted. The rear driver side wheel well was rusted and reached the fuel filler pipe. The contact also stated that the rear driver side seat was also rusted and would not lock in place. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The failure and the current mileages were 96,400.

Rear 3rd row seat latch is completely rusted through making the rear seat completely unsafe and unusable. Could cause serious injuries in a accident if rust goes undetected, vehicle is kept in garages and well maintained. Updated 05/31/lj.

Noticed inside carpet was wet on the rear left side, removed the inside rear wheel panel and found the third row seat latch had completely rusted through to the outside of the car allowing water to enter the cab space and now the third row seat is unsafe due to the seat not being able to latch.

Tl - the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the hook that held the rear driver side convertible bench seat in place was completely corroded. The contact mentioned that the damage was so severe that it rusted through the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 137,000. Kmj.

Upon opening the folding third row seat, the bottom latch failed to engage with the seat. Further inspection showed that the entire latch panel had rusted away from the body of the car and was sitting in the wheel well. There is now a hole in the side of the van and the third row seat is unusable. At 7 years old, this level of rust is very premature.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. While the vehicle was parked the contact lowered the third row seating to the floor when he noticed the safety latch attached to the rear wheel wells was corroded from the inside out and were fractured. The contact stated the third row seat could not be used because it would be unsafe in the event of a rear end collision. The dealer was made aware of the failure and refused to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 92,300.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that water had entered and remained in the rear cargo area. The contact inspected the vehicle and found corrosion in the rear fender well and the third row seat latch. The rear panel was not installed correctly and caused water to penetrate the cargo area. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 105,000. Updated 11/25/11.

When making a right turn with a full load (my wife, 2 kids, my parents and I) a vibration occurred in the left rear wheel well. I couldn't find the problem myself so I took the van to the Ford dealer the next day and they diagnosed that there was rusting in the left rear wheel well which caused friction against the tire when turning right with a full load. The service manager at the Ford dealer recommended that I do not drive the vehicle and replace the vehicle as it was too dangerous to drive. I was not planning to sell the van for scrap after 5. 5 years and I couldn't morally sell a car that I wouldn't feel safe driving with my own family. I took the van to a body shop and they recommended a specialty shop. The specialty shop identified the problem as a panel that was not sealed well which caused premature rusting. They were able to cut out the area and replace that part of the wheel well. I see this as a very serious safety hazard that I hope others don't encounter. If I had not taken care of this problem immediately the tire could have been damaged while turning right with a full load and caused a serious rollover accident. I was not happy with the Ford service manager's advice of buying a new car versus helping me fix the problem. I felt it was important to file a safety complaint as the result of this type of premature wear on a vehicle could turn out to be tragic for someone.

Drivers side front door will not close. Exercised all locks open and closed multiple times, but door will not latch closed. Major safety issue.

Left rear seat no longer latches making it unsafe. The seat no longer latches because latch that was fastened to the left rear wheel well has rusted completely off the wheel well.

The paint on my 2004 Ford Freestar van is bubbling and peeling off of the roof of the vehicle.

The latch on the rear of the van has rusted closed on three separate occassions. It is presently rusted shut and the back hatch doesnt open as a result. There is a recall on the third row seat due to water leakage from the rear tire well. This has to be related as the carpet throughout the van gets wet. Even the front drivers seat where it attaches to the floor is soaked, posibly leaking from front tire well. And all the way down the interior of the car to the third row. There is also a short in the dash lights due to water leaking into the dash area. The car radio stays on when it feel like it and you have to hit the drivers window button for the radio to shut off otherwise it drains the battery and the car will not start. The car was at the electrical shop a year ago and could not find the problem.

Plastic molding along the running boards broke off. As a result, the sliding door malfunctioned, locking occupants inside vehicle.