general problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar - part 1

The transmission is grinding and popping when shifting gears. Also it has started not moving when I shift it into drive and 3rd and 1st. When I drive it I have to put it in 1st gear and change up to drive and it grinds and pops when giving it gas to go. It comes to a crawl going up hills. Has a big loss of power. The trackshion control light comes on saying it's not working. The electrical is messing up the doors are opening up when they are not supposed to going down road. It tells me that different doors are open when there not keeping the lights on in the van running down the battery.

I read the recalls for 2004 Ford free star transmissions and my van without warning just quit working in the middle of the road while I was driving. I could get it to start back up for a second to move it to the side of the road, but it wouldn't start after that.

I just came across this website and wish I wrote this a year ago because I would have made a complaint then. I have had many issues with the lights flickering, coming on automatically when it rains, my interior lights staying on and actually catching fire because it had gotten so hot. My radio used to turn on by itself or not turn on at all, which has now been replaced. My van has literally died on me while driving more often at times when I'm making a turn or slightly moving my steering wheel. Has almost caused a few accidents because it shuts off without warning. My van will usually have a higher rpm when it's running in park or with foot on break(waiting at a red light). Then suddenly the rpms drop and fluctuate high and low and shut the engine off. My transmission is also starting to fail by not shifting properly. Usually into second gear. The indicator lamp light flashes with means error with the transmission. That is most likely due to the power train automatic transmission torque converter getting wet or it is powertrain automatic transmission. Also have issues with my my power steering the wheel knocks and sorta locks up at times , fluids have been checked and were perfect. I believe that it's associated with the steering hydraulic system failure.

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.

The indiana alpr tracking system causes electrical malfunctions including the abs brake system and various other unknown malfunctions. The abs module has failed on the subject vehicle and the alpr attacks continue. These alpr attacks are initiated by electrical apparatus on top of telephne poles and on police cars. These attacks can be heard by sudden unexpected loud thumping on my dashboard which could cause an accident in addition to the abs brake system failure. These attacks occur both in motion and when stationary. The thumping is expecially surprising in traffic and could easily cause an accident. Plus, I do not have abs protection on slick roads.

Everytime I stop at either a stoplight or stop sign it stalls out. The battery light comes on and then goes back off. I am able to restart it back up and continue it on. I have had the electrical computer fixed and had a full tune up done and it still stalls out.

My van has a problem with water, that is when it rains the vehicle starts having problems with several components. (ie engine misfire, transmission fails to shift properly, door looks refuse to operate properly, among other weird things) this happens every time it rains. The problem as I have being able to trace it, is that the water that comes off the front windshield and into the plastic that covers the cowl area ( where the wipers are) drips on to the main electric wire harness connection that comes from the inside of the car and connects to the engine bay wire harness. As the wire harness connector gets wet, the vehicle starts acting up. I took the van to my mechanic but he was unable to find a problem, it was dry. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer and, to my surprise, they knew about the problem but told me I had to pay the repair because its covered on a technical service bulletin (TSB 06-14-10) but its not a recall. How can this not be a recall when the van is going along well and as soon as it starts raining, I start having drive ability issues, transmissions starts acting up, engine starts acting up, some times stalls, in general I have a vehicle that appears to be "allergic to water. " this issue happens any time it stars raining heavily whether on the highway or city street or my driveway for that matter, if its raining I have to take my wife's car because if not I know will have to be dealing with an uncooperative vehicle. Ps. I put a date on the "when did this happen" field but this is an ongoing issue.

Like many others who have complained about electrical problems on the Ford Freestar, I have to add my complaint regarding my 2004 Ford Freestar. First of all, when I bought my van used about 4 years ago, I did research on it, and learned about the issue of water getting into the pcm. So I took the van to a Ford dealership - campbell Ford in niles michigan - and one of their mechanics dried and sealed the pcm, along with the area at the base of the windshield that is prone to leak. That was two years ago (this van also had the torque converter work done by the previous owner). So here's the problem I'm having now: when driving, occasionally for no apparent reason, my radio goes dead, no time, no display, no music, and then the brake and abs light appear on the dash, along with the battery light and airbag light. This lasts for a few seconds, and then everything returns to normal (sometimes the battery light stays on permanently). When this happens I lose no power and the van drives like normal. That might occur 4 - 5 times / outing. I replaced the battery a few days ago and this has made no difference.

This vehicle I received numerous recalls and had many problems with this vehicle. Major electrical problems. When it would rain and get car wash the electrical system would malfunction and cause engine not to run properly and check engine light would come on. In April of 2016 engine was malfunctioning and caused me to get in accident. This vehicle has since been impounded and loan company santander trying to bill me for remainder of loan and now causing major credit issues. I would like this to be covered by Ford/carmax for selling my family an unsafe vehicle which could have resulted in critical injury or worse.

The 2004 Freestar is shorting out all the sensors are shorting out u took it to be put on machine and it cane back with 17 sensors malfunction going on and it's the only vechele I own and I've googled the problem and I see 100000 other people are having the same problem what should I do I might be driving down the road and the vraje sensor is going and I can't stop I'm not rich I cantvgo buy another van please help me.

The power control module (pcm) gets wet . The car will then exhibit various failures including engine stop, transmission failure to engage, engine code indicators. This can happen when stationary (transmission won't engage ) or in motion( engine will shut off above certain speeds, may be 35-45miles per hour) or the transmission will begin slipping. Ford has issued a technical bulletin TSB 06-14-10 on this issue.

My car has spent 10 days at Ford to be serviced after having the safety recall service for the torque converter performed. The vehicle was behaving unpredictably, sometimes stalling out while idled, stalling out while in motion, sometimes idling with high or low rpms. The dealership took it back in to check the torque converter, they then said it wasn't the torque converter but the throttle body, they then cleaned that and said it's not the throttle body, it's the pcm. The pcm is taking on water from a flawed design of the above pcm where water is retained and eventually leaks on to the connector. This of course is not covered by Ford, and can cost up to $1200 to replace. This issue creates a number of different symptoms making it hard to identify the origin of the problem. Causing extended stays for maintenance. This should be rectified by Ford and not it's customers as there's no way this flaw can be caused by user error, it's a design flaw that should not exist.

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.

While driving on the freeway at 55 mph my vehicle lurched forward drastically and then stalled. I was able to get it to the side of the road coasting as I was in the outside lane. I could restart the car but only go 50-100 feet and it would stall again. I managed to get it off the road into a parking lot and found out the car wouldn't go into reverse. Although I could go forward. I am now being told that there was a torque converter recall for this year and make of car but not for my vehicle. I am being told the transmission will need rebuilt and be at a cost of 3000-3900 dollars. The car has approx. 102,000 miles on it. I was told by the transmission shop this is a common problem with this car even if they are repaired they tend to have problems again. It should be noted that it had snowed a large volume that day and there was a lot of water on the roadway.

Stopped at a stop sign and the van would not move. No gears worked. Couple days later, it drove fine. Couple days later no gears again. (and the torque converter was replaced under recall in 2012) now won't start and dashboard goes crazy after the key is out. With all the transmission problems and the wet pcm problems, I can't believe Ford doesn't have to recall these van because of the pcm!! this vehicle is a hazard to drive.

I was traveling on a busy road last Sunday. My van completely shut down with no warning. I had no power steering or power brakes and was almost rear-ended. Thank god I managed to get to the side of the road. I started it again and it happened again three more times. I had it towed to jim's auto service and they think it could be related to water leakage onto the computer. I called Ford to ask about this and they said that they knew nothing about this but I found information about this problem all over the internet. I asked them how could my mechanic know about this and they didn't?! they told me to take it to a Ford dealership. I am 60 years old and babysit my grandchildren full time and I am afraid to drive them in this vehicle! I also do not have the money for major repairs. I hung up with Ford feeling frustrated since this could have been a fatal situation if I had been on the highway with my granddaughter.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the check engine and trans axle lights illuminated on the instrument panel. Immediately after, the vehicle stalled and was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Almost every time we start the van, the odometer has all dashes through the reading and the speedometer will not work. After restarting the van sometimes several times it fixes itself. The problem has been getting progressively worse. I have been seeing a lot of information in forums about water getting on the pcm due to a manufacture error, but have not seen a recall for the issue. After removal of the air damn to do minor maintenance to the vehicle water is able to seep pass a misplaced spot weld and drip on top of the pcm unit. Damage to the unit causes several issues including the problem I am facing with my van.

In November of 2013, our 2004 Ford Freestar quit working. Yes, we had the torque converter recalled and put on back when they had that recall. November was the first time we had this happen to our car. It was raining, and our car would not go into gear, it quit working. What made this bad is that it was on the freeway! my husband put it into neutral, but we still did not have steering capabilities and managed to get us over to the shoulder. We had to be towed to a dealership. The dealership then stated that many people were having the same issue with the electronics getting wet, so he dried it, then let it set for a couple days and caulked it. We thought that would end those problems. Not. (note: this had cost us 450. 00) then less than 2 months, the same exact thing happens, only this time we are stuck in a shopping center and could not get our car into gear again. We took it back to the dealership to which they replied that we needed a new electric module. How much? $1500. 00!!! in less than 2 months, we spent almost 2,000. 00! this was done in February. Here it is now April and guess what? the same exact problem is taking place again!! we are not alone, there are many people facing the same problems we have had, look around at the boards online and you will see that everyone has the same issues!! some investigations need to be opened or reopened as this is not resolved and lawsuits will be filed if someone gets hurt.

Was driving with cruise control and vehicle started lurching while driving. While in park rpms go up and down. Feel like vehicle is struggling. Had recall issue taken care of last month. Doors also lock when they want to and sometimes windows don't work. Always happens after rain.

Recently had the transmission torque converter changed under recall. Today it was running rough, and would stall out. It was a dangerous situation as I was in heavy traffic at the time. It seems that this problem has happened to many other owners of the same car.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the rear hatch door does not open manually. The hatch button that opens the door, works intermittently. The manufacturer was contacted. The private mechanic diagnosed that the door locking devices needed to be replaced. There were no repairs completed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.

As I see this is a very common problem with all model year Freestar vans. Water leaks onto the pcm and shorts out then your van won't run or if it does not very well. Mine won't start and gives all kinds of random mil codes. Was diagnosed with water in pcm. Plain and simple Ford needs to issue a recall for this because all the vans have it or will get it.

While driving my son to school, vehicle stalled at 45 mph and engine died. Got vehicle started again, died again, managed to get vehicle back home. This issue has been happening intermittently ever since with no warning engine will die while driving vehicle. I have been advised by a mechanic that this is due to the pcm getting wet repeatedly. After researching issue on-line, this appears to be a design issue that Ford should address immediately before it results in a fatality.

I drove my car to work in the morning. At 2pm, I tried to drive, but could not. The car started, but I could not move forward or backward. I had no symptoms that a problem was about to happen before this. When the tow guy came, he moved the car by hand with the engine running. He was able to drive it a tiny bit sometimes forward and sometimes back, but sometimes not at all. We towed it to medford Ford where it was diagnosed as needing a whole new computer brain. They said there was "moisture" on the computer. The estimate for repair is $1,042 plus tax. I told them we had the brain replaced 15 months ago (on 12/8/11); they said there is only a warranty for 12 months. They said that this vehicle is "notorious" for this problem. See my registered complaint on the 12/8/11 incident (safercar. Gov odi no. : 10503670). I have totally broken down in this vehicle 5 times, each for major repairs. (see also, my safercar. Gov odi no. : 10397445 for my experience with torque converter failure. ).

Car died in heaver rain on major road. All lights lite on dashboard. Problem was water intrusion on ecm. Repair cost $957. 26. Ford dealer in levittown claim the followed tsp on problem 18 months later same problem water damage on ecm. Repair cost this time $2695. 97. Claim there was no tsp on problem. Had to show them the tsp and they still are not following it.

Cpsc#i1320440. 2004 Ford Freestar. Consumer stated after driving the car in the rain, a few days afterwards the vehicle spurts and shakes violently. The consumer also stated the check engine light would come on and flash. The vehicle also jumped when accelerating and vibrated while at a stop. The consumer stated as soon as she drove the vehicle in the rain, the problem started again. The vehicle then stalled while in park.

Returning from a 'dump run', I noticed the plastic cover for the 3rd row passenger seat, driver side, had been dislodged and was lying on the floor. I went to reconnect it and I found the latch 'floating'. It was no longer part of the vehicle. I could see out through the wheel well. After further inspection, I saw that the welded plate, that should be part of the van was no longer attached. I haven't looked at the tire for damage, yet. This is a design and manufacturing error, as the latch bracket used to secure the passenger seat in place, needs to be a permanent part of the vehicle. The van isn't too old, and should last many more years/miles and for this piece to come loose, is a safety issue as well as a quality issue. I'm afraid to take it to the local Ford dealer for fear of being gouged on the cost to repair, which should be at Ford's cost. If this was a pick up truck with exposure to the elements all the time, I could see a rust issue. This vehicle is lightly used and garaged nightly, so it shouldn't happen - ever. The other comments on this page are all similar to my experience with this part. Right now, I'm using a strap to hold the piece in place, stretching to the latch on the passenger side. Comment: this van has had too many quality issues since we purchased it in 2006 - torque converter replaced, driver seat heater replaced, transmission replaced, cruise control switch mech. Replaced, ignition replaced.

Our 2004 Ford Freestar stalled, and then surged after accelerating from a stop. The next day the check engine light came on. We took it to a local Ford dealer, capital city Ford in indianapolis, who in indicated the code was for a fuel pump problem. We paid over $800 to have the fuel pump replaced on December 27th. In late February the van began to stall and surge again. We suspected the same problem. It continued to do this off and on for the next two weeks and on March 8th the check engine light came on again. We took it back to the same Ford dealer and they said the initial code was for the same error, but when another mechanic/technician checked the code it came up with a different problem. We were advised that the there was "moisture" getting into the pcm causing the problem and not only was it causing the engine to stall, but was giving wrong error codes. The replacement of the pcm was estimated to be a +$1,000 cost. We were advised that it "seemed to be" a design flaw in the location of the pcm in that it is in line with the waterflow from the windshield. After much research on the internet on this issue, it appears it is a long-standing issue with many owners of this vehicle and even with replacement of the pcm the problem will happen again due to the design flaw. The safety risk related to engine stalls due to the failure of the pcm is unacceptable. The failure of the dealership to identify this well-known problem and charge us for a repair (fuel pump) that was unnecessary is unconscionable.

Having this problem 4 days in a row, engine quits at any speed lose of steering and brakes, car will speed up without the accelerator being moved, Ford said water in the computer could cost 1,000 to 1,500. Checked on my computer found page after page of the same complaint and Ford motor company refuses to fix the problem!! has anybody been killed yet? when is the n. T. S. B going to act.

The pcm internal computer is crashed and cause the veh to run poorly and not start, drained batter, etc - this is an issue with a lot of 2004 Freestars as I read online and was told to submit the info so that maybe they will do a recall and get this fixed. Thank god it did not happen while driving.

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.