general problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar - part 2

After a major rain storm, tried to start my car and it would start, but would quickly stall. Had to have car towed. Did not have reverse gear. Garage told me I needed a new transmission. Did have a recall notice to replace a faulty torque converter, but died before I was able to get scheduled. I believe the problem started with the pcm board getting wet. Towed to a Ford garage for repairs. Hoping that I get treated fairly. I believe Ford should pay for entire repair bill - new transmission and new pcm board - after all their faulty parts were the reason for the failure! not able to 'populate' above "affected parts".

The mirrors will only move down and in (toward the vehicle). Now the alarm starts blaring for no apparent reason. Cd player comes on at will. After reading through the forums, appears my a/c that quit in April 2011 could be connected to the other issues and the fact that the side doors continually open at will even while driving. The dealership says they fixed the doors and can no longer find an issue since they can not recreate the issues with the doors or cd player. These electrical issues are a potential hazard while driving. When Ford says that you should not drive the vehicle, then they know there is an issue and should be held responsible to provide alternate transportation. Even the measly refund/recall repair with the torque converter does not fix the entire issue.

At 147000 miles, I needed a complete transmission rebuild. This cost me $2800 due to the fact that there were additional parts not common to a standard rebuild. This was sept. 2011. In January, I am able to note online that there is a torque converter recall for this model. I call Ford, I'm told there is nothing they can do until the recall is officially released in the 2nd quarter. Wait until 2nd quarter, no notice in the mail. I call Ford in August and tell them this, I am told that Ford will fix the car, it will take approx. 4 days and that no rental car is available during this period. If I suffer a total loss, maybe. Basically, I have to be stranded on the side of the road with my two young children before I can get any help with their issue. After rebuild, I start having issues with cylinder 3 misfire. I replace all plugs and wires, still a cylinder 3 misfire as well as overheating and egr valve. Replace egr valve, complete radiator change, coil pack, still issues with misfiring and overheating. I understand that this could be a computer issue, however Ford fails to realize this and therefore will not issue a recall. Not that that would help since if they took it into the shop to fix it, I would not be able to get to work in the interim.

Van won't start thought it was fuel pump had it towed & replaced cost $500 van starts then shuts off mechanic said pcm malfunction dealer should fix it! help Ford stand by there vehicle! complain.

Vehicle shut off going down the road at slow speed after making loud squeaky sound. This has happened on many occasions since then and today 11/01/2012 it became more severe. My wife attempted to go to the local Ford dealership around August/September describing the problem and was told that since the vehicle was not currently experiencing the problems described that there was nothing they were able to do. The vehicle is very unsafe and I have called the Ford hotline because of the recall, the voice claims that the vehicle is still safe because the steering remains functional, this is not the case for my vehicle. After, one of the many "incidents", often the van will lose complete power and the power steering will disengage and the steering wheel becomes very difficult to turn even for a large male. We bought the van as a family vehicle, as most do, which makes it even more problematic and disturbing. I am disgusted with Ford for their negligence.

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.

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!.

My van would not go in reverse , when it finally did it kept dying . Took to Ford dealership the problem was the computer brain cost 1100. 2days later the exact same thing. The problem is sudden leaving u stranded with no warnings.

Pcm wet and engine will die when under load. Turn on power option will cause the engine to die.

I was driving down the road with my kids in this can, and it suddenly stalled. It happened repeatedly every time it snowed or rained. It will also not want to accelerate and jerks or hesitates as you are driving. This can is dangerous!! Ford needs to accept responsibility and get this problem fixed!.

Drove vehicle to store, went in to do shopping came out to leave vehicle would start but wouldn't accelerate. Two days before incident it had been raining in grand junction colorado. Had vehicle towed to Ford and was told today that the pmc is full of water! it's going to cost me over 1500. 00 to fix this! what would of happened had it decided to go out as I was driving down the road with my two kids in the car? or when rushing my severe asthmatic to hospital?.

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.

Abs warning light comes on and then sometimes it goes out. Is abs system not working properly or electrical?.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and all electrical systems stopped functioning. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was 111,000.

I was driving down the highway at 55 mph and my van starting cutting out really bad and died. I was a mile from anywhere I got it to a safe place eventually and then could no longer start the van. This is the third time this has happened and have had to replace the computer already once. It was raining heavily so I know it is the computer because the mechanic who replaced the computer 3 months ago said this is a known problem with the 2004 Ford Freestar. Every time it rains I have trouble with my car. It was raining last night so I know water has once again gotten into my computer. When is there ever going to be a recall on this. I am a single mom of 4 kids and feel like Ford should be held responsible for this vehicle. I can't afford to just go out and buy a new vehicle because Ford messed up. I have owned this vehicle for 4 years now and it has been in the shop or broke down for at least 2 years of this time for the same issues.

I am writing about this 12/8/11 incident today, because this happened to me again! on 3/14/13 (I will enter a separate complaint the 3/14/13 event immediately after this one is registered). In both cases, the entire computer brain had to be replaced, each time costing over $1,000. 12/8/11 incident: while driving, I found the gas pedal was not responding to acceleration. A symbol lit up on the dashboard. Having experienced a torque converter failure 8 months before (safercar. Gov odi no. : 10397445), I worried that this might be transmission related again. I was losing movement, but the engine still ran, and coasted into a vacant lot. While waiting for a tow, I found that I could sometimes drive forward or reverse a bit (a few feet), but sometimes I could not. The mechanic had to replace the computer brain. He bought the part from medford Ford, in new jersey. I can locate the exact cost of the repair at a later time, but it was approximately $1,000. I had no significant symptoms ahead of time, which would lead me to believe that I was about to break down. I have totally broken down 5 times in this vehicle, each for major repairs.

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

The van began to jerk and lose power. I was able to make it home and was told that the pcm was wet. I contacted the Ford dealership where I purchased the van and learned about the service bulletin. I emailed Ford and was told there was no recall and I would need to fix this issue myself.

The main engine computer (ecm, pcm, aka eec) constantly gets wet due to a design flaw. Water drips down on the computer and will cause the engine just to die while driving the car on the highway. This causes a very dangerous situation!.

We bought our 2004 Freestar new. Wife now is unable to drive it due to safety concerns. It stalls, misses, and bucks while driving. It is much worse after rain. We have taken to dealership and they want to do a tune-up. Took to local mechanic and he says that there is water in pcm. Have located hundreds of complaints in forums. Very expensive fix and it looks as though many people have had fixed several times.

Transmission issues had to be replace, check engine light will not turn off. I have read many reports online about issues with the transmission in the 2004 Ford Freestar, sensor light issues, tracking light issues. No warning transmission just died 200 miles from home.

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.

Rear window popped / shattered while parked. No vandalism. Car was running and rear defroster was on. Weather was 60 degrees and cloudy.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the air conditioning does not cool of the inside of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer added freon, but that did not correct the problem. The dealer also stated that the compressor is working properly. The contact stated that the air conditioning does not seem to truly start working until the vehicle reaches 40 mph. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 140,000. Rl.

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.

Repeated problems with moisture/rain getting into pcm(computer). Car is back at transmission shop again due to car stalling during braking. I have had fuelpump/module replaced in error, due to false check engine codes due to moisture/rain getting int pcm, owner of transmission said issue is with water in pcm causing torque converter to enagage during braking.

Water keeps getting into the pcm. Common problem with this vehicle. Van will stall out, not have power in drive or reverse, and anything electrical acts up.

2004 Ford Freestar engine control module computer die @ about 80000 miles tranmission fail at about 65000 miles defective oe conformal coating is removed from the entire ecm board including underneath chips and replaced with upgraded conformal coating; corrects an oe design flaw and ensure chips will not lift from the board causing the unit to fail.

While driving the traction control disingages for no apparant reason. Also the cruise control will be working fine and after the traction control disinages the cruise control also stops then sometimes after you press resume it reingages and sometimes in doesen't if you shut off the car and restart it the traction control liight goes off again. It may come on again a few miles later or it may not problem seems to be intermitttent same with the cruise control. There are also times that the radio controls in the steering wheel work fine other times if you press the volume control it will change the stations. Van purchased in July of 2010 problem bagan sometime in October of 2010.

When driving our van it started to jerk and the engine light started flashing. It then stalled out on us. It was raining that day and it continued to do this. The next day when the rain stopped it quit and ran fine, but started again the minute we hit any moisture. The computer in the van also started sending error messages constantly, check brake fluid, check oil, check rear brake lights, check traction control, check doors and so on when these things were checked there were no problems with them. The engine light continued to flash so we had someone look at it and fix it. They told us the coil pak was bad and replaced it for us. The van ran fine for 1 week and then this started again. So when I went online to do some research on this I found a site on topix, complaints about Ford Freestar that had 100's of complaints about this van. Alot of people were having the same promblems and they took it to garages where they said it is a design flaw by Ford that water gets up under the engine into the pcm (computer) shorts it out and then eventually messes up the coil. We continue to have all these problems with the van, it stalls out on me in rain or any moisture. I have had the van stall while turning onto a road and my van be stuck across the road right above a dangerous curve with my youngest child and I alone in the vehicle.

This has been on an on going problem for several years now (this is the 4th time Ford serviced the vehicle). After a rain storm my Freestar does not start or will start & stall. Today, after raining all night, I was driving my 3 kids to school apx 0800hrs, as I was turning onto rochelle Ave from chestnut st in rochelle park, NJ the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection with loss of all power including the brakes which caused me to roll into on coming traffic. Luckily the garbage truck was able to stop before hitting my vehicle. I have found that you had an open case under id number pe10033 the pcm has been changed 3 times and repaired once, on the following dates at the following locations: 5/13/2010 all american Ford, 520 river street, hackensack, NJ 3/19/2011, 12/13/2011 & 1/13/2012 all american Ford, 375 rt 17 south, paramus, NJ on all these occasions it was water from rain that effected the pcm.

Purchased this 2004 Ford Freestar 6 months ago with 98,000 miles on it from oak motors on w. 3th street in indianapolis. Every time it rains, the vehicle stopped on me. Finally, I suggested that this dealership take the vehicle to a Ford dealer to diagnose the problem as the selling dealership did not know how. I also suggested my fear in going through a car wash. The Ford dealer takes the car through a car wash and determines it is the #1 and #3 coil pack, plugs and wires. While trying to take the vehicle back in for the repair after haggling with the selling dealer about who should pay, the vehicle demonstrated what seemed like transmission failure. The selling dealership today told me that a transmission specialist informed them today that it is not a transmission problem but they think it is a problem with the van's computer system. It will not go forward or backwards but it is not a transmission problem. Also, every time it rains, the breaks squeak but when the weather is dry, breaks demonstrate no problem. Almost phantom problems. Please help. Ongoing problem since less than 30 days after purchase date of 9/31/2009.

While driving in the rain the van started to jerk and cut out. Stalling on occasion. We had the coil pack replaced and this repair lasted for 1 week then it started all over again. When it is dry outside the check engine light stays on but the van drives fine. As soon as it starts to rain or we hit any moisture or mud puddle the van starts jerking again and sometimes back fires or even stalls out while driving and has to be restarted. We have found that this is a problem that alot of 2004 Freestar owners are having that the pcm or computer gets wet and causes this problem due to a flaw in the design.

Vehicle purchased used with 62,000 miles in may 2006. Frequent & random dash warning lights coming on & off for no reason--including transaxle, brake, emissions system light, etc. Radio will turn on & off without the keys in the vehicle. Mechanic says that there was some moisture in pcm & that pcm does not look original. Vehicle has lost power without warning while driving several times & then 'recovered' with no warning lights on. Transmission 'went' in driveway without warning. Needed approx. $1500. 00 in repairs to transmission. Mechanic says failing part includes pump shaft & veins. Also reconditioned pump slide & seals.

I can not believer the number of complaints on the internet about the Ford Freestar's malfunction! there are 430 messages on edmunds. Com alone on the one subject, but yet nothing has been done about it. If we want the workers in the u. S. Car industry to have jobs, then they should resolve the issues and make their customers happy!!.