Automatic Transmission Control Module problems of the 2005 Ford Freestar - part 1

An incident from about a month ago: after traveling on the freeway and coming to a stop at a red light at the off ramp at 2am, my car began to sputter and rev. I proceeded to the next red light where my car shut off. Every time I started it, it would shut off right away. I drive for a taxi service and luckily I did not have passengers in the car with me at the time. I called a family member to come look and help. He ended up pushing my car with his into a nearby parking lot. After some investigation, I concluded it was the pcm. It was taken out to dry completely and the windshield area where water may have leaked into it was sealed with silicone. It started working again fine and has been since then. Now it has rained again and the problem has reoccurred. Today, after driving on the freeway and entering a neighborhood, my trans-axle light started blinking. Then my oil and battery light appeared and seconds after my steering wheel stopped turning and the car shut off. I was able to park in the street and restart the car, but once I put it in drive and moved about 1 foot, the car shut off again. It will turn on and stay idle, but once I start moving, it shuts off again. It has been raining the past 2 days. I suspect it is from the same issue as before. I also had my children in the car with me as I was taking them to school. I'm very lucky this did not happen on the freeway or major street.

Drove the vehicle 1 mile to kids school on the way back it lost power , wouldn't accelerate . . The #40 fuse was blown and every time I replace it as soon as I turn the key on it blows again. Can't drive it and just seems like electrical problems keep occurring with it last time was water in the pcm causing other issues, may be the pcm again I don't know but these free stars are bad for this evidently. . Bad design and definitely bad for business. .

I am currently dealing with an issue that I find many posts and complaints about on my 2005 Ford Freestar. I was driving around a corner and the car just shut down completely. I got the car pulled over safely thankfully because I had my three children in the vehicle with me at the time. I can start the car and put it into drive and reverse. The car goes into gear but when I hit the accelerator pedal it has no power. The engine revs and rpms go up but no movement. The transaxle light is flashing and the check engine light is now on as well. From all of the research I find this is a problem with the pcm getting wet. It was raining today with around an inch of rain today alone. There was no warning when this happened. The van was running just fine and then it just shut down and started malfunctioning. This is a widely known problem. There are complaints about this all over the internet. Why is Ford able to get away with this even after the service bulletin about it years ago. Does somebody have to die before you will step in and make Ford do something about this? this is the second major problem I have had with Ford vehicles. Now I know why my father used to call them "freaking old rebuilt Dodge" Ford is a terrible company that makes crap vehicles and does not stand behind them when serious safety issues arise. They sure can take the tax payer money when they need help though. What a joke!!!! for once please step in and make this right before somebody does get killed. There are many worse stories out there than mine!.

My 2005 Freestar failed to maintan forward speed at 65 miles per hour when it bucked and bucked then stalled looked on line for answer? yes pcm is water damaged trying to dry it out now hope it works sounds like Ford is waiting for someone to get hurt. Relocated the pcm and save alot for your company its just right to do TSB isnt doing it please and thank you.

Ford TSB 6-14-10, issued July 24, 2006 (wet pcm /connectors) parked in driveway in a rain/windstorm. . Vehicle wouldn't start. Or stay running. . Engine codes with code reader p0340 camshaft sensor malfunction. . Water intrusion evidence visible on the pcm connector area. . . . This issuer has been known to happen to many people while driving with complete engine failure. .

I would like to report the failure of a company and a van. I recently purchased a 2005 Ford Freestar for my family of five that has been the worst decision of my life. A month after I experienced what too many other owner have also experienced. Water in the pcm, this almost resulted in a crash and injury to me and my family. Stalling out without warning at any speed. This known issue has gone on too long without any response from Ford company. I am not a believer in someone has to die for there to be change. Also don't appreciate the cost of this job over $1000. I was fortunate to not be on the highway and crash. Although then we might get our money back. This has also led to other issues that has become a chain reaction of failure. I will keep my receipt for as long as I have to.

I attempted to start vehicle and the engine was difficult to turn over. When it did start the rpms were going up and down . When I tried to put car in reverse it would not engage causing vehicle to roll forward. ( I was parked on a slight declined driveway). After reading about similar problems I checked the pcm (power control module. It was filled with water !!! after unplugging the pcm and allowing it to dry out I plugged it back in and the problem was corrected. It appears to me that the pcm is located in a bad location causing it to have problems when it rains or snows. I made a temporary fix by putting silicone caulking around the cowling where I believe the water is getting in. . . .

My wife had just left work. On a very busy street the van up and died. Restarted it and had no power to get up to speed. Kept shutting down. Managed to get in to a parking lot. Had it towed to the dealership. At first was told it was the transmission. Now, they say it is the pcm. Pcm has been on back order for some time. Ford said it was shipped on Nov. 13 2013. Called the dealership on the following Friday and no part. No was told that there is an even longer wait time for the pcm. Having a aftermarket pcm installed. Two weeks without our van is long enough. Hope to have it back on Friday the 22nd of 2013. Have talked to Ford customer care, they know there is a problem. Have read that the seal under the cowling lets go and water will drip down onto the pcm connection and mess up the pcm.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the vehicle was included and repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train). However, after the repair was performed the vehicle would not accelerate and stalled sporadically. The contact stated that prior to the recall repair he had not experienced a failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where the technician found that the pcm would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000. Kmj.

After rain all night on wed. 6/4/2013 went to take van to pittsburgh started hesitaing and vibrating while on highway could not speed up and tried to get in slow lane lot of trafic almost collision . Tried to go up small hill no power vibrating trying to stall, turned off wouldnt startfor 15 minutes very scary. Looked online bullentin for pcm gets wet and causes this,someone could have been killed.

I have had my van back for three days since having the recall repairs done on the torque (which I filled a complaint about after being told mine wasn't recalled by the dealership, which it actually was) and seats. It has been raining heavily for a couple of days here. While driving down the road, and coming to yet another stop sign, my van stalls out and completely dies with no warning. I had no control over brakes, steering wheel, nothing. My husband comes and gets me, our daughter, and the van. The van started right up when he got there after approximately 15 min after I had repeatedly tried to get it start with no success. We let it idle for a bit because he thinks I'm crazy, and it dies again. Same problem with it getting it to start. Come to find out, the computer and pcm are getting wet, causing total power failure. . . Ugh! is there anything on this van that was made right?! very dangerous van!.

After years of problems, previous postings on this site, and 3 pcms later. . . The story continues: our van has been in the shop 5 times within ~ 4-5 weeks, and the dealership keeps working to seal the pcm unit. The unit was sealed by Ford with standard module seals, green expandable foam, etc. , but water still got into the computer housing. During research on the Freestar's computer problems, I read about the clip slots (where the pcm fits into the van) providing a means of water intrusion also, so they took it out again and sealed those. I got the van out of the shop, and the next day the check engine light came on. We took it by an auto parts place for a scan, and it showed a pcm problem. (the guy at the auto parts store said he had a 2005 Freestar, and his pcm had shorted out also from water damage. ) at least, this time a code was given! generally, codes are not generated since the malfunctioning computer is the code generator. I don't know if another pcm has shorted out in our van, or if water has once again seeped into the unit. The wet winter in georgia has practically rendered my van useless for the past couple of months. The van is truly a "fair weather" vehicle. To find more information on this issue, google "2005 Ford Freestar pcm water intrusion" or visit any of the auto safety sites on-line such as NHTSA or arfc. Org. I am currently seeking legal counsel regarding this issue, since Ford has failed to take responsibility for the problems. Unfortunately, pcm issues have often remained undetected due to the lack of code indications. (it took almost 2 years for one of many mechanics to diagnose our Freestar's issues, and that was a result of on-line research. ) pcm water intrusion problems usually are manifested as transmission or engine issues such as no reverse, erratic gear changes, rpm "revs", or other unexplained occurrences.

Add-on info for complaint #10472027. The date stated for the problem with the pcm was merely an arbitrary start date for our problems, which was required to proceed with the complaint. We have had continual problems for at least near 2 years with the vehicle, but no mechanic (including Ford's) has been able to accurately confirm the basis of such issues. Our assessment of a damaged pcm is based on research of on-line complaints from other Freestar owners which seem to almost perfectly match our situation, as well as the fact that our mechanic had to remove water from the computer compartment. Currently, we are in search of a replacement computer, but they are almost impossible to find.

The pcm went bad on our van. When replaced by Ford water was reported inside the pcm noting a water leak somewhere that finds its way to the computer (pcm). We were told to get a new windshield. We did at our expense. About a month later same issues with car. Again pcm was bad. Water leaked inside it again. Ford told me that could cost up to $900. 00 to find leak and repair. Through my own investigation online I found service bulletin TSB 06-14-10 stating that during repair procedures of a pcm inspect for water damage and if present perform the following service procedure. The bulletin goes on to describe in detail how to fix water leak. This was not done on my vehicle resulting in a brand new but now useless pcm. I went all the way to the top at this local Ford dealership and was treated poorly, condescendingly, and was told that the service bulletin did not mean anything. I have a useless van in my driveway.

Driving approximately 65 mph on a two hour trip and experienced a sudden but brief loss of acceleration, speed immediately dropped by 15 mph, which was accompanied by a severe jerk. The occurred two more times during the trip at high speeds and subsequently continued to occur the following days during normal neighborhood driving conditions (20 ? 40 mph). I have taken the car to a Ford dealer to be checked out as I thought this could be related to the recently announced torque converter output shaft recall (recall campaign number: 11s25). The dealer has diagnosed the problem to be related to water intrusion into the pcm housing. Unfortunately this appears to be common problem with the Ford Freestar.

I started my van and tried to back out of my parking spot and it would not go anywhere. I turned off the engine, sat for about 5 min and then tried again. This time it backed up, I was able to pull up to the street and when I went to pull out, it sputtered and stalled. I had it towed to a transmission place and they said that it wasn't the transmission, it was the pcm. I had it towed to the dealership and told them it was the pcm. They insisted on running a diagnostic because it couldn't be the pcm, they have never seen that before. They found out it was the pcm and now I have to pay for a diagnostic that wasn't necessary. I have to pay for a design flaw that caused the problem to be fixed and pay to have the pcm replaced. The transmission shop that diagnosed the problem did not charge me anything for his work. My extended warranty company is paying half of the repair even though it isn't a covered repair and yet Ford will not waive or cover any of the problem that is their design flaw. Why are customers not informed of TSB's that could have prevented the problem? I am very lucky this happened in the parking lot instead of on the highway. This problem could have been fixed with a tube of silicone. Why was the TSB not completed before the vehicle was sold to me as a used vehicle in may 2011? is there a recall to fix this problem in the works? is there a class action lawsuit I can join? is there anything being done to fix this problem before someone dies?.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and multiple warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the pcm module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 176,000.

When is the NHTSA going to get serious with Ford on forcing them to issue a recall on the pcm that shuts down the engine and puts the driver and passengers in a death vehicle. This is a known issue all over the internet as well as any master certified Ford technician. The pcm is under the cowling where the water settlers and get electrically wicked into the pcm shutting it down at any time under load in traffic freeway speeds. Just want to know if people have to die before something happens with a wildly known defect we bought this vehicle brand new because of the safety rating at the time for transportations our special needs son, I sure hope this issue doesn't end up with a death of my wife and children due to ,the lack of concern from the NHTSA. Waiting for a timely response and resolve.

Wife was driving home from work when the van just suddenly stalled. She was traveling at 35 mph when she lost all power. She then tried restarting the van and it started but when she tried to put it into gear the engine rpm's raced, then slammed into gear and then stalling again. The van was undriveable. She was able to get to the side of the road just feet before she would have been stranded on a narrow two lane bridge that is heavily traveled the logging and dump trucks. Had it towed to the repair shop for repairs. While doing research online about the issue I was surprised to find so many other have had the same issue possibly caused by water in the pcm module. The next morning I contacted the repair shop and advised them of my findings. Sure enough they where able to find the service bulletins from Ford about the issue 7 pages long. Several hours and $240 later the repair shop called and said the van was fixed and the could not believe the amount of water that came our when the sensor was removed. I cannot believe that Ford has not submitted a recall on this issue.

Was stalled out several times during the month of January and February of this year. It would just stop responding. It acted much like a transmission going out, but that was not the problem. After multiple towes and trips to the mechanic to attempt getting this vehicle repaired, it was determined that the pcm had gotten water inside and had to be replaced. I spent several thousand dollars trying to get this vehicle to run as well as it had before. Once the pcm issue was discovered, it did run much better, but by this time I had lost my faith in the vehicle. I cannot believe that Ford positioned a computer component where water would run down onto it, and they have not been forced to fix this issue. As a result of all of my problems with this vehicle, after many years of being a Ford owner, I sold this van and purchased a Chrysler town & country.

I do not write in inles but my problem is fails with code p0715 trenssmision and reverse cam sensor I change speed sensor transmission and the problem remains to uncover the pcm control to check the continuity I met you, as you have water intrusion as well as green particles around a pin input . Characteristics of water in combination with voltage,there are resistensia under 10000 homs addition of several pins that relasionan with solenoid of tranxale.

Abs warning lamp comes on, as well as the powertrain malfunction warning lamp, speedometer fails to register. . . . . . . Was told at local Ford dealership that pcm/ cluster would have to be replaced at a cost of $800-$1200. . . . . When problem began would do this upon cranking, and has gotten to the point that vehicle now has this happen while driving. Transaxle light is also illuminating. . . . . Which just discovered may be due to problems that are already covered in another recall. . . . . . . Very disappointed in our choice in this vehicle. After investigating this problem see that the design flaws in this vehicle should not be ignored, these system failures are of no fault of the owners and cause great safety concerns to the owners and passengers who have to depend on these vehicles on a daily basis.

My wife and I own a 2005 Ford windstar. On oct. 21 2011 my wife arrived home from work and I took the van to pick up my son from his school. Without warning the vans rpms went up and then the van stalled. I restarted the van but the van acted like it did not want to shift gears and the van stalled again. I was only 1block from home and was lucky to make it home while having to restart the van several times. I called the local Ford service center and they said to tow it there and it would cost $100 to hook it up to their computer. I love how it cost me $100 to have Ford tell me whats wrong then wants me to pay them to fix it. It only takes 5 minutes to hook up the computer with all the complaints I have seen you would think they should know. I was lucky to have a friend who works at Ford and he had to replace the pcm due to water coming into contact with the pcm. We got our van back on Thursday Nov. 3rd 2011. Then on Nov. 7th 2011(4 days later) my wife was on a busy interstate ramp getting ready to merge on the highway at about 45mph when the rpm's shot up the van hesitated and lost power she started coasting to the shoulder while traffic was speeding around her. It was also on a curve so traffic could not see her until they were right on top of her. Even on the shoulder when she called me she was terrified that someone was going to hit her because the shoulder was very narrow and traffic was within inches of the van. We had the van towed to Ford and they are going to take a look at it this Monday (Nov. 14, 2011) we are due to go out of town Friday Nov. 18th and we do not know if we will have a van to go on a vacation that has been planned for a year. My wife and I do not even know if we can trust our Ford Freestar to make the trip so we our going to have the extra expense of renting a car. We are out $750 so far and another $400 to rent a car. We have 83,000 mi.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. While driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle began to hesitate and exhibit a severe jerking motion. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who stated the pcm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and within two days while driving in the rain the identical failure recurred; as a result water leaked into the pcm. The contact planned to take the vehicle back to the dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Pcm (power train control module) has gotten wet and causes car to not drive. Lose power. Not start. Lunge, lurch forward. Won't engage in drive or reverse. I have replaced pcm 6 times. Broke down 5 times. Had van towed 5 times. Left van at repair shop for months at a time to diagnose problem. Finally moved the pcm to the inside of van so that it won't be effected by water. Ford has refused to acknowledge problem despite a TSB being issued. Furthermore, I replaced the transmission and a recall has been issued but Ford will not review my receipts for the transmission until letters go out. Total stonewalling by Ford.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact was driving 50 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact drove in neutral to a local mechanic who advised that the fuel filter would need replacing. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred two weeks later. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the power control module was replaced but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back for inspection and the contact was advised by the mechanic that the transmission needed replacing. The transmission was replaced bu the failure was not corrected. It was then found that waster was entering the vehicle through the windshield and contacting the wiring for the power control. The mechanic removed the water from the tubes of the power control module and added caulk to prevent water intrusion. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: pe10033 (vehicle speed control power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm, pcm)) that could possibly have been related to the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 97,950.

2005 Ford Freestar 3. 9l 130,000 mile. While driving down major state route with my 6 year old in the car my engine just stopped, lost power steering, brakes but was able to pull over on side of road. Had to wait two hours for a tow truck to come. After shop inspected, they found the pcm was full of water and had to be replaced. Due to the complete loss of power this could have caused a tragic accident if my son and I would not have been able to get off the road.

Per Ford service: water in pcm 5/03/11 similar problem 7/15/10 although at the time Ford service was unable to find the cause. At about 20 miles per hour while making a right hand turn the engine stalled, the power steering and power brakes failed causing me to temporarily lose control and swerve into the on-coming lane. Luckily there was no traffic or pedestrians there at the time. Ford service found the cause to be water in the powertrain control module (pcm).

2005 Ford Freestar pcm problems. Symptoms include intermittent incidences including vehicle's failure to start, running rough, improperly accelerating, refusing to move forward/backward, and other random problems. The fuel system components/camshaft sensor/etc, as well as the transmission have been replaced on the vehicle, but all of these issues still exist. Codes do not show up on mechanic's diagnostic computers unless the car is actively having the problem, which seems to rarely happen. Mechanics, including the local Ford dealership, has not been able to confirm the problem with the pcm; however, our mechanic did find water in the computer module. He dried it out and resealed it, in hopes of resolving the issues we were having. The problems have continued though and despite lack of codes, all indications are that the computer is no longer good. Another problem is the fact that getting a replacement pcm is nearly impossible. The demand for Freestar reconditioned computers is so high that we've not been able to find one to replace the bad unit in the van. (apparently, new pcm's are not available at all. ) after seeing the massive number of on-line complaints which are so similar to ours, I cannot believe that Ford shut the case regarding the computer problem. If the diagnosis of failed pcm's is almost impossible to achieve, Ford simply chooses to ignore the obvious. (read all of the complaints on NHTSA. Dot. Gov. ) poor placement of the pcm on the back of the vehicle wall has allowed water to run off of the windshield into the unit, but Ford will not take ownership in this problem. How many people have to risk having a wreck and possibly dying due to water-damaged components? it is unfortunate and unnecessary. One last question. . . Is it possible that the transmission problems (currently on recall) be related to the water-damaged pcm's?.

The vehicle starts fine, but as soon as I get to about 20mph, the vehicle stalls. I have taken the vehicle to the Ford dealership atleast four times. At first they said it was something in the transmission, then they said it was the tourque converter, finally they decided it was the pcm getting wet. They said they sealed the pcm to keep it from getting wet, but all they did was caulk around the brackets that fastens the wiper cow on. Finally after getting tired of taking the van back to the dealership, I decided to pull everything apart myself. What I discovered was the pcm is located in a place that it shouldnt be. It is located on the passenger side of the firewall under the wiper cow. Water runs behind the wiper cow directly on the pcm. I have contacted the dealership about it, but all they say is, " we cant do anything about it because there is no recall". I looked online to see if other people are having problems, and to no suprise, there are literally hundreds of consumers with the exact same issuses. I feel that this could potentualy be unsafe to motorists, simply because the entire vehicle shuts down as you are driving. When the vehicle shuts down, there is no longer power stering or power brakes, which makes it difficult to safetly control the vehicle. Please do what you can.

2005 Ford Freestar. Consumer writes in regards to a complaint to Ford motor company for a refund for repairs due to a faulty design the consumer stated moisture was seeping into the computer. The pcm wire harness had to be reflashed/reprogrammed.

My son drove the Freestar home the night of 3/20 and stated it was running a bit rough. The next morning my wife had a hard time starting the care to drive our daughter to school. Once she got the vehicle started and backed it out of the driveway the vehicle stalled in the middle of the street and was unable to restart. I had the vehicle towed to the Ford dealer and was actually able to start the van but it now had no reverse. The dealer had the van for 12 days and replaced the pcm. We got the van back and the check engine light came on immediately. The dealer now states that the wiring and connectors to the pcm are all soaked and they need to be dried and cleaned. After doing some research it appears that this is a known issue with the Freestar and that I was quite lucky as to the timing and location of the vehicle when it failed. I truly believe that this design flaw in this vehicle needs to be resolved by Ford prior to anyone getting injured.

We were running some errands on 3/4/11. It was raining . Different times I notice a little bit of hestiancy when leaving the malls & pulling away from stoplights & stopsigns. On 3/5/11 we were backing out of our driveway & prceeded to put in drive, van kinda of chug a lug and went maybe 30 ft & stop. Restarted van and it would do this all over again. Finally after about 5-6 times ,went around the block & parked it in driveway. Mileage is 80939. We had trouble like this in Jan 2011. Had it towed to lynch Ford, dealer charged us $150. 00 & could not find anythingwrong. Maybe because it was inside the dealership & got dried out . Mileage approx 77800 back in March 2010, the transmission was doing the same type of thing chug a lgging & then stop. Had it towed to a local shop who then had to tow it to the Ford dealer. Ford did have a recall issue on tcm ,replaced it,the cowl panel & new key fobs. We had to pay for labor due to Ford motors fault what supposedly didn't cover. Mileage approx 65000 not sure on this. At this time. I believe it is the same trouble again.

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010 my wife went to leave the driveway with our 2005 Ford Freestar with my two sons. The minivan would start then die. Roadside assistance took it to the dealership. Dealership called and told me that the pcm had water and corrosion and needed to be replaced. Regardless of the current TSB for this issue they say it is not covered under the premium warranty that I purchased and that I must pay in full for this problem which is approximately $940. Thankfully this happened at home and not somewhere out on the road. This is an issue that Ford is fully aware of and refuses to remedy so the owner is stuck holding the bill. This safety issue should be addressed by the nhsta board to force Ford to fix this before someone gets killed.

Difficult to diagnose! symptoms of a wet pcm module manifests itself in many forms. We've experienced most of them by this point in our ~3 year battle with our Freestar. Randomly, our van would not: start, go into reverse, give warning lights, drive forward without stalling, allow certain systems to function properly. In other situations, it would: run roughly, break down, rev up unexpectedly, create transmission issues, etc. Seals wear down and allows water to enter into the computer, due to its location under the windshield. One of the greatest problems of all is the lack of diagnostics for this issue. We've had our vehicle towed in, only to find diagnostic codes did not show up when the van was checked out. Surprisingly, the car would usually start up and drive without a problem after being towed into the mechanic. After several towing experiences, we simply decided to leave our car stranded for a day or two if possible and return later to drive it away without a problem. We've replaced pumps, coils, transmission components, plugs, wires. . In an effort to get the van to work properly. Finally, one mechanic did on-line research and found the pcm problem with the 2005 Freestar. After finding water in the computer housing, he suggested that we buy a rebuilt one (Ford does not supply pcm's for this van anymore) to see if that would solve the problems. However, the Ford dealership had to install the computer so that the programming could be completed. Otherwise, the original keys would not work. In summary, the pcm did solve the problems, until the next weather event. Then, the problems started all over again. We have now had the computer replaced, dried, and/or sealed several times, but water keeps getting inside. The local Ford dealership and other mechanics have been working diligently in an effort to seal the pcm. Recall and class action needed!.