general problems of the 2005 Ford Freestar - part 1

The rear wheel well has rusted on both sides and completely rusted out a large hole (approx. 1 ft diameter area visibly effected) in the the body of the van. The rusted out section is where the back seat is anchored to the frame, so the rust has cause the seat to no longer be securely anchored to the car. The hole has also caused electrical wires to get wet when water gets into the van and intermittently and unpredictably causing failure of electrical features, including headlights and blinkers, while driving.

Cruise control doesn't work, transaxle issue-light flashing.

This is a big, big, deal related to dangerous safety issue. Reference bulletin:Ford TSB 6-14-10, issued July 24, 2006 (supersedes Ford TSB 5-23-7 issued November 28, 2005) my car suddenly lost control surging and unable to shift and no reverse gear. Have had off and on problems for the past year resulting in about $2000 of service to figure out why car acting up, surging, inability to shift, at times no forward or reverse gear. One time drove 25 mph to get home 20 miles and police stopped me because suspicious driving. I told him I was have transmission problems. Transmission as it turns out is perfect. Pcm is malfunctioning intermittently because of engineering problem of pcm shorting out. Towed to Ford dealer and said needed $2-5000 transmission. Towed home and suddenly started working. Investigated this bulletin that the Ford dealer was not familiar with and they accepted my information describing the bulletin to them. Why has this problem not risen to the recall status given the extreme danger on the highway driving and loosing all control of the car causing a very dangerous perilous situation to me my family and others on the road?.

Water dripped from the wiper blade cowl into the pcm, causing the vehicle to start, drive briefly, and then shut off while moving, causing loss of control of electrical components of the vehicle while driving on the highway. Steering became difficult. If this had happened at high speeds or with a lot of traffic around, it could have been extremely dangerous or deadly. The mechanic says this is a problem he sees with Ford windstar vehicles. The mechanic stated the pcm was literally under water when he received the vehicle, despite the cause being a fairly typical rain storm, and drying out the pcm did not help, as the damage had already been done. This is a safety issue that, after searching online and speaking with mechanics, appears to be common. Ford needs to fix this issue before a vehicle loses control at high speeds.

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. .

For a few years now various electrical thing have been going on my Mini van. The screen that shows mileage, etc. Has a short and can only be seen when it's really dark out at night. Awhile later, as I was driving, my cruise control gave out and no longer works. Now the light for my clock and the screen that tells cardinal directions and the temp outside is dead. I am concerned that this electrical issue could be dangerous. I didn't know about this website to report it till now.

Van got up to 50 mph and stalled out and then completely lost power. I took it to a mechanic and he said the computer component was full of water. Computer had to be replaced.

On christmas eve 2014 I got into my recently purchased 2005 Ford Freestar minivan to run a short errand. After starting my Freestar I put it in reverse but the vehicle would not move. I tried all the forward gears with the same result, the vehicle would not move. The engine rpm's would go up but no movement. I turned the vehicle engine off and on several time with the same results each time. I had to wait till the day after christmas to contact my local Ford dealership service department and describe my problem. They looked up my VIN number and said that all recalls on my vehicle had been done including the torque converter recall. I then had my Freestar towed to the dealership to investigate the problem. Upon investigation it was determined that water had gotten into my powertrain control module, and that is what was causing the problem. They removed the module and dried it and the connector out then reinstalled it and sealed it. After reinstalling the module they then started the vehicle and were able to shift the vehicle into all the gears and get the transmission to fully function, but now there was a service engine light on. The vehicle now would not idle properly and had a hesitation when trying to accelerate. It was determined after further checks that there were fuel codes coming up and that they were related to the pcm getting wet. It was determined that the powertrain control module (which Ford no longer manufactures) would need to be replaced. To fix the problem it would be a cost of $1000. 00 for a re-manufactured module and reprogramming in addition to the $650. 00 that had already been incurred for the work that had been done so far. Note there had been no problems or issues or engine codes on this vehicle till this problem occurred other than a problem one night with the power door locks not working, which corrected itself after restarting the vehicle.

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.

While drive the car will stall out and shut off with no warning. In a normal city block it happened at least two times b.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled however, no lights illuminated. The vehicle restarted but stalled again. The incident occurred twice but did not start after the second incident. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed it as being the air flow and repaired it and the second time it was not diagnosed or repaired but started later. The manufacturer was made aware. The approximate mileage was approximately 148,000. Nw.

Vehicle control center states abs is not functioning. Traction control not functioning. Cruise control works intermittently. Alarm system triggers intermittently. Abs and traction control failure causes vehicle to be difficult to drive. Dealership states is common issue and there is a TSB on the issue. Requires abs module and hcu module.

While driving at 70 mph the van stopped running. I was unable to restart it. I also lost all ability to steer. This happened during a very busy time on the highway. I was stranded in the middle of a lane with traffic around me continuing to go 70 miles per hour. After researching, my mechanic found that the problem is the pcm is getting wet due to a design flaw by Ford motor company. This was a very dangerous situation for me to be in. The van continues to have problems with moisture even though the pcm has been changed and all known areas have been sealed. This vehicle is dangerous.

Driving home van starting shuttering violently then shut off while still rolling lost all power, was safely able to get to side of road . Told issue cost 1500 to fix seen Ford service bulletin on defect of water getting to pcm on internet.

Heavy rain all day and the water was leaking on th main computer board. Causing the van to stall out and resulting in a 100. 00 tow bill. The shop told me it is leaking and needs to be replaced and sealed.

In 06/2014 my van transmission light came on then went out. I thought it was nothing as time progress I notice that my van was slow and hard shifting. I took it to the nearest transmission auto shop and they told me it was my internal transmission failing. I put it in the shop and the repair costed 1200. 00 to fix. It got it out worked fine for a few days then started back slow and hard shifting again. Took it back to mechanic they said they dont see anything wrong with it. I did this several and had no luck with it. 08/2014 I started having more noticeable electrical problems like dash board lights come on now and then radio resets it self sometimes it wont work at not even the dvd player. The doors wont lock alarm goes off when it wants to and power sliding wont close. So I only drove the van around time limiting my trips contacted Ford no help there. Then winter comes in in all of sudden my van works great dash board lights working dvd and radio working fine most importantly my van transmission was shifting properly but then on warmer days it starts to act up again. On 02/16/20015 my children and I was on our way to get groceries for the winter storm that was coming,the lost power and died luckily was close to home that I could pull over start it again and make it home safely. Then today it will not start up at all. Im a single mother of five young daughters and my oldest daughter and I are both disabled. We depend on this vehicle to get back and forth to our doctors appt. Im planning have a mechanic check my pcm and to see if its water damage. But ive notice several fellow Ford owners are going through similar problems. I dont know why Ford not willing to own up to their life threatening mistakes.

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.

Driving at approximately 35mph the vehicle started stalling out and would not shift properly. Fortunately was able to safely coast to side of road. Had vehicle towed to conway Ford in conway, SC. Needed new power control modular (pcm) due to water leaking through windshield cowling and shorting out connections to pcm. Created a potentially dangerous situation with vehicle stalling out while in motion. Research has revealed this to be a very common problem with this vehicle that is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed by Ford motor company with a recall.

I have had an issue with it dying and stalling out and not wanting to move. . . . After 3 trips in a month to the dealership they finally found the problem, it was the pcm module. . . . . I called Ford motor company and informed them that after doing research online that I have noticed that this is a major issue with many owners. . . . . They said that if enough people call in and inform it will get addressed by NHTSA. . . So if you are having this problem or have had it please call in. Keep your receipts for any repairs done due to this and if there is a recall and hopefully it will be before someone dies due to it. We will be reimbursed for our repair costs.

While driving down the road, the van will suddenly die. All alarms, engine light, abs, traction control. Will go off. Sudenly there is no power. Van will start right back up and drive again. This has been going on for over a year. I have had it at 7 different mechanics, including the Ford dealership where I purchased the vehicle. It has happened at all different speeds, 20-65, also happens if stalled at a stop light or drive-thru. Additionally, I can be driving at 25-35mph and the rpm's will shoot up to 7000 or fall all the way down like you are idleing. Vehicle makes noises like it is going to blow up and then will be fine.

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.

The situation is very danger, the problem with the pcm issues, that share bad information with any other component in use, engine, transmission, lights, ac system, low battery or not turn on even with new battery, and the wires and connectors clean. The most dangerous is just stop running in middle of traffic, or some mechanic did not have idea about the problem, even the sarasota Ford mechanics. A few weeks a go I left the car for 2 days, present in my opinion transmission mal-function, after they charge me $140, no problems solved, and they say the technician report : needs engine work before transmission diagnostics. Needs cam syncro assy. (fix whinning noise) I agree ok. Need a sensor asy ??????? connect a little metal wire on top engine (they call bush. . . . . ???) after that all the problems still happening all the time. If you have any answer about all this, or place to go and get a real inspection and report. From now and forever, thank you very much.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving out the driveway, the odometer failed to track speed with the illumination of the abs light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated the speed sensor and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the problem persisted. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000. St.

I was driving on a city street when my engine light began flashing/blinking. I was having trouble with van making weird sounds and vibrations. I immediately pulled over. Just had tranny recall work done, same light on. I called Ford-they said it was a miss and I should bring it in. I was too afraid to drive that far, and I have no $ for a tow or fix. Was told by mech friend that it could be any of many sensors and I'd have to trial and error to find it. This is not the first time this has happened to me, and it seems to be worse when it has rained or is very damp out. It vibrates, shakes, and sounds like the engine is not right. Also I have no get up and go, it wants to stall out every time I try to accelerate, and I had a near accident once. Seems to be worse on hills or any inclines. Not a happy Ford customer-again. These problems have been on-going for the last six months or so. Anything over 25mph and the van "shimmies" really bad.

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 bought my 2005 Ford Freestar in 2005. Almost immediately after buying it we had instances of the power locks not working. The driver door will unlock but the rest will not. We have even had to climb in through the driver door to unlock the back doors by hand then try to get groceries out of the way back through the middle doors. This is also a huge safety concern for me. If I were to get into an accident and be incapacitated and my kids were in the car, they wouldn't be able to open those doors because it keeps them locked even if you push the buttons to open them automatically. I am sick of dealing with this issue. There are so many forums on line where other people have the same problem. This needs to be fixed!.

The car would start then stall. I would be driving and it would just slow down like no gas getting into engine and stall out . I took it to Ford dealer (crest Ford centerline michigan) they ran it on a scope. Told me I needed turbine shaft speed sensor. They replaced it and called to say my vehicle was fine and ready to go. I picked up car on Monday evening and on Wednesday car had to be towed back to the dealer. Car would start but would not drive. Ford could not find problem and finally I called a friend to ask for a solution. Because of all the issues with the pcm and his expertise I called my Ford advisor han schwallbach and told him to check the pcm for water damage. He called me back shortly and said they found the water damage. This is a van made very wrong with a design so that your windshield lets water flow onto the cowl and then damages the brain for the car. I now have to pay 1000. 00 to fix a mistake Ford motor created. This is a problem for everyone who owns this vehicle. I hope Ford fixes it on a recall before someone dies. I feel as a consumer I should not have had to go figure out whats wrong with my car on my own. Ford mechanics should know and be experienced. This will be my last Ford with the way they handle their cars.

The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road with my wife driving and two children in the car. Luckily no one was injured, my wife was able to coast the vehicle out of harms way. This could have been so much worse had she been pulling out into traffic or merging on to the interstate. The problem is the pcm module has been getting wet, Ford knows of this problem and even created a service bulletin about it. At the very, very least I would have thought Ford would have contacted the vehicle owners to make them aware that a serious issue like this existed. This has the potential to have grave consequences for innocent families owning these vehicles. It is my opinion that vans in particular should be scrutinized a little more closely due to their intended audience, soccer moms hauling around the most valuable possession of that family, their children. It is beyond me how automakers can put unsafe vehicles like this on the road and they are not forced to repair issues like these when the owners and their families are at risk. This is my second but separate complaint I lodged against Ford about this vehicle. The first one was in 2008 or 2009 when the torque converter failed without warning, leaving the vehicle lifeless in the middle of the road. This vehicle should be deemed unsafe for the roads and Ford should be forced to have a fair buy back program for these vehicles.

Engine stays in third gear on highway ,windshield wiper fluid won't spray and power locks don't work with button on doors or key fob. Getting 11 miles a gallon because won't shift into fourth gear and that's a highway trip!.

Trying to back out of my driveway, van will not go into reverse. Restart van, put it into reverse & it falters & stalls. Restart &got van into drive,but it will not accelerate until 3000 rpms, then jerks into drive & stalls again. Had it towed to a local mechanic I have used for over 20 yrs. Van shows no codes. Replace battery, have throttle body cleaned, cam sensor is tested, shows not problems. Van starts & runs for one day. Same exact issue happens again. Have it towed a second time. Again, no codes come up. Mechanic flushes out the tranny,& van runs again for 50 miles w/o incident. But again, trying to leave for work next day, van displays the exact same issues. No torque to move the van, constant stalling as soon as it is taken out of drive. Will not move at all or starts & moves very hesitantly into reverse, catches gear & jerks, stalls once again. Tow again to a Ford dealer. Told the prob is the recalled torque converter. Have it replaced, and van doesn't make it the 12 miles home. The van lost complete power on a highway & I was almost hit by oncoming traffic. Tow back, now being told the transmission needs replacement, over $3,000 because metal from the recalled part has dislogged into tranny. I am now finding thru my own research that this is a common problem relating to the pcm, which replacing tranny doesn't solve the issues. Ford is offering no help or compensation am a single mom of 2 kids, 1 is disabled,& now been fired from my job because I can't get there 28 miles away. The van is stranded at the dealer, because I have no money to fix or tow again. I am at my wits end. Ford needs to step up to the plate &replace this van!!!! repairing the torque converter, cam sensor, or transmission will not solve the pcm problem, which is not sealed properly, & after numerous repairs, will malfunction again> my q to Ford is:does someone have to die for u to do something?.

Received recall for torque converter- had it replaced on Aug 20, 2012. On Nov. 19th the van wouldn't go pass 20 mph. Drove slow approx. 3 miles to destination. Had it towed to dealership to check out problem at initial contact was told they knew of no problems relating to torque converter replacement. After checking van out was told that we needed a new transmission, at second contact was told they were aware of torque recall issues but nothing would be done for us. We had not had any problems with transmission prior to Nov 19th. When asked, was also told that they did not flush and replace fluids with the torque converter recall service as this extra cost was not part of the recall. We were told by an independent mechanic that if fluids were not changed that it could cause the transmission to fail which it did. Was quoted a high cost to replace transmission, ended up using disabled vehicle as a trade 'as is' to purchase a working vehicle. Other issues with vehicle prior to last incident were electrical functions not working, sliding doors would reopen upon closing, had to turn off auto doors, backup warning quit working, traction control button didn't work, dvd player would start running on its own.

I was driving my minivan back to work from lunch. It cut off as I took a turn. I stopped the vehicle and restarted it. As I began to go again, it cut off again. I pulled over and restarted the vehicle. I was right outside my work parking lot so I pulled in and parked. I called egan automotives because they are located right beside my work. During my break I drove it to their place of business. My minivan check engine light was on and it was acting sluggish. I left the vehicle with them overnight. Egan automotive called me and told me that there was moisture getting into the computer box. They said that Ford knew about this problem and were selling a kit that will insulate the computer box. I called Ford and they won't help even though the placement of the computer box under the whipper blade vents was there brilliant idea. Looking online this seems like a pretty common problem, yet Ford won't recognize it and fix it. This is going to cost me $300, which I feel I'm not responsible for. A behicle cutting out while driving is a safetly hazard. Can you help get this resolved?.

Having a similar problem to others with my 2005 Ford Freestar. Water getting into pcm and causing problems. Took vehicle to dealership for torque converter recall and they noticed water in the pcm. They dried it out and vehicle ran fine for two weeks. Had significant rain last night and problem happened again. This is an obvious flaw in this vehicle and needs to be fixed.

We have owned our 2005 Ford Freestar since may 2012. In August 2012 and going forward we have experienced many problems with the locking systems. The automatic locks will not unlock via the key fob or the door button. And because Ford designed the rear hatch / doors without a manual key input. It becomes impossible to unlock the doors. This is especially concerning because there is no way to manually open the rear hatch. This is a serious flaw that could have very serious consequences. There should always be a way to unlock all of the doors from the outside of the vehicle. As a mother of two kids, I know that my kids would not be able to get out of the vehicle if they needed to when one of these episodes happen. It is also a concern if a large item is loaded into the back of the van, then the malfunction happens and your customer can't get it out. This just happened to my husband. We lost out on my husband being paid because he was late to his show because of this ridiculous malfunction that every Ford Freestar owner is experiencing. I googled the problem and it is disgusting that so many customers have to deal with this issue. Fix it now Ford!.