Automatic Transmission Control Module Problems of Ford Freestar - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Freestar 🔎.

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. .

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.

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!.

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.

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. .

In good weather without warning the engine stalled in traffic. Restarted, but the engine ran extremely rough. Also the transmission would not go into reverse. Managed to get to a independent service shop. There the technician found water in the pcm. Dried out pcm and car ran fine. Then the transmission light came on. Now they found water in the transmission connector. Two weeks later the car would often not start, and when it did the transmission would not shift out of first gear. On our third visit they replaced the throttle position sensor (tps). One week later same symptoms, this time tps and mass airflow sensors have failed. The problems are all related to the wet pcm! recall this car, now!!!!!.

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.

I currently own a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan. I have been experiencing start problems for a couple of weeks now. I drove the car about 10 miles to get gas. I turned the engine off to fuel up. I attempted to start the vehicle and it would not start. I called my husband to try to jump start the vehicle and it worked. Drove the car 1/4 mile down the road to autozone to have the battery tested. The battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle seemed to be repaired after the battery was replaced. About 5 days after the battery was replaced the vehicle would not start after several attempts. I called aaa to have it towed to the Ford dealership for repairs. The aaa mechanic tried to start it before just towing it. He moved the shifter to neutral and back and started to vehicle right up. Maybe I did not have the shifter in the proper position? since then, the vehicle has not started up quite a few times. . . . At random times, over the last few days. I was stranded at the doctors office with a no start. Called aaa again for a tow again. However, right before aaa got to me. . . . The vehicle started right up. I cancelled the aaa call and drove straight to the dealership for repair. The Ford dealership can not find any problem as to why the vehicle will not start. It starts every time for them. The alternator and the starter are fine. The battery has been replaced and there are no transmission error codes being emitted. I have a hunch that this is an electrical problem. It isn't anything else. The Ford dealership explained that they took a look at the pcm but could not see any water corrosion. So they did not replace it. So now, I am faced with picking up the vehicle and not knowing when I'll be stranded again because the vehicle will not start.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated while driving 75 mph the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after 2 hours but did not operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed that a failed seal was allowing water to leak into the trans-axle vent causing a failure to the pcm. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 160,000.

Van started running poorly suddenly, then would not run at all. After shutting down and allowing cool down time, restarted van and it would not go into gear. Ran well in park or neutral, but shifting into any gear would "clunk" and the engine would immediately quit. After 5 days of troubleshooting, traced trouble to engine pcm after reading in on-line forums about it. Found pcm wet and pins on pcm and contacts on wire harness corroded and green due to water leaking past cowl-to-body seal. The pcm connector is not sealed, so if water does drip on it, it is dripping directly onto back side of the contacts and Ford did release a TSB about this issue but not a recall. TSB says to remove some plugs from body (my van is severely rusted in one of those 2 spots), seal around clips that hold plastic cowl to body with silicone sealant and add additional weather stripping on the outer edges of cowl to try to prevent water. I had to replace my pcm. Had my wife been on the highway when this happened, there would have most certainly been an accident or injury.

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.

The transmission is slipping in and out and very sluggish and no power, backfiring and smells very strong of gas fumes. Has been going on for a few weeks. I was driving on the highway and it slipped out of drive and lost power. I had to slow myself down at a pace to turn the van into a safe area off the highway I was traveling at the speed of 60. . Very scary . . . The van would not move. I had the van towed by a friend at the cost of $65. 00 (he saved me a lot of money ) which was not offered back to me from the dealership. . . . I didn't know abt the recall or the pcm problem until I was looking for info on ytube. . I called my dealer where I had bought the van( and it is paid for) when I talked with an advisor he said for me to have it towed to the dealership and they would look at it. I refused to pay for the tow (they did do that at least) he called me and said that the toque converter was under a recall and they would replace that part. . . 3 days later I went to pick the van up and it still wasn't driving right. Still loosing power and gas smell and it felt as if the transmission was slipping still. It was a Saturday and the lady helping me knew nothing couldn't even find my paperwork and had to call the advisor. She said to call him back on Monday so needless to say I tried to drive the van and it just wasn't drivable so I parked it. . Was afraid it might do more damage if I didn't. On Monday I called and spoke to the advisor and he informed me that they only did the recall part as I had requested to be done. He also said the tech told him that the van needed a lot of work. I in return ask why they didn't check out all of the problems and his answer was we did the recall and that's all we can do unless I wanted to pay $100. 00 for a diagnostic . So needless to say my van sits until I can pay or Ford does something to make this right. The ball is n your park Ford.

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.

I had my van in park while I dropped my kids off to the sitter. . Came back out the van had died. . I tried to start and it would not even turn. Though maybe battery. . Put a knew one in and still nothing. Had to have towed to a shop and they said it was the pcm where it was corroded due to water leaking in. A total of a little over $1200 for part and labor. Very lucky I was parked and not driving at the time when the vehicle died. This part needs to be recalled. There is a flaw in the design that is allowing water to get into the pcm and causing it to go bad. There have been numerous complaints about the same part with other owners.

Bought care Nov 2012 from truck junction and from the day we bought it the car stalled ran ruff wouldnt start. Gave us the run around while under warrinty now Ford says pcm wet n ruined from day one. Ive had a broken van in my drive for 8 mnths what the fuck how can Ford make a product that is this bad with no recall fuck american products this is bullshit.

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.

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.

Water leaks down the hood thru the cowl. Vans pcm had to be replaced. There is a TSB on this. Poor design of hood allows water to leak into cowl and into the pcm. Had pcm replaced at $500 plus. This van is a nightmare.

See all problems of the 2007 Ford Freestar 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. The failure recurred at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was due to water penetrating the pcm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,600. The VIN was unavailable.

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.

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!.

Just purchased this used 2004 Freestar. Within days the engine would fail while driving. Transmission shifting issues. Not starting. Etc. . Had transmission replaced before knowing of recall on that item. Still had the issues. Pulled out pcm and it was filled with water. Installed new one. I live in florida. Rainy season. Issues happened again within a week. New pcm removed and was filled with water. I myself found the service bulletin about the issue as well as several complaints by owners on the internet. My local dealership walker Ford swept the issue under the rug and wanted to charge $900 to find the leak. I showed them the bulletin that they were un aware of. They would not replace my pcm without charging me again. Went to another dealership and paid for new pcm and told them to perforce service bulletin. Seemed fine until last 6 months. Starting to stall a lot. High hum when accelerating and turning. More research online and I found 2 more recalls on vehicle. The pcm issue should be a recall. Find out how to permanently fix the issue and perform it for free with a new pcm.

I left work, got 3 parking spots away, lost steering, brakes and gas. Engine was still running. Transaxle light came on, shut off van, tried again and it drove maybe a few feet and it was as if it was in neutral. Engine light, battery light and oil light came on. Shut it down tried again, drove about 10 feet and it died. Had it towed to vip who had no answers, towed to Ford who said it there was water in the pcm. They dried it out and said give it a go. Got it home drove it one day and the next(after raining) it would not move out of driveway. It would go into gear but hitting the gas was again like in neutral. It would move maybe a few inches and then no longer. The engine light came back on and the van bucked some. Towed to Ford again and they said it is defiantly water getting in the pcm. I have been searching online and I see many people complaining about this issue. I am worried because there is another recall coming in a month or so for the torque converter and I have 2 small children that rely on that van. I can't trade it in cause they are only will to give us $1000 when we owe 6. We are without vehicle again, with my husband and I having jobs and two kids. I feel unsafe in my van, even if we are to get it fixed, we have to hope the torque converter does not go while we are driving before the recall.

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.

The van would start and die - when it did stay running you could put it in drive or reverse and it wouldn't move - took it to sanders Ford in jacksonville, north carolina. - their inspection found water in the pcm connector - they cleaned the pcm connector and applied dielectric grease - the service manager also said Ford advised them to apply a bead of chauking to divert the water away from the pcm connector - is this been a problem with other Freestar owners. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving my 2004 Ford Freestar 4. 2 litre ,at speed of 60mph on highway suddenly vehicle stalled , and I had to act fast and coasted vehicle 2 lanes over to hug shoulder of highway. Put vehicle in park turn ignition off turn the key over vehicle starts fine I drive back on the highway vehicle drives good like nothing occurred, my thought was fuel line problem, so had mechanic look at it he changed my fuel pump , fuel filter, fuel pressure sensor , so back on the road with vehicle , vehicle keeps stalling at 50-60mph and also stalls at traffic stop light while idling. Having done some research online my problem seems like Ford motor company has a defect problem in the pcm (powertrain control module)with the Ford Freestars/Mercury monterey models it sold. I believe now my vehicle is not safe to drive and endangers other drivers on the road. Please look into this systematic problem with Ford Freestars/monterey minivans.