Ford Freestar owners have reported 35 unknown or other related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common unknown or other problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's unknown or other (35 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
I had gotten a letter from Ford motor CO. Stating they were having problems with the tork converter and transmissions on my model car. I live 160 miles from a Ford dealer, but I was going into town to shop so thought I would stop in at kendall Ford and talk to them about it. They had no idea what I was talking about and looked it up on the computer, and there it was. They could not tell me much except it could go uot at any time with no notice. They also said that they could not even help me if it did. I was on my own. And it did, in the middle of rush hour traffic. It just stopped. I could have been hit and someone could have been hurt or even killed. A nice man helped me get it across 3 lanes of traffic, pushing by hand where I had to have it towed back to kendall Ford, I called brad, the man in charge to let him know it was there. To date, July 7, 2012 I finally got a call from them (had to bum a ride 160 miles home and have had no car since), they said the tork converter was so shot they wondered how I got that far (a little help from god). They also said that it would cost between 3 and $4,000 to repair the transmission. I nearly passed out. First put me in a car that could have killed me, then charge me more than the car is worth to fix it. I know for a fact that if the tork converter is not working properly neither will the transmission. I feel they should be responsible for the converter and the transmission for using cheep parts and putting our lives in danger.
I bought this vehicle 03/28/2011 and at the time it recorded a mileage of approximately 107,000 miles. Today I checked and my miles is reporting over 195,000. This is impossible for a jump of over 80,000 miles in less than a year and I hardly drive the vehicle.
On my way home from work on janurary 1, 2012 at approx. 4:20pm my car starts to slow down n starts to go on reverse while it was on drive. I tried different gears but the car continue to go on reverse I had no warning light, no sign of the car go bad no noise, nothing the car just slowed down n went on reverse. The car was towed to my house I have no money to fix this issue I don't know whats wrong with this car and to top it off I just bought the car in March of 2011. My understanding is that Ford is aware of these problems but has not done nothing to fix it I'm stuck making payments to a car that is not working so please tell me what can I do.
Transmission failed going down interstate at 65 mph.
My husband and I were driving down interstate 101 when the car stopped accelerating. We barely made it off the highway before it stopped. I am now waiting for a new transmission to be placed in my van. The van never gave us any warning. It just stopped accelerating.
My engine lost power as my van was shifting from first to second gear. After shifting into neutral, I could restart the van, but every time I reached the shifting point between first and second gear, the engine would cut completely out, thereby losing power steering and brakes. Also, the reverse gear operates only intermittently. I took the van to a transmission specialist within five miles from my home because it would only operate in first gear, and was told the torque converter needed to be replaced. The repair is going to cost $2,436. 05. I am attempting to seek assistance from Ford, as the repair was started the day the recall was issued. So far, I do not have written confirmation from them that my vehicle is included in the recall, and they have not agreed to pay for the repair.
This van has a bad computer board (pcm) due to rainwater that is allowed to funnel under the hood due to poor design of the hood. It is also possible that the transmission is being affected by this as well. The vehicle just stopped shifting into gear, followed by all sorts of electrical problems. The mechanic said the pcm was full of water and would need to be replaced. There are numerous message boards on the internet discussing this exact same problem with Ford Freestars ranging from 2004-2007 model years. Ford needs to issue a recall on these vans as this causes the engine to stall and this could happen at any time - in the middle of a busy intersection, on the highway, etc. This could have devastating results if it happens at the wrong time. Also, from what I've read on these message boards - this is a repeat problem!!!! once you fix this you will have the same problem in a year or two. Nhtsa should do some research outside of formal complaints filed as I'm sure most people do not know the proper route to go. A simple internet search (that would allow you to contact or respond to individual reports) would direct you to hundreds of people with the exact same issue!.
I was driving with my 2 children when my 2005 Ford Freestar just stopped in the middle of the road. Thank god it was daytime, and not a lot of people on this road at the time. My car has only 54,000 miles on it. I was told afterward that it was my transmission. The transmission needs to be replaced. I had to wait standing with my 2 small children on the side of the road 20 minutes for a tow truck. This was very unsafe! their is no reason this should be. It is going to cost me $2000. 00 to fix which I do not have. Of course my warranty only covered up until 50,000 miles. Ford said that's to bad. This is terrible something needs to be done immediately! this is no way to do business or to treat people. Someone needs to fix this. . .
Our 2005 Freestar minivan would stall and shut down the engine with no warning. We purchased this van in 2005 from our local Ford dealership. The first time it happened, my wife was driving the vehicle and had pulled into an intersection when it stalled, she was fortunate that she was not involved in an accident. The van would not stay running when you put into gear and had no reverse gear. We took it to a local garage and found out the pcm had gotten wet and that there was a TSB issued for this vehicle as it was a common occurrence in this model. The mechanic dried out the pcm, re-sealed the area per the TSB and we were back on the road. This was in August 2010 so the van was only 5 years old. Four months later it happened again that the van shut down for the same reason. The garage re-did the work and verified the area was sealed off. Five months later, it happened again so water has obviously been able to get back in there. We took it back to our local Ford mechanic and they re-sealed the area after drying out the pcm, and 3 months later we were in the same situation. We have now replaced the pcm with a new one, but I have no faith that the water problem is gone. Each time the pcm fails, the van will shut down leaving you without power steering and brakes. Each time we have gotten lucky that there was no accident and that we were within our hometown so we could have the van towed to the garage. This is a family van that at any time one of our children could be driving when this problem occurs, and with them not having as much driving experience as my wife and myself, the potential for an accident is greatly increased. We have been very fortunate not to have been in any accidents so far, only the expenses, but I don't want to keep saying "I'm glad we weren't pulling out into traffic when that happened. " it is very possible that it could happen the next time.
It started with my driver side window working erratically. Simultaneously, the buttons on my radio quit working, although it randomly kept trying to reprogram "preset 2". Without warning, at 65mph on a busy road, I abruptly lost power and could not maintain speed or accelerate. I also experienced erratic rpm. Currently vehicle will chronically not start due to power failure, even though battery and alternator have been checked and are functioning properly. The sudden and unexpected loss of acceleration and erratic rpm is dangerous. I am unable to drive this vehicle because I fear for my safety.
We were in traffic to the browns football game getting ready to exit and the van just lost mobility, it wouldn't move,, I pressed on the gas and the engine reved but the van sat still , I was barely able to get it to the side of the road, the traffic was so bad everyone was trying to get to the game, we were so scared and almost hit several times. We called police for assistance but they never came, I finally found a number to Ford road side assitance,, they were good, and they got a good tow company, we sat and waited about an hour for help, but they came and towed it on a flat bed, we had it towed to spitzer Ford in cuyahgoa falls, they said it would be 2400. 00 to replace the torque converter, they denied any ongoing problems ,, but I had already searched it online and found that there is a massive problem with this torque converters just stopping,, I told spitzer service manager mike, we could not afford 2400. 00 he said he could put a used rebuilt transmission in it for 500. 00 . . We took it to falls transmission for 915. 00 and had the torque replaced, the owner said he is doing approximately 3 a week. They are coming in a lot. . Since then however, the van is shaking. . So I had to take it to be checked at g & r, they did a diagnositic and found nothing, so it has had to go back to the falls trans 3 times. . It shakes but he is not sure if it's the new torque, or something else. It is also out of align now. . Tow bill from cleve 122. 00 tow bill from Ford 50. 00 torque converter 915. 90 g & r diagnostic 69. 23 total $1,157. 13 and it still isn't running properly,, I had no car from October 2nd to October 6th, then I had to borrow a car again for the g&r check,, and 2 times after that when it had to go back to falls trans,, I am taking it back again 10/31/11 and leaving it at night for them to look at all day tues.
I was stopped at a red light. I then proceded to cross the intersection when the light turned green and my van just stopped without any warning. Had it towed and was told I needed a new transmission and torque converter.
Transmission went out.
The transmission fialed without warning on the highway as I was trying to accelerate the van.
Bought the 2006 Ford Freestar on 9/14/11. 5 minutes after the purchase, I came to a light and the car lost all power. Turned right around and went back to the dealership and assumed it was from sitting in the lot through a massive snow storm. In the 18 weeks that I have had the vehicle, it has been brought back to the shop 4 times totaling 12 full weeks. We have constant loss of power. We also experience a jerking/bucking which results in the engine light flashing and as soon as the car slows down enough, it will lose power. This usually happens right after rain. These problems have left me with a non mobile car in intersections. This is not safe at all and there should be a recall on this vehicle before someone ends up in a fatal crash.
On 9/8/11 I went to get in my car to leave from work and my car would not move. It would crank but when I put it into gear it would not move. After two days of trying to get a tow truck small enough to get into the parking garage at work, my car was towed to a car shop. The car shop told me ther was something wrong with the transmission and they couldn't fix it. They had transmission shop come pick up the car by tow truck on 9/12/11 and I was told by the tranmission shop it was the torque converter. After looking online I noticed that this is happening to a lot of people that have this same model car. Ford is not doing anything about this. This car need to be recall as this is very dangerous. The transmission shop told me that it would be $1500. 00 to repair this issue. There are people all over the u. S. That are having the same issue with the 2005 Ford Freestar. I will never buy another Ford again. Why isn't Ford taking responsible for these defective parts (torque converters) they are putting in these vechles. Do someone have to get seriously hurt before they decide to do something about this. I noticed that there is a class action lawsuit pending for this torque converter issue. I advise you all if you have experienced the same problem to complain and join suit. This is ridiculous.
Transmission went out while driving. Thankfully we were not on the highway. No grinding or slipping, the engine just revved and would vehicle would not move. Had 3 children in the car at the time. Very dangerous to trust this car. Got the car to a parking lot, now it has been towed to a mechanic to be checked out. We previously had problems with something in the ignition or something where the car would just sputter and die while driving. Replaced driver side window motor, but passenger side does not work either. Please get these off the road!.
I have a 2004 Ford Freestar. I was on my way to the store with my 2 young sons. I stopped at the stop sign and when I went to turn, I lost any power that I had, without any warning my transmission went. I didn't have 1st, 3rd or reverse, I had to get my van towed home arrange for a ride. This is very dangerous and needs to be taken care of. Now my van is in the shop and $2000. 00 later hopefully I can get a year out of this.
While driving in traffic the van just slipped out of gear. Hitting the gas only made the engine rev up. I coasted to a stop. The van would still start and run but would not go into drive or reverse. The gear shift moves but nothing happens. After having it towed we replaced the transmission sensor but it did not fix the issue. Do not know what to do at this point.
My 2004 Ford Freestar engine light and other lights came on, and the minivan started to stall, each time I would have to restart and drive with hazards on trying to get home, it became dangerous and had to take my chance and pull off the road into a business driveway, and leave the van. The brakes would not work, they stiffened up as did the steering wheel. I was lucky I wasnt in an accident as it started out of the blue. It had been sitting in my driveway for two days and the weather had been rainy for those two days, and I think it was caused due to some water leakage into the transmission area. I had a similar issue a few years ago and took it to the Ford dealer where I bought the van and they said it was a water getting into the system and they fixed the problem at the time. Now I am being told that I have to have it put onto a machine and pay 85 dollars to have it checked out. I know this is an issue with these minivans and I don't feel I should have to fork out a lot of money to get it fixed when it is a problem with the model, and Ford should do something about it. It is a safety issue and one day someone will get hurt or worse from this. Someone needs to issue a recall so that these concerns are dealt with!!!.
2006 Ford Freestar failed to move forward in gear while driving on busy road. This occurred two different times. Most recent instance saw me and my 4 year old daughter placed in peril. I have had transmission replaced only to find that problems may be the result of the pcm failing as a result of getting "wet" due to a faulty seal on the box that houses the pcm. Most recent incident nearly resulted in our nearly being rear ended by a semit tractor trailer at 50 mph. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to shift to neutral, restart van and coast off road just ahead of truck. Van stalled and would not run. Had to leave at garage out of town and get a ride home for my and my 4 year old daughter.
When attempting to accelerate our 2005 Ford Freestar limited to get onto the highway the van stalled when passing 2000 rpm(s) with no warning. The stearing wheel locked and loss all power to the car. With the stearing locked pulling off to the sholder was near impossible. The vehicles behind had to go around me driving close to 65-70 mph in speed or slam on their brakes to miss me. A very frightening experience with children in the car. Unable to afford to bring the vehicle to a shop for repairs due just purchasing the vehicle in April of 2011 from tom bush Mazda dealership in jacksonville florida.
A few months ago my check engine light came on and vehicle felt like it wanted to stall out, the computer at the shop said that there was a misfire, replaced spark plugs and wires, light went out, 2 days later light back on same thing, shop could find nothing else wrong with the van, we then went to another shop who after having it for a week and not being able to figure out the problem said it was an oxygen sensor, paid $460 to have this replaced, van ran great for 3 days then lght back on and same thing, within 2 days the light went back off, this happened on and off for months then finally 3 weeks ago while turning a corner, the van just died and lost power in the middle of an intersection, unable to go into reverse or anything was able to restart the van long enough to get out of intersection then it died again and was able to coast to side of road but was unable to put van in reverse, my normal mechanic could not figure out the problem the computer kept reading different error codes , he then took it to the local dealer, where they have now had it for 3 weeks and are unable to find anything wrong with it, they did admit that they have been having problems with the pcm getting wet but they cannot find anything wrong with it, it is now running, going into reverse and no check engine light (at this time). I was also told that this could lead to eventual transmission problems as well, so now I have to worry about driving it at all, because noone can fix it, so it will eventually do it again???.
I, along with my disabled father and 3 yr old daughter, were traveling on hwy 41 traveling approximately 55 mph when I tried to pass someone and my van lost complete acceleration power. I had to get back into the lane and coast to a safe area to stop and leave my van. We were surrounded by cars traveling in speeds of 60mph + and could of easily been injured! there were absolutely no warnings of any problems. The van just simply lost complete power. Now I am left with getting my van towed and having repairs made which are likely to cost several thousand dollars! why is this not on recall yet??.
The vehicle experienced sudden loss of acceleration. The engine would rev when gas pedal pushed, but would not gain momentum. There were no warning signs, no check engine light, and no noises. None of the gears would work. The dealership said the bands inside the torque converter had shredded.
Vechicle just stopped. Got it going again after turning off and restarting. Code showed it needed to be "reflashed. " cost 110 at dealership and no improvement. Code showed ignition coil. Replaced and no improvement. Finally replaced pcm April 2011. Also experience intermitent electrical problems (radio, clock reset) with no battery failure.
I was driving down the road and the car lost all power, was able to get it started again and then it died 5 more times. When I would get it restarted it would not go, it would jerk and sputter. Took it to a mechanic and was told there was water in where the comupter was housed. They had looked up and there was a technical service bulletin about the engine/transmission driveability issues, reference number 06-14-10. They advised us that this was most likely the problem. We replaced this part for it and they said it was fine. Pulled out of the lot and went to make a turn and the car died again.
While driving at 35 mph on a 4 lane road vehicle suddenly lost ability to accelerate vehicle gave no warning just stopped acceleration. Was able to coast off roadway into parking lot. Mechanic stated the torque converter was the cause.
As we were on a family vacation crossing wisconsin on interstate 94 going 65 mph with the cruise control set, the car started t rev very high and we lost all power. The engine ran fine and we were able to brake and steer, but had no forward or backward gears. We had to interrupt our trip, have the state trooper give my wife and kids a ride to the next town, and have the care towed to the nearest Ford dealership. It cost $1250 and took ten days to fix the torque converter which had also damaged the rod that goes to it. Fortunately it did not melt the transmission )or so they told me).
About 6 mo. Ago I saw a defect relative to my vehicle, however, the Ford CO. Never sent me anything to bring my car in to correct the defect. Why are they not required to inform the car owners of these defects and have them require owners to bring them in so the Ford CO. Can do the repairs no charge?.
Every single time gas is being pumped into the car the pump stops several times. It can take up to 20 minutes to completely fill the gas tank. Not only does it just stop, it frequently spits gas back out. The gas, which is a chemical, has given at least 2 people chemical burns on multiple occasions. Ford has been contacted and while this is a "known issue", they refuse to replace and/or repair unless I pay for it out of my pocket. This is a manufacturing defect, it happens often enough to be a known issue, it is dangerous in many different ways and I believe that this should most definitely be a recall due to the chemical burns that have already happened. Also the potential devastation that could happen if someone at a gas station throws a still burning cigarette butt down and it lands in the remains of the gas that has been spit back out and onto the ground. Although no smoking signs are posted, I have seen hundreds of people still smoking while pumping gas.
I was driving and came to a stop light the car didn't stop it kept lunging forward I made it home and had it towed it to the dealership they called the next day to say it had water in the transmission fluid and the trans. Asked me if I had driven it into a lake? I did not they then said later that they had found a TSB saying that rain water goes down through the wind shield into a cowl to the transmission vent and gets into the fluid? Ford and my warranty company will not pay for the repairs as they say it is not a mechanical problem but due to water ? I know Ford knows that they manufactured the part or parts that lets water get into the transmission but they want at least $3,250 or more for the repairs to the transmission and for the original problem that caused this to happen. Ford is still waiting for a tork coverter for the transmission to get fixed ? I have been without a car for over 3 months I am a foster parent and I need a car and I do not feel I should have to pay for Ford's manufacturing mistakes please help thanks.
9/2007 my husband, myself, and our 5 children were driving to my mothers house and out of the blue the van just stopped accelerating. We had the van towed to the dealership that we bought it. They told us that we needed a new transmission at 41,000 miles (just out of warranty) $2000 oop!! we had the trans replaced and are now 12/2011 having the same issue again. (just over 90,00 miles) we owe 2000$ on the van and the cost of repairs are over that. This has to be a safety issue. . Children in car + car randomly stopping!! I just don't understand how a van bought new off the lot can be on its 3rd transmission on less then 100,000 miles. We will never buy a Ford again and after doing a lot of research I have found 1000"s of owners with the same issues. . . Its a shame Ford will continue to allow customers to pay for their faulty products!.
Vibration in gas pedal between 20-40 mph & 1500-2000 rpm. . . . Been to 3 dealer, no resolution.
My family including 3 small children were in the van travelling home and my husband was in a minor (30 mph) head on collision with only damage to the left front end. A few minutes following the collision the engine of the vehicle caught on fire, within ten minutes the entire front half of the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. Everybody we have talked to has said there is no reason the vehicle should have caught on fire due to the collision.