Transmission Not Go Into Gear Problems of Ford Freestar - part 2

I was driving approximately 45 mph on busy highway, my Ford Freestar would no longer accelerate. Looking in the rear view mirror, there was smoke coming from my vehicle. The engine light came on after I noticed the smoke, then my thermostat went all the way from c to hot in a split second. No warning, car smoking and my brakes and gas was not working. I tried to pull over safely and get out of the vehicle quickly. My van was engulfed with smoke, an ambulance pulled over to assist me. The car fire was put out and towed to a Ford dealer. It was my transmission that blew. It was covered by warranty and fixed. I was told it was a bad transmission. One year and two weeks later, my Ford Freestar was not shifting gears, I was getting stuck, in reverse. When I shift to drive, it does not go forward. My car had to be towed again to the same Ford dealer. I was told my transmission was filled with water and the 1 year warranty I purchased the year before was shorted by two weeks. Ford would not honor my warranty due to it being over by 2 weeks time frame. So, I then purchased another transmission with another warranty. Now in 2012, a year later, my transmission that I purchased last year is doing the same thing, getting stuck in gears, when I accelerate, my Freestar jumps. Every time it rains, this car stalls. When I took to my mechanic, he says this is a horrible car. Poorly made and it should have been recalled. Apparently it stalls in the rain due to the sealing from Ford? why and how is this possible? this vehicle is a horrible safety problem. I am fortunate my children were not with me in the first car fire. When is Ford or the safety council going to investigate this car? so in my vehicle, Ford thinks there is nothing wrong with their customer having to replace a transmission 3 years in a row. No safety warnings or engine light warnings at all.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Freestar 🔎.

2005 Ford Freestar-sudden transmission failure at highway speed. No prior warning, no knocking or sound, just a total disengagement of any gears. Vehicle still ran but could not engage any gears. It acted as if it were in neutral. This happened on an interstate and fortunately I was able to stop the vehicle prior to going over a long bridge. After reading on the internet, this has happened to countless others and I found out that an investigation was launched over a year ago by the NHTSA. My family and I were lucky that I was able to stop prior to the bridge. I then had to have the vehicle towed about 40 miles and found out this morning that it was the transmission converter and pump shaft which will cost about $2,000 to repair.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Freestar 🔎.

There was no evidence nor warning that the transmission would stop shifting gears. I was leaving home heading to work when the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating. I was able to pull over to a somewhat safe location only to find out that when I turned my van off and then back on it would not shift gears. It sounds like its stuck in neutral all the time. I live in north texas and with the temp being over 105 today I was just a bit upset that this happened out of nowhere. I have not at this time had a repair man look at it, because I can not afford one. I did make sure that all the wiring was connected properly.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Freestar 🔎.

I was driving my 2005 Freestar(Ford) on the beltway at 55mph when suddenly it stopped moving. The engine kept running but it would not go into gear. There is nothing wrong with the shifting hardware- it seems to be a transmission issue with absolutely no warning, no slipping, no noise and no warning light. Very frightening since I had to be towed from the beltway.

While driving my 2005 Ford Freestar Mini-van, the vehicle suddenly and instantly lost power and coasted to a stop. The engine continued to run, but the transmission would not engage in any gear. In order to correct the problem, I had to purchase another transmission. I purchased a transmission from an "after-market" parts manufacturer, as it was slightly less expensive than a new transmission from Ford and was warranted, while Ford's was not.

I have a 2004 Ford Freestar. We are the original owners and just yesterday the transmission went out. We were driving and all of a sudden the car would not shift into gear. Our van has 40,000 miles on it. I've been reading that this is a common problem with these vans and hope that Ford will do something about it.

I own a 2004 Ford Freestar. In April 2010 with just over 70k miles the entire transmission failed. The vehicle suddenly lost all power after making a loud high pitched noise. The engine would start but would not go into gear. This resulted in the entire transmission having to be replaced at the cost of $2800.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle would not shift gears. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the contact was awaiting a diagnostic of the failure. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. The failure and current mileage was 76,185.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle began to lunge forward and the transmission would not shift gears. The vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home where the dealer was contacted. He stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle and any repairs would be at the owners expense. The contact was concerned with the numerous complaints related to the transmission failures in his model vehicle. The failure mileage was 159,966.

I was driving my 2004 Freestar van down a main highway when all at once it would no longer go. I pulled off the road to see if I could see was wrong that when I found out that it would not got into any gears at all. I called the dealer where I bought the van and they took it in just to call me and tell me it was the tranny. I bought this va with 73000 miles on it just to have it a half a month and the tranny to go out on it. To this day they still have the van and can not get another tranny for it. I think you really need to get this fix cause somebody could rally get hurt or killed one day. Just thank god that this highway I was on the was no trucks coming at that time cause this is there one main road they use. I also hate to be still paying on a van that I cant even drive.

I was driving my 2004 Ford Freestar when it stopped accelerating. I was on the highway and it just reved. When I pulled over the car would not go into gear. I had to have the transmission replaced which cost me $2500. This seems to be a trend with this year and model.

February 2010- van lurched forward then failed to shift into gear. Less than 65000 miles on vehicle. Turned out to be transmission failure- Ford stated it would cost $3100 to fix. Got it fixed at a local repair shop for $1800. Mechanic stated he sees this often with this year of Freestars. In February 2011, car started having powertrain issues, skipping and slipping gear. Diagnosed as cam shaft sensor failure. Cost was over $400 to fix. Stated water was getting into the cam shaft. In July 2011, car had issues in rain- again, water in cam shaft. Mechanic drained it and it appeared to be better. December 29th, 2011 van lurched forward and would not go into gear. Was traveling 65mph and had no warning. Was stuck on busy highway in the middle of crosslane. Mechanic stated the transmission was dead at 130,000 miles- after only having had the last one for less than two years. We consumers bought these Freestars in good faith that we would have a safe, reliable vehicle. Ford has failed to deliver. I have found several other Freestar consumers stating the same complaints on websites nationwide. Ford claims "no record of failure" because they overcharge on their repairs so we end up going to local shops for fixes- I doubt they bother logging it since we won't pay them to fix it! after coasting the car into an abandoned lot, I was stuck. There was a shed that was clearly used by drug addicts (clothes, trash, needles, etc inside. ) the company should stand by their vehicles- I believe if they drove these vans they would know how terrified I and other Freestar drivers are to even think about the "what-if's" that could have occurred because of their transmission failures. I am stuck because I would never risk driving the vehicle again but cannot sell it because it could put someone else in danger. My childrens' lives far outweigh the dollar amount left on the loan of this junk!.

2004 Freestar transmission failed. The transmission just stopped working without warning. Will not shift into gear. Read approx. 100's of other complaints stating the same thing on edmunds.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford freestyle. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact shifted to park and the vehicle failed to shift gears. The contact mentioned there was an internal transmission leak. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

No prior transmission trouble; no warning of problem on the date of incident. Driving at highway speed on the approach to a narrow four-lane highway bridge. The vehicles engine rpm suddenly raced while the forward momentum lagged; the engine continued to run fine, but the transmission no longer provided any forward power. The vehicle slowed rapidly due to the upward grade of the bridge, and there was no shoulder to pull off onto, with traffic bearing down at 60+ mph. This dangerous situation then caused a four-car accident. Defect vehicle was not badly damaged (only minor rear bumper crush) but after accident it still would not move in gear, even though engine ran fine. Has not been repaired as of this date.

I was taking my wife and two children to massachussettes for thanksgiving. We were on the new jersey turnpike traveling at 70mph when the engine revs increased dramatically and my vehicle lost power. I was able to move over to the shoulder but only after almost being hit by oncoming traffic. . . This was thanksgiving break. The engine remained running but the vehicle would not go into any gears. I had to wait 1. 5 hours for help, then had to have the van towed back to delaware. I was researching what it could be and was surprised to find that numerous complaints were being filed for the same problem. I can not afford to have it fixed and had to borrow money to get it towed. I hope someone forces Ford to man up and take care of this problem before someone gets killed.

While exiting the pearlridge shopping mall parking garage in pearl city, hawaii, my van completely lost power. As I drifted to the stop light I tried to shift into another gear to see if I possibly had some other gear to go into so that I may pull out of traffic. After trying for a few seconds I realized that I could not move the van and had to get out and push. I had to attempt to move the van while traffic was passing on both sides of me. Luckily, a motorist stopped and he and another guy assisted me in getting my vehicle back to the parking structure safely. With a vehicle just quitting in the middle of a busy road like this one I was at risk of being rear ended which would have lead to a sever accident that would have involved myself, my aunt and my two young daughters along with the occupants of the striking car. I was also at risk while trying to clear the vehicle from the roadway before an accident could possibly occur. I bought the van used in 2007 and received a full transmission service before I took the vehicle home. This was done at 46000 miles and now that I am at 84k this major problem has occurred. I believe I am supposed to have the transmission serviced every 50k miles so I am still good with the fluid. I took it to the Ford dealer and I was informed that it would cost me in the neighborhood of $4700 to get the vehicle repaired by using a remanufactured transmission which was possibly fixed from having the same problem as I have. With all of the posted complaints from people who has and are still having the same problem as I am, I find it hard just to sit back and shell out this amount of money when it seems to be a much larger problem than just that of one van.

Transmission failed to go into gear while driving.

I was leaving my work and pulled out onto a very busy highway. I or my passenger did not notice any strange noises or hesitation in the engine. Upon gradual acceleration to traffic speed; the vehicle began to move and then didn't. I managed to coast to the side of the road and put it in park and the engine began to whine. I then put the it back into drive and the transmission made no noise going into gear. I then tied each of the gears and again nothing. I then turned the vehicle off and waited and tried again with same results. I would think having only 57 thousand miles on a 2004 vehicle it would not be having transmission issues such as this. I have had a mechanic listen to the noises and give his best guess. He informed me that based on not going into gear and the noises that it is making and until a complete in-shop check can be made, we will have to replace the transmission. Estimated cost $2500 to $3500 dollars.

Late last night, my family and I were driving home when my 2004 Ford Freestar went from 45 mph to 0 mph. It would not go into gear. My husband and I sat on the side of road at 1 a. M. With our three small children waiting for a cab. From what I have read, this is a common occurrence. Please do something about this. I can only thank god my husband was driving and knew what was going on. Had it been me, I may have panicked causing an accident.

While driving on a two lane road at 35 mph my 2004 Ford Freestar without any warning suddenly acted like it shifted into neutral. Luckily I was able to pull down a side road and into a parking lot where I found that the van would not go into any gear forward or reverse. I called for help and was able to pull the van back to my home where it sits today waiting to figure out how to get it fixed. This event happened at around 6:00 in the evening. The van was driven earlier around town and on the highway at highway speeds with no problems at all. It scares me to death to think what might have happened if my wife or teenage daughter (who only has her temps and was driving the van earlier at those highway speeds) had been driving and couldn't get off the road. I have been reading on the internet that this is not an isolated incident. There are a lot and I mean a lot of people who having the exact same transmission problem. This is a tragedy waiting to happen. Like I said this happened without any warning. If this would have happened on a crowded city street or a busy rush hour traffic highway we would have been powerless to do anything but try to coast the car as best we could to a safe place without getting killed! it also would have been unsafe for anyone else on the road who was trying to avoid hitting us! I work for this car company and will be in contact with them on Monday to try and find some answers. I just wanted to file my complaint with you and have it on the record. We were very very lucky! thank you.

Freestar stalled out and would not go into gear while I was driving. I almost got rear ended by a transport truck.

Transmission would not move in any gear. I purchase this 2004 Ford Freestar brand new on 9/25/2004. The car has 48,351 miles. Never had any failures before this incident. The transmission was got messed up. I took it to the Ford dealership because I have warranty. I am a bit concern because the dealership replaced the transmission with a Ford swap. The other transmission has 78,863 miles. What should I do in this case because I mainly drive the family in this vehicle? the replaced transmission sounds very forceful when driven.

While driving on the interstate, my 2004 Ford Freestar had a complete and sudden transmission failure. The rpm's shot up and it coasted to the side of the road. The van would not go into any gear; the engine would just rev. There was no pre-warning of the problem.

Yesterday, 12/7/08, I pulled out of a parking space, switched gear from reverse to forward and applied gas. Other than revving of engine, nothing happened. It would not engage any gears. I had the vehicle towed to a repair shop today and they referred me to a transmission shop. I contacted the Ford dealership where I purchased the vehicle and they were unable to help as the vehicle was out of warranty. 2005 Ford Freestar transmission failure at 51,000 miles (December 7, 2008) should be recognized as failure of reasonable assurance of functionality of vehicle.

While driving at 55 mph in rush hour traffic on way home from hospital with my four year old son and wife vehicle started bucking and jerking no power. Tachometer was fluctuating back and forth got vehicle back home and called Ford roadside assistance to come tow it. Dealer replaced sensor part # 1f1z-7m101-aa told us all okay. Vehicle had 35,760 miles on it on 6/18/08. Vehicle again on 6/23/08 started with same problem towed back to dealer could not duplicate problem told again all okay 35,784 miles on it. Vehicle transmission again would not go into gear dealer had it for 19 days and replaced the transmission told all is okay 35,853. Vehicle picked up on 7/17/08 back in shop on 7/20/2008 problem still is not fixed vehicle only has 40 miles on new transmission still will not stay in gear or drive at all as of 723/08 dealer has no answer on how to fix problem or reason for it. Vehicle is very unreliable to drive don't no when transmission is going to act up or stop.

2005 Ford Freestar just dies. First incident happened February 28, 2008. Was stopped at a stop sign and made it about halfway through intersection when everything shut off. Coasted to the other side and pulled to the right. Restarted the van and made it another 50 feet before it died again. Tried a third time and it would not go into any gear. Luckily was in a residential neighborhood. Called tow truck and local Ford dealership (mckie Ford, rapid city, sd). Service technician said the transmission needed to be replaced, parts would be in sometime on Monday (3/3/2008). They completed the repair on Tuesday afternoon. Today (3/10/2008), the same exact issue occurred. Called tow and local Ford dealer. Waiting to hear what Ford has to say this time. Doing some research on the web, there are hundreds of people with Freestars that have had to same issue. Each has a similar story of having to replace the transmission (usually at their cost). Many of whom are looking at having a class action lawsuit created against Ford for a known defect that has gone unresolved (to the point where they outright lie about knowing the parts are faulty). I know I'm not the first to complain here, and I know I will not be the last.

I was accelerating after being stopped at a stoplight. Suddenly my van begin to rev up over 500 rpms and had lost all power. Thankfully I was not in traffic and was able to pull over easily. The transmission was completely dead- it would not kick into any gears and I had to have it towed to the local Ford dealership for repair. The vehicle has only 42, 500 miles on it.

Just driving along and the transmission stopped working. Would not work in any gear, but would go into park. No warning lights or noises.

I returned home from work in order to drop off a few things before continuing on to do some shopping. I placed the vehicle into park and exited the van leaving the ignition on with the engine running. After unloading my items I decided not to go shopping and went out to turn off the van. While standing outside of the vehicle I opened the drivers door and reached into the van to turn off the ignition. In the process of reaching for the ignition switch I nudged the shift leaver and the transmission shifted into reverse. The vehicle began moving backward down my driveway trapping me in between the open door and the van. I was unable to make any attempts to stop the vehicle since it was moving too quickly. I held onto the steering wheel while being dragged down my driveway, across the grass and into some trees and bushes. The van door struck a tree bending the door back. At that time I fell under the van and the front drivers side tire ran over my legs, up my torso and across my chest. The van continued on and came to a rest at the bottom of my neighbors yard. I was transported to the hospital by ambulance. I suffered contusions to the abdominal wall, legs and chest in addition to a cut to my left ankle. After the vehicle was repaired my husband had the van check by a Ford dealer. They determined there was nothing faulty with the safety mechanism, which does not allow the gear shifter unless the brake pedal is pressed. However, we have been able to shift the vehicle out of park into reverse without pressing the brake pedal several times since the initial failure.

Myself, my husband and our two children were leaving a restaurant when without any warning my 2004 Ford Freestar would not accelerate. My husband stopped the car and tried several gears and it would not go in any direction. He turned the car off and then restarted it and it still would not go in any gear. He pushed it back into the parking lot and we called aaa for a tow to the nearest Ford dealership. Several hours later they told us that the transmission was shot and it would cost about $3,000 to replace it (which I can't afford). This van has approximately 60,000 miles on it. We bought it new and still owe over $13,000. 00 on it. I researched the internet and found many other people have had the same problem with Freestar transmissions going out anywhere from 30,000 miles to 70,000 miles - way earlier than they should. . Read more...

Drove the vehicle 100 miles, got gas, started the car, would not shift into any gears. You can move the gear in to gear but the transmission will not shift into gear. I was left stranded with 3 kids 100 miles from home, this happened without warning.