2004 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

IN 2010 FOR NO REASON THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WAS COMING ON. AFTER 2 VISITS TO THE DEALER THEY REPLACED THE ABS MODULE AND SWITCH ON THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED BUT ONCE IN A WHILE THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. NOW IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND THE ABS ACTIVATES FOR NO APPARENT REASON (DRY ROAD AND NORMAL BRAKING) WHICH I CONSIDER A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE ON THE TORQUE CONVERTER END OF AUGUST BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER 2012, UPON RETURN OF VEHICLE HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. LAST THURSDAY APRIL 4 THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER WHILE GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. FRIDAY DID THE SAME THING 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING. REPLACED ALTERNATOR, BELT TENSIONER AND BELT. MECHANIC ASKED WHAT IT DID, THEN SAID IT MIGHT BE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. HE CHECKED POWER STEERING, AND WATER PUMP THEY ARE FINE. NOT SURE HOW A PART LESS THAN YEAR OLD COULD GO BAD. WHEN MY VEHICLE WENT IN FOR RECALL WAS PERFECTLY FINE, SINCE IT'S RETURN IS HAS BEEN RUNNING HORRIBLE AND NOTHING SEEMS TO REALLY FIX IT. *TR

THE LATCH ON THE REAR OF THE VAN HAS RUSTED CLOSED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASSIONS. IT IS PRESENTLY RUSTED SHUT AND THE BACK HATCH DOESNT OPEN AS A RESULT. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE THIRD ROW SEAT DUE TO WATER LEAKAGE FROM THE REAR TIRE WELL. THIS HAS TO BE RELATED AS THE CARPET THROUGHOUT THE VAN GETS WET. EVEN THE FRONT DRIVERS SEAT WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE FLOOR IS SOAKED, POSIBLY LEAKING FROM FRONT TIRE WELL.AND ALL THE WAY DOWN THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR TO THE THIRD ROW. THERE IS ALSO A SHORT IN THE DASH LIGHTS DUE TO WATER LEAKING INTO THE DASH AREA. THE CAR RADIO STAYS ON WHEN IT FEEL LIKE IT AND YOU HAVE TO HIT THE DRIVERS WINDOW BUTTON FOR THE RADIO TO SHUT OFF OTHERWISE IT DRAINS THE BATTERY AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. THE CAR WAS AT THE ELECTRICAL SHOP A YEAR AGO AND COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS SITTING AT MY SON'S BUS STOP THIS MORNING WAITING ON THE BUS. I HAD THE VAN RUNNING CAUSE IT WAS COLD...BUT I HAD IT PARK. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN...ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH BOARD CAME ON...THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THEN STARTED BACK UP. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO WHILE I WAS DRIVING. IT WAS REALLY STRANGE. BACK IN AUG. OF 2011..MY TORQUE CONVERTER WENT OUT...THOUGHT IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION. NO WARNING AT ALL THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG EXCEPT FOR IT MISSING A LITTLE. ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. GOT TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACED DUE TO A RECALL IN JAN. OF 2012; ABOUT 6 MONTHS LATER...IT STARTING MISSING ALITTLE AGAIN. WITHOUT THE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON...NOBODY CAN TELL ME WHAT THE ISSUE IS. ANY IDEAS WHAT THIS MAY BE??? *TR

THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE HAS GONE OUT DURING RAIN EVENT. THIS TIME WAS ON A HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 45MPH WITH PASSENGERS. THE RESULT WAS INTERMITTENT ENGINE SHUTDOWN, LOSS OF STEERING, AND FORWARD MOTION. THIS MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 OTHER TIMES. TWO TIMES IN 2011, AND TWO MONTHS AGO IN 2013. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V006000 (POWER TRAIN) AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE COMPLETION OF RECALL REPAIRS. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND ADVISED THAT THE RECALLED COMPONENT HAD BEEN REPAIRED. ONE MONTH LATER, THE VEHICLE BECAME HESITATE BETWEEN SHIFTING GEARS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 194,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. *TR

I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK IN THE MORNING. AT 2PM, I TRIED TO DRIVE, BUT COULD NOT. THE CAR STARTED, BUT I COULD NOT MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD. I HAD NO SYMPTOMS THAT A PROBLEM WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN BEFORE THIS. WHEN THE TOW GUY CAME, HE MOVED THE CAR BY HAND WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT A TINY BIT SOMETIMES FORWARD AND SOMETIMES BACK, BUT SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL. WE TOWED IT TO MEDFORD FORD WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING A WHOLE NEW COMPUTER BRAIN. THEY SAID THERE WAS "MOISTURE" ON THE COMPUTER. THE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR IS $1,042 PLUS TAX. I TOLD THEM WE HAD THE BRAIN REPLACED 15 MONTHS AGO (ON 12/8/11); THEY SAID THERE IS ONLY A WARRANTY FOR 12 MONTHS. THEY SAID THAT THIS VEHICLE IS "NOTORIOUS" FOR THIS PROBLEM. SEE MY REGISTERED COMPLAINT ON THE 12/8/11 INCIDENT (SAFERCAR.GOV ODI NO.: 10503670). I HAVE TOTALLY BROKEN DOWN IN THIS VEHICLE 5 TIMES, EACH FOR MAJOR REPAIRS. (SEE ALSO, MY SAFERCAR.GOV ODI NO.: 10397445 FOR MY EXPERIENCE WITH TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE.) *TR

I AM WRITING ABOUT THIS 12/8/11 INCIDENT TODAY, BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED TO ME AGAIN! ON 3/14/13 (I WILL ENTER A SEPARATE COMPLAINT THE 3/14/13 EVENT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS ONE IS REGISTERED). IN BOTH CASES, THE ENTIRE COMPUTER BRAIN HAD TO BE REPLACED, EACH TIME COSTING OVER $1,000. 12/8/11 INCIDENT: WHILE DRIVING, I FOUND THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT RESPONDING TO ACCELERATION. A SYMBOL LIT UP ON THE DASHBOARD. HAVING EXPERIENCED A TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE 8 MONTHS BEFORE (SAFERCAR.GOV ODI NO.: 10397445), I WORRIED THAT THIS MIGHT BE TRANSMISSION RELATED AGAIN. I WAS LOSING MOVEMENT, BUT THE ENGINE STILL RAN, AND COASTED INTO A VACANT LOT. WHILE WAITING FOR A TOW, I FOUND THAT I COULD SOMETIMES DRIVE FORWARD OR REVERSE A BIT (A FEW FEET), BUT SOMETIMES I COULD NOT. THE MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER BRAIN. HE BOUGHT THE PART FROM MEDFORD FORD, IN NEW JERSEY. I CAN LOCATE THE EXACT COST OF THE REPAIR AT A LATER TIME, BUT IT WAS APPROXIMATELY $1,000. I HAD NO SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOMS AHEAD OF TIME, WHICH WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT I WAS ABOUT TO BREAK DOWN. I HAVE TOTALLY BROKEN DOWN 5 TIMES IN THIS VEHICLE, EACH FOR MAJOR REPAIRS. *TR

OUR 2004 FORD FREESTAR STALLED, AND THEN SURGED AFTER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THE NEXT DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER, CAPITAL CITY FORD IN INDIANAPOLIS, WHO IN INDICATED THE CODE WAS FOR A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. WE PAID OVER $800 TO HAVE THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED ON DECEMBER 27TH. IN LATE FEBRUARY THE VAN BEGAN TO STALL AND SURGE AGAIN. WE SUSPECTED THE SAME PROBLEM. IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS OFF AND ON FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AND ON MARCH 8TH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID THE INITIAL CODE WAS FOR THE SAME ERROR, BUT WHEN ANOTHER MECHANIC/TECHNICIAN CHECKED THE CODE IT CAME UP WITH A DIFFERENT PROBLEM. WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE THERE WAS "MOISTURE" GETTING INTO THE PCM CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND NOT ONLY WAS IT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL, BUT WAS GIVING WRONG ERROR CODES. THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PCM WAS ESTIMATED TO BE A +$1,000 COST. WE WERE ADVISED THAT IT "SEEMED TO BE" A DESIGN FLAW IN THE LOCATION OF THE PCM IN THAT IT IS IN LINE WITH THE WATERFLOW FROM THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET ON THIS ISSUE, IT APPEARS IT IS A LONG-STANDING ISSUE WITH MANY OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE AND EVEN WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE PCM THE PROBLEM WILL HAPPEN AGAIN DUE TO THE DESIGN FLAW. THE SAFETY RISK RELATED TO ENGINE STALLS DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE PCM IS UNACCEPTABLE. THE FAILURE OF THE DEALERSHIP TO IDENTIFY THIS WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM AND CHARGE US FOR A REPAIR (FUEL PUMP) THAT WAS UNNECESSARY IS UNCONSCIONABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS BUILDING UP IN THE WHEEL WELL BRACKETS FOR THE THIRD ROW SEATS. AS A RESULT, THE SEAT EXHIBITED RUST AND CORROSION. IN ADDITION, THE REAR SEAT ANCHOR PLATE WAS COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000.