2004 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

1) WE NOW HAVE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE COST TO REPAIR EQUALS MOST OF THE VEHICLE'S VALUE. 2) DRIVER-SIDE PASSENGER DOOR CLOSES AND OPENS AGAIN CONTINUALLY. WE GET OUT AND DO THAT MANUALLY. 3) WITH FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR, GOING DOWN HILLS, THE FREESTAR TRANSMISSION HAS "CHUGGED" FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW, REPRODUCE-ABLE AT DEALER LAST YEAR BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND CAUSE (WE RAN OUT OF MONEY LETTING THEM STUDY IT).... WE NOW KNOW THESE THINGS ARE ALL RELATED. RESEARCH ONLINE SHOWS OTHER OWNERS HAVE FOUND WET PCM TO BE PROMULGATING CAUSE FOR DOOR SENSORS AND THE CAUSE FOR PREMATURE FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION DUE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY PCM OVER TIME. TO PUT PCM BELOW WINDSHIELD, WITHOUT PROPER WATERPROOF HOUSING, THIS IS A DESIGN ERROR THAT CAUSES VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE DAMAGE AND REPAIRS THAT WILL BE REQUIRED AGAIN, WITHOUT PCM BEING TOUCHED. DEALERS REPAIR DAMAGE (NOT CAUSE) UNDER WARRANTY, BUT MOST OF US ARE NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. WE'VE ONLY GOT 74000 VERY WELL-CARED FOR MILES. PROBLEM IS THE VEHICLE IS NOW NOT DRIVABLE; TRANSMISSION IS SHOT. FORD REFUSES TO MAKE GOOD FOR US. THE SCHEDULE RECALL FOR THE TRANS AXLE WILL BE OUR NEXT REPAIR, BUT IT WON'T REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION! SEE: HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0FB94A!MAKE=FORD&MODEL=FREESTAR&ED_MAKEINDEX=.F0FB94A. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V006000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER). ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE SHOULD BE AN AMENDMENT TO THE RECALL STATING THAT WHEN THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILS WHILE DRIVING, ALL OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID SHOULD BE FLUSHED OUT TO MEND THE BROKEN COMPONENTS. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 178,000.

DRIVING NORTH ON MINNESOTA HIGHWAY 169 AT 65MPH AND NOTICE SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER AND WITHIN THREE MINUTES THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AS WELL AS SMOKE. THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE AND IT WAS RUNNING WELL WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT JUST STARTED SMOKING AND THEN IT BURST IN TO FLAMES. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, SHE WOULD OCCASIONALLY BECOME LOCKED INSIDE THE VEHICLE OR LOCKED OUT OF THE VEHICLE BY THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO SPORADICALLY FAIL TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TRANS RECEIVER WAS REPLACED AND THE COMPUTER WAS UPDATED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 135,000.

THE VEHICLE WILL BEGIN TO ACT LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL AT HIGH SPEEDS OR GOING UP HILL. WE NOTICE IT MORE WHEN WE ACCELERATE REALLY FAST LIKE AN ON RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, BUT IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN IT NEEDS THE EXTRA POWER GOING UP HILL. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS WATER GETTING INTO THE PCM CAUSING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH READ OUTS ON TEMPERATURES AND OTHER THINGS. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO GET THE TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACED A FEW YEARS AGO AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN TO ISSUES WITH THE PCM. *TR

TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND IT STARTED TO STALL. EVEN SINCE THEN VAN HAS BEEN HAVING A STALLING TYPE OF ISSUE. JUST IS PAST SUNDAY SUDDENLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND HAD TO WAIT A WHILE TO GET THE VAN TO MOVE. AS TO THE RETURN HOME [XXX] ALMOST CRASHED THRU THE GARAGE BECAUSE IT STOP MOVING, AS SHE HIT THE ACCELERATOR WHICH IT APPEAR TO GRASP GEAR CAUSE TRAUMATIC STREET. AS WE TRIED TO LOOK FOR A TROUBLE SHOOTING SOLUTION WE RAN INTO YOUR WEBSITE ABOUT THE RECALL. WE CONTACTED FORD ABOUT IT AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THERE IS NO RECALL AND CAN NOT FIX UNTIL THE LETTERS ARE RECEIVED FROM TO US FROM FORD. THEY SAID THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS COST AND WHEN THE RECALL LETTER IS OUT THEY CAN REFUND OUR MONEY BACK. ALSO NOTE WE PURCHASE THE VAN IN 2004 AND WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALLS. THE STRANGE PART IS THAT WHEN WE PROVIDE THE VIN, THEY DID NOT MADE US AWARE OF THIS. 2004 FORD TRUCK FREESTAR 2WD 3.9L SFI 6CYL ESTIMATED MILEAGE: 96066 NAME:[XXX] COLOR: TAN VIN:[XXX] NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V457000 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V446000 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06E056000 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V006000 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V006000 PLEASE ADVISE INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, AT ABOUT 35 MPH, MY 2004 FORD FREESTAR DIED. I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A SIDE STREET WITHOUT POWER. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT IT RAN ROUGHLY FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN BEHAVED NORMALLY UNTIL TWO DAYS LATER WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN ANY GEAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED HOME AND THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAID IT WAS BEHAVING LIKE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. APPARENTLY HE HAS SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. EXAMINATION OF THE COMPUTER (PCM) AND THE ATTACHMENT PLUG SHOWED SIGNIFICANT WATER ENTRY. WATER ACTUALLY RAN OUT OF THE PLUG AND THERE WAS WATER IN THE PCM ENCLOSURE. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF DRYING TIME, THE PCM WAS PUT BACK INTO THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE RAN NORMALLY. FORD HAS ISSUED A TSB THAT COVERS THE PROBLEM OF WATER GETTING INTO THE PCM AND CABLE, SO I AM SURE IT IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. I BELIEVE THAT IF THE VEHICLE IS ALLOWED TO SET IDLE FOR A NUMBER OF DAYS, THE PCM WILL DRY OUT BY ITSELF AND THEN RUN NORMALLY UNTIL THE NEXT RAIN STORM. NO DOUBT, MANY TRANSMISSIONS HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN ERROR, AND THE PROBLEM REOCCURS WHEN THE PCM AGAIN GETS WET. LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY MEANS NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES, WHICH CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE LOCATION OF THE PCM LENDS ITSELF TO WATER ENTRY AND APPEARS TO ME TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT THAT FORD SHOULD ADDRESS MORE FORCEFULLY THAN JUST TO ISSUE A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE THIRD ROW REAR SEAT WOULD NOT LATCH IN PLACE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE SEAT ANCHOR IN THE THIRD ROW SEAT WAS CORRODED AND BORE A HOLE INTO THE SEAT ANCHOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NOT A REPAIR AVAILABLE FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

LEFT REAR SEAT NO LONGER LATCHES MAKING IT UNSAFE. THE SEAT NO LONGER LATCHES BECAUSE LATCH THAT WAS FASTENED TO THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WELL HAS RUSTED COMPLETELY OFF THE WHEEL WELL. *TR

LAST THURSDAY AROUND 3:00PM I WAS DRIVING 55 MPH IN THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY I HEARD A STRANGE WHINNING NOISE EVERY TIME I TRIED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, I REALIZED THAT THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY SO I IMMEDIATELY DROVE ALL THE WAY TO THE EMERGENCY LANE WITH THE MOMENTUM THAT THE CAR HAD LEFT. THE CAR WAS NOT RESPONDING TO THE SHIFTING GEARS BUT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND THE SIGNALS WERE WORKING. LATER I FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. BUT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS STRANGE WAS THAT IT NEVER GAVE ME A WARNING. THAT WAS A SCARY EXPERIENCE WITH FULLY LOADED TRUCKS GOING OVER 70MPH NEXT TO MY VAN, WHICH WAS SHAKING WITH THEIR SPEED. I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY END. *TR