2005 FORD FREESTAR Complaints

2005 FORD FREESTAR 70,000 MILES WIFE WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY WHEN VEHICLE LOST POWER. LUCKILY SHE SAFELY COASTED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. LOCAL FORD DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE AND STATED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND PRICE WAS $3000. VEHICLE HAD NO NOTICEABLE PROBLEMS WITH SHIFTING OR ANY TRANSMISSION ISSUES PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2005 FORD FREESTAR LIMITED -- VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING AND LOSES POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. VEHICLE HAS HAD ACCELERATION AND REVVING OF ENGINE WHEN IDLING IN NEUTRAL, AND ALSO SOMETIMES NO REVERSE GEAR. SOMETIMES IT JUST FAILS TO START. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED TO BE REPAIRED BY TWO DIFFERENT FORD DEALERSHIP MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS AND ANOTHER LOCAL MECHANIC. ALL PROBLEMS APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE COMPUTER (PCM) AND/OR TRANSMISSION. THE COMPUTER (PCM) HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE BY FORD IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. WATER KEEPS GETTING INTO THE PCM COMPARTMENT AND CAUSING HAVOC. THEY DON'T SEEM TO KNOW HOW TO STOP IT, AND THE PROBLEM KEEPS REPEATING ITSELF. LAST TIME, TWO WEEKS AGO, WE HAD TO CALL 911 WHEN WE STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I STEPPED ON THE GAS, BUT THE VAN DID NOT GO FORWARD. CARS WERE NOW RACING PAST OUR STOPPED VAN, ON BOTH SIDES, AT HIGH SPEED. WE WERE SITTING DUCKS. WE CALLED 911 TO GET POLICE OUT TO STOP TRAFFIC FOR FEAR OF BEING REARENDED AT HIGH SPEED. MYSELF, WIFE AND THREE KIDS (10,7,2) WERE STUCK THERE. GOOD SAMARATIN RISKED HIS LIFE AND STOPPED ALL TRAFFIC BEHIND US WHILE I CARRIED KIDS OUT OF VAN TO SAFETY. OTHERS HELPED PUSH THE VAN OFF THE ROAD. VAN HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP SINCE THEN FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS, BUT THEY SAY "CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM" (WHEN THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS). I ASKED THEM TO OPEN COMPUTER AGAIN TO CHECK FOR WATER BUT THEY REFUSE -- SAYING IT'S TOO DIFFICULT AND IT CAN'T BE IN THERE (EVEN THOUGH IT HAS PROVEN TO BE THE PROBLEM ON NUMEROUS PREVIOUS INSTANCES). I REPORTED ISSUE TO FORD NATIONAL "CUSTOMER CARE" HOTLINE SEVERAL TIMES. I HAVE ASKED THEM TO RECALL THE VAN FOR SAFETY ISSUES AND TO HELP ME. THEY REFUSE (CITING "OUT OF WARRANTY"). THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 42K MILES ON IT NOW. PROBLEMS BEGAN SPRING 2009 (AT ABOUT 35K MILES) WHEN HEAVY RAINS HAPPENED ALL YEAR. MANY OTHER OWNERS WITH SAME DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

I HAD JUST LEFT MY DRIVEWAY. AS I WAS PULLING ONTO CALABASH DRIVE FROM A STOP SIGN AT MAPLEWOOD DRIVE MY VEHICLE LOST SPEED. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING I LOST CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION. SINCE I WAS ONLY TRAVELING APPROX. 25 MPH I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT INTO A DRIVEWAY. I TRIED ALL THE GEARS AND HAD NO RESPONSE FROM ANY. I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND WAITED APPROX. 2 MINUTES AND RESTARTED IT. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE APPROX 100 FEET BEFORE I AGAIN LOST CONTACT WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I REPEATED THIS PROCEDURE 4 TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO PULL BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I CONTACTED A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED THERE. I HAD TO HAVE A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER INSTALLED WHICH COST ME A TOTAL OF $991.84 I HAD NO WARNING OF THIS OCCURRENCE AS THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN DRIVEN EARLIER THAT DAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTAR. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 45 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ACCORDINGLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRAGGING AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE TORQUE CONVERTER. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE, APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED AND ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,826 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I BEGAN HAVING INTERMITTENT TROUBLE STARTING THE VAN IN FEB. 2010 DURING A RECORD SNOW WEEK. I CONTRIBUTED IT TO THE COLD WEATHER AND BAD CONDITIONS. IN MARCH THE PROBLEM CONTINUED VERY SPORADICALLY WITH NOT STARTING ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. ON MARCH 5TH THE VAN ENGINE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. ON MARCH 7TH, WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR THE VAN CUT OUT 4 TIMES IN A 2 BLOCK PERIOD. WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OFF IT WOULD BE WITHOUT WARNING WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE VAN WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE CENTER WHERE I WAS TOLD IT WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 121 MILES. FORD IS CURRENTLY REFUSING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. I HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE OTHER COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUES ON THE MAKE AND MODEL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ALONG I-55 IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS AT 65 MPH. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER, MY 2005 FORD FREESTAR MINIVAN REVVED UP - THE TACHOMETER NEEDLE FLEW UP TO BETWEEN 5000 AND 6000 RPM - AND ALL POWER WAS LOST IMMEDIATELY. ALL I COULD DO WAS COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NO VEHICLES TRAVELING VERY CLOSE BEHIND ME - WITH THE LOSS OF POWER, ANY VEHICLE NEAR ME WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO MY VEHICLE. I ENDED UP SPENDING 2 HOURS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD - WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK... AND HAD THE VAN TOWED APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP BACK IN THE TOWN IN WHICH I LIVE. THE FORD DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THE MAIN INPUT SHAFT WAS BROKEN AND THE VAN WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED - TO THE TUNE OF APPROXIMATELY $3400. MY HUSBAND AND I ARE STILL TRYING TO DETERMINE AT THIS POINT WHETHER WE WANT TO PUT THIS MUCH MONEY INTO FIXING THIS CAR AND AFTER READING THE DISCUSSION FORUMS ABOUT THE TROUBLE THAT MANY CONSUMERS ARE HAVING MORE THAN ONE TIME, WHETHER WE WILL EVER TRUST THIS VEHICLE AGAIN. *TR

DRIVING AT 65 MPH UNDER CRUISE CONTROL RPM SURGED UP. TAPPED BRAKES AND ENGINE APPEARED DISCONNECT FROM DRIVE WHEELS. COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND STOPPED. COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. COULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR INCLUDING REVERSE. TRANSMISSION FLUID MARK WAS ABOVE FULL MARK. RESULT WAS FAILURE IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER SPLINE.

ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010 MY WIFE WENT TO LEAVE THE DRIVEWAY WITH OUR 2005 FORD FREESTAR WITH MY TWO SONS. THE MINIVAN WOULD START THEN DIE. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT THE PCM HAD WATER AND CORROSION AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT TSB FOR THIS ISSUE THEY SAY IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE PREMIUM WARRANTY THAT I PURCHASED AND THAT I MUST PAY IN FULL FOR THIS PROBLEM WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY $940. THANKFULLY THIS HAPPENED AT HOME AND NOT SOMEWHERE OUT ON THE ROAD. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT FORD IS FULLY AWARE OF AND REFUSES TO REMEDY SO THE OWNER IS STUCK HOLDING THE BILL. THIS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHSTA BOARD TO FORCE FORD TO FIX THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

2005 FORD FREESTAR - MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY KIDS AND THE CAR JUST STARTED LOSING ITS ACCILERATION. AND THEN WOULD NOT MOVE. SHE IS RIGHT NOW ON THE HIGHWAY WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, IT HAPPENED TO ME A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND I TOOK IT INTO FORD AND THEY TOLD ME THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED ON ALL THESE VEHICLES.

2005 FORD FREESTAR, WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. ONCE IT DID, AND I BEGAN DRIVING, CAR JUST STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTION. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND PULL OVER TO SAFER AREA. NO PREVIOUS SIGNS OF A PROBLEM.