Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact stated the vehicle suddenly stalled immediately after it stopped. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. There was an open investigation under the federal safety agency action number: pe10033 (vehicle speed control power, train:automatic transmission control module (TCM, PCM)) that may be related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
2004 Ford Freestar transmission complaints
Page 13 of 30: complaints 341 to 370 of 851, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Our 2004 ford freestar limited without warning suddenly lost power in heavy traffic. The vehicle started to slow down, and the engine RPM raced. We were able to coast to the side of the roadway, where the vehicle had no forward or backwards power. We were stuck until a repair garage could be reached and arrangements made for retrieval. The vehicle had to be loaded on a trailer and towed from the side of the roadway. The vehicle is now at the repair facility awaiting disassembly and diagnosis of the failure.
We were driving east on the pa turnpike just past hershey exit and the vehicle was set on cruise at 65mph. All of the sudden the engine went into a high rev and the tach shot up to 5000 RPM. I hit the brake to kill the cruise and then stepped on the gas and it just revved up, as I was continually losing speed. I pulled off the highway,thank god there was a pullover so I didn't have to stay on the shoulder of the road. I was dead in the water, no forward or reverse at all! No warning it just happened out of no where. I was taking my girlfriend to her doctor appoint at u of penn childrens hospital for her disease,she is severely disabled and we need the van for her power wheel chair. I am very disappointed ford will not own up to the failures in this particular transmission. There are complaints all over the web about this model and it's failing transmissions at 70 to 80 k miles. We are both disabled and now have no transportation and no way to pay for a $2500-$3400 transmission replacement!
2004 ford freestar transmission failure with no advanced warning (ie. No transmission slipping, no noise, no shaking etc...) on expressway with wife and two children. Deceleration in traffic traveling 65 MPH with no brake warning to those behind us could have been catastrophic!!!
2004 ford freestar van, replaced the transmission and torque converter. Loss power and rpms increased, gears in torque converter were stripped. New certified transmission doing some of the same issues.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and noticed that the engine exhibited an increase in rpms but the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the contacts home and later inspected by an independent mechanic who advised that the torque converter needed to be replaced because it had detached from the vehicle. The repairs were performed yet the failure recurred while driving approximately 55 MPH and the torque converter was detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
2004 ford freestar transmissions are faulty and it should be the manufaturers responsibility to fix the problems they created.
My daughter's boyfriend was driving our 2004 ford freestar home from his work on interstate 70 yesterday. He had it set on cruise and suddenly the RPM shot up to max and the vehicle was not being propelled any longer. He immediately pulled out of traffic and stopped on the side of the interstate. When he did it, the shifter would move, but no gear, including reverse would engage. I have read many complaints of the very same issue today and I'm just adding ours to the list. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact was driving approximately 65 MPH when the transmission failed and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. The vehicle coasted to a stop before being towed to an independent repair shop where the torque converter was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.
I have 2004 ford freestar van & have been having problems with it suddenly loosing power and loss of acceleration. I had to have the transmission replaced at 68,000 miles and van seemed to run fine for while then about 2 weeks ago with 109,000 miles I was leaving work after late shift at hospital & van would not get any power or accelerate. I was left stranded in downtown area that is known for crime and homeless. I was able to get ride home & had van towed, after over $300 van was running again. I was on way to work on 6-5-2011 & same thing happened to van, no power or accel, late in evening ,woman by myself on street where many hoodlums frequent. I was very fearful of my safety. I was able to get tow from aaa & ride to work. I'm still without my van after 2 weeks. The mechanic who originally fixed it can't get it to keep running again now, some defect in van is apparently causing coil packs to go bad and melting fuses into fuse box, this is somehow making computer system malfunction & sending various error codes that clear when fuses are replaced but fuses aren't able to be maintained and continue to blow and melt into fuse box repeating cycle, therefore van is not drivable at this time. It has been sent to another mechanic who is currently trying to fix it. I work about 30 miles from my home, I have young children that I have to take places, & have to drive to get to any stores for food &/or supplies. I am fearful if my van is fixed that it will break down again & I won't be as lucky as the last few times and me &/or my family will be injured in accident or worse. I hope this information is helpful .thank you.
While driving with our two daughters in the car on memorial day weekend, my wife was 30 miles from home, made a right turn at an intersection and car just stopped driving. Vehicle engine remained running but unable to make the car drive. Waited two hours for aaa to show up and tow her to a garage. Three days later we were told that the garage could not fix the van because it was a transmission issue and they were not a transmission shop. Called aaa again to have vehicle towed 30 miles to our local shop. I was aware to not bring it to a ford dealership to have it fixed because they will put the same bad part in the transmission again and would have another failure. Rebuilt transmission was installed with better torque converter than a ford dealership would put in. Rebuilt transmission has a 4 year/100,000 mile guarantee. I have been aware of the ongoing torque converter issues with these vans and had expected this one to break as well. I sent an email to the federal safety agency last year with my concerns and got no response from them. This van had 80000 miles on it. This problem needs to be addressed with ford. Luckily noone has been seriously injured in these break downs but it is only a matter of time. There has been a serious failure of oversight into ford motor company by the federal safety agency not to make ford recall these vehicles considering there has been so many with the same problems.
2004 ford freestar transmission failure with 93,000 miles. The transmission just stopped working while driving on I-895, a major interstate through baltimore, md. The van had to be abandoned, but caused two other accidents while we waited for a tow truck. This seriously put my family and the safety others in jeopardy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact stated that when first starting the vehicle, the gear shifter would not shift into gear. The vehicle was inspected by the owner who discovered that the failure could potentially have been caused by the transmission. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Letter from senator graham on behalf of constituent re the transmission failure in his 2004 ford freestar
Driver was at a full stop at a traffic light preparing to make a left-hand turn onto a major 4-lane divided highway. Once the light turned green, the driver accelerated from full stop to about 10-15 MPH and put the vehicle into a left-hand turn. After the initial acceleration, driver coasted through the actual turn. Coming out of the turn into the straightaway, the driver pressed down on the accelerator to continue accelerating into the travel lanes of the 4-lane divided highway. No response from the vehicle other than hearing the engine rev higher with depression of the gas pedal. No acceleration, no forward momentum other than the vehicle coasting. Driver was able to coast safely to a stop on the shoulder of the road. When trying to diagnose the problem, driver noted that the shifting gears did not result in any detectable gear shift noise or vibration, even when going to park or reverese. Pressing the gas pedal only resulted in revving the engine - this was true for all gear positions, including reverse. No acceleration was noted at all. Vehicle was towed to the nearest ford dealership for diagnosis and repair. Dealership investigated and noted that the transmission had failed. When speaking to the service rep it was mentioned that the torque converter had failed and there were broken off metal parts in the collection pan of the case. The entire transmission assembly had to be replaced. It is fortunate that the failure occurred at low speed in a controlled intersection on a clear road without approaching traffic. With no ability to accelerate, the driver only had a small amount of forward momentum to work with to clear the travel lanes safely. If this failure occurred at highway speeds the outcome would not have been as positive.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact stated that the while driving out of a parking lot she put the vehicle into drive and it would not move forward. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. Forty five days after the repairs were done the transmission failed again. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 76,000 and current mileage was 77,000. Updated 07/08/11 *bf the consumer was informed the torque converter in the transmission needed to be replaced. Two weeks later, there was a loud screeching noise coming from under the vehicle. When the consumer attempted to put the vehicle in reverse, the engine just revved. It was determined it was the same problem as before. Updated 09/01/11
Transmission failure 2004 freestar.
Started freestar and right away sputtering and didn't want to accelerate when given gas, would stall but start back up and do the same thing when trying to accelerate, sputter and stall out and lose power. First shop says its the transmission, had it towed to another shop for 2nd opinion and currently waiting on their word.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact was driving 50 MPH when the accelerator pedal was depressed yet the vehicle began to decelerate independently. The contact moved the vehicle from the roadway and depressed the accelerator with extreme force. The vehicle began to jerk forward abnormally before engaging into gear and accelerating as normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the transmission would need replacing. The manufacturer was contacted and a claim was filed but no other assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the torque converter failed twice. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
Transmission failed in my 2004 ford freestar sel with 56,000 miles. Had to pay ford $3,000 to replace it. Also had rotor problems and had to replace brake calibers.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the transmission failed to respond. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle was towed to an independent transmission repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt on two separate occasions. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired for the most recent transmission failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The VIN was unavailable.
2004 freestar van going down road at 60 miles and car lost power transmission failed. Now we need a new transmission because ford built a faulty design and won't recall them.
While driving approx 40 on a suburban road car began to surge forward and I found it would not accelerate past 40 and then not at all. Then it surge again and drove for a bit and repeated the cycle. I had my toddler in the car and was almost to the sitters so I slowly made it near their home when I got stuck at a light. While stopped it began to violently shake and the battery light was flashing. It also began to smell as if something was burning. It shook a little longer and died. It started back up after a few tries and I was able to drop her off and get it to the shop. I bought this used 3 months ago and have already replaced all door contacts, the wiring in the steering column, all wiring in the heating system, the rear power windows, the horn and other small things. Now this. I will never buy another ford and want something done about this monstrosity ford put out on the road.
Driving down rural highway, sudden loss of drive ability to vehicle, vehicle coasted to stop on shoulder of highway. Engine still had power. Towed van to ford dealership, result of diagnosis and repair: torque converter failed causing severe damage to transmission and radiator. Damage required new components to be installed.
While turning left in a busy intersection, the engine lost all power. When I pressed the gas pedal, the engine revved, but would not engage. I coasted to the right side of the road and I put the vehicle in park. I tried all gears and the vehicle would not move. After having it towed to the nearest repair shop, the diagnosis was a failed transmission. The mechanic put in a new turbine shaft, pump assembly, pressure regulating solenoid and replaced the torque converter, transmission filter and fluids. It was a $1900.00 repair. Several auto mechanics I spoke with were well aware of the problem. This seemed unusual to me. They all said that this is a widely known problem with ford freestars at about 80,000 miles. I contacted ford motor company. It denied any knowledge. I began researching. After reading several auto blogs and message boards, I learned that the federal safety agency had opened a investigation into this possible transmission defect.
Transmission failure at 88,000 miles. This is apparently a known issue with these vehicles and there is a class action pending. No indication of any problem then suddenly the car will not go into gear and is dead in the water even though engine is running.
Driving a ford 2004 freestar 113k miles no previous transmission issue. Backed car out of driveway, lost gears when shifting into drive. Could not recover gear. No slipping gears or other symptom prior to failure. No prior history of transmission related problems at all. Towed to mechanics shop, recommended replace transmission. Replaced with used trans, $1800.
I was traveling on the new jersey turnpike, heading north bound in the middle lane. I felt a sudden thump and then notice the mini van started to rev up to 4500 - 5000 RPM, which it has never done. I pull to the emergency pull off. The car would turn on and shift however, it would not move in forward or reverse.
2004 ford freestar sel traveling @ 60 MPH. As I was proceeding up a hill, I noticed that the rpms were increasing but the car was not accelerating. I tried to moved to the shoulder but the car slowed to a stop before I could get completely off the road. After rolling it off the roadway, my husband who was following us arrived. After several attempts to shift into different gears it was apparent there nothing happening in the transmission. We are getting the transmission repaired/rebuilt as we speak. Mileage, 104,000.
My 2004 ford freestar suddenly would not accelerate or maintain speed while I was driving. I was able to coast a few feet to a safe place to leave the car. The car was running, but would not move in any gear. There was no indication of anything wrong with the car before then. When the failure occurred, I did hear a sound lasting maybe 5 seconds, a bit like hissing. The dealership repair guy told me the input shaft to the transmission snapped. The cost to repair is estimated at $3,200. This occurred on april 24, 2011.
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