I bought a 2004 ford freestar with 16000 miles indicated on the odometer in 2005. The transmission failed at approximately 100,000 miles. I paid to have a used transmission installed at a cost of $2100 in 2009. The used transmission also failed after a period of approximately 4 months and I am left with a useless pile of parts. I have researched this situation through the internet and have found that many other owners of ford freestar minivans have experienced the same problems. Is the federal safety agency planning any investigation on this issue? Thanks for your assistance.
2004 Ford Freestar transmission complaints
Page 19 of 30: complaints 521 to 550 of 851, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Sudden transmission failure due to torque converter. Driving home from out of state vacation. Traveling 60 MPH in passing lane when vehicle began to rapidly decelerate. Coasted across inside lane through traffic to shoulder of highway. Transmission fluid level was good. Towed to transmission shop and family and I waited several days for transmission to be repaired and rebuilt at cost exceeding $2600.
My ford freestar 2004 suddenly stopped as I was driving. The car was revving but car seemed to be in neutral. Luckily I was driving slow on a quiet suburban street when it occurred and I was able to pull into a side street. Obviously, I was very shaken up. I called the ford service center, but instead of acknowledging that this is an incident that they have been aware of, they told me that I should get it towed into service and get a diagnostic for $115.00. Then he told me that most likely I needed a new transmission for anywhere between $3000 - 4000. The guys from ford were not only playing dumb, but were also trying to take advantage of their defective transmission by making even more money. No wonder they were the only car manufacturer that didn't ask for a government loan. They just steal what they need from the consumer. How easy is that. Now I want to know how smart they would be if indeed someone died from this deficiency. Perhaps mr. Ford would like to call mr. Toyota to ask for some advice in advance. With all the complaints just on this one site, this is proof that they have been ignoring this problem. They are well aware of the situation. This makes for more evidence when there is a class action lawsuit.
Transmission bucks when in overdrive,delays engagement in reverse, took van to trans shop and was told codes showed defective torque converter. I'm in the process of having it fixed.
I own a 2004 ford freestar. Without warning or any other previous problems, the transmission stopped working and would not respond in any gear. The vehicle continues to not respond and subsequently had to be towed to a garage. Currently, the ford garage (purvis ford, fredericksburg va) has the vehicle and they are telling me that they need to break open the case to investigate further. There are no outer signs of the problem.
Hello, I am another victim of the 2004 ford freestar transmission (torque converter) failures. I had no warning at all that something was wrong, there was not lights or sounds even when it completely failed there were still not a single light or noise. I am very concerned about this because I have seen where a whole lot of other people have had the same problem and I do not understand why ford is not recalling this. Are they waiting for someone to get killed if it has not already happened. I had my 3 sons in the van and was on our way home when all of a sudden when we turned the corner the van would not move anymore, the engine would just rev like we were in neutral. I was almost rear ended by three different cars and my children were scared to death. As of right now my van is at glen burnie transmissions (who knew exactly what the problem was when I told them the type of vehicle) getting fixed and is going to cost me anywhere from $1500 to 2500 dollars. When I had it towed to the shop they (glen burnie transmissions) had stated that they have seen so many of these vans with the same problem. I am not understanding why this has not been recalled because everyone who drives a 2004 freestar are not doing something wrong to cause this to happen. I just like to see something done before someone really gets hurt if it has not happened yet.
Transmission on 2004 ford freestar failed during normal driving, no warning whatsoever. Mileage was just over 70000. Transmission had to be replaced at a cost of $2500. Oil and fluids had been changed regularly.
We bought a 2004 ford freestar with 68,000 miles on it 3 years ago, 1 month after purchasing the transmission failed with no warning going 75 down the interstate. Had transmission repaired after an expensive tow and rental cars got the vehicle back. 1 1/2 years later I am having the same trouble again. Can't afford to keep fixing an obvious defect.
Tl*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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal when the vehicle stalled; however, the engine was still on. The vehicle was taken to a local service station where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 72,000.
Pulling into parking lot and transmission went out. Only has 89,000 miles on it. Had to be rebuilt. Cost 1897.70 to fix. 2004 ford freestar.
2004 ford freestar minivan - drove minivan to a relatives house, was running fine, no noises or slipping of the transmission at all, got in to leave and had no power in the transmission. Transmission arms will engage but appears torque converter is not operable. The vehicle still won't run and it's going to cost me $3000 to fix!! There are many many complaints of this type and also an open investigation. Many many complaints.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission failed. The contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road and have the vehicle towed to a local repair shop. The mechanic confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 60,000.
In october of 2009, while traveling i65 with my 7 year old to his fall cub scout camp out, my 2004 ford freestar dropped out of gear. After cautiously steering to the emergency lane and getting the van towed to my mechanic, it was determined that the torque converted needed replacing. Ok, so bad luck, I don't like it, but I'll pay it. I was then told that the steel ford used in that years transmission was a soft metal and I will eventually more than likely have to replace it. Now, approximately 6 months later, my family and I are traveling i75 and my trans axle light starts to flash. We have the van home and I am scared to know how much this is going to cost. The reason for my complaint is that after looking on the internet and seeing all of the issues reported about the '04 freestar, I am shocked that the federal safety agency nor ford has done anything to remedy the matter. With transmissions and torque converters going out with no warning signs, especially on highways, I find it very dangerous and disheartening that it is still a matter that is lingering. Can I have the information that the federal safety agency has accumulated over time concerning the freestar and what the department of transportation uses a "measuring stick" when determining something is unsafe and should be remedied?
I noticed the federal safety agency may have opened a probe on the 2004 ford freestar transmission issue. The transmission has failed twice at 65,000 miles , once with my wife driving alone at night at highway speed, and the second time with my 17 year old daughter driving at night with friends. Both times created extremely dangerous situations to the occupants and fellow drivers on the road around them. The first the transmission failed at 65 MPH, lost power completely. At the time I had the van towed to lindsay ford in wheaton, md and the torque converter replaced for $2,200. Two months later the incident occurred again with my daughter driving and we had it towed to the dealer again and they "could not duplicate the problem and saw no codes"- paid another $300 for "camshaft sensor replacement" this is an extremely dangerous situation. I have heard this issue has occurred repeatedly and numerous times.
We lost power to our freestar as we entered a major highway. The engine was on, but there was no power. My wife and daughters were terrified as the traffic was coming upon on us and we could not move quickly out of the way. Fortunately they were able steer out our way. The transmission had went out and cost me over $1400.00 to repair.
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.
Vehicle stalled, would not stay running, bucked violently. After taking to my mechanic, diagnosed it to be water entering the PCM module. Ford has a tsb for the issue, tsb 06-14-10. Ford would not stand behind vehicle as it was out of warranty. Only has 48,500 miles. This incident could kill someone if the the right driving conditions are met when the failure happens. Only a matter of time, if it has not already happened and it is undetected. Still at the shop to be repaired at this time with the mechanics I trust, not ford.
I own a 2004 ford freestar sel 4.2l. In oct 2009, when I was driving in my van with my entire family, I totally lost all the transmission all of a sudden. It was a busy intersection and luckily the cars behind us were able to navigate away. With all the momentum gone, I had a tough time to even pulling over to safety. This was a nerve-wrecking experience given that I had my whole family inside the van. After multiple consultations and diagnosis by repair shops, I found that my transmission was broken. I was so stunned. The mileage on my van is just 55k miles. I spent $3100 to repair and replace the transmission. I paid a lot to get the minivan and such a huge expense for such relatively new van is not in the right consumer interest. Adding to this misery is that when I searched on the internet about freestar transmission problems, there are lot of incidents (way too many) same as mine. Almost all of them occurring in the similar model and year and in similar fashion. Even at high speeds the transmission just gave away. Not at any point, ford has come back with any information or any recalls to fix this problem. This is a totally reckless act from a company who claims safety is their primary concern. I had taken this issue with ford with no resolution. I tried with bbb auto line but with no resolution. Please address the same and provide me an amicable solution. *tr updated 06/28/10
I have a 2004 ford freestar. We keep it up properly with all the oil changes and such. On march the 3rd I went to pull away as the light turned green, I barely got into the middle of the road when the van suddenly lost all power. The motor was running but the van would not move. Thank god I did not get hit. We had it taken to the repair shop. They don't know whats wrong with it, no lights or warnings came on but it had to have a new transmission.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact was driving at approximately 5 MPH when he noticed that the transmission felt as if it were slipping. The contact then took the vehicle to a local mechanic who test drove the vehicle and experienced no problems. The next day when attempting to pull out of his driveway, the vehicle would not shift into drive or reverse. The contact called the dealership and the dealer informed him that the PCM had gotten wet and was the cause for the failure. The dealer instructed him on how to perform the repair for the vehicle and the contact noticed no more problems after the repair. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 65,100. The failure mileage was approximately 64,800.
Bought van in june 2007 nothing but problems since. Replaced battery within 2 months of purchase. Replace o2 sensors 3 times and need done again. Replaced transmission, radiator, egr valve, brakes 4 times, tie rod 2 times, calibers 2 times, rotors 3 times, fuel line, you name it, we have had to fix it. Nothing but problems. We have spent close to 8k since feb 2008 on this vehicle and we can not get ford to help us at all. Now the axles need replaced as well as sensors again. The dvd player quit working after 4 months, driver side heated seats quit working after 4 months. Back passenger door sometimes won't open or unlock and sometimes it won't close when you try to close it. This vehicle has put my family in serious harm and we almost got into major accident do to most of the issues ie transmission stalled on interstate and had no warning at all. Worst vehicle of all times. I can not trade in becasue I owe over 11k on this piece of crap. Ford needs to refund me all of my money and suffering as well. I have thought about suing them for damages and selling this crap to us especially with 3 small children and having to travel to see family due to husband being a marine and always being deployed. Almost missed seeing my grandpa for the last time before he did back in sept because of the transmission. This vehicle needs to be off of the roads forever. All of them. Everyone that we know that has these vehicles have the same problems as us.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact was driving approximately 35 MPH. The accelerator pedal was engaged, followed by a delay in the response time. The vehicle has not been diagnosed at this time. The current and failure mileages were 105,000.
Tl* 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 experienced a sudden loss of power after accelerating from a stop light on the morning. I coasted to the side of the road, called my husband, did I mention it was 445 am, he came and towed me out of the way of traffic and had it towed to lithia ford dealership when they opened. We were told by the service adviser that a new transmission is needed, but they couldn't take it apart because to warranty company would not allow it.
Driving our van on the highway, it suddenly made a revving noise but did not accelerate. This happened again, and then when my husband pushed the gas pedal, the van did not respond. Luckily he was able to steer it to the side of the highway. No warning, no engine light, and the transmission was suddenly not working at all. Very scary and we feel lucky it didn't cause an accident, with our two children in the van. This very thing has happened to hundreds of other people according to internet reports. Ford dealership estimates repair at $2500-3000 to repair or replace the transmission. For a van with only 64,000 miles on it? This puts us in financial hardship and I am scared it will happen again.
My 2004 freestar transmission failure had about 39,000 or 41,000 miles on vehicle had just gotten into passing lane on highway to pass truck,when without and warning the trans just quit no power to wheels at all, luckily I was able to coast into the median of road between divided highways. I want to report because like hundreds of others I made no reports because vehicle was just over the 36,000 mile warranty so I had to just pay the bill and have vehicle fixed there were no recalls according to repair shop.
We have a 2004 ford freestar (bought used in 2006 with 46,000 miles on it) with 82,426 miles on it. My wife came home from work on friday november 9, 2007, parked the van. When she went to leave for work on monday the 12th the van wouldn't move. We had the transmission power flushed and fluid changed at the dealer at 70,000 miles. We haven't had the money to get the transmission replaced so we have a very expensive, nice looking, driveway ornament that we're still making payments on and insuring. From the thousand of post I've read complaining about these transmission failures, I can only be thankful that ours failed in the driveway at home and not in the middle of downtown traffic.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving at approximate speeds of 20 MPH the vehicle exhibited transmission failure. A passerby assisted with moving the vehicle from the highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed and it was verified that the transmission needed to be replaced. The approximate failure and current mileages were 76,500.
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