Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving approximately 20 MPH on wet road conditions, the engine stalled without warning. He was able to coast onto the emergency lane until the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but the technician recommended that the vehicle be inspected by an authorized dealer. The dealer stated that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced and also advised the contact to replace the transmission. There were no repairs made to the transmission and the failure persisted. The current mileage was unknown and the failure mileage was 72,000.
2004 Ford Freestar transmission complaints
Page 20 of 30: complaints 551 to 580 of 851, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar home with the kids on board. Without any warnings, she suddenly realized that even though she was giving the engine gas, the van was unresponsive and was simply coasting down the road. Unfortunately, there were no side streets or a shoulder to pull off onto, so the van eventually came to a stop mostly in a traffic lane. It had to be towed to a transmission repair service, where it was shown to have a faulty torque converter, with a repair costing about $2200. Upon doing some internet research, it seems that this is a common problem with this model. Fortunately, the road my wife was driving on was not particularly busy at the time. I con only imagine what might have happened if she was driving on the freeway in heavier traffic.
8/09, 76000 miles-transmission temperature light came on and trans began making whining noise while towing a trailer (trailer weight under rated capacity). Ford dealer determined torque converter was bad and replaced transmission under warranty( transmission was provided by the aftermarket extended warrant company because they didn't want to pay for the transmission from ford). 3/10, 85000 miles- transmission began making a loud whining noise after an 800 mile trip (no towing). Today the ford dealer says the whining was the trans. Pump and the fluid is full of metal,indicating an internal failure, requiring transmission replacement. The dealer is hoping the warranty company will just send a new transmission, this work has not been completed yet.
2004 ford freestar transmission failure at 63,000 miles no warning -- transmission would not engage - van was in motion - thank god I was not on a highway and was able to coast to the side of the road. Reviewing all the complaints this is a huge safety issue -- someone needs to address this before someone is killed because of the defective transmissions in these vehicles!
Without warning, our 2004 ford freestar lost all forward and reverse power in rush-hour traffic. I was traveling about 25 MPH when engine seemed to surge. Coasted to a stop and tried all gears. Nothing. Mechanic says torque converter spun itself loose inside transmission; quoted a repair price of $2,100. Also called it the freestar's achilles heel.
Vehicle driving normally, speeds up to 60mph. Stopped at traffic signal. At green, began to accelerate -- vehicle reaches almost 30mph when the engine revs and the vehicle ceases to engage in a forward motion. The vehicle was able to coast onto the shoulder and barely into a parking lot. No sign of problem, nothing to indicate the vehicle would cease moving. Towed to ford repair. Result was a complete rebuild of the transmission. Though no one was hurt (amazing for end-of-day rush traffic) it might have been quite the opposite as the next day I was to travel on major highways. I am still shuddering at the idea this could happen at anytime without any warning - perhaps with my 4 children in the car while passing a semi-truck on the highway. As it is, we are without our family vehicle. At this time it appears we will be without the vehicle for perhaps 2 - 3 weeks.
Twice driving heavy rain my 2004 free star staled out leaving a stop light. Upon restart would buck and stop running. Would not go into reverse without being put into park. Both times was towed to the dealer, was told the computer was water logged. The first time they took care or it this time they told me it is 825 plus tax and what ever time it took to find water leak. This same van also stop running in heavy rain around 58,000 miles with my wife driving and she almost was rear ended that time is was a transmission failure.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact was driving approximately 65 MPH on normal road conditions. Suddenly, there was no power response with the rear tires. The driver pulled over to the side of the road with caution. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The failure was contributed to the torque converter which was replaced. The failure mileage was 74,836.
My husband and I just purchased a 2004 ford freestar. Granted it is used with 94,000 miles, but we had it for exactly one week and the transmission went out as my husband, myself and our four children were going 70 MPH down an interstate. No warnings or anything....lord only knows how much its going to cost to replace and no money to really fix it. We were traveling down interstate 71 in ohio going to my father's. I had the cruise control set and hit the accelerator button on the steering wheel to speed up a bit. Once I did that, my RPM's shot up and I lost "control". I turned off my cruise control but was unable to accelerate using the gas pedal.
There are 2 incidences of transmission failure with our 2004 ford freestar, first time in march,2008, 2nd time in february, 2010.
The have been 2 incidences of transmission failure with our 2004 ford freestar. Transmission failed without warning in march 2008, again in february 2010.
2004 ford freestar transmission failure. After talking with ford service they didn't seem surprised by this. Now I'm stuck with replacing the transmission in my vehicle for something that it appears ford and many other people are aware of. I would appreciate action be taken against ford to get me and other consumers money back.
My wife was driving our 2004 ford freestar with only 84,000 when the transmission failed while she was driving. Luckily she was on a quiet road and not the highway and she was able to pull over with no problems. This happened to a friend of ours who also bought a 2004 ford freestar and his transmission went out with only 80,000 miles.
Serviced at the ford dealer-la mesa last 05/27/2008. And on 07/05/2008 the transmission broke down and replaced at the ford dealer-pasadena. Went back to la mesa to complain & said whatever visible was performed on the multi point inspection only. And they can't tell what's inside the transmission.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While the contact was driving 25 MPH she noticed that the vehicle had suddenly stopped accelerating while the vehicle remained on. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by a dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 53100.
2004 ford free star,van was in drive but failed to move on highway. Took to shop they said it is the transmission.
2004 ford freestar 'died' completely unexpectedly and without warning on the freeway (I-94 eastbound, clinton twp. Mi). My husband was very fortunate to have been so near an off ramp that he could coast down. The problem was the transmission, which we've had to have rebuilt after only 62,000 miles. I have since found out that there have been hundreds of complaints about this problem, as it seems to be an issue with the 2004 freestar. It cost us $2000 to have repaired...a hardship in this tough economy. I do not have the old parts.
My wife was driving her 2004 ford freestar on a rainy morning. It happened to be during rush hour. While waiting for traffic to start flowing, the van failed to move, leaving her and my daughters in the middle of the highway. After being pushed off the highway by a sapd officer, and waiting for a tow truck, we found out the transmission was bad. There was no prior indication of transmission problems or trouble. The transmission had to be rebuilt along with replacement of torque converter and other internal parts.
On saturday, january 8, 2010 I was slowly pulling away from a stop light at the intersection of j clyde morris and harpersville road, newport news, virginia, when I heard a mild 'ka thump' sound then the vehicle (2004 ford freestar with approx. 79, 500 miles) quit pulling and I coasted into the closet business parking lot. The vehicle would not move forward or backward at all. I had the vehicle towed back home (3 miles away) where it is still parked pending a recall of these high failures with ford freestars
After exiting interstate 12, transmission died. After exiting, I was at a stop sign. Hit the gas and nothing happened. There was no warning or signs that this was going to happen. Aaa sent a tow truck and had van towed to a transmission shop in hammond, la. That shop rebuilt the transmission. Several months later, van began to jerk and trouble accelerating. Took it to auto repair shop, which ran a diagnostics. A code came back indicating an issue with transmission sensor. Van would not shift into gear, so we had it towed to same transmission shop that rebuilt the transmission. They replaced a temperature sensor, got van working again. However, they found water in transmission control module (??). They dried it out, but said there was no guarantee how long the van would continue to operate b/c of potential damage the water could have caused the TCM.
For the first 16 months of ownership my ford 2004 freestar sel was in the shop 15 times for electrical failures. Even the dealership tried to get the van returned under the lemon law and ford refused. I had also complained about vibration at highway speeds, and told all was normal until I demanded they check the front brake and then was told they were bad. At about 65,000 miles my transmission suddenly and without any warning went out. I was just leaving the intersection and fortunately I was not rear ended. Now just last month, december 2009 it was discovered my right rear brake caliber has been dragging for some time as the inside brake pad was worn down to the metal. Left side was fine.
Backed 2004 freestar out of driveway. Shifted into drive and went forward about two feet. Van redlined. Tried reverse, drive and lower gears. None will work.
2004 freestar transmission failed. The transmission just stopped working without warning. Will not shift into gear. Read approx. 100's of other complaints stating the same thing on edmunds.
Water getting into PCM causing transmission to stop shifting , engine stalling and fast idle. Had ford tsb 06-14-10 done but still have same problem when it rains. I tried to tell ford and they just don't care. This a very serious problem they have and they are ignoring it ! I have four kids and this van is totally unsafe to drive I've had to pull over on the side of the road several times. I've had it towed three times for the same problem . The dealer has tried to fix it three times and replaced the PCM once and we still have the same problem. I have seen many complaints on the internet for the same problem. All you have to do is punch in the tsb 06-14-10 and you will see the problems that ford is having with this issue. I still owe $8,400 on this van and I can't sell it and I am afraid to drive it especially with my children in the van. If this is not a safety concern then I don't know what is! The problem began in october 2009 and we are still dealing with it as of today january 28, 2010.
2004 ford freestar. S10 appropriate handling - letter to the president from consumer re vehicle hazards due to major defects (full document not imaged). *nj the check engine light illuminated. The codes were for a cmp sensor and AC pressure sensor. The power train control module needed to be replaced due to water intrusion. The vehicle would stall while driving on the highway. The consumer stated there were no problems with the vehicle until a water leak occurred. *jb updated *jb 08/26/10 updated 11/10/10*jb the consumer stated after the third repair, the dealership stated they could not adjust the hood latch down enough to prevent water from blowing in from the front of the vehicle. The consumer believed the problem was a safety issue and not a customer satisfaction issue. Updated 07/26/11 updated 08/23/11
While driving on a state highway our ford freestar van just stopped working. After consulting with a mechanic it is the transmission. We have under 60,000 miles on the vehicle. After searching the web I am running across numerous cases of the same thing happening to other people. We have small children who could have easily been in the car traveling on the highway when this vehicle just stopped working. This is a potentially life threatening, common occurrence with ford freestars and I believe they should be recalled. *tr the consumer stated ford has since issued a recall. Updated 10/10/12
2004 ford freestar torque converter failure.
Vehicle: 2004 ford freestar limited 66,733 miles I was driving on a highway when I had to accelerate to go up a hill. It was when I did this that, the car had no power. Although the car was in drive, it seemed as though the car was in neutral. The RPM's where going up but again, there was no power. Fortunately I was able to get onto a side street. I put the car in park and turned it off......in hopes that it would make a difference. No, same thing, the car would not go into gear. I had my 1 yr. Old daughter in the car and began to panic because I wasn't close to home and my husband was at work. I had to have the car towed, at my expense of coarse. We have since discovered that my 66k mile car needs a new transmission along with a torque converter. How and why does this happen to a car with 66k miles. There was no notice at all and I have never had any signs of transmission problems. The cost of the repairs is $2,395.00 plus tax!! I actually find this unbelievable because this is a big problem, and a huge safety hazard, with this vehicle and I am surprised that there has not been a recall.
We have a 2004 ford freestar. It ran perfectly until december 2009 when it suddenly starting sputtering badly and seemed to be slipping. We parked it that night after driving straight home. The next day we could barely get it to move, like it didn't want to get in gear. We have left it parked since then as we can't afford to get it fixed. This is awful as I am a cancer patient, we have a 3 year old child and a baby on the way.
2004 ford freestar - put in reverse, then forward and lost all gears. Dealer going to replace transmission at cost of $3500.
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