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2004 Ford Freestar transmission complaints

Page 25 of 30: complaints 701 to 730 of 851, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2004 Ford Freestar transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed May 28, 2009 · Transmission · 60,000 miles · KY

2004 freestar minivan was driving and revved up and would not go anymore guess transmission went out only 60,000 miles.

Filed May 27, 2009 · Transmission · 50,132 miles · MI

2004 ford freestar trans failed at 50k miles while driving 70mph on the express way, lucky not to have gotten in an accident. Ford said they would not help. This makes all the ford owners with this problem, not want to buy ford again.

Filed May 26, 2009 · Transmission · 48,351 miles · NY

Transmission would not move in any gear. I purchase this 2004 ford freestar brand new on 9/25/2004. The car has 48,351 miles. Never had any failures before this incident. The transmission was got messed up. I took it to the ford dealership because I have warranty. I am a bit concern because the dealership replaced the transmission with a ford swap. The other transmission has 78,863 miles. What should I do in this case because I mainly drive the family in this vehicle? The replaced transmission sounds very forceful when driven.

Filed May 26, 2009 · Transmission · 71,000 miles · CT

We have a 2004 ford freestar that the transmission died on the highway. There was no warning and no indication that the transmission needed repair. This was an extremely dangerous situation. Thankfully, my husband was able to pull over without getting into an accident. I'm not so sure if I was driving I would have been able to maneuver as well as him. We have heard that this has happened to many other 2004 & 2005 freestars and believe they are defective.

Filed May 19, 2009 · Transmission · 71,000 miles · MN

The issue I am having is with a 2004 ford freestar. I was driving on i35e, in st paul, mn, at about 70-75 MPH when without warning the transmission quit. I would push the pedal and the engine would rev up, but the van didn't move. I was in the left lane and had to move over to the next off ramp, while the van was slowing down. We were almost rearended twice while trying to move over. I was driving and had my 2 kids and my wife (who was pregnant at the time) in the van with me. It happened in march, so it was still cold out. I had this van for about 3 years now, and never had an issue with it. I still like the van and am still a ford guy. I am just disappointed with the fact that they won't resolve the issue.

Filed May 8, 2009 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving 55 MPH, the contact heard a thumping noise. The transmission switched into neutral and the vehicle suddenly stopped moving. The vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to the contact's residence. The dealer stated that there was no recall and they were not performing any repairs under warranty. The contact would have to pay for the repair. The dealer also stated that this was a common issue with these vehicles when they reach 35,000 miles and above. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed May 8, 2009 · Transmission · 39,000 miles · 00

The transmission on my 2004 ford freestar with only 60,000 km's failed on a busy iowa interstate on our trip to florida. I had to push the van by hand to get it to the exit lane with vehicles passing by at full interstate speeds. It was fortunate for my wife and I that this incident did not end in a tragedy. The van was towed to a repair shop where the transmission was removed and sent to a transmission repair shop. A new torque converter was installed and after a 2 day delay we were back on the road. When I returned back to canada I contacted ford canada in an effort to be reimbursed for the $1,500.00 canadian that I spent for repairs. Ford canada refused to honor the claim for the following reasons. The repair was not done by a ford dealer and I failed to have the 50,000 km inspection performed on this vehicle. When I checked the internet I find that this vehicle has a bad history of failure due to faulty torque converters. This is a problem that I am sure ford is fully aware of. The transmission shop that repaired this transmission for me used upgraded parts as they have experienced this problem on many of the 2004 freestars. The warranty on the repaired transmission is now from another parts provider. I believe that if I had this vehicle repaired at a ford dealer they would have installed the same replacement parts that failed prematurely on this van. I know that I am in a no win battle with ford. What does bother me is how unconcerned ford is towards their customers. During my discussion with the ford service representative there was never any type of an expressed apology for the stress my wife and I experienced during this incident. This will be my last ford.

Filed May 2, 2009 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · NJ

2004 ford freestar transmission just died with no warning after reading a little into it there are hundreds of others that have the same problem is ford doing something about this. My wife and I need help with this if we cant get this resolved with ford we cant work and that would put us and our two kids on the street please help, thank you!

Filed Apr 29, 2009 · Transmission · 69,000 miles · NJ

While trying to get out of a shopping mall parking lot, the van suddenly felt like it was in neutral. I checked the gear shift needle and it was on drive. As the van slowly rolls through the lot I tried the reverse gear and nothing happened. None of the gears were working. I had the van towed from randolph, nj to my mechanic in east rutherford, nj. Mechanic determined the problem to be the transmission...I need a new one. It will cost me about $3200. I still owe money on this purchase. The value as of today is less than what I owe. It's a good thing this happened in a parking lot instead of the road/highway. I had my 2 kids with me plus 3 other children. How many more incidents and complaints like this need to happen before someone realizes there's something wrong with this model from ford.

Filed Apr 28, 2009 · Transmission · 93,500 miles · PA

Wife was driving down route 15 from pa into md in our 2004 freestar. As she was traveling at 55-60 miles an hour, the van suddenly seemed as if it went into neutral. She was able to get over to the birm and stopped the vehicle. The transmission,with out any warning, failed. The van had to be towed as it would not go into drive or reverse. It could have been a serious accident on a very busy highway!!!!

Filed Apr 28, 2009 · Transmission · 49,800 miles · MN

We have a 2004 ford freestar van. On sunday, apr. 26, 2009, while driving home, the transmission blew. Luckily, we were able to get onto the shoulder of the highway. The van will require the replacement of the transmission at a cost of over $3000. This van has less than 50,000 miles on it. Ford will not cover any part of the replacement. I have found that many, many people have had the same experience. Is ford waiting for people to get killed in this vehicle?

Filed Apr 28, 2009 · Transmission · 67,000 miles · TN

The automatic transmission on my 2004 ford freestar failed suddenly on friday, april 24 on a busy city street. I was left with two gears: neutral and park. After a near collision with a car swerving to avoid my stalled car, I asked the police for help in alerting traffic until I could get towed. The minivan had about 67000 miles, with no prior transmission problems. My ford dealer diagnosed the problem as a failure of some major internal parts in the transmission. My extended warranty company denied my claim because I had not changed the transmission fluid, even though the ford scheduled maintenance guide indicated that only a fluid level check was required. The total cost of repairs was about $ 2500. It is apparent to me that this failure has absolutely nothing to do with whether the fluid was changed or not.

Filed Apr 23, 2009 · Transmission · 61,919 miles · NJ

Was traveling from new jersey to south carolina and stopped in stanton,va. Approx 400 miles from home.after getting fuel,the van would not accelerate in forward or reverse. Had van towed to a ford dealership and was informed the transmission needed replacing at a cost of $3000. The van only had 62k miles on it and is maintained regularly. The fluid was changed at 37k miles as per ford recommendation. Did not have any prior warning up to that point of any problem.

Filed Apr 22, 2009 · Transmission · 79,000 miles · IN

My 2004 ford freestar suddenly wouldn't go into gear. The transmission was bad. I have taken excellent care of this vehicle and there was no indication that anything was wrong. It just suddenly wouldn't go into gear, even though I had just driven it 15 min. Before with no problem! I have read many complaints about the freestars and other ford vehicles and hope that a recall will be issued.

Filed Apr 20, 2009 · Transmission · 121,000 miles · OH

I was driving to work, and without warning, my car went into neutral. I was on a major highway and was lucky I didn't get rear-ended. I didn't have any warning signs! The transmission fluid was even full. I was able to coast into the median, but my car was over 50 miles away from home. Towing it is going cost me about $200. I am so frustrated!

Filed Apr 20, 2009 · Acceleration, Electrical · 58,000 miles · DE

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving approximately 35 MPH on normal road conditions, the idle speed increased and the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. Suddenly, the vehicle stalled. The engine restarted and resumed normal operation. In addition, the vehicle failed to operate intermittently when shifted into reverse. The engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that water was leaking from the front windshield, which damaged the computerized system. The vehicle was repaired. On a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and independent mechanic for identical failures. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 58,000.

Filed Apr 16, 2009 · Transmission · 76,000 miles · AL

While driving on straight and level highway at @ 50 MPH experienced sudden transmission failure in 2004 ford freestar; basic symptom was sense that transmission was suddenly shifted into neutral. After pulling off highway and coming to full stop was unable to get transmission to respond in any gear setting. Was required to call a tow truck; repair required full transmission replacement.

Filed Apr 13, 2009 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · SC

At freeway speeds of 60 MPH, transaxle light begins to flash on and off on my 2004 ford freestar. Ford service told me that if the light only flashes and does not remain lit, don't bother bringing it in because they will not be able to diagnose a problem. On two occasions, the vehicle lost power of acceleration. Rpms increased to 4,000 but vehicle forward motion slowed to a stop. Both occasions were on the interstate.

Filed Apr 12, 2009 · Transmission · 149,000 miles · GA

I was driving down the highway and the transmission in my 2004 ford freestar dropped into neutral . Towed it to ford dealership and they said they transmission was gone. I have done some research and it seems that there is a problem with the transmission that ford is using in these freestars. There are to small and the vains on the torque converters are shearing off, due to the strain on them. I do not understand why this is not being investigate by the federal safety agency. This a legal complaint and it seems that you all are just closing your eyes to the matter. It shouldn't take someone getting killed before it is investigated, but I guess that is what you all are waiting for. I know there has been several complaints filed about the same problem. I hope the federal safety agency is not being bought off by the car manufacturers .

Filed Mar 29, 2009 · Transmission · 74,562 miles · LA

My 2004 ford freestar van with about 75,000 miles on it stopped working while I was driving about 55mph. The car did not die but it just would not drive and started making a wining sound. There was no warning, no light on the dash. It just stopped. Had I been in traffic or on the interstate, there could have been a major accident. Ford will not pay for the problem because the warranty is out, but I am not the only one driving a freestar with this problem. I believe a recall is needed on ford freestar vans made in 2004.

Filed Mar 26, 2009 · Transmission · 82,000 miles · TX

While accelerating onto the freeway, the transmission failed completely. We were forced to coast off of the freeway into an abandoned weigh-station. The transmission was completely inoperable as no gear would work. Vehicle towed to the dealership where it was purchased, and we are forced to replace the entire transmission unit at a cost of $3500. Vehicle has just over 82,000 miles on the odometer.

Filed Mar 16, 2009 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · FL

Transmission dies with no warnings at less than 70,000 miles.

Filed Mar 16, 2009 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · TX

This is the second time in two years that the transmission has inexplicably gone out in my 2004 ford freestar van. This time it had been parked overnight in my driveway and my wife started it and tried to leave for work and the vehicle would not engage any forward or reverse gears when moving gear shift lever. Early morning, cool and dry.

Filed Mar 16, 2009 · Transmission · 38,000 miles · TX

Van had 38,000 miles at time of incident. Traveling on vacation with family and had been driving non-stop for about five hours. Weather was cool and dry, night time, and cruise set on 65 MPH. Dropped out of overdrive to pass a vehicle and transmission felt like it slipped into neutral. Coasted to stop and could not shift into any forward or reverse gears. Towed vehicle to ford dealer and replaced (what I was told) entire transmission. Service advisor told me that transmission pan was full of metal shavings and torque converter had sheered all the blades. Problem recurred almost two years later at 70,000 miles when shifting to reverse while parked in driveway... But that's another complaint. *tr dupliate to 10262072*smch

Filed Mar 12, 2009 · Transmission · 100,309 miles · KS

On 3/12/09 my wife was driving on the highway when the transmission went out on her. 100,309 miles, 1,000 miles out of warranty. Didn't get it fixed yet because it happened today and I am trying to figure out where to get the money.

Filed Mar 6, 2009 · Transmission · 61,121 miles · CA

There were no prior events leading up to this failure, it just happened out of no where. No signs of failure or no warning signals indicating this malfunction. I own a 2004 ford freestar with 61,121 miles on it and I purchased an extended warranty on it. My warranty expired at 60,00 miles. My transmission went out on me and I will not pay 3,300.00 dollars to have it repaired. I called ford and they told me that the warranty was purchased through a third party. I was unable to contact them and they haven't called me back. My vehicle was at the dealership and they did a full diagnosis on it and they couldn't find anything wrong with it, they were quick to assume it was the transmission. The engine light did not come on at all nor were there any signs of this happening. I've gone over my miles by 1,000 and I cant get help from the dealer I purchased my vehicle from but they were really fast on determining that it was the transmission. I as well as others seem to be having this problem and nothing seems to be happening to fix this problem. I did more research and found that some ford dealerships have made repairs that do not need to be done. They are quick to take your money but they wont help u out when this occurs. I think I have made myself clear on this issue.

Filed Mar 4, 2009 · Transmission · 61,000 miles · NY

Purchased a 2004 ford freestar (my father is retired from ford so we have always owned fords) so I was thrilled to be able to purchase another ford. I have four dogs and go to dog shows, so the freestar would (at least I hoped) serve my traveling needs. Well, I only had the van for a year and started having serious problems--windshield was not "sealed" and I had to have this serviced, but it did not correct the problem, and then had problems with the brakes. But, these were just minor problems to me. Now, two weeks ago, my van "locked" up on me and wouldn't go anywhere!!! Had it towed to my house because I did not have a repairman at the time. Now, I discover by researching, that this has been a problem and ford has known about it. A week after this happened to me, my sister-in-law's (who purchased her ford freestar new in 2004) van had the same thing happen. Cost her over $2000.00 to have it fixed--and my problem is that my van will be sitting for a long time, because I don't have the money to fix it. To make matters worse, I am still paying for a vehicle I can't drive now!!! All those years my father worked for ford we have respected the company, and now I am disgusted because ford hasn't done anything about this!! The company that I have always lived by and endorsed, is now ruined in my eye. Will probably never own another ford, and I will have to continue to pay for one I will probably never drive again. In these economic times, we "little men" don't need these headaches. My husband is still driving a 2001 ford ranger--ready to tell him to trash that thing too!!!

Filed Mar 2, 2009 · Transmission · 52,000 miles · AL

Transmission failure in vehicle with only 52k miles. Vehicle is out of warranty. Had to have the transmission replaced to repair the problem.

Filed Feb 26, 2009 · Transmission · 69,000 miles · OH

Leaving work one evening put the car in reverse backed up, put the car in drive and no movement. The van sounded like it was in neutral. Tried reverse again, no movement. There were no warning lights on, no noises prior, it just quit! The van has 69,000 and was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle from a ford dealership. I spoke with a service tech yesterday and he stated he wasn't aware of this being a common problem, which is ironic to find so many of the same issues posted here and elsewhere. Said the van was only warranty for 3 years/36,000 miles under the powertrain warranty. Estimated cost to replace was 2,300 for ford service center to rebuild(comes with 12mo/12,000 mile warranty) or 3,600 for a ford manufactured rebuilt transmission(comes with 3year/36,000 mile warranty) the van has not been fixed as I don't have the money to repair.

Filed Feb 25, 2009 · Transmission · 77,938 miles · OH

I have a 2004 ford freestar that has 77,938miles on it and the torque converter went causing third gear to burn up in the transmission. It cost me 1600.00.

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