In the morning the vehicle battery had been drained and we had it towed to the dealer. They replaced the alternator. We picked it up and the check engine light came on. They said it was the mass air flow sensor and replaced it. Two weeks went by and one day the vehicle wouldn't start. We had it towed to the dealer and they said it was the mass air flow connector and replaced it. The next day the vehicle wouldn't start. We had it towed to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong. The engine always idles very rough and no one can correct it. It has stalled in traffic. I have done research and have been made aware of a problem with the PCM module on these vehicles. Apparently rain gets it and soaks the module causing all sorts of electrical and transmission problems. Ford is aware of the issue and has issued a service bulletin and repair kit for this problem, but no recall.
2005 Ford Freestar engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 88, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Was in a 30 mile per hour speed zone came to a caution light and had to make a right hand turn on a very dangerous corner....many tractor trailers use this turn, while making the turn, engine stalled and was hard to control steering with no power. Managed to pull to side of the road when several tractor trailers came around the same corner. Had I not been able to move over I would have been hit as they would have had no where to go, just a 2 lane road. Car started but when I tried to move it, it went about 20 feet and stalled again. Had to call a tow company. Torque converter has already been replaced once at approximately 99,900 miles. Flashing light on dash says to check transaxle. Not fixed as yet...code p0715 came up on the tech machine, turbine speed sensor check fault. I have checked for these codes and it seems that ford sent these vehicles off the production lines with these problems to begin with. I find that nothing ever gets done until someone is killed or severely injured. It's a sad world we live in that life has to be lost before manufacturers are made to correct what should have been fixed before leaving the plant.
While merging onto route 50 off 628 the car died. I drifted onto side of road, but in park and restarted it. Took exit off 50 at 450 and car stopped again. Put in park at red light, started up again and drove down riva road. Car stopped 4 more times before getting to my residence, each time engine stopping, no power steering and no brakes. Called koons ford annapolis and had the car towed there the next day (since the incident occurred on a sunday). They kept the car for 1 week and could not confirm or duplicate any of the conditions. Possibly PCM but not sure.they found one error while driving it , but the computer could not find it. Paid for diagnostic test. Car has been running fine until 7/6/13 when exactly the same thing happened. Took back to ford and 2 days later was told it was the PCM. Could not say how long it would take to get a new one as ford does not have them it stock, but for $1300.00 could place the order. Found a ford tech blog that describes exactly what every one is going through and how to fix it. Water is leaking under the cowl and shorting out the PCM. There needs to be a recall on this before some one dies.
I was driving on a city street when my engine light began flashing/blinking. I was having trouble with van making weird sounds and vibrations. I immediately pulled over. Just had tranny recall work done, same light on. I called ford-they said it was a miss and I should bring it in. I was too afraid to drive that far, and I have no $ for a tow or fix. Was told by mech friend that it could be any of many sensors and I'd have to trial and error to find it. This is not the first time this has happened to me, and it seems to be worse when it has rained or is very damp out. It vibrates, shakes, and sounds like the engine is not right. Also I have no get up and go, it wants to stall out every time I try to accelerate, and I had a near accident once. Seems to be worse on hills or any inclines. Not a happy ford customer-again. These problems have been on-going for the last six months or so. Anything over 25mph and the van "shimmies" really bad.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford free star. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and failed to accelerate with the illumination of the check engine light. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.
After rain all night on wed.6/4/2013 went to take van to pittsburgh started hesitating and vibrating while on highway could not speed up and tried to get in slow lane lot of traffic almost collision . Tried to go up small hill no power vibrating trying to stall, turned off wouldn't startfor 15 minutes very scary. Looked online bulletin for PCM gets wet and causes this,someone could have been killed.
Driving down the road in heavy traffic, without warning suddenly had no power, at 40mph, put it in neutral and restarted only to die again 3 more times. I thought I was out of gas but the gage said 1/8th of a tank. Pulled off the road and had friends bring gas. Started up fine and drove maybe a block when it started sputtering and bucking. The check engine idiot light came on so I pulled over again. I reset the battery connection and light went off. I pulled off to drive around in the parking lot and it died when I cranked the wheel turning every corner. Started again, this time it was hard to turn over, and it sputtered and the transaxle idiot light started flashing, the radio came on by itself and the eve player ejected. Interior lights were on but switch was turned off. Checked the tranny fluid, it looked a little low in the dark(midnight) so put in half a quart. Light went out but the van refused to go forward. I dropped it manually into 1st and it slowly moved. Parked it and tried other gears, all unresponsive but when shifting into neutral the engine jumped and the rpms revved up to 3000!! Afraid it would jump into gear and run over my friend, I cut off the ignition while in neutral. I waited until midnight for no traffic, then drove the van home, keeping the emergency flashers on. Was able to travel about 25 feet per restart, each time the van would die when speed exceeded 15mph or 2000rpms. Took an hour to get the 1.5 miles home. This van had just gotten a full service oil change/lube/filter service and I had the transmission serviced at sears upon purchasing it just 6 months ago and had no other issues at all. Upon researching, this is a known issue that ford published but refuses to fix/recall. There is a recall on my van's torque converter, this is a serious safety issue and a major defect that will get someone killed or serious injured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled and all of the warning lamps illuminated. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,102 and the current mileage was 70,373. Updated 03/15/13*lj updated 04/23/2013
Engine stutters, won't run steady, idles over 2000rpm in neutral, continually dies, when engine dies steering hard(naturally), won't go in reverse, this problem causes numerous problems that are not safe when it does it on the road. The problem is apparently in moisture in the PCM. Torque converter was replaced in 2012. Has not done the problem for a year and did it again today( has not rained in more than a week) just going down the road and starts cutting out and dies! Has done this many times since 2010. Ford knows about it! Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
This information is a collection of incidents that ultimately fit together. I have notice that the floor board of my van was wet. Since I have 3 kids I just shrugged it off. This past week I notice the floor mats weren't wet only the carpet beneath it was soaked. My kids don't spill just under the mats. The water must be entering from the outside in. The van was acting weird on and off -no check engine light until it started happen more frequently. June 2012, I got the p1340 code that the camshaft position sensor had gone bad, I replaced it, went out again, I was told it could have been a faulty part, changed it again, went out again, decided this is beyond me. I took it to the dealership and they "fixed" the camshaft position sensor and another part that was causing the camshaft position sensor not to work. ($900) it broke again because the part they put in was defective. They replaced the defective part and the check engine light came back on again. After they had the car for 2 weeks they found another small problem. ($130) I insisted at the time that they didn't make the proper repairs. They assured me that it all still needed to be done. (caught some double talk) I experienced a few more issues with the van losing power. (july,september, october -check engine light did not turn on.) I:n december the car turned off and I was only able to get about 25ft per restart and the light came on. I've noticed other features not working properly or working intermittently. (power locks, power windows, radio, power doors, key remote ...) I have learned that other 2005 freestar owners have experienced similar incidents caused by water leaking into the car through the windshield wiper blades and running down the wire harness causing multiple parts to short out from time to time. Please look into this. I have 3 children and no more money for "let's try this repairs".
Was driving home from store (about 20 miles) when engine cut off while driving at about 45 MPH, pulled over and was able to get it started again. A little further down the road it cut off again but this time the engine just revved by itself then went back to normal without completely cutting off. About 3 miles from home it cut off again while driving at about 40-45 MPH and I coasted to the side of the road and then started it again. Decided to take it to the dealer since it needed the torque converter replaced due to recall. Drove it another 20 miles with no problems and left the van with my son to take to the dealer. Van cut out on my son several times within the 2 miles to the dealer. Also cut off on the mechanic at the dealer. Dealer replaced torque converter, overdrive transmission shaft sensor, and replaced the plugs and wires to the tune of over $800.00 not including the torque converter which was replaced at no charge due to the recall. Drove over the next week for a total of less than 200 miles. Then today the engine cut off on me again exactly like before and I once again had to coast over to the side of the road and restart it. This is very scary when it happens and could cause a very serious accident. Luckily when it has happened to me it has not been on a busy highway. So I have paid over $800 to the local ford dealer and still have the problem. It scares me to death to drive this car now and it is our sole vehicle as my husband is disabled and doesn't drive. We are in no position to buy another vehicle now, we live 20 miles from town and now this car is unsafe to drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The contact stated that water penetrated through the windshield and the engine covering. The engine covering clips failed to sustain and the water penetrate the power control module, causing the engine to stall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 40,000.
I have had the car stop after and during rainy days. Most recently the car would not start or move during a heavy rain. I have had to wait days until the car dries out for the car to move. Have taken it to the shop after several instances of this same occurrence. They can not find out what is wrong as the car runs ok? After researching on the internet I have come to the conclusion that it is water leaking on and into the PCM causing the car to not start or move. Ford dealership has not been able to solve the problem or have a solution?
Car stalls when it stops, shuttering while it drives, the car has been to the shop twice know. The second time it was left outside the auto shop and it rained over night. When the mechanics went to start it and look at it they noticed there was water dripping out of our ECM. They did some research and found that there were design flaws in the ECM and that it wasn't sealed right. There should have been a recall but there never has been. I have looked online and there are all sorts of people reporting the exact same thing.
I was driving 45 MPH in a heavy rain when my vehicle began to sputter and check engine light began flashing. I started to pull over, but light went off and engine ran fine. After several days of rain engine would hesitate in acceleration and would feel like it was missing. It began only occasionally and usually when traveling up hill. It progressively got worse, especially after rain or being washed. Investigated and found this to be a common problem with this model with the power control module getting wet. Today while driving on the interstate check engine light began flashing and engine hesitated, then check engine light stayed on. Very dangerous situation to feel like my van was going to stall at 70 MPH with my family in the car.
After driving in or after a hard rain, the engine light comes on and the engine runs very rough and often stops. Has happened while driving on highway at 55mph. Cowl was removed at dealership to prevent water intrusion in oct2010, but same problem started happening again in 2012...
I was driving my freestar home, pulling into my complex when the battery light came on, then a second later the brake light, then all the power to the van was lost. I had no control, the entire electrical system went out, the engine shut off, I had to rub the van up against the curb to stop it. When I got it going again and parked in my parking spot the battery light came on again and I lost all power again. The next day I replaced the battery as I was told it could be a battery issue, but even with the new battery the light was still on. I had the alternator and the battery cables checked and it was fine. Then I was told it maybe the PCM which is a known issue with this model and what I experienced is the identified issue...this is very serious as I was bring home my family home and we just got off the highway like 5-10 minutes before this thing shut down on me, if this was the highway we could have been seriously hurt. Plus now I can't even drive because the part is not available, it's on back order, so this must mean a lot of people are having this issue. We need to have a recall on this before people get hurt or killed, especially when it's a known issue http://nhthqnwws111.odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/acms/docservlet/artemis/public/pursuits/2009/dp/insl-dp09004-35644p.pdf !!!!!
Was on a very busy highway. The freestars dash lights lite up and went back off. Ac cut off then everything started working again. About 30 seconds later the freestar died at 65. I was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder. Again on may 5 2012 the lights started flickering and the AC started to blow hard and it would slow back down then the dash lights ABS,brake,battery lights would blink on and off then the freestar died again at 70 MPH. Brakes didn't work I was going through a intersection and had to use the e brake. Freestar has done this several times over the last month I just hit the high spots. It has had test after test and I'm always told a different story! I just want my van fixed before someone gets hurt or killed.
When driving down the road the van will suddenly lose all forward momentum and drift momentarily until it will just as suddenly resume forward momentum and continue like normal. When this happens, the rpms drop off like the vehicle is stalling or fuel starved (however it has no hesitation like its running out of gas) no warning lights come on and there is no pattern to when or how it happens. However, the problem has been getting progressively worse and now it is noticed that it has a higher tendency to do it when it is raining or there is high humidity. It does it at all speeds from 25mph to 70mph. Ford dealership has looked at the van and could not get it to reproduce the problem when they had it. However, they stated this does not sound like a torque converter problem addressed under safety recall notice 11s25/ the federal safety agency recall 12v‑006. This is a very dangerous problem and has almost caused several accidents as I have no warning the problem is getting ready to happen and have no way to notify other motorist of my sudden and quick deceleration.
In february 2012 I went to for check engine let they said it was erg value. I fix. Then in april 14th I was driving down freeway and my van lost acceleration power I put hazards on and manage to get to other side of freeway. My car would start but would not go in forward or reverse. I had to then get towed since was they weekend and I was the middle of no where I towed to home. Also, the weekend no ford dealers/ service centers are open.
I just received a safety recall notice 11s25 / the federal safety agency recall 12v‑006 everytime I drive my van it does not seem to want to accelerate or maintain speed. I have taken it to the mechanic and I was told that I needed to have a new egr valve put on, so I did. That did not fix the problem and I was told new spark plugs and wires so I had them replace, that did not fix the problem. Then I was told that I may need a new fuel filter, so I had it replaced and once again that did not solve the problem. This is the only vehicle I have and I am a single mom to two young children. I am worried that while I am driving I will lose all power and will be hit by another vehicle. My van never wants to go over 40 MPH and once it does reach that speed it will not maintain and sometimes makes an odd noise. I pulled onto the by-pass the other day and my van would not accelerate right away... Thank god that the truck behind me was able to pass me on the shoulder. There have been a couple other times when my van would not gain speed and I would have to pull over so that the vehicles behind me could pass. So in a nut shell the problems are as listed: 1.) van will not accelerate or maintain speed 2.) when I press on the gas pedal there is often a pinging / knocking sound I just want to know what I need to do to get this problem fixed and not be out any more money. Please help!
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar.the contact stated that the cam shaft sensor and the engine control module were replaced three times. The contact stated that water was entering the system and causing the failure. During the most recent failure, the dealer tried sealing the area around the failed part as a temporary repair. The failure mileage was 121,020 and the current mileage was 123,000.
Driving to florida on I-75, sudden loss of power, coasted off the highway. Had to be towed and it cost me 1200.00 to get fixed. I have the receipt for work done.
Wife was driving home from work when the van just suddenly stalled. She was traveling at 35 MPH when she lost all power. She then tried restarting the van and it started but when she tried to put it into gear the engine RPM's raced, then slammed into gear and then stalling again. The van was undriveable. She was able to get to the side of the road just feet before she would have been stranded on a narrow two lane bridge that is heavily traveled the logging and dump trucks. Had it towed to the repair shop for repairs. While doing research online about the issue I was surprised to find so many other have had the same issue possibly caused by water in the PCM module. The next morning I contacted the repair shop and advised them of my findings. Sure enough they where able to find the service bulletins from ford about the issue 7 pages long. Several hours and $240 later the repair shop called and said the van was fixed and the could not believe the amount of water that came our when the sensor was removed. I cannot believe that ford has not submitted a recall on this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The contact was driving 35 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact attempted to steer from the vehicle off the roadway when she crashed into a flagpole. There were front bumper damages and the vehicle was towed to an automotive repair shop where they were unable to diagnose the stalling failure. The dealer was contacted and advised that they could not tell the contact what had caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 57,000.
My engine lost power as my van was shifting from first to second gear. After shifting into neutral, I could restart the van, but every time I reached the shifting point between first and second gear, the engine would cut completely out, thereby losing power steering and brakes. Also, the reverse gear operates only intermittently. I took the van to a transmission specialist within five miles from my home because it would only operate in first gear, and was told the torque converter needed to be replaced. The repair is going to cost $2,436.05. I am attempting to seek assistance from ford, as the repair was started the day the recall was issued. So far, I do not have written confirmation from them that my vehicle is included in the recall, and they have not agreed to pay for the repair.
On my way home from work on january 1, 2012 at approx. 4:20pm my car starts to slow down n starts to go on reverse while it was on drive. I tried different gears but the car continue to go on reverse I had no warning light, no sign of the car go bad no noise, nothing the car just slowed down n went on reverse. The car was towed to my house I have no money to fix this issue I don't know what's wrong with this car and to top it off I just bought the car in march of 2011. My understanding is that ford is aware of these problems but has not done nothing to fix it I'm stuck making payments to a car that is not working so please tell me what can I do.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate forward or in reverse. The vehicle could only be driven in drive one or drive two. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic where the crankshaft and speed sensors were replaced. After the repair, the contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine as if water was splashing around. The mechanic advised that somehow, water was getting getting on the sensor, but the mechanic could not find where the water leak originated. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle would sporadically stall. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 80,000.
This van has a bad computer board (PCM) due to rainwater that is allowed to funnel under the hood due to poor design of the hood. It is also possible that the transmission is being affected by this as well. The vehicle just stopped shifting into gear, followed by all sorts of electrical problems. The mechanic said the PCM was full of water and would need to be replaced. There are numerous message boards on the internet discussing this exact same problem with ford freestars ranging from 2004-2007 model years. Ford needs to issue a recall on these vans as this causes the engine to stall and this could happen at any time - in the middle of a busy intersection, on the highway, etc. This could have devastating results if it happens at the wrong time. Also, from what I've read on these message boards - this is a repeat problem!!!! Once you fix this you will have the same problem in a year or two. The federal safety agency should do some research outside of formal complaints filed as I'm sure most people do not know the proper route to go. A simple internet search (that would allow you to contact or respond to individual reports) would direct you to hundreds of people with the exact same issue!
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. The engine restarted and the contact was able to resume driving however, with consistent stalling. The failure occurred only after rainy weather conditions on four separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cam shaft sensor was replaced due to water leaking into the PCM which caused a shortage. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 95,781.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 Ford Freestar?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history