2004 Ford Freestar SEL 4.2

Summary:

You get what you pay for

Faults:

Power window motor was dead on delivery.

Rear hatch trim bezel was cracked on delivery.

Cruise control switch failed at 35000 miles.

Rear brake pads and rotors replaced at 42000 miles.

Transmission torque converter failed at 49000 miles.

Front brake rotors warped at 60000 miles.

Rear hatch trim bezel cracked again at 75000 miles.

General Comments:

A rather pedestrian minivan with no real great attributes, other than you can get one fairly cheap. Ours listed for $32K, and we drove it new off the lot for $18K.

Other than the torque converter failing (a week before Christmas @ $2100), I don't have any major complaints from a reliability perspective.

Starting to get quite a few squeaks and rattles.

The rear seat isn't fit for human habitation. Even the kids don't want to sit back there.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 21st February, 2010

2004 Ford Freestar Sport 3.9 Essex V6

Summary:

Never purchase this vehicle!

Faults:

Water in the PCM. Vehicle stopped moving on a high speed roadway, bridges without shoulder, and jerked at times. Back hatch cost $500 to repair.

General Comments:

Look at The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. For the 2004 model year, there are 461 complaints as of Feb. 8, 2010.

Worst vehicle I have ever owned, and surely the most dangerous.

Ford is very aware of this dangerous vehicle. I will not own another Ford because of this.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th February, 2010

2004 Ford Freestar Limited 4.2

Summary:

No opinion anymore

Faults:

Driving home the other night, I heard a ticking in my engine, and I checked the oil, it was down a half a quart, but nothing that would make the engine knock.

Well I added oil, and it was still doing it. Just before I got home, a loud pop and a lot of spitting and sputtering. The spark plug blew out of the engine and completely took the inside threads with it. I went to NAPA, and they said that Ford vehicles are well known for doing that, and I live in the sticks, disabled, and now have no ride to get to doctors, or to the store.

I was reading on consumeraffairs.com that Ford is aware of this problem, but won't do anything about it. Has anyone else had this problem?

General Comments:

I love the van, it's been good up till this point, but I am losing faith in Ford.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th December, 2009

22nd Oct 2013, 08:07

Yes, it is 4 years later for me. I have a 2006 Freestar with the same 4.2 motor. My wife drove it mostly. She said the engine started ticking. Checked the oil and it was about nearly a quart low. Well we continued to drive it, but the engine was beginning to shake over a week. Yesterday, my wife drove the van, and all of a sudden there was a loud pop and oil began dripping out. Luckily, this happened down the street from our house. She was able to back the vehicle into the driveway and all of the oil dripped out. We both agreed no more mini vans. We have had problems with every one of them.

I hope you were able to get a vehicle in the situation you were in. I know it had to be frustrating. Our situation is not that bad since we have 2 other vehicles (mine and my son's). Our problem is we all three have to be at different places at different times between work, school and other commitments. At the moment my wife and I have to share a vehicle. I was prompted to check out problems others had with this van, and this one sounded just like ours. We managed to get 190,000 miles, which I suppose isn't bad. It was bad timing to buy a vehicle before Christmas, and like most people, we are financially strapped without taking on another car payment.

Thanks for the information, and I hope you got your situation worked out with your transportation. Thanks.