25th Dec 2009, 14:59

The transmission problems may be bogus... I had the same symptoms after 3 days of driving rain... Car would not go into gear reverse (RPM was to HIGH) and limped 30 miles under 2000RPM in first gear.. motor would stop if rpm was increased.

The problem was moisture in the computer control "connector".

Blow dry & everything normal...

JMHO.

25th Dec 2009, 18:33

I have had the same problem with the transmission of my 2004 Freestar. I can't afford transmission work. I have contacted the Office of Defect Investigations. I am hoping that more people voice their concerns to them. Please email them or go to the website below to contact them about the problem. This is going to go to a class action lawsuit if this problem is not looked at.

guscanizalez@hotmail.com

Website: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Contact

25th Jan 2010, 13:52

Check with a Ford dealership, there is a recall on the rotors. I was sent a recall letter to have them changed at any dealership for free. I also heard the screaming and I replaced my rotors shortly after I bought my 2004 Ford Freestar, my wife was afraid to drive it with the noise. It doesn't surprise me that the mechanic shop would not tell you this with the tough economic times.

19th Apr 2010, 11:22

Wow... I thought I was the only unlucky frustrated person with my 2004 Freestar, which I had to replace the transmission in last January, after dropping my son off at basketball practice and then the van just stopped in the middle of the road with no lights or warnings, only 67,000 miles on it...

Picked it up from the repair shop and broke again the same day... we've had to replace the power steering pump... now it's the rack and pinion, which has to be fixed by a mechanic, which is another big expense, and I'm still paying on this van for another year, and I'm working 2 jobs just to support my kids; how ridiculous, will never buy another Ford.

23rd Apr 2010, 12:45

Well lets see, replaced the trans 3 months ago on our 2004 Freestar with one from Jasper with a 100,000 warranty.

A/C compressor now making noise... when it starts.

Started having intermittent starting problems a year ago. Let it sit and would start. Now it doesn't start at all. I'm told it's the factory installed anti-theft/ remote starter system that sells for $600.

Rear gate locks itself and must reach in with a screwdriver inside, while someone pulls the handle on the outside.

Owned Fords for years, but I'm about done with 'em.

29th Apr 2010, 16:39

I bought a used 2004 Ford Freestar back in March, and like 3 weeks after that something was going on.. so I brought it to a shop and they told me the computer went.. so I had that fixed..

So we had a lot of rain, and all of a sudden the locks started to unlock when I locked it from inside.. my passenger side window would work here and there.. and now a couple of days ago I went to start it, and I put it in reverse and went to put it into drive, and it stalled... so I was upset with all this money I'm putting into it.. so I had a friend come over and look at it, and he was starting it and it kept stalling, and then wouldn't go into reverse.. so he said it was probably my transmission..

So I took it to the transmission shop, and the guy looks at it and calls me up and tells me that he thinks it's the computer, because when he opened it there was a lot of water in it... I told him what I just had that replaced last month... So he tells me that he was searching online and that they sell a cover or something for the computer, because it was known for water to get in there...

So now I'm looking for more information on here.. but when I do get this car fixed, I'm putting a for sale sign on it and selling it.. this is crazy!!!

8th May 2010, 11:49

To the commentor above me:

I feel your pain. My 2003 Ford Windstar (the Windstar and the Freestar are essentially the same vehicle) was one of the worst vehicles I have ever owned. It never made 100,000 miles, and I had a transmission failure around the same mileage as you. In total it cost me over $6,000 in repairs over the 3 years that I owned it.

After trading it in (on a much more reliable and well built Honda CR-V) I found out it was under an ongoing recall for a faulty cruise control switch that could short out and catch the brake fluid on fire, causing the entire vehicle to catch fire. On this very site, I discovered that another common problem was sub-frame failure, in which the sub-frame would rust out and the van would literally fall apart driving down the road. I was so relieved when I got rid of it, and felt even better when I discovered how horribly unsafe it was.

24th Sep 2010, 20:48

2004 Freestar, new transmission at 85,000 miles, died on the highway with family doing 70mph, $3,500; then cam shaft sensor.

We just got our van back after 8 months of trial and error repairs, fuel pressure sensor/regulator, only on 2004 and 2005, because it was a crappy idea, can only get at the dealership.

I think the brakes, transmission, cam shaft sensor and fuel pressure sensor/regulator should all be replaced at 70,000 miles if you make it that far. $3000 was spent on parts trying to figure out what the problem was not. I am not sure Ford reads the internet. I finally made the repair guy replace the fuel sensor.

14th Oct 2010, 16:26

My 2004 Windstar quit on highway. They say it's the transmission. It has only 66,000 km. Does anyone know if Ford will do anything for this?

10th Nov 2010, 19:37

Adding to the list for the 2004 Ford Freestar:

Always keep up with maintenance. At about 90,000 miles and the trans blew on the highway! The mechanic says the trans is totally rusted out and ruined the radiator. $3,400 worth of work.

I'm DEFINITELY complaining to Ford and reporting this... There has GOT to be a recall.

20th Nov 2010, 13:59

I bought my 2004 Freestar used with 60,000 miles on it. I've owned it for 3 years with hardly a problem, except this: last spring the car exhibited the same symptom other posters have described where the car will stall, the engine will race, and then it limps all the way to the mechanic. My mechanic dried out the "PCM" (engine control computer) and all was well until last month. After 3 days of constant rain, it started acting up again. This time he said it couldn't be simply dried out because the contacts were too rusted and it had to be replaced. You can't get a used one and the new ones "only come from Ford" and "must be reprogrammed by a Ford dealer". $800 later and back on the road... until today.

All things electrical starting going bezonkers: the headlights would not turn off automatically, the car acted as though the key was in the ignition, even after it was removed, the radio lost its programming, the interior lights would not come on, the key fob would not beep the horn when the car was locked, and too many other things to mention.

Oh, and it drained the battery (brand new, BTW) over night.

Then the biggie: it stalled in the middle of a busy street and would not start until five minutes later, when it started fine and acted as though nothing was wrong. I really liked this car, but I can't live with it being perfect one minute, and dead the next.