Ford Freestar — MPG, VIN Decoder, Recalls, Reliability & Specs

No prior transmission trouble; no warning of problem on the date of incident. Driving at highway speed on the approach to a narrow four-lane highway bridge. The vehicle's engine rpm suddenly raced while the forward momentum lagged; the engine continued to run fine, but the transmission no longer provided any forward power. The vehicle slowed rapidly due to the upward grade of the bridge, and there was no shoulder to pull off onto, with traffic bearing down at 60+ mph. This dangerous situation then caused a four-car accident. Defect vehicle was not badly damaged (only minor rear bumper crush) but after accident it still would not move in gear, even though engine ran fine. Has not been repaired as of this date. *tr

I have a 04 ford freestar that continues to have transmission problems. It started early around 40k. Fmc service stated 'just a leak'. Repeat complaints equaled 'nothing found, etc, etc'. Beginning last year it would lose power and backfire while the transmission would not engage and almost caused my wife and daughter to be broadsided when she tried to pull out in traffic and the van did not go forward. The transmission would slip and not engage to second gear. I took it to aamco and paid $1800 to have it fixed. They said they had to basically replace everything. Now, a year later and it is doing it again, but this time by not engaging into second gear, it caused a person behind me to get hit in the rear because he thought i would turn as a normal car would, but i couldn't accelerate due to the trans. Additionally now it will shudder, shake and lose power at 40 to 50 mph. It is not even drivable as i tried to go out to the store today and it made terrible noises and shook like crazy when put into reverse. Tried to go up my driveway and it shook even harder and made terrible grinding noises in drive, 3rd and 1st gear. Does not matter what position the shifter is in, it has problems. Looked at the dip stick for the trans and it is rusted showing that obviously now some type of water is in the system too. I am disabled and on a disability income and do not have the funds to have this repaired again. Ford will do nothing for it unless of course i want to pay to have it rebuilt at $4000. This van is a danger to all on the road and luckily no one has been killed as a result of it not pulling out into traffic as it should. Please force ford to buy back these vans and refund the expenses of people who had to pay to have it fixed. For me, it looks like it is going to be a double trouble problem. I do not know what to do, i know it will just break down again if i do have it fixed. The van needs to be taken to a junk yard and crushed to save lives. *tr

-no event leading to failure while driving on highway i-75, van lost ability to accelerate. Tach would show engine was revving, but no acceleration. Was able to get to emergency lane. Could not move forward or reverse. Was towed to transmission shop, failure so complete car could not even be road tested. This is a failure of product, not of user. *tr

I returned home from work in order to drop off a few things before continuing on to do some shopping. I placed the vehicle into park and exited the van leaving the ignition on with the engine running. After unloading my items i decided not to go shopping and went out to turn off the van. While standing outside of the vehicle i opened the driver's door and reached into the van to turn off the ignition. In the process of reaching for the ignition switch i nudged the shift leaver and the transmission shifted into reverse. The vehicle began moving backward down my driveway trapping me in between the open door and the van. I was unable to make any attempts to stop the vehicle since it was moving too quickly. I held onto the steering wheel while being dragged down my driveway, across the grass and into some trees and bushes. The van door struck a tree bending the door back. At that time i fell under the van and the front driver's side tire ran over my legs, up my torso and across my chest. The van continued on and came to a rest at the bottom of my neighbor's yard. I was transported to the hospital by ambulance. I suffered contusions to the abdominal wall, legs and chest in addition to a cut to my left ankle. After the vehicle was repaired my husband had the van check by a ford dealer. They determined there was nothing faulty with the safety mechanism, which does not allow the gear shifter unless the brake pedal is pressed. However, we have been able to shift the vehicle out of park into reverse without pressing the brake pedal several times since the initial failure. *tr

Purchased used vehicle from marshall used cars in sacramento, ca, where reside currently. Purchased 05/2011, paid full no loan at time of purchase. Purchased add. Ext. Warranty which was 6months. From the dos til present date; i have paid, and was mislead in all the insurance covering major defects, owner(me) had came out of pocket paying for service to fix warranty parts. Now this is the current and serious issue. I am disabled, i have a disable child. My vehicle was reported under vin to ford corporate to notate for service to be check and worked on at local ford dealer. Complained about multiple (4) issues. Dealership mislead me, and did not perform work. Only work they did was replace 1 recall 10/12. After recall service i (owner) recall manufac. Made claim, again and then went to dealer. I was turned away...and told to do normal maintenance before putting a service claim in. This is a problem. I am not ignorant to the anatomy of a vehicle. I am very literate on understanding vehicle operations as well as maintaining maintenance. I can say this because i believe i should be aware of every issue so i wont have a disabled vehicle. Vehicle mileage applied from the date recall replaced 5800 within the time til i made another claim in oct 2013. Took vehicle in, told to check everything. Did. Brought vehicle back and vehicle was in service dept for week which rolled over to nov 1, 2013. Vehicle was dx and found to be the same thing i made a claim about. Vehicle has a defected recall part. Part was not replaced. And owner is now left with a defect recall part, plus more damage on other parts related to torque converter, fuel line, 3rd bench, front r-wheel hub. I have multiple health appts to maintain for me and my child's disability. My children need to get to school, and i missed legal appt dates from court. *tr

My 2007 van has stopped driving on over 6 occasions while i am driving, it has been repaired 4x and always told it was a new issue. On the last occasion i left the van on the road got my mom to pick me up. I have 3 kids that i drive in the vehicle and ford will not take any responsibility, i think 4 attempts to fix a van is more then fair on my part, it is evident that ford does not know what the problem is, and i will not be their guinea pig. *tr

I was driving down a country road and had just dropped my kids off thank goodness. Nothing seemed to be wrong when all of a sudden the engine revved high. I was try'n to look to see what was go'n on when i wrecked into the ditch about 60mph. Out of nowhere the transmission failed and was stuck n a ditch and no one to help. *tr

While traveling on the highway on a curve we lost all power to the wheels. The engine would rev but the vehicle would not. We ended up coasting to a stop in the middle of traffic. This caused several cars behind us to lock u their brakes and two of them collided. We were lucky in that a nice person had a tow strap and pulled us out of the road and to the off ramp. My wife and i and our 4 year old son was in the vehicle at the time and we all could have been killed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed us that the 2004 and 2005 freestars had been recalled for the torque converter splines which will strip and cause loss of power. Our vehicle however has not been recalled and in addition to almost dying we paid $1918.32 to have the vehicle repaired! And we were without a car for almost a month. This defect is going to kill someone it is only a matter of time! I don't understand why it gets fixed in the earlier models but the owners of the 2006 are stuck with the possible death trap. *tr

I was driving on a highway in my ford freestar 2006 and the minivan seized, i lost control of the vehicle. The brakes were not working properly and i had drifted off onto the side of the highway were the grass and a few turns helped slow down my vehicle. I had to immediately jump out of the vehicle because there was smoke coming from the engine, but the vehicle would not stop. When the vehicle finally stopped, i jumped out and an ambulance assisted putting out the fire. The engine light went on about 2 minutes before this occurred, giving me no warning signs. I found out it was the transmission. It was replaced under warranty. In 2011, the same thing occurred, engine and car completely failed. When i took it in - it was the transmission again. I had to buy another transmission in less than a year. Ford was not willing to assist me or talk to me about it. I called several times complaining about safety and the possible accidents it could have caused. None the less, in 2012, the transmission went again. Thank goodness it was covered under warranty. Same thing, car completely seized while driving again. It was the transmission again!! Three years of getting a transmission - something is wrong and noone is doing anything about it. My transmission light went off again - i am afraid to even drive it to the dealer. This is ridiculous - who is helping the consumer and protecting them against this? My kids are not allowed in the vehicle now in case the car seizes on the way to the dealer. *tr

I was driving approximately 45 mph on busy highway, my ford freestar would no longer accelerate. Looking in the rear view mirror, there was smoke coming from my vehicle. The engine light came on after i noticed the smoke, then my thermostat went all the way from c to hot in a split second. No warning, car smoking and my brakes and gas was not working. I tried to pull over safely and get out of the vehicle quickly. My van was engulfed with smoke, an ambulance pulled over to assist me. The car fire was put out and towed to a ford dealer. It was my transmission that blew. It was covered by warranty and fixed. I was told it was a bad transmission. One year and two weeks later, my ford freestar was not shifting gears, i was getting stuck, in reverse. When i shift to drive, it does not go forward. My car had to be towed again to the same ford dealer. I was told my transmission was filled with water and the 1 year warranty i purchased the year before was shorted by two weeks. Ford would not honor my warranty due to it being over by 2 weeks time frame. So, i then purchased another transmission with another warranty. Now in 2012, a year later, my transmission that i purchased last year is doing the same thing, getting stuck in gears, when i accelerate, my freestar jumps. Every time it rains, this car stalls. When i took to my mechanic, he says this is a horrible car. Poorly made and it should have been recalled. Apparently it stalls in the rain due to the sealing from ford? Why and how is this possible? This vehicle is a horrible safety problem. I am fortunate my children were not with me in the first car fire. When is ford or the safety council going to investigate this car? So in my vehicle, ford thinks there is nothing wrong with their customer having to replace a transmission 3 years in a row. No safety warnings or engine light warnings at all. *tr

This vehicle i received numerous recalls and had many problems with this vehicle. Major electrical problems. When it would rain and get car wash the electrical system would malfunction and cause engine not to run properly and check engine light would come on. In april of 2016 engine was malfunctioning and caused me to get in accident. This vehicle has since been impounded and loan company santander trying to bill me for remainder of loan and now causing major credit issues. I would like this to be covered by ford/carmax for selling my family an unsafe vehicle which could have resulted in critical injury or worse.

Passenger side mirror burned, smoldered with a great deal of smoke. Could see orange glow behind the mirror. Smelled like an electrical burn. Car was parked, no key in ignition, happened right after unlocking car with key fob.

The alternator caught on fire and burned alternator wring harness.

My 2005 freestar failed to maintain forward speed at 65 miles per hour when it bucked and bucked then stalled looked on line for answer? Yes pcm is water damaged trying to dry it out now hope it works sounds like ford is waiting for someone to get hurt.relocated the pcm and save alot for your company its just right to do tsb isn't doing it please and thank you *tr

Purchased a 2005 ford freestar march 2009. Has suffered from repeated loss of motive power with the computer often recording "no codes" per the dealer. Has been to the dealer atmultiple times for various supposed repairs including new computer, alternator, etc., but the problem continues. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly while driving causing a loss of power steering and brake control. This has occurred at least 8 times in the last 12 months and we left the vehicle at the dealer from 9/10/09 through 11/12/09 and again from 11/15/09(?) through 2/5/2010 due to our concerns about the vehicle's safety. On 2/10/2010 an accident occurred where the vehicle lost power, the road turned and the driver was unable to make the turn or brake adequately and hence ran off the road sustaining neck injuries. *tr

Hi i am [xxx] was out friday at about 5.30 when my 2004 free star van started acting up it cut off 3 time right at a light this is [xxx] just got the van 6 mos ago for 9,300 at a ford dealer in lexington nc .maybe going to quit buying ford ect car van what ever had to call my dad to come help me the van would not run or start because of the pcm box had water on in it .now ford don't want to do a [xxx] thing but make me pay more money just got the van for 9,300 now got to pay 1,2600 at a ford dealer in whiteville nc i don't have the money but my dad and bother is going to pay for it to get fix this time maybe sale the [xxx] 2004 free star van soon i don't want to but if i don't sale it may happen again to me .ford need to recall this [xxx]now before someone get killed i when down the road and could not control my van and now i have brakes went out to ?????look ford send me my money back 1,12200 to me in whiteville nc 2872 to [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Upon leaving the interstate and coming into town (approximately 1 mile ) my vehicle made a slight noise, i looked at my gauges with no indicators on i proceeded into my driveway where my van began to erupt into flames within moments the entire front end was engulfed with 12 ft. Flames i called the fire dept who extinguished the flames, i narrowly escaped the van. *jb

Water leaks down the hood thru the cowl. Vans pcm had to be replaced. There is a tsb on this. Poor design of hood allows water to leak into cowl and into the pcm. Had pcm replaced at $500 plus. This van is a nightmare. *tr

Intermittently locks out the ignition caused by the factory installed anti-theft system. Not ever sure when the car might start. This van is a nightmare. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that water had entered the computer and the computer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they filed a complaint. The failure mileage was 102,000.

This vehicle i received numerous recalls and had many problems with this vehicle. Major electrical problems. When it would rain and get car wash the electrical system would malfunction and cause engine not to run properly and check engine light would come on. In april of 2016 engine was malfunctioning and caused me to get in accident. This vehicle has since been impounded and loan company santander trying to bill me for remainder of loan and now causing major credit issues. I would like this to be covered by ford/carmax for selling my family an unsafe vehicle which could have resulted in critical injury or worse.

Purchased used vehicle from marshall used cars in sacramento, ca, where reside currently. Purchased 05/2011, paid full no loan at time of purchase. Purchased add. Ext. Warranty which was 6months. From the dos til present date; i have paid, and was mislead in all the insurance covering major defects, owner(me) had came out of pocket paying for service to fix warranty parts. Now this is the current and serious issue. I am disabled, i have a disable child. My vehicle was reported under vin to ford corporate to notate for service to be check and worked on at local ford dealer. Complained about multiple (4) issues. Dealership mislead me, and did not perform work. Only work they did was replace 1 recall 10/12. After recall service i (owner) recall manufac. Made claim, again and then went to dealer. I was turned away...and told to do normal maintenance before putting a service claim in. This is a problem. I am not ignorant to the anatomy of a vehicle. I am very literate on understanding vehicle operations as well as maintaining maintenance. I can say this because i believe i should be aware of every issue so i wont have a disabled vehicle. Vehicle mileage applied from the date recall replaced 5800 within the time til i made another claim in oct 2013. Took vehicle in, told to check everything. Did. Brought vehicle back and vehicle was in service dept for week which rolled over to nov 1, 2013. Vehicle was dx and found to be the same thing i made a claim about. Vehicle has a defected recall part. Part was not replaced. And owner is now left with a defect recall part, plus more damage on other parts related to torque converter, fuel line, 3rd bench, front r-wheel hub. I have multiple health appts to maintain for me and my child's disability. My children need to get to school, and i missed legal appt dates from court. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. The contact stated while traveling 15 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. As a result the vehicle crashed into the vehicle directly in front of it. A passenger in the front vehicle sustained unknown injuries. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The failure and current mileage was 115,000.

The alternator caught on fire and burned alternator wring harness.

I was driving approximately 45 mph on busy highway, my ford freestar would no longer accelerate. Looking in the rear view mirror, there was smoke coming from my vehicle. The engine light came on after i noticed the smoke, then my thermostat went all the way from c to hot in a split second. No warning, car smoking and my brakes and gas was not working. I tried to pull over safely and get out of the vehicle quickly. My van was engulfed with smoke, an ambulance pulled over to assist me. The car fire was put out and towed to a ford dealer. It was my transmission that blew. It was covered by warranty and fixed. I was told it was a bad transmission. One year and two weeks later, my ford freestar was not shifting gears, i was getting stuck, in reverse. When i shift to drive, it does not go forward. My car had to be towed again to the same ford dealer. I was told my transmission was filled with water and the 1 year warranty i purchased the year before was shorted by two weeks. Ford would not honor my warranty due to it being over by 2 weeks time frame. So, i then purchased another transmission with another warranty. Now in 2012, a year later, my transmission that i purchased last year is doing the same thing, getting stuck in gears, when i accelerate, my freestar jumps. Every time it rains, this car stalls. When i took to my mechanic, he says this is a horrible car. Poorly made and it should have been recalled. Apparently it stalls in the rain due to the sealing from ford? Why and how is this possible? This vehicle is a horrible safety problem. I am fortunate my children were not with me in the first car fire. When is ford or the safety council going to investigate this car? So in my vehicle, ford thinks there is nothing wrong with their customer having to replace a transmission 3 years in a row. No safety warnings or engine light warnings at all. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. While the vehicle was stationary, the engine caught fire without warning. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fire. The failure mileage was 122,000.

Car history: the transaxle light has gone before when we travel through vt mountains, but turning off the engine and letting it sit, and restarting it, the light would go off. Upon getting home safety, our mechanics didn't find anything to repair and so left it be, and would only sometimes see it when we traveled through the vt mountains, a few times a year. All recall repairs were up to date. There were no other symptoms. Incident: as we nearing the top of a mountain, the transaxle light came on. Unlike the other times, the transmission suddenly failed to be in the correct gear, so unlike the other times, we were very concerned. We pulled over immediately, and as we reached the shoulder smoke began pouring out of the vents. We quickly evacuated our kids, and as we were getting them out we noticed that there was already fire coming from under the hood, near the windshield, on the passenger side. We are so glad our kids were awake, and able to unlatch their own child carseats, and able to get out quickly. The fire spread to the entire van, consuming everything, at a great expense to us. (and others; our accident blocked a significant amount of traffic for about 3 hours.) *tr

The car was driving fine all of a sudden the freestar lost power, i was doing t most 40 mph because it was during rush hour on the i15 hwy by hesperia everything was fine and all of a sudden my car lost power and began to feel like it was loosing power and then i saw it go from forty to slower mpg and i had my foot on the accelerator i immediately pulled over as soon as i could and there was smoke and then there was fire my 1car was burnt a total loss my daughter and i barely escaped with our lives minutes before the van exploded someone had put us in her car and drove us forward saving our lives when the fire department arrived i walked back to my car and the fire had expanded far past where me and my daughter were standing. My daughter is still traumatized by the experience and so am i. We would of been severely burnt or died when the car exploded and everything caught on fire past the spot my daughter and i were standing the firemen could not believe that the fire had been so extensive. We lost everything my daughter loved, all her most precious material things we went from driving on a happy trip to the realization we could of died by the fire. If the passerby would not had put us in her car and drove us to safety. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled as the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 89,000. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was unable to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was unknown what needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,430. The vin was not available. Updated 11/09/15*lj *cn

I had received a letter of recall of my back row seat latch do to corrosion. I had taken my van in to be repaired they informed me that they would have to order the parts which took 2 weeks upon returning they informed me they need another part they forgot to order so i waited for my call back again.. Within 2 months time i returned to have it worked on that is when they had told me it had begun to corrode n that they couldn't install the parts i asked them about the situation further & if it was safe to drive they had said yes & handed me my keys so upon leaving the dealership i had stopped for food on my way home i smelt burnt rubber then a thudding noise i had pulled over to check it out luckily i was to close to a family members house a piece had fallen off n was rubbing on my tire my tires had almost caught fire when luckily i had gotten the baby out before anything had happened the next day a mechanic had informed me a hole was burnt threw the floor where the wheel wells were n the tires almost caught fire he said he could weld the parts so frenchies ford could fix what they had to fix .. The next day he informed me he had looked up the parts n came across this website stating it had been recalled i had told him what happened & informed me to take legal matters due to faulty parts . Please don't allow this to happen to anyone elts the thought of my baby being in the back seat while it could have caught fire is terrifying i wouldn't want to hear of it happening to another under the same circumstances especially a child . & now that there's a hole in the floor i'm uncertain what to do i haven't drove it since & quite honestly i'm afraid to .. P.s is this covered? Whose @ fault? What can be done?

This vehicle i received numerous recalls and had many problems with this vehicle. Major electrical problems. When it would rain and get car wash the electrical system would malfunction and cause engine not to run properly and check engine light would come on. In april of 2016 engine was malfunctioning and caused me to get in accident. This vehicle has since been impounded and loan company santander trying to bill me for remainder of loan and now causing major credit issues. I would like this to be covered by ford/carmax for selling my family an unsafe vehicle which could have resulted in critical injury or worse.

Rear hatch door when opened immediately closes, wife was trapped in the door and had to be helped to reopen the door by a passing man. Stationary in a parking lot

When going to put items in the back of the van, the hatch door suddenly came down and hit me in the back/shoulder leaving a bruise and some swelling. When trying to get out from under the door i bumped my head a little as it was very heavy! So, we were propping the hatch with a two-by-four while we try to figure out how to fix it. Then only a few days later, the handle to the hatch just came off into my hand when trying to open up the hatch! There had been no prior warning to either incident. Took it to a ford dealer today and it cost $53.99 just to look at it to see what the problem was and they said it will be another $440 + tax to repair!!!!! This is only to repair the handle back onto the hatch just so that we can actually open it again and start using it again!!!!! We haven't even talked about the cost of repairing the shocks to the hatch, or whatever that issue is!!! The ford dealer says the rod and cable has failed and needs replaced, but can't explain to me how this can happen with no prior warning, or why either incident happened at all. When looking online, this seems to be a common complaint with the freestar, so why isn't there a recall on it???? At the very least, why is it so expensive just to replace a handle????? Ford should fix this problem with a recall, or offer to re-pay customers!!!!!! I had a windstar ('99) that we were constantly putting money into, including a completely rusted and almost cracked in half rear axle, but i was raised by a ford family, so i bought this freestar (2005), hoping for better results! What a joke!!!!! From the bad brakes that need replaced every 1 1/2 - 2 years, to the horrible rusting out of the body causing my 3rd row seats to detach, etc. Etc.etc....never again!!!!! Ford, please make it right!!!!!! I don't have over $500 sitting around to replace a door handle that definitely should last the life of the vehicle!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The lift gate opened a when a passenger was beneath causing injury to her head and neck. The dealer repaired lift gate at no cost; however, he stated that the lift gate module wasn't replaced. The manufacturer stated that his vin wasn't included in recall 06v069000 structure: body: hatchback/liftgate. The current and the failure mileages were 54,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestar. The contact released the hatchback mechanism while the vehicle was stationary. The hatchback immediately slammed down on the contact and injured his shoulder. There was no prior warning to the hatchback support device failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to defective shocks in the hatchback. As of august 5, 2008, the vehicle has not been repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure and current mileages were 61,063.

We purchased this vehicle new from the dealer in september 2005. In the winter of 05-06, the doors malfunctioned on repeated occasions. We had over 3 instances where the extreme cold would cause the automatic door feature to open and close the doors randomly, even while the car was in transit. There was one instance in where both side passenger doors opened in the middle of the night, even though the doors had been locked when we checked them. We also had an instance in where the rear door opened in our friend's driveway at night, when the temperature went below 0. We found the only way to guarantee the doors stay closed in the winter is to disengage the automatic door opener feature. We brought the car to our dealer and we were told they could find no issue with the car. In early 2007, new jersey experienced a cold spell which resulted in below freezing temperatures. It was at this time that while my husband was getting something out of the back of the van, the hydraulic feature failed and slammed the door on his head. He did not suffer life-threatening injuries, but did get bumped and bruised. We contacted the dealer, because in 2006 the hydraulics had to be replaced due to a recall and we did so, and the dealer had us bring the car in for servicing again. Once the system was replaced for the second time, we were told by ford that with extreme temperature change, this issue can occur year after year and there is nothing we can do about it. I find this terrible considering i only live in new jersey, not alaska. My car's hydraulic system should not fail every time it gets cold, and even worse, i was told that once my warranty expires, it will be on me to keep replacing the parts that freeze. I am lucky my children were not in harms way when my husband was knocked in the head by the falling door, but now i am nervous about using this car in the winter months because ford has guaranteed this problem will be a recurring issue. *tr

3 year old child was getting out of freestar and leaned into the switch to close the door; door began to close on child. As i was reaching in the door i was knocked down and the door continued to close on my body bruising my shoulder and hip area. I had to use all my strength to push the door back. It takes excessive force to make to the door retract while something is in its way. The van was taken to the dealer where several advisors told me that the door is operating properly and that it would not cause serious harm to an individual only bruising. *nm

Car history: the transaxle light has gone before when we travel through vt mountains, but turning off the engine and letting it sit, and restarting it, the light would go off. Upon getting home safety, our mechanics didn't find anything to repair and so left it be, and would only sometimes see it when we traveled through the vt mountains, a few times a year. All recall repairs were up to date. There were no other symptoms. Incident: as we nearing the top of a mountain, the transaxle light came on. Unlike the other times, the transmission suddenly failed to be in the correct gear, so unlike the other times, we were very concerned. We pulled over immediately, and as we reached the shoulder smoke began pouring out of the vents. We quickly evacuated our kids, and as we were getting them out we noticed that there was already fire coming from under the hood, near the windshield, on the passenger side. We are so glad our kids were awake, and able to unlatch their own child carseats, and able to get out quickly. The fire spread to the entire van, consuming everything, at a great expense to us. (and others; our accident blocked a significant amount of traffic for about 3 hours.) *tr

In nov, 2007 my 7 year old granddaughter started to exit the back passenger van door. The door opened and she was about half way out the door when it started to close on her. My husband had already got out of the van and was able to stop the door from closing on her. It did not automatically stop and go back on contact. Then in dec my sister-in-law was also starting to exit the van from the same door and the same thing happened to her. The door opened, hesitated and then started to close on her. On april 6, 2008 my 80+ mother opened the rear passenger van door and started to enter the van. The door started closing on her. Her left foot was already in the van and the door closure caused her to fall backwards onto the pavement. Her left foot was tangled under the passenger seat. Her cousin was already seated on the other side and was able to get the door stopped before it hurt her leg any worse. She had landed on her lower back and was sore, stiff and unable to sit comfortably for about a week. I made an appt with the local ford dealer to see if they could find a problem. The first time i took it in, they could not duplicate the problem. I told them it was intermittent,most of the time it worked. When i picked the van up i had the service manager walk out with me, and i showed him how we opened the door from the outside and the door opened and immediately started to close. The service group was testing it by using the buttons on the remote. They tested the van again and found codes of b2589, b2592 and b2594 in the computer for the sliding doors. They then found the latch and sensor assembly were sticking and shorted out. They told us they found the codes in both doors, even though we hadn't had any problems with the sliding door on the drivers side. The only way to "fix" the problem was to replace both sides rear sliding door cables and latch assemblies. This is for a 2004 freestar van with only 10,072 miles! It cost us $736.41 to have this fixed. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, another vehicle rear ended the contact at an estimated speed of 40-45mph. This resulted in the contact rear ending a vehicle. There were three occupants in the contact's vehicle, the driver; the contact who was seated in the passenger seat, and an occupant in the rear seat on the driver's side. During the accident the seat belt webbing spooled, allowing the occupants to move forward. As a result, the seatbelts did not lock causing injuries to all occupants. The driver made contact with either the steering wheel or the corner of the door causing a neck sprain. The passenger's right shoulder made contact with the dashboard causing injury. The rear passenger received bruising to the toe. Immediately following the accident after exiting the vehicle, all seats were observed in the reclined position. All occupants of the vehicle were transported to the hospital for observation. A police report was filed at the scene of the accident. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard and later returned to the rental agency.

2004 ford freestar [xxx]ford is charging me for the repair for the torque converter subframe 3-4 $600~$800 bushing kits ($200 each) they want to charge me. I informed them that only do the factory recall repairs the pulled my van out and told me the cant do the repairs, because they are scared of the ball joints and tie rods might break, then complained about the subframe my have to be cut to install new subframe bolts bushings etc. Just to they can continue to take the apart to replace the torque converter. The agreed to charge me 300 labor and told me to pick up the parts needed so i purchased 2 tie-rods. 2 transaxles l-r, 2 lower control arms which included ball joints. They took the subframe apart then told me i need to pay and additional $500 for a used subframe from the salvage yard. Instead of ford just preplacing the subframe 4 bushings and bolts kits $67.00 at park ford 400 west avenue tallmadge ohio 44278, they want to charge me i needed to get a new subframe bolts and that the subframe is not made anymore and 3-4 $600~$800 each. Then they want to charge me $300 extra labor for cutting the frame/ and welding it back shut to install washer(bolt anchors ) then reseal it, and to uninstall the old parts and install the new parts which they have to remove to perform the factory recall repairs. So this repair is going to cost me 392.20 for parts 300 labor, 800 subframe bushings $1492.2 if purchase elsewhere around $26 each i am a usa disable veteran studying form cisco ccna 200-105 exam and so i can better support my adult special need daughter [xxx] ,i am [xxx] ford had my van friday 24th 2017 its march 1st 2017 and they are searching for ways to charge me more money. While i have to walk to my destinations. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Was cleaning my 2005 ford freestar and pulled the lever that releases the back of the bench seat directly behind the drivers seat. The back of the seat came down so hard that it cut the end of my thumb off, including the entire nail. I had to go to the emergency room for treatment and followup with an orthopedic surgeon. So far, to my knowledge, nothing to date has been done to correct this.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Freestar. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V081000 (Seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that he discovered two large holes located on both sides of the third-row seats. The contact stated that the holes were located at the seat anchors; the structural degradation at the seat anchor were mounted to the rear wheel wells. The contact then discovered that his vehicle was placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V081000 (Seats). The contact then notified the dealer and was informed that the part to repair the vehicle was not available and also that the corrosion on the vehicle was too severe to complete the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred the contact to the Better Business Bureau for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. While the vehicle was being reversed with passengers seated in the third row, the third row seat attachment bolt fractured. The contact stated that the seat shifted and was no longer securely fastened to the subframe of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

I purchased a 2006 Ford Freestyle which currently has an open safety recall for 3rd Row Seat Latch Striker Corrosion Repair. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership to have the recall repaired. The dealership confirmed the recall but days later informed me that the necessary parts are no longer available and that they are unable to complete the repair. This creates a serious safety concern because the recall involves corrosion of the 3rd row seat latch striker, which can affect proper seat latching and passenger safety in the event of a crash. I attempted to escalate this issue by contacting Ford corporate customer support. However, I have not received any resolution. I have been given the runaround between Ford corporate and the dealership. The dealership referred me to Ford customer support, and Ford customer support continues to refer me back to the dealership without providing any solution. I also have written communication from the dealership service department stating that their Special Service Support Center would not be able to assist and advising me to contact Ford customer support. Despite following these instructions, no assistance or remedy has been provided. As a result, the safety recall remains unresolved, and I am unable to complete required vehicle inspection/registration. I am left with a vehicle that has a known safety defect with no available repair and no clear resolution from the manufacturer. I am requesting immediate assistance and a definitive resolution to this safety issue.

My third row seat latch rusted off and completely fell out while driving. I had a big hole right by the driver side back tire. I had to screww a piece of metel over the hole cause water would splash in. I cannot use my third seat any longer.

3rd row seat latch striker corrosion does not hold up 3rd row seat

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. The contact stated that the third-row seat latched wheel well corroded. The contact stated that there was rain water entering the vehicle through the rear wheel well by the passenger's side roller of the sliding door. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 13v081000 (seats). There was no assistance provided. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure described in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

My 2007 van has stopped driving on over 6 occasions while i am driving, it has been repaired 4x and always told it was a new issue. On the last occasion i left the van on the road got my mom to pick me up. I have 3 kids that i drive in the vehicle and ford will not take any responsibility, i think 4 attempts to fix a van is more then fair on my part, it is evident that ford does not know what the problem is, and i will not be their guinea pig. *tr

I was driving down a country road and had just dropped my kids off thank goodness. Nothing seemed to be wrong when all of a sudden the engine revved high. I was try'n to look to see what was go'n on when i wrecked into the ditch about 60mph. Out of nowhere the transmission failed and was stuck n a ditch and no one to help. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that when the air conditioner was engaged, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate either forward or backward while shifted into reverse. The contact crashed into a wall due as a result. No one was injured during the crash. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer advised that the lunging was normal. The contact believed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. While driving between 55-60 mph, the throttle became stuck and the cruise control would not disengage. As a result, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact struck a guard rail, which caused over $5,000 in damages. This is the second time that this failure occurred. The dealer could not find any failures with the vehicle. The current mileage was 58,000 and failure mileage was 26,000. Updated 11/24/08 *cn updated 11/26/08. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. When the contact activated the vent control for the air conditioner, there was a progressive failure and the vehicle surged forward. The contact had to ensure that the brake pedal was applied. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle idled very poorly while driving at a low rate of speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa action number: pe11018 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Driving out of town on the highway traveling at 55mph and my van quit accelerating and quickly lost speed. Pressed on gas pedal with no results. Was able to pull slightly off the road and put my car in park, turned it off and turned vehicle back on to find it would not reverse drive forward in any gear or move. Car does start and run but will not drive. *tr

While parking the car, the engine/gas surged taking me slightly forward until i put on the brake. The first time happened in may, but it continues to happen especially when i am going slowly (parking etc) both in forward and reverse and have the air conditioning on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated abnormally when in reverse and with the brakes depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle was in need of maintenance and needed a tune up performed. The repairs were performed on the vehicle but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.

Vehicle lunges forward and tachometer shows momentary engine rpms up to 2500 causing vehicle to surge. Using the brake pedal to control the unexpected motion stalls out the engine which when restarted can only drive at very reduced speed. Ford dealership replaced throttle body and reprogrammed sensor for more tolerance as per new ford specs. Service advisor attributed the bad throttle body to low quality gasoline. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. The contact was driving in reverse at approximately 5 mph into a parking space with the brake pedal engaged when the vehicle began to lunge unexpectedly. The failure occurred sporadically while driving at low speed. The vehicle recently stalled with the illumination of the engine warning indicator. The vehicle restarted and resumed as normal. The contact notified the dealer and they recommended the vehicle be diagnosed to determine the cause of failure. The contact planned to take the vehicle for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. There was an open investigation related to the failure under nhtsa action number pe10033 (vehicle speed control; power train: automatic transmission: control module/tcm,). The failure mileage was 90,000.

I had received a letter of recall of my back row seat latch do to corrosion. I had taken my van in to be repaired they informed me that they would have to order the parts which took 2 weeks upon returning they informed me they need another part they forgot to order so i waited for my call back again.. Within 2 months time i returned to have it worked on that is when they had told me it had begun to corrode n that they couldn't install the parts i asked them about the situation further & if it was safe to drive they had said yes & handed me my keys so upon leaving the dealership i had stopped for food on my way home i smelt burnt rubber then a thudding noise i had pulled over to check it out luckily i was to close to a family members house a piece had fallen off n was rubbing on my tire my tires had almost caught fire when luckily i had gotten the baby out before anything had happened the next day a mechanic had informed me a hole was burnt threw the floor where the wheel wells were n the tires almost caught fire he said he could weld the parts so frenchies ford could fix what they had to fix .. The next day he informed me he had looked up the parts n came across this website stating it had been recalled i had told him what happened & informed me to take legal matters due to faulty parts . Please don't allow this to happen to anyone elts the thought of my baby being in the back seat while it could have caught fire is terrifying i wouldn't want to hear of it happening to another under the same circumstances especially a child . & now that there's a hole in the floor i'm uncertain what to do i haven't drove it since & quite honestly i'm afraid to .. P.s is this covered? Whose @ fault? What can be done?

Dt*: the contact stated in april 2005, the abs and airbag lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealership. The codes were reset and the lights went off. Then, while driving 40 mph on dry roads, a vehicle pulled out in front of the contact. The brake pedal was depressed, but the abs did not activate. Upon impact, the airbags did not deploy. There was a police report taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, where it was deemed a total loss. The contact was wearing a seat belt, but sustained a broken ankle and hand, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the problem with the airbags or antilock brakes.

I was at a complete stop at elkhorn/watt. I was hit by the back with a ford freestar van, 1 adult driving with 2 kids in the back. I got out of my car walked half to the back and told him to pull over at mcdonald's. We waved and shake his head. I would assume he was going to pull over. Green light hit, cars started to move and i turned on my blinker and go over to the middle lane. Ford van driver kept driving, i noticed he wasn't getting over so i got back into the fast lane and followed him. Ford van at that point ran a red light, i waited until light turned green which was a second later. Drove thru residential area, blowing off stop signs. (x4). I was honking my horn to get his attention and waving him down to pull over. No response. Ford van drove all the way home. I parked right behind him in a drive way, so he could get out. When i got out of my car, he was yelling at the kids to run inside. I walked up to him at the point and said you hit me and i asked you to stop at the mcdonald's and you kept driving. He kept yelling at me saying he didn't hit me that he had to slam on his brakes. Wouldn't give me insurance card cause he said there was no damage to report. I told him that was not the point, he ran from an accident with kids in the car. He wouldn't give me his ins card until i told him i was calling the police. My concerns: ran from the accident ran thru a red light / stop signs (with kids in car) not sure if he has current driver licenses. Insurance card shows expired did he get confused on brake/gas? Is there anything we can do? I drive that street everyday, i don't know if he should be driving. I don't know his age 80? I just know i wouldn't want him driving behind me again. I know the kids felt the hit. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving down a country road and had just dropped my kids off thank goodness. Nothing seemed to be wrong when all of a sudden the engine revved high. I was try'n to look to see what was go'n on when i wrecked into the ditch about 60mph. Out of nowhere the transmission failed and was stuck n a ditch and no one to help. *tr

Hi i am [xxx] was out friday at about 5.30 when my 2004 free star van started acting up it cut off 3 time right at a light this is [xxx] just got the van 6 mos ago for 9,300 at a ford dealer in lexington nc .maybe going to quit buying ford ect car van what ever had to call my dad to come help me the van would not run or start because of the pcm box had water on in it .now ford don't want to do a [xxx] thing but make me pay more money just got the van for 9,300 now got to pay 1,2600 at a ford dealer in whiteville nc i don't have the money but my dad and bother is going to pay for it to get fix this time maybe sale the [xxx] 2004 free star van soon i don't want to but if i don't sale it may happen again to me .ford need to recall this [xxx]now before someone get killed i when down the road and could not control my van and now i have brakes went out to ?????look ford send me my money back 1,12200 to me in whiteville nc 2872 to [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Dt*: the contact stated the brake pedal went to the floor twice while attempting to stop. This occurred at 30 mph. The first time, there was no damage. The dealership was unable to determine a problem, but replaced the master cylinder. The second time, while approaching an intersection, the contact depressed the brake pedal. The vehicle did not slow down; the vehicle was steered to the right over a curb into a parking lot. The vehicle did not slow down and crossed a three lane highway into another parking lot where the vehicle was stopped by shrubs. This caused a tire to blow out and minor damage to the bumper. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, but the dealership was unable to determine a problem.

As i was driving my children to the bus stop on dry city street, i started to apply brakes and the pedal went down quickly to the floorboard. The car would not come to a full stop immediately. It seemed like it felt like i was driving on an ice sheet, unable to come to a full stop quickly. I have gone to three places for repair. Diagnostic scan code b1342. They are unable to find abs module.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestar. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. ...updated 10/11/16 *bf *tr

Abslight on.

I have a battery light that keeps coming on even after replacing the alternator twice and battery twice. The light still keeps coming on and will not go off.there i am driving down the road and everything is flashing and then it stalls. I have had both battery and alternator checked and they are fine. Wiring has been checked and nothing seems to work. Also i have replaced the breaks on the car twice and i still get a loud grinding noise when i go to stop. Ford needs to fix these vehicles. I have read in many forums that people are having the same problems with theirs and after spending a bunch of money trying to fix the problem it still is not fixed. I need my vehicle to run right without having to dump money into it all the time and i keep up with regular maintenance but this is above and beyond that and this is ridiculous! *tr

While driving on the interstate my ford free star caught fire under the hood. I was unable to open the hood and put the fire out. The van totally burned.

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.

Purchased a 2005 ford freestar march 2009. Has suffered from repeated loss of motive power with the computer often recording "no codes" per the dealer. Has been to the dealer atmultiple times for various supposed repairs including new computer, alternator, etc., but the problem continues. The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly while driving causing a loss of power steering and brake control. This has occurred at least 8 times in the last 12 months and we left the vehicle at the dealer from 9/10/09 through 11/12/09 and again from 11/15/09(?) through 2/5/2010 due to our concerns about the vehicle's safety. On 2/10/2010 an accident occurred where the vehicle lost power, the road turned and the driver was unable to make the turn or brake adequately and hence ran off the road sustaining neck injuries. *tr

The car was driving fine all of a sudden the freestar lost power, i was doing t most 40 mph because it was during rush hour on the i15 hwy by hesperia everything was fine and all of a sudden my car lost power and began to feel like it was loosing power and then i saw it go from forty to slower mpg and i had my foot on the accelerator i immediately pulled over as soon as i could and there was smoke and then there was fire my 1car was burnt a total loss my daughter and i barely escaped with our lives minutes before the van exploded someone had put us in her car and drove us forward saving our lives when the fire department arrived i walked back to my car and the fire had expanded far past where me and my daughter were standing. My daughter is still traumatized by the experience and so am i. We would of been severely burnt or died when the car exploded and everything caught on fire past the spot my daughter and i were standing the firemen could not believe that the fire had been so extensive. We lost everything my daughter loved, all her most precious material things we went from driving on a happy trip to the realization we could of died by the fire. If the passerby would not had put us in her car and drove us to safety. *tr

Driving north on minnesota highway 169 at 65mph and notice smoke coming from the engine compartment. I immediately pulled over onto the shoulder and within three minutes there were flames coming from the engine compartment as well as smoke. There was nothing wrong with my vehicle and it was running well when all of a sudden it just started smoking and then it burst in to flames. *js

Fire in engine. Mechanical assessment right now is transmission failure. Don't have specifics outside of that, but i see transmission failures this month by ford for my vehicle, and i'm naturally concerned. *tr

Mrs. Attee was starting our ford freestar, when she heard a clicking noise and noticed what she thought was smoke coming from the hood. She(mrs. Attee) then opened the hood to find a small flame coming from the engine, she proceed to call the fire department. Within 5 minutes the van 's engine was engulfed in flames. When the fire department arrived it was to late, the fire had already done its damage(totaled). *tr

I was at a busy intersection in my town. When the light turned green, i started through the intersection but suddenly there was no power. I was stalled but eventually discovered that i could put the vehicle into 3rd gear and could eke my way through the intersection. I had my 5 year old son in the car, people were honking, it was a mess. Fortunately, we didn't get hit. I took the ford freestar to two shops that both told me the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The shop i took it to also told me the radiator was leaking into the transmission so the radiator needed to be replaced as well. The whole ordeal cost me $4,900 for the car repair + rental car. I'm very glad my child and i didn't get hurt, and i am definitely upset that a car that was only a few years old would require such an expensive repair. Although i got the car fixed, i wonder if the transmission will fail again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 ford freestar. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled numerous times without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times where the dealer test drove the vehicle and performed a diagnostic but was unable to duplicate the failure or locate a failure code. The dealer replaced the spark plugs and the computer board but the failure was not corrected. The vehicle continued to stall without warning. The failure mileage was 86,811 and the current mileage was 100,000.

My husband was driving home from work when all of a sudden no warning, no check engine light nothing, he loses all gears and speed. There was a lot of cars behind him, the road he was on is very busy with several hills and blind spots. We have checked into this problem with ford and they state that yes they are aware of a design problem with the hood by the wind shield wipers that allows water to go in, drain down the fire wall and leak into the pcm module and the transmission. This water shorts them out and with no warning you lose speed and gears to continue driving. This is a huge safety issue, i just thank god our children were not in the van, and that he was able to get the van off to the side of the road.