The Ford Freestar has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2004–2007. On average a defect was admitted 4.08 years after the car was built, the slowest took 9 years. The most recalled system is Seats (1 campaigns). Owners also filed 2,127 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Ford Freestar
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Seats 1 Read
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its…
Risk. In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its…
Risk. In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its…
Risk. In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332
Fuel System, Gasoline 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector is fully attached
Risk. Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur
Fix. Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters usa at 800-230-5876
What's wrong. Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector is fully attached
Risk. Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur
Fix. Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters usa at 800-230-5876
What's wrong. Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector is fully attached
Risk. Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur
Fix. Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters usa at 800-230-5876
Structure 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain vans equipped with the power liftgate option, the power liftgate motor automatically disengages after the liftgate is powered open
Risk. In the event of a liftgate strut malfunction, the liftgate can fall freely with no prior warning. Anyone standing beneath the liftgate may be injured if the liftgate falls
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the power liftgate module to reduce the likelihood that the liftgate could fall free of charge. The recall began on march 15, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
What's wrong. On certain vans equipped with the power liftgate option, the power liftgate motor automatically disengages after the liftgate is powered open
Risk. In the event of a liftgate strut malfunction, the liftgate can fall freely with no prior warning. Anyone standing beneath the liftgate may be injured if the liftgate falls
Fix. Dealers will reprogram the power liftgate module to reduce the likelihood that the liftgate could fall free of charge. The recall began on march 15, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Power Train 1 Read
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft may fail
Risk. This condition results in a sudden loss of motive power with no warning, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque converter free of charge. The safety recall began on august 9, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft may fail
Risk. This condition results in a sudden loss of motive power with no warning, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque converter free of charge. The safety recall began on august 9, 2012. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332
Steering 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain minivans, the power steering low-pressure line may not be fully seated at the rack and pinion steering gear
Risk. If this line becomes disconnected, it may create the potential for fluid to come into contact with the exhaust system, which could result in smoke or fire
Fix. Dealers will inspect the power steering low-pressure line to ensure that it is seated properly at the rack and pinion steering gear. Owner notification began november 10, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Wheels 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain minivans may have been produced with front wheel hub assemblies that were not heat treated correctly. This condition may lead to the development of small cracks in the hub
Risk. If the cracks were to progress, this could eventually result in wheel separation. Wheel separation may lead to loss of vehicle control, and potentially result in a vehicle crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the front hub, rotors, and wheel bearings. The recall began september 20, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 4.08 years |
| Slowest campaign | 9 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 50% |
| Campaigns on record | 6 |
Which Freestar years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2006 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2005 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2004 | Steering |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Ford Freestar have?
6 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2004–2007. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Freestar still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 4.08 years, and the slowest campaign came 9 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.