Returning from a 'dump run', I noticed the plastic cover for the 3rd row passenger seat, driver side, had been dislodged and was lying on the floor. I went to reconnect it and I found the latch 'floating'. it was no longer part of the vehicle. I could see out through the wheel well. After further inspection, I saw that the welded plate, that should be part of the van was no longer attached. I haven't looked at the tire for damage, yet. This is a design and manufacturing error, as the latch bracket used to secure the passenger seat in place, needs to be a permanent part of the vehicle. The van isn't too old, and should last many more years/miles and for this piece to come loose, is a safety issue as well as a quality issue. I'm afraid to take it to the local Ford dealer for fear of being gouged on the cost to repair, which should be at Ford's cost. If this was a pick up truck with exposure to the elements all the time, I could see a rust issue. This vehicle is lightly used and garaged nightly, so it shouldn't happen - ever. The other comments on this page are all similar to my experience with this part. Right now, I'm using a strap to hold the piece in place, stretching to the latch on the passenger side. Comment: This van has had too many quality issues since we purchased it in 2006 - torque converter replaced, driver seat heater replaced, transmission replaced, cruise control switch mech. Replaced, ignition replaced.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

The driver-side wall bracket that locks the third row seat into the upright (usable) position is loose. It appears that it is welded to the inner shell sheet metal of the vehicle and that the inner shell around the bracket has rusted sufficiently to cause the bracket to be loose. We have discontinued use of the back seat, fearing insufficient protection during a potential crash.

- Plymouth, MN, USA

During sts tire servicing, mechanic showed me a large section of structural steel hanging from the rear driver side wheel well and a Michelin tire that contained abrasive ripping caused by the section of steel that had been dangling and rubbing against the tire. The large section of steel contained an anchor at the center which was manufactured to hold the third row row in place. This steel plate with the anchor for holding the third row seat in place is no longer attached to the vehicle due to a manufacturing defect which allowed the welds holding it in place to fail creating dangers of: Unsecured seating, hole exposing passengers to exterior of vehicle and moving parts, opening for rodents or other dangers to enter vehicle, knowledge of prior may cause fear and panic of driver or passengers which may cause accident or mental anguise. I brought the vehicle to smith Ford dealership in Washington, N.J. requesting an inspection and warranty repair of the above stated structural steel. Smith Ford inspected the vehicle and said that the manufacturing defect would not be repaired by Ford and that Ford does not accept financial responsibility even though the problem was the result of a manufacturing defect. Reported this to Ford headquarters on November 30, 2012 and was informed that the dealership was correct in stating that Ford will not repair this serious problem. My wife is increasingly having terrifying visions of mice jumping on her while driving, having snakes crawling into the car, rain snow mud etc entering vehicle, or having the children put their hands or other things into the hole in the vehicle.

- Annandale, NJ, USA

Drivers side rear passenger seat bracket failure. The bracket is mounted through the wheel well. The weld around the bracket had severe rusting, no where similar to other parts of the car. The plate holding the bracket rusted through completely dropping the seat. The plate and bracket began rubbing against the tire. If I had not stopped and found the problem and secured the bracket, the tire could have blown causing an accident. Accident was prevented, but serious body failure occurred. This needs to be addressed. As is this seat should no longer be used until it can be fixed, there is no cost effective fix.

- Lutz, FL, USA

Noticed a panel loose in the rear driver's side wheel well while removing the wheel. The panel was completely rusted and separated from the wheel well, with only something attached to it on the interior keeping it from falling off. Took it to a body shop, where it was determined that this panel is the rear seat anchor and the seat latch was the only thing keeping it from falling off. The estimate for repair is $906.99. The rear seat anchor was removed and the hole temporarily taped closed, and the rear seat is not safe and cannot be used. Contacted the dealer to see if any recalls exist for this condition and was told there are none. Currently trying to decide whether or not to repair the vehicle. The vehicle is well maintained and the condition of this panel/anchor is unusual when compared to the rest of the vehicle.

- Yorkville, IL, USA

The 3rd row rear seat on my 2004 Freestar does not latch into seated position properly. Upon further inspection, I realized that the driver's side support ring which the 3rd row seat latches into was pushed back into the trim. I looked underneath the driver's side rear wheel well and noticed that a steel plate which the support ring is mounted has completely rusted through the body of the vehicle. Also, when it is not latched it has a tendency to interfere with the rear driver's side tire. While there is a small amount of metal holding the mounting plate in place, it requires two people to latch the seat in order to keep the metal plate from scoring the sidewall of my tire. The passenger's side mounting plate continues to be secure, yet there is a noticeable amount of rust on that side as well. If someone stows the 3rd row seat and tries to flip it back into seating position without knowing that the support ring is loose, they could end up scoring the sidewall on the rear tire and causing a complete failure. Further, the proper function of the seat belt in the third row seat could be compromised during an accident; the seat could pitch forward or flip back because it is not solidly secured to the van's structure.

- Gaylord, MI, USA

Our two daughters where in the rear seat and complained of a bad smell as if something burning. At about that same time I noticed hearing a rubbing noise every time we turned left. When we got home shortly after I looked up under the inner fender of the rear left wheel and found a large steel plate loose and rubbing the tire. It was so rusty you could see the interior plastic panels and insulation. At that time I put away the rear seat and noticed the left side anchor was totally loose and when I asked the girls if they noticed that the seat moved they stated that they did notice it move but never said anything about it. There is now a hole in the car wheel well and we cannot use the back seat. We have a bungee cord latched to the two seat anchors holding them inward to keep the metal plate from rubbing the tire. The van is now limited to four passengers and I am concerned about carbon monoxide entering the car.

- Taylor Mill, KY, USA

Inability to latch the rear seat, entire driver side anchor plate completely detached from the vehicle.

- Morgantown, WV, USA

The left rear seat anchor has detached from the body due to excessive rust in the rear quarter panel by the left rear wheel well. The third seat is no longer usable and there is a hole through the body that lets air and water into the passenger compartment. The right side wheel well area shows rust as well but the seat anchor has not yet detached from the quarter panel. Two Ford dealers have said they are not aware of this problem occurring and do not know if it can be fixed. My concern is safety while driving the vehicle, noise and water entering the passenger compartment, and the loss of use of the third seat. This vehicle is too young and useful to be scrapped.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while parked the contact pulled the rear seats up and noticed the stud which holds the back seat in place was loose. The contact pushed the stud and it fractured. Also, the wheel weld was corroded on the rear driver and passenger side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine how to remedy the failure. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic who welded new metal pieces to the wheel wells on the rear driver and passenger side. There was an investigation under NHTSA action number: EA12003 (seats:mid/rear assembly structure structure:body) that may be related to the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 11/14/12

- Davis, IL, USA

The third row drivers side seat anchor no longer holds the seat in the upright position. The plate in the wheel well that the anchor attaches to has rusted loose. I brought the van to my dealer and they said they could not repair the problem.

- Frankfort, IL, USA

Our son was in the rear seat and complained that as we turned corners, his seat moved. He said it felts as if it were not latched. Upon investigation, we found the seat did not latch on the drivers side. We tried without success to relatch it and found the latch anchor was loose. Being dark and 30 miles from home, we drove on. We then heard loud noise coming from that wheel well and began to smell "burning rubber". having no other option, we pulled to the side of the dark highway and saw a piece of metal hanging out of the van, onto the tire. We pulled it the rest of the way out and found that it was the seat latch anchor. The area seems to be completely rusted...from the inside. The metal did not look rusted from the outside. We now have a hole in the side of the van (in the wheel well) and a van which is incapable of hauling our family of five. Even using it as a four-passenger van, we have concerns about exhaust entering the interior of the van. (mileage noted is approximate).

- Dale, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated the rear seat support corroded causing the seat to fall forward and also push pieces of metal into the rear tire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was notified who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000.

- Howell, MI, USA

I am entering this complaint in relation to other complaints that have been filed. There is a defect investigation taking place (EA12003 and PE11039) for this issue already. I attempted to put my 3rd row seat back up and lock it into place. On the drive side I noticed that it would not lock into place. After further review, I know noticed that the whole latch had fallen off and was laying on the back driver side wheel. The whole plate rusted thru and fell off into the wheel well. I've had this car since 2004. Yes I live in a snow state that uses salt, but this car has been in the garage its entire life. I would like to understand what stance, if any, Ford is taking with this issue.

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

The third row seat was loose when locked in the upright position. When I looked underneath from the driver side rear tire I noticed the metal plate was loose. I put down the third row seat and looked through the plastic to see that all around the metal plate rotted away. Since the third row seat was not locked in place when I touched the bracket on the metal plate, the entire plate fell out onto the rear tire. The metal all around the plate inside the rear quarter panel is rotted and there is nothing to weld the plate back to. There is also a large opening into the vehicle because that plate is no longer there. My seven seat van can only hold four people safely.

- Hopewell Jct., NY, USA

Severe rust in the driver side rear wheel well caused the third row seat to detach from the vehicle. The third row seat is now unsafe and cannot be used. The seat can no longer be securely latched in place. This vehicle was garage kept and only has 72,938 miles on it.

- Allison Park, PA, USA

I was rotating my tires and noticed that inside each rear wheel well there was a panel patched in from the factory that was rusting terribly, with the drivers side being much worse and almost completely falling off the body. With some further investigation I discovered that the panel actually holds the anchors for the rearmost folding seat. As I stated, the drivers side is almost rusted off the car and there is a giant hole that is letting water and snow inside the van and ruining the carpet and padding. I frequently carry multiple children, some in child safety seats, and could not imagine what would happen during a collision if the rear seat anchor were to separate from the van. I seriously hope that there is some kind of recall, as this vehicle is not yet 10 years old and the rest of the body is still in great shape. This is not just a surface rust issue, it is a safety hazard to anyone owning this type of van and the manufacturer should be held responsible for fixing it as I'm sure the repair is not easy or cheap.

- Clarkston, MI, USA

Left rear seat anchor was loose, so we looked. A large hole had rusted out of the inner fender causing the anchor to completely detach from the body. We took it in to get checked out and they agreed it had completely rusted through and the right side is also rusting out, although not the point of completely rusting through, yet. We are just thankful this was noticed when we were parked and not driving 65 mph causing an accident.

- Halstead, KS, USA

The drivers side rear (third row) seat anchor will no longer hold the seat in place. It appears the metal plate the anchor attaches to has rusted free from the car, due to excessive corrosion in the drivers side rear wheel well creating an opening to the outside. The seat cannot be properly latched to the van when in the upright position.

- Frankfort, IL, USA

The rear left metal U-shaped post that is used to secure the front of the rear bench seat and is attached through the body by a metal plate in the rear wheel well fell out of the vehicle as the vehicle was moving at a speed of 10 miles per hour. The rear seat was folded into the floor at the time of the incident. The post and the attached plate fell out into the wheel well and then fell to the roadway. Upon inspection, the edge of the metal plate, and much of the surrounding wheel well had rusted away causing the incident. The incident resulted in a large hole in the wheel well that goes clear though to the interior of the van. We brought the van to a local Ford dealer for repair. They acknowledged seeing this issue recently in the same make, model, and year of van. They said they were unable to make a repair. They suggested taking the issue to a body shop. Two local body shops were unable to make the repair. As it stands, the rear bench seat is unusable as it can't be secured in the upright position, and there is a hole near the exhaust system that makes the van unsafe to drive. It is frustrating that the same issue has been seen by Ford, yet no suitable repair or solution has been provided.

- Wheaton, IL, USA