10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
116,225 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Ford Freestar drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2005 Ford Freestar Owner Comments (Page 5 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #182

Jan 162015

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 200,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was mid turn when the gas pedal stopped working with a loud grinding sound. It would not shift back into gear and the loud grinding sound still persists.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #181

Dec 242014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 16,953 miles
On christmas eve 2014 I got into my recently purchased 2005 Ford Freestar minivan to run a short errand. After starting my Freestar I put it in reverse but the vehicle would not move. I tried all the forward gears with the same result, the vehicle would not move. The engine RPM's would go up but no movement. I turned the vehicle engine off and on several time with the same results each time. I had to wait till the day after christmas to contact my local Ford dealership service department and describe my problem. They looked up my VIN number and said that all recalls on my vehicle had been done including the torque converter recall. I then had my Freestar towed to the dealership to investigate the problem. Upon investigation it was determined that water had gotten into my powertrain control module, and that is what was causing the problem. They removed the module and dried it and the connector out then reinstalled it and sealed it. After reinstalling the module they then started the vehicle and were able to shift the vehicle into all the gears and get the transmission to fully function, but now there was a service engine light on. The vehicle now would not idle properly and had a hesitation when trying to accelerate. It was determined after further checks that there were fuel codes coming up and that they were related to the PCM getting wet. It was determined that the powertrain control module (which Ford no longer manufactures) would need to be replaced. To fix the problem it would be a cost of $1000 for a re-manufactured module and reprogramming in addition to the $650 that had already been incurred for the work that had been done so far. Note there had been no problems or issues or engine codes on this vehicle till this problem occurred other than a problem one night with the power door locks not working, which corrected itself after restarting the vehicle.

- Elizabethtown, PA, USA

problem #180

Dec 022014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 106,000 miles
Pulling out of work parking lot on 12/2/14. Car disengaged from gear and stalled. Pulled vehicle to side of road and attempted restart. Hard starting and stalling. Shifted through all gears. Would not engage reverse. Stalled in dr, 1st and 2nd. Torque converter and transmission recalls for 2004-2005 free stars apparently does not include this Freestar according to lookup website and Ford dealer even though the vehicle is having the same issue. Well taken care of and only 106,000 miles. I'm filing this complaint in hopes of expanding the recall as it obviously applies to my vehicle.

- Columbiana, AL, USA

problem #179

Nov 292014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 141,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Moravia, IA, USA

problem #178

Nov 182014

Freestar

  • 134,500 miles
While drive the car will stall out and shut off with no warning. In a normal city block it happened at least two times B.

- Dickson City, PA, USA

problem #177

Nov 102014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 165,000 miles
Replaced the converter through Ford recall. I was so impressed with the way this vehicle drove and how comfortable it was I sought to purchase another. However, in my search these vehicles are being sold at private dealers may or may not know about this recall. They are considered "incomplete" running the VIN through NHTSA safecar.com which means all buyers are being sold a defective vehicle with this safety recall waiting to catch up to them if it ever does"?" why, why why is this not mandatory to recall and repair rather then allow the poor unsuspected buyer to later have to pay because they never knew. Why is there not a disclosure clause like in real estate that if you failed to inform the buyer your responsible to pay for it!!! common sense is all anyone wants even from the govt.

- Apple Valley, CA, USA

problem #176

Aug 132014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After starting vehicle normally, I put it in drive, but the vehicle would not move forward. It would go in reverse. Mechanic: Torque converter, camshaft synchronizer, oil filter. 2nd incident same as 1st. Mechanic: Oil pressure switch, engine brain box (programmed at Ford dealership). 3rd incident same. Mechanic: Replaced alternator. 4th incident same. Mechanic currently has it. Computer is telling him it's the wiring harness.

- Dixon, IL, USA

problem #175

Aug 132013

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 104,366 miles
I had the torque converter recall work done on my van, since then problems in forward motion began to happen. I have taken the van to the dealership to find out what was wrong and every time was told they could not duplicate the problem so it could be fixed. The problem continued to become worse to the point it became a danger to drive because of loss of forward motion. I had no choice but to take it to a transmission shop that duplicated the problem and also received a code. I instructed the transmission be inspected and found contamination of metallic material in the transmission. I called every one at the dealership and Ford to find out why the transmission filter was not replaced when the recall work was done and was told Ford did not include replacing the filter even when the recall was because of improperly hardened part. No help.

- Ocoee, FL, USA

problem #174

Feb 072014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 250,000 miles
The light for the powertrain malfunction started flashing after we had the alternator changed. Do not know if it was just a coincidence but the speedometer also stopped working.

- Pleasantville, IA, USA

problem #173

Jul 272014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
Ford tsb 6-14-10, issued July 24, 2006 (wet PCM /connectors) parked in driveway in a rain/windstorm.. vehicle wouldn't start. Or stay running.. engine codes with code reader P0340 camshaft sensor malfunction.. water intrusion evidence visible on the PCM connector area.... this issuer has been known to happen to many people while driving with complete engine failure..

- Edmonton, ID, USA

problem #172

Jul 132014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 162,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving home van starting shuttering violently then shut off while still rolling lost all power, was safely able to get to side of road. Told issue cost 1500 to fix seen Ford service bulletin on defect of water getting to PCM on internet.

- Ferndale, MI, USA

problem #171

May 212014

Freestar

  • miles
In the beginning (5/21/14), our 2005 Ford Freestar van decelerated to about 35 mph, then stalled 3 times, then wouldn't go in reverse or drive, hard to start after sitting in rain. At first, was told transmission by repair shop, who had rebuilt 6 mos earlier, then said PCM.. after research, found PCM gets wet, had replaced & still at Ford dealer almost 2 mos later..they replaced torque converter (recall), throttle position sensor (6/19/14) & cam sensor (6/12/14) because "PCM" told them they were bad after we paid for another PCM to be installed..dealer ordered shield which we have to pay for. This occurs intermittently, and, noticed after it rains. Service manager now said this morning (7/16/14) he thinks fuses in fuse box by battery on driver side (after we called to let him know wouldn't go in reverse)..he came to our home & couldn't get van to start, after starting, wouldn't go into reverse or drive, stalled again, wouldn't start. We have given him a lot of information, including a you tube video explaining the problem & how to fix, but he does not believe us. Ford needs to recall these as this is a manufacturing defect before someone is killed or injured when vehicle stalls going 70 mph on expressway or maybe they already have, they just weren't aware of the problem. If it stalls on the expressway or going down a hill, the power steering and brakes go out..Ford issued a tsb in 2004... date reported: December 13 2004 NHTSA reference: #10014086 tsb reference: #042107 description: General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures. Repair information for NHTSA #10014086 date reported: November 01 2004 NHTSA reference: #10013369 tsb reference: #04217

- Milford, OH, USA

problem #170

Jul 032014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 110,490 miles
Traction control warning light intermittant, with AWD malfunction on. Mechanic says code 1889. Said lots of problems on freestyles, Ford 500 and mercuty models with AWD. Apparent service bulletins. Loss of power, if service bull issued there is a known problem. Why no recall?

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #169

Jul 022014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 152,000 miles
After 2 hours of driving, I tried to pass a car on the turnpike, the car made a loud noise and it looked like it went into neutral. Took the car to the shop, they say that the transmission is broken, Ford replaced the torque converter due to the recall on January of 2014, but now they are saying that the issue is not the torque converted, they state that the transmission needs to be rebuilt.

- Miramar, FL, USA

problem #168

Apr 152014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 134,343 miles
I would like to report the failure of a company and a van. I recently purchased a 2005 Ford Freestar for my family of five that has been the worst decision of my life. A month after I experienced what too many other owner have also experienced. Water in the PCM, this almost resulted in a crash and injury to me and my family. Stalling out without warning at any speed. This known issue has gone on too long without any response from Ford company. I am not a believer in someone has to die for there to be change. Also don't appreciate the cost of this job over $1000. I was fortunate to not be on the highway and crash. Although then we might get our money back. This has also led to other issues that has become a chain reaction of failure. I will keep my receipt for as long as I have to.

- Watervliet, NY, USA

problem #167

May 272014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 103,800 miles
After wet weather the night before, vehicle running rough (to the point of near stall), hesitating to burn fuel properly to get up to speed and not shifting properly. Vehicle was then parked, re-started and acted normally. Within the past week, each day after rain the car reproduces this issue and only after exposure to rain. Yesterday I noted gap in cowl to sheet metal above PCM as well and also noted that a body seal next to the PCM was soaked. It is consistent with the internet complaints about PCM being exposed/flooded with water. This is a serious concern as to the damage it can do to the vehicle's most expensive components (engine, transmission, etc) as well as potentially produce an accident on the road should other anomalous behavior surface. It is also important to note that as this vehicle ages, more of the population of produced vehicles would be exposed to this concern as gaskets lose effectiveness due to compression set, deterioration of seal, the plastic the seal is attached to warps, etc.

- Northville, MI, USA

problem #166

Feb 102014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 134,000 miles
I attempted to start vehicle and the engine was difficult to turn over. When it did start the rpms were going up and down. When I tried to put car in reverse it would not engage causing vehicle to roll forward. ( I was parked on a slight declined driveway). After reading about similar problems I checked the PCM (power control module. It was filled with water !!! after unplugging the PCM and allowing it to dry out I plugged it back in and the problem was corrected. It appears to me that the PCM is located in a bad location causing it to have problems when it rains or snows. I made a temporary fix by putting silicone caulking around the cowling where I believe the water is getting in....

- Hazlet, NJ, USA

problem #165

Feb 062014

Freestar

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact had experienced difficulty with the gears shifting intermittently and had heard a grinding noise multiple times. The contact stated while traveling 60 mph, the vehicle had jerked violently and the transmission was slipping more than once. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who diagnosed and replaced the torque converver. The vehilce was repaired and the failure recurred. The contact was included in 12V006000 (power train) but had been told more than once by the local dealer that the part was not available for the recall repair. The contact had experienced the failure multiple times while waiting for the part for the repair. TL* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestar. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle jerked violently. The failure was recurring. Additionally, the gear shifter would often become resistant when the contact was attempting to shift gears and the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal grinding noise. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the torque converter was replaced however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V006000 (power train) but was constantly told that the part was not available for the recall repair. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Firewell, MI, USA

problem #164

Apr 122014

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
Last couple of years since the warranty went out, the vehicle seems to be slipping when accelerating from a stop. Dealership won't do anything without us paying a large sum of money to fix it. We have had the torque converter replaced three times. The last time was by the Ford dealership due to the recall. I have seen many similar issues with same make, model, and year on blogs and forums. Would love for Ford to remedy this issue without us having to spend money that we don't have. This is a serious safety issue!!! at a busy intersection, the tranny slipping could easily put one in harms way.

- Crockett, TX, USA

problem #163

Apr 122013

Freestar 6-cyl

  • 152,500 miles
2005 Ford Freestar was recalled for torque convertor, third row seat latch. Less than one year later (March 2014) the same problem occurred with the torque convertor.

- Port Republic, VA, USA

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