2004 Ford Freestar Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 851about this part
- Share
- 69%of 1,227 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 85,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 851 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Ford Freestar, 69% of the 1,227 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 85,000 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved and 7 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driving down rd n it felt as if someone was pushing break while I was smashing gas pedal . Lost all fire to car wouldn't go no where. I was on a country rd going uphill. It spots n sputter n jerks real hard going up hill like my transmission going bad but motor sounds good so I have no clue..”
NHTSA complaint #11344013, filed 2020-08, 230,000 miles“2nd time that this has happened. Was driving when the van started bucking/sputtering/surging. It would die and then fire right back up just to do it once again. Soaked PCM connector was to blame both times. This is obviously a design flaw by Ford and needs to be taken care of. I'm glad I was not on the interstate or in the middle of an intersection.”
NHTSA complaint #10747028, filed 2015-08, 154,970 miles“Driving I-95 at 70 MPH . Van s tach raced to 3k engine seem to loose power. Had van checked out said it was torque converter. This is a known reoccurring problem told to me by the car tech. How can a problem so big and dangerous be fixed such as faulty converters.what can one do.”
NHTSA complaint #11182607, filed 2019-02, 206,000 miles“Had the torque recall done last august by a local dealership, and while accelerating yesterday I lost all control of the vehicle and the engine stalled, transmission is now shot and the PCM is damaged from the moisture even though I had completed the TSB the dealership advised me of. Several sensors kept failing randomly, and would only last about a month.”
NHTSA complaint #10701006, filed 2015-03, 148,000 miles“The transmission went out all of a sudden and we could have had a accident and get hurt..there has been a recall for our 2004 Freestar and we never got it because no one sent it out..we need this van fixed as soon as possible..we are retired and live on a fixed income and we have no way to get or meds or food or doctors appt..we need your help asap.”
NHTSA complaint #10617597, filed 2014-07, 140,000 milesRelated recalls
- 12V006000Jan 9, 2012Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft may fail.Covers: Ford Freestar 2004–2005, Mercury Monterey 2004–2005
Related service bulletins
- 10016808Oct 11, 2005Erratic fluid level reading on transaxle dipstick-leaks-4f50n, ax4n, ax4s transaxle.
- 10017552Jan 1, 2005A broken outer c/v joint on vehicles built before 5/1/2005.
- 10014086Dec 13, 2004General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10013369Nov 1, 2004General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
- 10011157Sep 6, 20044f50n transaxle no 1-2 upshift and diagnositc trouble code p0732.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 Ford Freestar
118 complaintsBody and structure
94 complaintsSeats
86 complaintsEngine
69 complaintsBrakes
59 complaintsEngine cooling
49 complaintsVehicle speed control
33 complaintsOther or unknown
29 complaintsSteering
27 complaintsSuspension
25 complaintsWheels
25 complaintsFuel system
23 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Ford Freestar
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology