2004 Ford Freestar

No clear pattern

1.3% of complaints about the 2004 Ford Freestar arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2004 vehicle, but with only 1,596 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is power train (872 complaints), typically at 6.8 yr or about 85,000 miles.

Complaints: 1,596
Median age at failure: 7.6 yr
Median mileage: 87,308 n=1412
Crash / fire / tow: 3.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 5

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Power train

872 reports · 85,000 mi

6.8 yr

2.3%

Electrical system

119 reports · 95,000 mi

8.8 yr

2.5%

Structure

95 reports · 113,000 mi

9.0 yr

4.2%

Seats

87 reports · 116,542 mi

9.1 yr

2.3%

Engine

69 reports · 100,000 mi

10.2 yr

8.7%

Service brakes, hydraulic

53 reports · 37,500 mi

3.3 yr

3.8%

Engine cooling

49 reports · 80,700 mi

6.7 yr

8.2%

Speed control

33 reports · 102,000 mi

8.4 yr

Suspension

28 reports · 90,000 mi

8.7 yr

3.6%

Steering

27 reports · 90,000 mi

8.6 yr

7.4%

Other

25 reports · 98,400 mi

8.3 yr

16%

Wheels

25 reports · 64,000 mi

6.5 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

13V081000 2013-03-07

Seats

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

In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury.

12V006000 2012-01-09

Power train:automatic transmission

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AND 2005 FORD FREESTAR AND MERCURY MONTEREY VEHICLES. THE TORQUE CONVERTER OUTPUT SHAFT MAY FAIL.

THIS CONDITION RESULTS IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WITH NO WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

06E056000 2006-06-13

Fuel system

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.

FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

04V446000 2004-09-13

Wheels:hub

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.

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.

03V457000 2003-11-06

Steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections

ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE POWER STEERING LOW-PRESSURE LINE MAY NOT BE FULLY SEATED AT THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR.

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.

In owners’ own words

Structure 750 mi 6 mo in service

PLASTIC MOLDING ALONG THE RUNNING BOARDS BROKE OFF. AS A RESULT, THE SLIDING DOOR MALFUNCTIONED, LOCKING OCCUPANTS INSIDE VEHICLE. *AK

Structure 500 mi 9 mo in service

THE POWER SLIDING DOOR, UPON OPENING THE DOOR, AND DEPRESSING THE ELECTRICAL BUTTON TO CLOSE THE DOOR IT WILL NOT STOP. IT CONTINUES TO CLOSE UNTIL YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE DOOR.*AK

Structure 15,400 mi 1.8 yr in service crash / fire / tow

WE JUST PURCHASED A 2004 FORD FREESTAR. I AM 67 AND WENT TO GET OUT OF THE BACK DOOR AND THE DRIVER ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED THE BUTTON TO CLOSE THE DOOR.IT CRUSHED MY LEG, AS THERE IS NO WAY TO STOP THE DOOR. THERE ARE NO SAFETY SWITCHES. EVERYONE IN THE CAR TRIED TO HELP AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT GO BACK. THIS WOULD HAVE KILLED A CHILD OR MY 89 YEAR OLD MOTHER. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. MY HUSBAND HAS SIZE 14 SHOES AND WHEN HE TRIED TO GET OUT THE SAME DOOR, HIS KNEE ALMOST HIT THE DOOR CLOSING BUTTON...AND HE WAS WATCHING OUT FOR THE PROBLEM.

Visibility mileage not reported 5 mo in service

WHEN USING THE HEADLINER-MOUNTED DVD SYSTEM SCREEN, VISIBILITY THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR IS VERY LIMITED (PRETTY MUCH, THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR CAN'T BE USED AT ALL). *AK

Other Freestar model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.