Ford Freestar 2004–2007

Summary

4 model years in 1 generation, 2,533 owner complaints in total.
No model year stands out as the most complained-about of its generation.
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 85,625 miles (2,275 of them give one).
Owners reported 29 crashes, 21 fires, 41 injuries and 1 death across these model years.
6 recalls and 9 federal investigations cover these model years.

2004–2007

Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Fewer than three years of this generation are comparable, so no year is named.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2004	1,227	59	Powertrain
2005	886	30	Powertrain	not compared
2006	356	19	Powertrain	not compared
2007	64	2	Powertrain	not compared

Every model year

A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Investigations	Bulletins	Combined MPG	Page
2004	1,227	5	8	64	17–18	yes
2005	886	4	6	44	18	yes
2006	356	3	3	15	17–18	yes
2007	64	2	3	8	17–18	yes

What owners report across all years

System	Complaints	Share	Median mileage
Powertrain	1,819	73%	85,000 mi
Engine	254	10%	95,000 mi
Electrical System	248	10%	95,000 mi
Body & Structure	136	5%	102,000 mi
Seats	121	5%	123,000 mi

Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.

Powertrain

Owner report When I was driving my van was loosing power even when I was pushing the gas I had to pull over before a car was about to hit me. I look it up online it had a recall in 2013 but I bought van from someone last year and I called the ford place about the recall and they said couldn’t do it Mac hik in Jackson

Owner report The contact owns a 2004 Ford Freestar. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the torque converter and the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact relat…

Engine

Owner report I have a 2004 Ford freestar van and I was driving down the road and I went to pass another vehicle and I push the gas and I heard some crunchy noise is and then nothing no power at all no gears nothing I was dead in the water so I had to get out of the van and push it to the side of the road didn't have reverse didn't …

Owner report Conducía mi vehículo y la trasmisión quedó en neutro en una entrada y no pude estacionarme Y no volvió arrancar Solo coje la reversa I was driving my vehicle and the transmission was neutral in a driveway and I couldn't park And did not start again Just take the reverse

Electrical System

Owner report The contact owns a 2006 Ford Freestar. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the speedometer failed to function as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1…

Owner report The rear wheel well has rusted on both sides and completely rusted out a large hole (approx. 1 ft diameter area visibly effected) in the the body of the van. The rusted out section is where the back seat is anchored to the frame, so the rust has cause the seat to no longer be securely anchored to the car. The hole has …

Largest recalls

Campaign	Component	Filed	Vehicles
12V006000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION \| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER	2012-01-09	206,452
13V081000	SEATS	2013-03-07	196,667
06E056000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	2006-06-13	58,640
04V446000	WHEELS:HUB	2004-09-13	34,013
03V457000	STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS	2003-11-06	23,996

Whether a recall has been done on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Open investigations

None open.

Service bulletins

Ford issued 131 service bulletins covering these model years, most often about electrical system.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2016-09-21	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS	The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate …
2016-04-21	SEATS	For 2004-2007 Freestar or Monterey vehicles Safety Recall 13S01 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where the sheet metal that supports the folding 3rd row seat latch strikers could…
2016-04-21	SEATS	Safety recall 13S01 - Corrosion on sheet metal that supports 3rd row seat latch strikeers - requests for recall service action
2014-09-09	EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY	FORD/MERCURY: SAFETY RECALL REGARDING SHEET METAL SUPPORT FOR FOLDING 3RD ROW SEAT LATCH STRIKERS CAN EXPERIENCE CORROSION AND WILL COMPROMISE MOUNTING POINT CAUSING SEAT TO MOVE. MODEL 2004-07 FREESTAR, MONTEREY. *PE
2014-08-11	EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY	FORD/MERCURY: SHEET METAL SUPPORTING FOLDING 3RD ROW SEAT LATCH STRIKERS WILL EXPERIENCE CORROSION AND COMPROMISE MOUNTING POINT FOR FORWARD PORTION OF 3RD ROW SEAT, IF VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR EXTENDED PERIOD. MODEL …
2006-02-24	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 06B37. CRANK POSITION SENSOR CONNECTOR INSPECTION. THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR HARNESS CONNECTOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY SEATED IN THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. IF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR BECAME …
2006-01-01	EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER	REAR CLIMATE CONTROL NOISES - SERVICE TIP. *TT
2006-01-01	TIRES	LOW TIRE INDICATOR ON - TPMS SYSTEM SENSOR WAKE UP. *TT
2005-11-14	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION	IGNITION DIAGNOSTICS. TO INCLUDE LINCOLN ZEPHYR 2006. *TT
2005-09-01	AIR BAGS	RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE B2296 - SERVICE TIP. *TT

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more after news coverage or a recall. That is why years are compared only with other years of the same generation, over the same span, and never with other models.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.

This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.