Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Ford Freestar owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The transmission is grinding and popping when shifting gears.Also it has started not moving when I shift it into drive and 3rd and 1st.When I drive it I have to put it in 1st gear and change up to drive and it grinds and pops when giving it gas to go.It comes to a crawl going up hills.Has a big loss of power.The trackshion control light comes on saying it's not working.The electrical is messing up the doors are opening up when they are not supposed to going down road.It tells me that different doors are open when there not keeping the lights on in the van running down the battery.
This vehicle I received numerous recalls and had many problems with this vehicle. Major electrical problems. When it would rain and get car wash the electrical system would malfunction and cause engine not to run properly and check engine light would come on. In April of 2016 engine was malfunctioning and caused me to get in accident. This vehicle has since been impounded and loan company santander trying to bill me for remainder of loan and now causing major credit issues. I would like this to be covered by Ford/carmax for selling my family an unsafe vehicle which could have resulted in critical injury or worse.
My van has a problem with water, that is when it rains the vehicle starts having problems with several components. (ie engine misfire, transmission fails to shift properly, door looks refuse to operate properly, among other weird things) this happens every time it rains. The problem as I have being able to trace it, is that the water that comes off the front windshield and into the plastic that covers the cowl area ( where the wipers are) drips on to the main electric wire harness connection that comes from the inside of the car and connects to the engine bay wire harness. As the wire harness connector gets wet, the vehicle starts acting up. I took the van to my mechanic but he was unable to find a problem, it was dry. …
Like many others who have complained about electrical problems on the Ford Freestar, I have to add my complaint regarding my 2004 Ford Freestar. First of all, when I bought my van used about 4 years ago, I did research on it, and learned about the issue of water getting into the PCM. So I took the van to a Ford dealership - campbell Ford in niles michigan - and one of their mechanics dried and sealed the PCM, along with the area at the base of the windshield that is prone to leak. That was two years ago (this van also had the torque converter work done by the previous owner). So here's the problem I'm having now: when driving, occasionally for no apparent reason, my radio goes dead, no time, no display, no music, and then the brake and ABS light appear on the dash, along with the battery light and airbag light. …
Different things are happening. My van idles at a higher RPM. My van doesnt want to crank on the first turn of the key. My van is possibly miss-firing. My front wiper motor has stopped. My alternator was replaced. Now my battery light comes on but then May go off. My car shuts off when idles, my battery light is on. Nothing but the engine cranked, but battery light is on. My battery was replaced with in 6 months before this. Sometimes the side doors decide to open when button is pushed and sometimes they do not. I have been told that the problem is with water getting into the PCM. Water should not be able to get into this area. There is not time frame as to how long this has been damaged, but it is a problem. It needs to be fixed. …
My car has spent 10 days at Ford to be serviced after having the safety recall service for the torque converter performed. The vehicle was behaving unpredictably, sometimes stalling out while idled, stalling out while in motion, sometimes idling with high or low rpms. The dealership took it back in to check the torque converter, they then said it wasn't the torque converter but the throttle body, they then cleaned that and said it's not the throttle body, it's the PCM. The PCM is taking on water from a flawed design of the above PCM where water is retained and eventually leaks on to the connector. This of course is not covered by Ford, and can cost up to $1200 to replace. This issue creates a number of different symptoms making it hard to identify the origin of the problem. Causing extended stays for maintenance. …
While driving on the freeway at 55 MPH my vehicle lurched forward drastically and then stalled. I was able to get it to the side of the road coasting as I was in the outside lane. I could restart the car but only go 50-100 feet and it would stall again. I managed to get it off the road into a parking lot and found out the car wouldn't go into reverse. Although I could go forward. I am now being told that there was a torque converter recall for this year and make of car but not for my vehicle. I am being told the transmission will need rebuilt and be at a cost of 3000-3900 dollars. The car has approx. 102,000 miles on it. I was told by the transmission shop this is a common problem with this car even if they are repaired they tend to have problems again. It should be noted that it had snowed a large volume that day and there was a lot of water on the roadway.
While driving my 4 children all but one in a car seat, my car just died without warning, my car starting rolling backwards before I had even realized it shut down. In panic I got the car stopped and put into park and got hazards on and then tried starting car and it fired right back up. I brought it to mechanic to be told its the air filter, changed that then got told its the mass air flow sensor, replaced that then was told that's not it. Finally someone said its the PCM!! No one can do it but Ford so I called Ford, Ford says that cannot do it!! Go figure, so I am now scrambling for the money and for the parts and for the mechanic to fix this. And from what I can follow from the other complaints its not just me this happening to over and over again. This is a faulty make and should not have to come out of the customers pocket anymore. Ford should pick up the pieces.
Problem #1 the passenger side window will not work . It's controll module was replaced it worked one time and stopped working again. Problem #2 the drive axle broke in traffic luckily we were stopping and were only going about 5 MPH. Problem #3 today after a night of heavy rain when the van was unlocked the radio came on before the key was even in the ignition. Which brings us to problem #4 the biggest and no doubt most expensive. The van started and was running kind of sluggish but ran fine in reverse but if you shift to drive the van shuts off. You cannot start it in neutral either. I have had 2 independent mechanics look at it today both say it is the torque converter. I looked it up and there is a recall but of course it's the weekend and I can't call to see if it's covered.
Alpr system on telephone poles and police cars are attacking my vehicle. Already destroyed my ABS brake system module and now working on my starter motor, blower motor, speed control and etc. Some attacks cause loud base drum like thumping on my dashboard. Other attacks lock my gearshift lever in park, unlock my doors. Stop my speed control from working, and etc. These attacks have been ongoing for about 4 years. Along with these attacks, police cars frequently threaten me with head-on collisions. The thumping scares me when it occurs in heavy traffic and could cause an accident. These attacks occur in all modes of vehicle operation and when passing alpr telephone poles and police cars.
Electrical complaints in other Freestar years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Ford Freestar?
NHTSA has 118 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Ford Freestar, 10% of the model year's 1,227 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford Freestar electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Ford Freestar, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Ford Freestar electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.