Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Passenger side mirror burned, smoldered with a great deal of smoke. Could see orange glow behind the mirror. Smelled like an electrical burn. Car was parked, no key in ignition, happened right after unlocking car with key fob.
My husband was driving home from work when all of a sudden no warning, no check engine light nothing, he loses all gears and speed. There was a lot of cars behind him, the road he was on is very busy with several hills and blind spots. We have checked into this problem with Ford and they state that yes they are aware of a design problem with the hood by the wind shield wipers that allows water to go in, drain down the fire wall and leak into the PCM module and the transmission. This water shorts them out and with no warning you lose speed and gears to continue driving. This is a huge safety issue, I just thank god our children were not in the van, and that he was able to get the van off to the side of the road.
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 100,000.
Before it broke down completely the van was driving funny, like if it didn't have enough strength especially when I was driving hill but one night I was driving the van and suddenly just shut off in the middle off the highway. Thanks god I didn't have many cars behind me and I manage to avoid getting hit by holding my phone out the window so to be seen until I was able to "drive" to a section of road with street lights. The next day I had it towed to my mechanic because it would not start anymore. The mechanic told me there was a lot of complaints for this problem.so I don't know what are they waiting for to make this an official recall. I feel very lucky my children and wife were not in the vehicle during these past incidences. I would like a response from you on this recall matter a.s.a.p. Thank you.
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 also caused electrical wires to get wet when water gets into the van and intermittently and unpredictably causing failure of electrical features, including headlights and blinkers, while driving.
An incident from about a month ago: after traveling on the freeway and coming to a stop at a red light at the off ramp at 2 am, my car began to sputter and rev. I proceeded to the next red light where my car shut off. Every time I started it, it would shut off right away. I drive for a taxi service and luckily I did not have passengers in the car with me at the time. I called a family member to come look and help. He ended up pushing my car with his into a nearby parking lot. After some investigation, I concluded it was the PCM. It was taken out to dry completely and the windshield area where water May have leaked into it was sealed with silicone. It started working again fine and has been since then. Now it has rained again and the problem has reoccurred. Today, after driving on the freeway and entering a neighborhood, my trans-axle light started blinking. …
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Freestar years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (118), 2005 (85), 2006 (40) and 2007 (5) model years. Electrical complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2004.
Is there a recall for Ford Freestar electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Ford Freestar model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Ford Freestar electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles; 14% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the instrument cluster/panel (4 mentions), followed by the wiring (1).
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.