Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS - CAP/COVER/HUB | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V446000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 02/23/2004 to 05/13/2004 | V (Vehicle) | 34013 | 09/20/2004 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/13/2004 | 09/16/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the front hub, rotors, and wheel bearings. the recall began september 20, 2004. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Ford recall no. 04s24.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||
| 02/01/2013 | 130000 | ||
| The problem is the same that is described in ea12003. the attaching bracket for the rear seat fell out while the seat was folded into the floor. it became lodged in the inner portion of the rear wheel assembly. if this would have happened at high speeds, somebody could have easily been killed, by the rear wheel becoming restricted or this heavy plate bouncing down the road at another vehicle. the bracket is a u bracket attached to a plate that is welded flush to comprise part of the wheel well. to temporarily keep from losing the bracket, i held the bracket in place while setting the seats upright again so that the seat itself is holding the bracket in. there is now water from the road getting up into the passenger compartment. i hope that ford issues a recall or offers a bolt on replacement soon. i've been mostly happy with this vehicle otherwise. (there are no other prices rusting or falling off obviously) | |||
| 12/07/2012 | 47000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph into a driveway and heard a loud noise from the front end of the vehicle. the front passenger side then collapsed to the ground, which caused the tire to become completely detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. in 2004, the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 04v446000 (wheels:cap/cover/hub). the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 12/07/2012 | 47000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph into the driveway and heard a loud noise emitting from the front end of the vehicle. the front passenger side collapsed which caused the tire to completely detach. the vehicle was being towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. in 2004, the vehicle was repaired under a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 04v446000 (wheels:cap/cover/hub). the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000. the vin was unavailable. js | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 116000 | 1 | |
| Noticed a panel loose in the rear driver's side wheel well while removing the wheel. the panel was completely rusted and separated from the wheel well, with only something attached to it on the interior keeping it from falling off. took it to a body shop, where it was determined that this panel is the rear seat anchor and the seat latch was the only thing keeping it from falling off. the estimate for repair is $906.99. the rear seat anchor was removed and the hole temporarily taped closed, and the rear seat is not safe and cannot be used. contacted the dealer to see if any recalls exist for this condition and was told there are none. currently trying to decide whether or not to repair the vehicle. the vehicle is well maintained and the condition of this panel/anchor is unusual when compared to the rest of the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 84000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that whenever she engaged the brake pedal, it felt hot to the touch. the contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle she noticed that there was a piece of metal rubbing against the tire. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the rear wheel well needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 84,000. pmb | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 84000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that when she pressed the brake pedal, it would feel hot. the contact stated that she pulled over and noticed that there was a piece of metal rubbing against the tire. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the rear well needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was that could be done. the failure mileage was 84,000. ap | |||
| 07/29/2012 | 109000 | 1 | |
| Driver's side seat mount on third row seat failed side panel in wheel well corroded and failed displacing panel into tire sidewall. passenger side panel showing signs of failure. ford dealership bodyshop refuses to work on issue for fear of future liability. dealership states that corrosion issues beyond normal. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 104000 | 1 | |
| The rearmost seat in my minivan will not latch down on the rear drivers side. the rear axle 'moans' at times and makes a rotational shimming sound. upon inspection, i am told there is severe rust in the wheel well where it locates to the seat attachment. the dealership says it is unusual, although i understand your agency is investigating just this thing in 2004 freestars. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 104000 | ||
| The rearmost seat in my minivan will not latch down on the rear drivers side. the rear axle 'moans' at times and makes a rotational shimiing sound. upon inspection, i am told there is severe rust in the wheel well where it locates to the seat attachment. the dealership says it is unusual, although i understand your agency is investigating just this thing in 2004 freestars. | |||
| 06/25/2012 | 269359 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the vehicle was used as a taxi and a customer complained that the rear seats were loose. the contact then noticed that the rear seats were out of place and the rear driver | |||
| 06/25/2012 | 269359 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated his vehicle is use as a taxi. he stated the the customer complained that the back rear seat was lose. he notice that the seat was out of place and that the left inner wheel well was rushed. the vehicle was not repaired.the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted and they stated to place a complaint with us. the failure and current mileage was 269,359.jp | |||
| 12/13/2008 | 88584 | ||
| Issues noticed with electrical systems within a year of purchasing brand new vehicle. dealerships never found anything wrong. while driving down the road, vehicle would lose power. radio would go out, all lights on dashboard would go out etc. then all of a sudden they'd all come back on as if nothing happened. noticed mostly during rainy and humid days. then once in a while van would chug and act doggy. in december 2008, while driving down a busy city street, van just stopped driving and would rev. didn't have money to fix until april of 2009 so it sat in our driveway. had it towed to transmission shop after calling ford dealership and was told it was double the cost for them to fix. transmission shop told me that the splines stripped off the torque convertor causing the transmission to fail. repair cost for tranny rebuild #1: $1,830.97. shortly after, the a/c stopped working (summer 2009). replaced condensor for price of parts as neighbor who's a technician provided free labor. van ran okay for about a year. then in summer 2010, started running sluggishly again and still had issues with power loss (as stated in beginning). found info online about everyone having issues with pcm so replaced that as well for $500. worked for a couple months but then in december 2010 van started having issues with power loss again and chugging. little did i know, this was the start of the tranny beginning to fail again! july 2, 2011 tranny failed again. doing 50mph in road construction zone. again, told by transmission shop (different shop as we were 9.5hrs from home), that the torque convertor failed again and tranny needed to be rebuilt. cost to rebuild tranny #2: $1,850.00. still having issues with sluggishness, thinking water getting into pc still. tire pressure lights have been on for years, having issues with sliding doors, back up sensors, a/c etc. i'm tired of this lemon!!!!! | |||
| 11/17/2011 | 92300 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while the vehicle was parked the contact lowered the third row seating to the floor when he noticed the safety latch attached to the rear wheel wells was corroded from the inside out and were fractured. the contact stated the third row seat could not be used because it would be unsafe in the event of a rear end collision. the dealer was made aware of the failure and refused to inspect the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 92,300. rvk | |||
| 11/17/2011 | 92300 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while parked the contact lowered the third row seating to the floor when he noticed the safety latch attached to the rear wheel wells was corroded from the inside out and had fractured. the contact stated the third row seat cannot be used because it would be unsafe in the case of a rear end collision. the dealer was made aware of the failure and refused to inspect the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 92,300. ds | |||
| 03/29/2009 | 23500 | 1 | |
| Purchased a ford freestar in 2004. last july ,i noticed puddles of oil in my driveway and a kick in the wheel when turning. proceeded to my mechanic,on an emergency basis,and found out that it had to be fixed immediately. it turned out to be the rack and pinion. i checked the recall list with nhtsa and found that ford recalled approximately 34,000 cars with the problem. the report indicated that the linking fluid good cause smoke. my vin number did not match the recall list. just recently(march,2009),i started hearing screeching sounds coming from the car. it would subside when going around curbs etc..turning the wheel slightly -would eliminate the sound. again,i checked recalls and found recalls for hub problems. if not fixed the wheel attached to the axle would caused steering difficulty and a possible crash. checked recall vin number and it did not match. contacted ford problem bureau and registered a complaint. i have presently 23,500 miles. i have registered a complaint with the federal trade commission. i believe that there are other 2004 ford freestars with the same problem. the car cannot be driven for fear of an immediate mechanical break down. ford should step forward and correct the situation for those owners who have spent money to repair the problems. i cannot sell the vehicle. how can i imposition others!i 'm glad there wasn't a negative occurrence where injuries existed. as a senior citizen,cost of continuous repairs and the safety issue prevails. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 22000 | 1 | |
| 2004 ford freestar sel - ~23000 miles on the vehicle i have been hearing an intermittent squealing noise coming from the right front wheel. i brought the car to the dealer for regular maintenance, but they said nothing about the noise. the noise continued to get worse. i searched on the internet for people with similar problems and found out about a recall for the front hub, rotor, and wheel bearing (id #52707). my vin was not included in the recall notice. when i brought the car back to the dealer, they said that the front right wheel hub and bearing were the cause and need to be replaced. this will cost me $420. i told them about the recall notice and said there was nothing they could do if the car was not on the original recall list. i called ford and they said they would only pay for the issue is nhtsa included my vin in the recall list. i am writing this complaint to see if my vehicle can be included in the recall list. *tr | |||
| WHEELS - CAP/COVER/HUB | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 75000 | 1 | 01/14/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the front wheel assembly screeched at a really high pitch, similar to a screaming sound. the issue occurred at least 50% of the time when the vehicle was driven at various speeds. the noise stopped when the steering wheel was turned, but would start again when the wheel was straightened. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. the contact was informed that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v446000 (wheels:cap/cover/hub). the current mileage was 100,187 and failure mileage was approximately 75,000. updated 08/04/08. *lj updated 08/06/08 | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 70000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. the contact stated that the front wheel hub has cracked. nhtsa campaign id number 04v446000 (wheels:cap/cover/hub) was referenced; however, his vin was not included in the recall. while driving the vehicle, it began making a high pitched noise. the dealer stated that the contact would have to pay for the repair. the front passenger side wheel was previously repaired, and currently the front driver side wheel has failed. the speed was unknown. the failure mileage was 70,000. | |||
| 02/11/2007 | 47550 | 2 | 05/11/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. when the vehicle was started, the rpm's constantly accelerated to 2,000. while driving 40 mph, the transmission shifts gears and the rpm fluctuates between 25,000-35,000. there is also significant loss of power. the dealer stated that the failure was a normal occurrence; however, they informed the contact that the wheel hubs needed to be replaced two weeks later. the parts for the repair will not be available until april of 2008, but the vehicle is safe to drive in the interim. the failure mileage was 47,550 and current mileage was 47,600. | |||
| 12/25/2006 | 64000 | 1 | 02/22/2006 |
| I bought my 2004 ford freestar used in february of 2006 from eastern motors and had nothing but problems with it. first it needed a tune-up then the coil pack went bad and now needs brakes and tires. but my main concern is my trans-axle light coming on. i am a mechanic so i scanned it on obd-ii scanner,it told me that my torque-converter was stuck in the open position. so it needed to be replaced. i called ford because i cant get it aftermarket and they said it would cost me 300.00 for it. but the problem is i can't afford it and its on back order for who knows how long .ford cant get until they get some in. its 2007 and the problem is still there it bucks around while driving and it doesn't go into gear right away. also when you turn the wheel while driving it makes a squeaking noise at the front wheels and the whole front end shakes wile driving 45 + mph. according to my vin there is nothing wrong (yeah right bs) if i didn't owe so much on this van i would get rid of it or better yet( set it on fire my self) so i wouldn't have to deal with it any more. i have seen the other complaints that people wrote and i agree this is (bs )and ford sucks because they don't want to take care of their customer. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2007 | 27000 | 100 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford freestar. while driving over 35 mph, the vehicle made a loud whistling noise. the noise stopped when the steering wheel was turned to the left or right. the contact stated that she experienced the same failure as noted in recall # 04v446000 (wheels:cap/cover/hub). the dealer stated that her vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle has not been taken in for diagnosis. the current mileage is 29,000 and failure mileage was 27,000. | |||
| 03/04/2006 | 13000 | 2 | 07/30/2004 |
| Experienced a very loud squealing noise that appeared to be coming from the front wheels - this usually occurred at speeds >60 mph. when the steering wheel was turned slightly to the right, the noise would cease. when the wheels were straightened again, the noise would continue. took the vehicle to the dealer with no issues found. i had suggested at that time that the problem appeared to be front wheel bearing related or something of that nature - no issues found with the vehicle at that time. the problem continued. took the vehicle back 2 months later - reported that this was a known issue for the bearings to be replaced (and some other non-specific work with the hubs). this is listed in the recall section for this vehicle as a known issue since 2004!! why was this not taken care of previously under a recall and why did they not see the bulletin on this the first time i took the vehicle in?*jb | |||
| 08/15/2005 | 1 | 03/06/2005 | |
| I purchased a freestar in march 2005, and returned to the local dealership 2 days later complaining about brake problems. the sales manager told me that the vehicle was repaired and functioning properly. i continued to drive the car hearing grinding noises when i applied the brake. in august 2005, i received a recall letter from ford motor informing me that the rotor and hubs needed to be replaced on this vehicle. my concern is that the recall was issued in sept. 2005 and the vehicle was on a ford dealership and they did not fix the car prior to selling it. *jb | |||