Overview & Reviews

With its Freestar, Ford learned the hard way that in the world of automobiles, there are few segments more cutthroat than the minivan category. Moms have ruthlessly high standards when it comes to their family transportation, and only those haulers with the most compelling mix of refinement, convenience features and luxury amenities survive. The Ford Freestar's sales had been disappointing from the outset, and as a result, 2007 was its last year of production. Crossovers, Ford believes, are the future of family transportation.

Ford's minivan wasn't completely without merit. Safety is an important factor in minivans, and in this area, the Freestar didn't come up short. It earned a perfect five stars in NHTSA frontal crash tests, and mothers and their pint-sized soccer stars were protected with features like standard stability control and optional side curtain airbags. Unfortunately, its success in this area paled in the face of its litany of shortcomings, which included sluggish acceleration, dismal fuel economy, ungainly handling and an unimpressive cabin.

For these reasons, savvy used minivan shoppers will find the Ford Freestar a relatively unsatisfactory proposition. If you're looking for a minivan, you'll no doubt find your needs better served by one of its competitors.

Most Recent Ford Freestar

The Ford Freestar was a seven-passenger minivan. Three trim levels were offered: SE, SEL and Limited. The Freestar could also be had in a cargo van body style, making it ideal for contractors needing a light-duty hauler.

The base SE trim was reasonably well equipped, with air-conditioning, full power accessories, a CD player and keyless entry all standard. The SEL added tri-zone air-conditioning, a power driver seat and second-row captain's chairs. The top-of-the-line Limited included upgrades such as chrome wheels, leather upholstery and automatic climate control.

Two engines were offered. A 3.9-liter V6 for the SE provided 193 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. The SEL and Limited trims got a 4.2-liter V6 that generated 201 hp and 263 lb-ft of torque. Neither engine was especially frugal, turning in real-world fuel economy numbers that were among the poorest in the segment.

At first blush, the Freestar's cabin seemed like a winner. But a closer look revealed shortcomings. Materials looked nice but to the touch became apparent as subpar for the segment. The legroom in the second row was cramped. The lack of versatility didn't help either. Those second-row seats were heavy and tough to remove. And though the third-row seat folded flat, it didn't offer a 60/40 split like virtually all others in its class. At 135.7 cubes, cargo capacity fell short relative to others in the segment.

In editorial reviews, the Ford Freestar earned praise for having reasonable around-town power and a forgiving ride. The engines didn't fare as well when pushed, though, as they ran out of breath when quick passing was attempted. Performance was exacerbated by the van's aged four-speed automatic transmission -- most competitors used more advanced five-speed units. Also, the engines had a rougher, noisier power delivery than nearly any other V6 in the minivan segment. In consumer ratings, the Freestar was panned for its poor ride quality and dismal fuel economy.

Past Ford Freestar models

Ford introduced the Freestar back in model-year 2004 to replace the aged Windstar, which was sold from 1995-2003. Although Ford touted it as an all-new vehicle, the Freestar minivan was little more than a rebadged Windstar with minor upgrades, including a freshened interior equipped with a fold-flat third-row seat. A pair of more powerful V6 engines replaced the Windstar's 3.8-liter V6. Unfortunately, Ford's minivan put on weight during the transition, so even with the larger of the V6s, it was no faster than before and slightly less fuel-efficient to boot. This made the Freestar about as appealing as, well, the Windstar. Straight off the bat, it was trampled by the competition, both import and domestic, and Ford did little to rectify the situation.

The Freestar remained pretty much unchanged for its production duration, so buyers shopping for one on the used market will find few differences between the model years.

User Reviews:

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  Transmission failure at 91,000 miles - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By maria - June 5 - 2:50 pm

  The car was fine, even my kids loved driving it but the transmission failed even with good maintenance. Im disappointed. Our temp gauge failed during the 2nd year of use.

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  If it blows up tomorrow I wont miss it! - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By alwayscrazy - May 28 - 4:00 pm

  Bought the van in 2004 since then you name it it has broke the 6 disk cd player (twice) window controls, seat belts, 3rd row bench, brakes, a/c, calipers, horn, passenger sliding door groans (had it in the shop numerous times), the sliding door locks dont always work (been fixed many times, wheel bearings, and much more. Warranty runs out soon dont know what we will do then. Will never buy a Ford again, the freestar has ruined it. Thanks Ford

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  Dont buy it - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By Chris is PA - April 22 - 9:39 pm

  Bought this brand new. They dont even give me enough space to go through all the problems. It was an electrical nightmare - the radio wouldnt shut off and killed the battery. Went though four batteries. got a new computer, new radio. Both power window motors replaced. On my third set of roters, calipers, brakes. Changed ABS sensors, a half shaft, a egr sensor and now my transmission is acting up. These are the things I can remember.there are more. I have 90000 miles, but problems started about six months in to me owning it. This has to be the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Looking at trading it in on a Honda Odessey before the transmission ends up going!!

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  Tranmission fail - TWICE and now acting - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By Dave T - April 19 - 11:11 pm

  I have had to put two transmissions in this vehicle. One at 40,000 then again at 79,000. Now the torque converter is screwing up again. The MPG is dismal. Contacted Ford and the operator could care less even when I told her I was done buying Ford. Oh yea, I owned a 1994 Windstar (same vehicle) that received a new trans[ at[ 45,000. Van rides nice when it rides. Buyer beware!

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  Transmission problems - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By harold - March 28 - 5:42 pm

  I have always owned Fords until now. Freestar dumby lights kept coming on all ford dealers told me it is a dumby light, keep driving, turn car off and then go again. transmission is gone, it does nothing but shake and not want to go. it has 99,000 miles on it and ford says not there problem. we dont have $2500.or $3000.00 to fix it. I had the dvd player for kids but now nothing

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  Good van, the Editor doesnt own one! - 2006 Ford Freestar
  By Dwayne - February 24 - 10:45 am

  It rides well, has all the toys, video, triple zone climated control, heated leather, quad seats....cd changer...alloys....oh and the gas pedal doesnt get stuck! Mine Has given me nothing but excellent service! Buy one well maintained..u will find the...sterring culd be a little more precise..its a mini van.

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  Bad Deal for Ford - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By kim - February 23 - 10:19 am

  When my husband first brought van we had problems with the a/c not cooling like it supposed to. Brought it back to the dealership about 3 times for the a/c until they finally fixed it. Then for some unknown rest one of my hoses had gotten a hole in it and thats when more problems started. I have changed the mass air sensor on it now my egr vale needs changing, my brakes needs changing it kills on me at a red light or stop signs it is jerking on me while I am driving. My engine light stays on and goes off when it is ready. I dont want no more minivan or vehicles from ford.

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  04 Freestar Ltd - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By Mike - February 13 - 12:16 pm

  Bought this vehicle used from a dealership. So far so good. Vehicle averages 17-19 mpg overall between a mix of 65% highway / 35% city driving. We almost opted not to get this car just because of all the negative mpg reviews. We test drove a 05 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with cloth seats/ stow & go and were very close to purchase except for this Ford came to our attention with the same mileage and far more goodies (ltd package) for less. We have always owned GM vehicles, this is our first Ford. We also considered the Kia Sedona EX, but that model is near impossible to find for the same price. Ford wont let you down. I will say that we bought an extended warranty if anything happens..

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  Stay Away From This Car - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By James - February 3 - 11:13 am

  After only 70,000 miles, the transmission of our 2004 Ford Freestar broke down. I was in the middle of traffic during rush hour with the car suddenly driving backwards after a brief red light. However, it didnt stop there. My car was towed to the dealership where they neglected it for a week. In total, they said that it would cost $3,600 just for fixing the transmission AND that didnt cover rental costs. All in all, I would definitely not recommend this vehicle to anyone. Buyer Beware.

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  nice, but not nice - 2004 Ford Freestar
  By mechanics dream - January 29 - 9:11 pm

  Lots of problems, (new) rack, air conditioning, power steering pump, wheel bearing, power window, (drivers side), rear power latch (twice), goes through tires, now it is pinging like the timing is off, but, it looks good and is comfortable on the highway, reading about the transmission problems, please I hope I dont have this problem,