Ok. SO all I hear about is how much of a piece of crap the Windstar and Freestar is. I am worried. I have an 06 Freestar Ltd and love it so far. How can it be so bad? Granted it's new so I don't know, but please tell me it will last for 150k with good maintenance and gentle driving.

 

The new Freestar seems to be pretty good. Just maintain it and it should last. Older Windstars were not so reliable.

 

Give it time, you'll grow to hate it. The main mechanical parts - engine, transmission, etc. - all good. However, electrical problems galore - liftgates that won't stay open, automatic doors that won't stay shut, heat in one seat not in another, heater blows hot air to one side and cold air to the other, CD player eats CDs, DVD player won't play all DVDs, outside temperature readings on the overhead console near 200 degrees, etc.

The only vehicle I've ever regretted owning that I wish I could trade back in. Sad to say it's American.

 

Windstar model was OK, Freestar is a total POS. Get out of it if you can - I'm working on bailing out of my '06 SEL. It's no wonder why Ford abandoned this model. Total crap!

 

I cannot testify about the Freestar as I don't know anyone who has one, but just about everyone I knew that had a Windstar had transmission problems. The Essex engine for some reason eats AX4S/AX4Ns like crazy. Also, I don't know if this is still true but I know older Windstars had problems with the 3.8L Essex engine blowing head gaskets and they were expensive. Also I've heard about electrical problems they are talking about. Hopefully you don't have these problems. My advice is to flush the transmission fluid at a quality shop such as a dealer regularly (every 30K miles), keep an eye on the thermostate to make sure it is properly regulating the temperature, if not get it fixed immediately. Good luck!

 

I have an '04 -4.2l and have windows that won't go down...(o.k. one works intermitently) and rear door that won't open (am working on that) a radio clock that won't hold it's time) a barrage of engine light warnings and to name the immediate things that come to mind. All of these things I understand are quite commone for the Freestar. Today I was told that we had to replace the catalytic converter. It turns out that it is a piece of art. It is not a stand alone piece. It is something to behold......an integral part of an extended piece of the exhaust piping (I don't know how they do it)...a y shape with lots of different angles. Anyway, I have been told it is $1600ish (Canadian) and is on backorder all throughout North America. I have been told it may be weeks before I see one.

 

You may wish to ask your custom exhaust shop for a quote to weld a generic catalytic converter in place of the Ford unit. A competent shop should be able to accomplish this handily, for much less than $1,600 and maybe even same day rather than the "weeks" you have been advised by waiting for the regular part.

 

I do not have heated seats or the power rear hatch, but my 04 runs and still drives like a new vehicle at 62,000 miles.

That's even after being in a severe accident.

https://www.fordforum.com/forum/show...hlight=wrecked

There are numberous body grounds under the hood and a ground held down by one of the A/C Accumulator bolts that can causes power door and lighting issues when disconnected. Found this when repairing my A/C.

I removed all of the body grounds under the front grill cover and cleaned them all as they had some amount of corrosion on them, then applied dielectrical grease to them.

Other than the A/C compressor, the van hasn't missed a beat.