I am looking at buying a 2005 Ford Freestar with 80K miles on it. Are they reliable??? I do not see many on the road that I see, and the reviews on KBB are mixed. But the main complaint is the tranny going out within 100K miles.

Anyone have a high mileage Freestar and how do you like it??? Would you recommend it??

 

The Freestar is a rebadged Windstar. The van is great from a comfort, safety, and features standpoint, for a reliability standpoint I hear they are actually worse than the Windstar. Keep in mind though, most minivans actually have poor track records from a reliability standpoint.

 

tcr - Keep in mind that those of us answering don't have a Freestar or Windstar, we have an Aerostar, and it's a truck-based RWD van, as opposed to the one you're looking at, a car-based FWD. I believe it shares a drivetrain with the Taurus of the same year, so perhaps you can check the reliability of a similarly engined Taurus, too. I had heard that they improved their transmissions when they changed it from the Windstar to the Freestar, but I could be wrong. To be safe, offer them a price keeping in mind you may need a $1500+ rebuilt tranny fairly soon, and you probably won't be disappointed.

 

The transmission is the Freestars weakness, and my sources tell me that they are worse thant he previous Windstars. They have a history of valve body problems and shaft seals leaking. I would look at either a Windstar, or look hard at an Oddysey, unless you want to jump on board with us Aerostar fanatics.

 

I think the main deal is that the input shaft on the transaxle snaps without warning. For whatever reason it is made from aluminum, and the stress of the heavy Freestar fatigues it, and it snaps. I'm pretty sure most aftermarket rebuilds put a better one in. The 3rd row folding into the floor causes only a space-saver spare to be used, and there are probably some other goofy things about it. The engines are based off the 3.8, maybe they don't chew through head gaskets as much.

If you budget for a pre-emptive tranny rebuild, you might be okay.

I have a '96 Windstar and a '96 Aerostar. The Windstar just failed the other day, probable head gasket. I was surprised it lasted to 189k miles. Rebuilt transmission at 132k. Most everything has been gone over on it, and my disabled wife can get in and out of it easier. To get into the Aero, the front seat must be reclined all the way. The Aero is just a bit higher off the ground, so she has a hard time getting up into it. The Windstar she can just slide in-out.

Later (1999-up) Windstars have issues with the front subframe-cradle cracking, and the rear dead axle also develops cracks. The Freestar fixed these issues, or swapping in parts from earlier ones (1995-1998) works as well.

What year Odyssey should a guy look into? Might have to look into that option next.

 

On the Odyssey, any year will do. The newer ones have more features, the older ones are more affordable. The transmissions do still need maintenance, and most used ones will never have been serviced.

 

I have heard regarding the Odyssey to avoid pre 2004 models because of transmission woes. There was a transmission recall. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_O...mission_issues

3 friends have near-new Toyota Siennas and they like them...might be one to look for as well.

 

I have a 2005 Freestar. I currently have 105K miles. In the 5 years that I have owned it I have replaced the egr flow sensor and the fuel rail temp/pressure sensor. I thought I had transission trouble but it was water getting on the ecm wiring harness plug. I put it in a plastic bag and have had no more trouble. The synptons were low clutch apply pressure resulting in bad slipping. Also improper shifting and misfiring. I think a lot of the transmission problems people report started in the ecm wiring plug. Mime is the 4.2 L and I am very happy with the power. I pull a trailer every summer on our family vacation and it handles it well. This last summer was Yellowstone, Teton, and Glacier Parks, no issues.

My daily driver is a 92 Areostar 3.0L with 285K miles. It has the original engine and transmission. I wish it had more power but it is the best vehicle I have ever owned. Great reliability, very comfortable and tough. I wish they still made them.

If you choose to buy the Freestar change thr transmission fluid first thing. The owners manual says chance it every 30K miles or something low like that. Odds are it has never been changed. I also added the optional transmission cooler; money well spent.

 

Checking and changing all fluids in a previously owned car is always a good idea. And you hope that the previous owner did not abuse it so much that it can not be resurrected without a major rebuild. Like, when the van was being driven around with low clutch pressure, all that slippage may have substantially reduced its life.

Most owners on this forum like their Aerostars a lot, and I'm sure a lot of us feel we could use more power. I'm not sure how much knowledge there are here of the Freestar. If you tow a trailer regularly, it's a good idea to install a transmission cooler.

By the way, what was the question?

 

I renamed my Freestar with some stick on letters from AutoZone. It's now the Death Star, due to all the times it has died on the road with no warning. I'm currently driving it with two feet to keep it running. It has the original engine and transmission in it and it's currently reading 202105 miles on the odometer. Is it on its 9th life?

 

I don't suppose you tried a basic tune up to try to improve the way it runs? I realize there's not much you can do on a modern car, but things like new plugs, wires, fuel filter, cleaning out the air path, and checking for loose vacuum lines are simple things you still can do, and will definitely help.

 

Wife drives an 05 Freestar SEL. She loves it, dual remote sliding doors, remote start, plenty of lighting, lower than the Aerostar (and the kids like that too), plus it has no problem doing 100mph, where the Aero won't touch without feeling like you are about to fly. It is definitely a highway cruiser.


The downsides is that it does not go through snow like the Aero (but it could be the tires), it does not have the cargo capacity like the Aero, and the seats (cloth) become very uncomfortable after an hour or so. Looking at picking up some junkyard leather ones, those seem to have more padding.

So far for expenses, all I have done to it are plugs, wires, Fuel Filter, 1 injector, pads/rotors all the way around, flushes, and a belt.


We have had it over a year, and has treated us nicely. We bought it with 87k mi, and it now has 97k mi. It was a one owner local old guy that treated it right, it still has the window sticker even. He even added Ford bug shield, vent visors, and rear spoiler.


The benefits do outweigh the negs, but it feels like you are driving a car, and I don't foresee getting rid of the Aero anytime soon. Just two weeks ago I was hauling 600lbs of cement in the back, along with a bunch of 8' 1x4's a couple 10' 1x4's and some 8' 4x4's. and I had room to spare. Then the other day I hauled a couple of the kids bikes around. Just no way in heck they would fit in the Freestar, and the load I had would have probably toasted the rear end.


In my heart, I will always be an Aero fan, it is a truck in sheep's clothing.