Selling a Ford Freestar that won't move

A van in that state still sells. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US, so there is nothing to fix or tow first.

The van in brief

The Freestar was the third-generation Windstar under a new name, sold for the 2004 to 2007 model years and built at Oakville Assembly in Ontario. It came with a 3.9- or 4.2-liter V6 and a four-speed automatic, and Mercury sold a twin called the Monterey. Both were dropped after 2007 with no direct replacement. In NHTSA's front crash test, every model year earned five stars for the driver and the front passenger.

Why Freestars lose drive

NHTSA opened engineering analysis EA09-016 on November 10, 2009, covering 205,896 2004-2005 Freestar and Monterey vans. The cause it found sits in the torque converter. The supplier built converters with a pump shaft spline that "did not consistently meet the specified heat treatment requirements," and in normal use that spline "may wear excessively and eventually fails without warning."

Where it happens is the danger. Of 490 complaints that gave a speed, 44% came at 55 mph or faster and 70% at 40 mph or more. NHTSA cited two crashes, one a four-vehicle collision after a Freestar lost power in 65 mph traffic with no shoulder to pull onto. Ford told the agency that a van losing power stays controllable. NHTSA said it did not agree.

Recall 12V006 followed in January 2012 for 206,452 vans, under Ford's number 11S25. Dealers replace the torque converter free, and the campaign opened August 9, 2012.

The complaints didn't end with the 2005. Owners of 2006 vans also describe converters that failed or stripped, leaving no power at the wheels, but the recall stops at 2005. One 2004 owner wrote that a dealer refused the recall work and said the whole transmission needed replacing, so ask for the recall status by VIN and get the answer in writing.

The third-row floor

Recall 13V081 (March 2013) covers 196,667 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vans from the 2004-2007 model years. It reaches only vans built from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, with a third-row seat, that were sold or are registered in 20 states, Connecticut to Wisconsin, plus D.C. The third-row seat latch anchors can corrode, and an unlatched seat raises the injury risk in a rear-end crash. Dealers fit new striker mounting brackets at no cost. Owners have reported the floor rusted through under the seat, the recall part out of stock, and a five-by-five-inch hole into the wheel well where the clip mount fell out.

Smaller recalls

• 03V457: a power steering line that may not be seated at the rack on 23,996 2004 vans; leaking fluid can hit the exhaust and smoke or burn
• 04V446: front hubs not heat-treated correctly on 34,013 2004 Freestars; a cracked hub could let a wheel come off, so dealers replace hubs, rotors and bearings
• 06V069: a power liftgate motor that lets go after opening on 12,728 2005-2006 vans; with a weak strut, the gate can drop
• 07V168: brake lines routed wrong on 742 mini van conversions, which can wear through

Complaints by model year

Taken from NHTSA's complaint and recall files on October 10, 2026. "Power train" is the number of complaints NHTSA filed under that component, where converter failures land. "Recalls" is the number of campaigns that include the year.

Two of every three Freestar complaints name the power train.

Is it worth fixing?

Start with the recall. A 2004 or 2005 whose converter was never replaced under 12V006 may still qualify, so have a Ford dealer run the VIN. A 2006 or 2007, or a second converter on a van already fixed, is another matter: we found no recall or Ford warranty extension that pays.

We have no sourced repair price for this van. Get a written quote for the transmission work and set it beside the asking prices for running Freestars with similar miles. Our bad transmission guide covers the warning signs and how to weigh the number. If the third-row floor has rusted through as well, that is body work on top of it.

Selling the van as it sits

1. Note the VIN and mileage, and whether the van moves at all on its own.
2. Request an offer on the website, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe where the van sits (a driveway, a curb, a shop's back lot) and whether it rolls in Neutral.
4. Keep it complete. Third-row seats, wheels and the catalytic converter all stay; tell us about anything that's been taken out.
5. At pickup, have the title, your ID and the keys. For the plates, look up your state in after you sell.

More on vans that won't drive: selling a non-running car. Other Ford vans: the Windstar and Aerostar.