Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2006 Ford Freestar, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train254
- Electrical system40
- Engine31
- Vehicle speed control19
- Unknown or other13
- Seats12
- Engine and engine cooling8
- Service brakes8
- Fuel/propulsion system7
- Seat belts6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 15 2006 Freestar vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 7 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2006 Ford Freestar failed the safety check 1.78% of the time — 24% less often than the average 2006 passenger car (2.34%). Median odometer at inspection: 126,777 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 13.8 L/100 km (about 17 mpg US), CO₂ 317 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freestar Wagon · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 15.7 | 11.3 | 13.8 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2006 Ford Freestar.
| 2013074 6 Mar 2013 | Structure On certain vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage during winter months (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,… |
| 2007297 12 Sept 2007 | Lights And Instruments Certain vehicles fail to comply with requirements of CMVSS 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. The Daytime Running Light (DRL) system is inopera… |
| 2006055 9 Mar 2006 | Other On certain vehicles equipped with Power Liftgate option, in the event of a liftgate strut malfunction, the liftgate may fall freely without warning after the li… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its seating position.
ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH THE POWER LIFTGATE OPTION, THE POWER LIFTGATE MOTOR AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGES AFTER THE LIFTGATE IS POWERED OPEN.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2006 Ford Freestar: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10205034 | Safety recall 13S01 - Corrosion on sheet metal that supports 3rd row seat latch strikeers - requests for recall service action |
| 10183770 | For 2004-2007 Freestar or Monterey vehicles Safety Recall 13S01 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where the sheet metal that supports the folding 3rd row seat latch strikers could experience corrosion and may compromise the mounting point for the forward portion of the 3rd row seat. Initially, this condition may result in seat movement when passengers sit on or put weight on the seat, or difficulty latching the front of the seat when in its seating position. If corrosion is severe, the seat latch strikers may become detached from the |
| 10109070 | The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer |
| 10058103 | FORD/MERCURY: SAFETY RECALL REGARDING SHEET METAL SUPPORT FOR FOLDING 3RD ROW SEAT LATCH STRIKERS CAN EXPERIENCE CORROSION AND WILL COMPROMISE MOUNTING POINT CAUSING SEAT TO MOVE. MODEL 2004-07 FREESTAR, MONTEREY. *PE |
| 10023292 | DAMAGED SPARK PLUG ELECTRODE/MIL DTC P030X, ROUGH IDLE, ENGINE KNOCK/PING ON ACCELERATION. *NJ |
| 10021907 | ADVANCED TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM - SHORT DURATION ACTIVATION. *KB |
| 10021217 | POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK NEAR COOLER EXTREME COLD CLIMATE AREAS ONLY -4 DEGREES AND COOLER. *KB |
| 10020701 | ADVANCED TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM - DURATION ACTIVATION. *KB |
| 10019575 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 06B37. CRANK POSITION SENSOR CONNECTOR INSPECTION. THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR HARNESS CONNECTOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY SEATED IN THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. IF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR BECAME DISCONNECTED, THE ENGINE WOULD STOP. *TT |
| 10019384 | LOW TIRE INDICATOR ON - TPMS SYSTEM SENSOR WAKE UP. *TT |
| 10019067 | REAR CLIMATE CONTROL NOISES - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10018739 | IGNITION DIAGNOSTICS. TO INCLUDE LINCOLN ZEPHYR 2006. *TT |
| 10018071 | RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE B2296 - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10017923 | SERVICE WIRING HARNESS REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES - SERVICE TIPS. *TT |
| 10014138 | SAFETY BELT RETRACTION SPEED. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing
Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment
Engine Stalling
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation