The 2005 Ford Freestar has 5 recalls, the most serious being a torque converter output shaft that can fail without warning and cut all drive power, raising the risk of a crash.
On the structural side, vans equipped with the optional power liftgate have a concern where the liftgate motor disengages after the gate opens. If a strut fails, the liftgate can drop freely without warning and injure anyone standing beneath it. There is also a seating concern on vehicles with a third-row seat: in certain rust-prone states, corrosion can prevent the seat from latching securely, and in a rear-end collision an unlatched seat raises the risk of injury to occupants. The remaining recall covers the daytime running lights, which may be inoperable on some vehicles, making the van harder for other drivers and pedestrians to spot in daylight, though standard headlight function is not affected.