2005 Ford Freestar

On certain vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage during winter months (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador), corrosion can occur at the latch for the forward portion of the third row seat. Continued corrosion in this area may result in the inability to fully latch the forward portion of the seat into its seating position, which could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Note: Seat belt anchorages and permanent seat anchorages, which are at the rear of the seat, are unaffected. Correction: Dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets which relocate the seat latch strikers from the potentially corroded area. In addition, dealers will install overlay panels on the exterior of the wheel wells to prevent entry of water and corrosive elements.

On certain vehicles, the torque converter could fail.  This would result in a loss of vehicle propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury.  Correction: Dealers will replace the torque converter assembly.

Certain vehicles fail to comply with requirements of CMVSS 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices.  The Daytime Running Light (DRL) system is inoperable, and therefore, the vehicle may be less visible to other motorists and pedestrians during daylight hours.  Normal headlamp function is not affected.   Correction: Dealers will reprogram the electronic module to activate the DRL function.

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 liftgate is powered open.  If the vehicle operator or passenger is standing beneath the liftgate when it falls, an injury may result.  Correction: Dealers will reprogram the power liftgate module.  The latest software version allows the motor to sense a falling liftgate and activate an un-commanded power close mode to control lowering of the liftgate in the event that a strut failure occurs.

Certain Ford Freestar vehicles modified for wheelchair accessibility by Liberty Motor Company Inc. do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 210.  The second row bench seat only has one set of lower universal anchors (UAS) instead of the required two sets.  Also, certain vehicles do not have tether anchor brackets for the bench's two outboard seating positions.  This non-compliance would prevent proper installation of a child seat to an outboard seating position.  Correction: Owners should contact Liberty Motor Company and then bring their vehicles to a trusted service shop or Ford dealership to have two tether anchors and two UAS brackets installed.