I brought my 2005 Ford Freestyle in for a routine oil change. The oil tech mentioned on the receipt that the crossmember was rusted out.
I dont put very much weight in oil techs’ technical ability but that’s a visual thing and he has no benefit to profit as his company doesn’t do the job… After researching I realized Ford has a huge rust problem. And it looks like they recalled the FreesSTAR for this issue.
Otherwise my car runs still runs great.Its got 136,000 miles. What should I do? Bring it to a regular tech or body shop? Im afraid Im going to get swindled. The cost of the jobs like this I’ve heard from $2200-$4400 from online car owners.
Take it to the dealer if it’s under recall and have them fix it. 10 years ago Toyota had a problem with the frames on their Tacoma pickups rusting out prematurely. They replaced ended up replacing the frames (extremely costly - $3.5 billion) for the 5 years the Tacoma had this problem. A Toyota dealer near me still has a stack of those frames in the back yard.
Your CROSSMEMBER has a rust issue, not “crossover”. Its best to at least use the proper name when discussing it.
Take it to several independent shops to get a quote. That is the BEST way to avoid being ripped off. Replacing a crossmember, if is bolted in, not welded, would be done at a normal auto shop, not a body shop. Welded-in, that’s a body shop job.
I am pretty sure the crossmember is part of the subframe. Any time u drop the trans for an overhaul the subframe comes out. Not sure why they think that is such a huge expense. A new subframe is pricey but there are lots of them in junkyards.
IIRC The Windstar/Freestar rust issue had to do with the rear axle rusting and then eventually failing. The Freestyle has an independent rear suspension , so fundamentally there’s no beam axle to rust. The Freestar and Freestyle don’t share any common parts that I know so, the Freestar rust issue isn’t related to what you’re experiencing.
A rusted out crossmemeber would be a job for a body and paint shop. Get several estimates and stay away from the chain body shops like Maaco.
My new issue is that my ac was blowing in hot air. Hes saying i have a leak in the ac unit and he’s looking up the cost of an air compressor for replacement.
What should my costs be ? Is there any point to make an issue at a Ford Dealer as this seems to be an issue with Ford Freestyles? It is a 2005 after all…
The crossmember is rusted out. He says I can get it replaced or welded… pros and cons??
You have a 12 year old vehicle so if your asking if Ford will replace the air conditioner compressor the answer is no. Your edited post seems to say a repairman said your cross member needs fixed now. Take his advice before you crash and burn. As for the method let the mechanic make that choice, after all he is doing the work.
Your car is 12-13 years old. A/C leaks are common on any 13 year old car; or even younger cars. In most cases the problem is compressor shaft seals and with age and miles the best repair is to replace the compressor.
In the old days most compressors were mounted up top and shaft seal replacement without replacing the compressor was common. With buried compressors one is better off changing the entire unit.
