2005 Ford Freestyle

MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE WITH 58,000 MILES SUDDENLY LOOSES ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATIONS AND THE ENGINE THEN DIES. RESTART IS POSSIBLE AND INSTRUMENTS THEN RETURN TO NORMAL. THIS USUALLY OCCURS WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF STARTING THE CAR BUT HAS HAPPENED AT SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS A COMMON FREESTYLE PROBLEM AND THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $700.00. WHY HAS THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE NOT BEEN SUBJECT TO A RECALL? *TR

THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD OR BACKWARD DEPENDING IF YOU ARE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. IT IS SO FAST YOU HAVE TO BRAKE WITH BOTH FEET AND PULL AGAINST STEERING WHEEL TO STOP CAR. CAR TRIPS INTO FAILSAFE MODE AFTER THIS HAPPENS (WOULD BE TOO LATE, YOU WOULD HAVE HIT SOMETHING BY THEN)DEALER SAYS IT IS THE BAD THROTTLE BODY. SEEMS TO BE A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH FREESTYLE 2005-2007? VERY DANGEROUS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE IS RUN OVER OR KILLED WITH VEHICLE. *TR

THE VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT LOSS OF THE ELECTRICAL TO THE GAUGES AND INTERIOR LIGHTING. THE GAUGES WOULD SWEEP TO ZERO AND THEN MOMENTARILY SWEEP BACK. THE LENGTH OF THE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL IS INCREASING WITH EACH INTERMITTENT FAILURE. TWICE NOW THE VEHICLE HAS ALSO LOST ACCELERATION WHEN PULLING OUT OF AN INTERSECTION CAUSING A POTENTIAL COLLISION CONDITION. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED IT ALSO OCCURRED WITH A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND INTERIOR LIGHTING. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SERIOUS CONDITION AS THE VEHICLE MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A COLLISION DUE TO THE LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY WITH THE FORD DEALER UNDERGOING DIAGNOSTICS. *TR

2005 FORD FREESTYLE. 3 DIFFERENT INCIDENTS WHEN THE CAR WAS STOPPED, LURCHED FORWARD AND THEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHT CAME ON READING "ENGINE SAFE FAILED" TURNED CAR OFF AND RESTARTED. 3RD TIME IT HAPPENED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON WITH THE EMISSIONS LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP TO BE SERVICED. WE ARE NOW TOLD THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REBOOTED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 58,000 MILES AND WE PURCHASED ONLY 30 DAYS AGO USED. *TR

DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SUDDENLY AND CATASTROPHICALLY FAILS, APPARENTLY DISABLING SEVERAL CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURES. THE MALFUNCTION AT FIRST OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY, THEN MORE FREQUENTLY, BUT NOW OCCURS CONTINUOUSLY. A LOCAL FORD DEALER HAS REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TWICE WITHOUT RESOLVING THE PROBLEM, INDICATING THAT ORIGINAL FORD EQUIPMENT MAY BE DEFECTIVE. THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER NEEDLES SUDDENLY DROP TO ZERO AND FREEZE. THE DIGITAL DISPLAY SHOWS 'ODOMETER DATA ERROR.' ALL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COME ON AT ONCE. WITHOUT THESE INSTRUMENTS, THE DRIVER CAN NO LONGER MONITOR VEHICLE PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS SPEED AND ENGINE TEMPERATURE. THE MALFUNCTION DEFINITELY DISABLES THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS AND TRACTION CONTROL. IT MAY VERY WELL ALSO DISABLE THE AIR BAG SYSTEM SINCE THE SELF-CHECK DISPLAY ALSO DOES NOT WORK. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR (PULLING OUT OF A MALL) APPROACHING THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, MY CAR SUDDENLY LEAPT FORWARD TOWARD TRAFFIC. THINKING THAT MAYBE I DIDN'T HAVE MY BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED HARD ENOUGH (SCARING ME) I PUSHED MY FOOT HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. BUT THE CAR KEPT LURCHING FORWARD. LUCKILY THE TRAFFIC CLEARED & I PROCEEDED ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THEN, THE CAR DIDN'T SEEM TO MOVE, SO I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL A LITTLE HARDER. THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THEN MOVED FORWARD VERY SLOWLY. I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL HARDER, AND AGAIN, THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THEN FINALLY MOVED FORWARD VERY SLOWLY. TRAFFIC WAS COMING FROM BEHIND SO I KEPT GOING FORWARD. LUCKILY THE FORD DEALERSHIP WAS JUST A COUPLE BLOCKS AWAY (AROUND THE CORNER). SO I DROVE IT VERY CAREFULLY STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. AT MOST I WAS GOING ABOUT 30-35 MILES PER HOUR. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE TO ORDER PARTS. LUCKILY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY IS IN EFFECT, SO IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED, EXCEPT FOR A $100. DEDUCTIBLE. (PLUS WE"LL NEED TO PAY CHARGES TO HAVE THE PARTS SHIPPED ASAP). TODAY, MY HUSBAND CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FORD FREESTYLE'S. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DANGEROUS! MY CAR COULD EASILY HAVE LURCHED OUT INTO HEAVY 40-45 MILE PER HR TRAFFIC, IF I HADN'T HAD FAST REFLEXES! OR IF I HAD PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE HIGHER SPEED TRAFFIC I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND! MY CAR HAS ONLY ABOUT 37,000 MILES. I'VE HAD ABOUT FOUR INCIDENCES OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. FIRST, THEY REPLACED MY ALTERNATOR. THEN MY BATTERY. THEN MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANELS & (IN THE DASHBOARD) AIRCONDITIONING PANELS. AT LEAST THEY'RE THE THINGS THAT I KNOW THEY'VE DONE (BECAUSE THE DON'T TELL YOU ALL THE THINGS THEY'VE FIXED OR REPLACED). I DON"T KNOW IF THESE THINGS ARE CONNECTED. ALSO ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET, THESE PARTS HAVE BE HARD TO FIND. *TR

WE BOUGHT A NEW 2005 FORD FREESTYLE IN OCTOBER 2005. WE HAD NO PROBLEMS UNTIL OUR 3 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED IN OCTOBER 2008. BEGINNING IN 2009 WE BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT OUR INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD LOSE POWER. ALL DIALS WOULD GO DOWN TO ZERO, FLICKER AND THE ENTIRE PANEL WOULD BE DEAD FOR A SHORT TIME. IT HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY AND WE LIVED WITH IT FOR A YEAR BEFORE TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SAN LEANDRO, CA FORD DEALER, PAYING $250 FOR AN ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC IN JANUARY 2009. THE DIAGNOSTIC WHICH TOOK ALL DAY, REVEALED THAT THERE WAS A SHORT IN A WIRE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHICH MEANT THE PANEL WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED IN ITS ENTIRETY ($700). NOT HAVING THE $700 TO PAY FOR THE SOLUTION I CAME HOME TO DO SOME RESEARCH. I FOUND THAT PER FORD TSB 06-17-9 ALL FORD DEALERSHIPS WERE TOLD ABOUT THIS DEFECT. IT WAS INVESTIGATED BY THE NHTSA AND BECAUSE THE PROBLEM DID NOT INVOLVE THE OPERATION OF THE EXTERIOR FUNCTIONS OF THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS NO RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY FORD MC IS TAKING $250 FROM ITS CUSTOMERS TO DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM THAT IT ALREADY KNEW ABOUT. ALSO, IF IT WERE YOUR VEHICLE, WOULD YOU BE SATISFIED IN PAYING $700 FOR A REPLACEMENT PART THAT FORD READILY ADMITS TO HAVING BEEN SOLDERED INCORRECTLY DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS? I CAN TESTIFY THAT THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVED HERE. WHEN DRIVING HOME FROM YOSEMITE NP AT NIGHT, ALONG STEEP MOUNTAIN ROADS, MY FAMILY OF 4 CHILDREN, MOM AND DAD NEARLY DROVE OFF THE ROAD WHEN OUR ENTIRE CABIN WENT DARK BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHUT DOWN. WE HAD TO BRAKE HARD AND CARS BEHIND US AND IN FRONT HAD TO DO THE SAME IN RESPONSE. I COULD NOT TELL HOW FAST WE WERE GOING, NOR HOW MUCH GAS WAS LEFT IN THE TANK FOR A PERIOD OF 10 MINUTES. REVERSE LIGHTS COME ON WHILST DRIVING IN FORWARD DIRECTION CAUSING DRIVERS TO BRAKE BEHIND US. THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE REOPENED BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM IS ONGOING AND WILL CAUSE LOSS OF LIFE FOR THE SAKE OF A REPLACEMENT PART THAT WAS BADLY MADE. *TR

RE-EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PROBLEMS. BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR REPLACED 6/2008 WHEN CAR DEAD IN DRIVEWAY. 8 MONTHS LATER 4/2009 ELECTRICAL GAUGES FAIL AND RESET AND SAME LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACED FUSES. TWO MONTHS LATER 6/2009 GAUGES CONTINUE TO FAIL AND RESET LEADING DEALER, REFERENCING TSB, TO REPLACE WITH NEW INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. LUCKILY COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. MILEAGE THEN 63,000. IN LAST YEAR THE CAR RUNNING FINE UNTIL MONTH AGO JUNE /JULY 2010 WHEN ELECTRICAL GAUGES CONTINUOUSLY STOPPING AND RESETTING ON HIGHWAY WITH AND WITHOUT A/C RUNNING MOSTLY WITHIN FIRST 30 MINUTES OF DRIVING. ALSO, SUBTLE ENGINE DELAY AND FANLIKE SOUNDS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH EXPERIENCED DURING AND AFTER THESE EPISODES. WHILE ON VACATION WITH THESE PROBLEMS, TWO LOCAL MECHANICS SUGGESTED BAD ALTERNATOR BUT TOOK TO ANOTHER NY FORD DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED ALLEGED LEAKING BATTERY WHICH WAS ONLY 2 YR OLD BATTERY. OF COURSE, DID NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. SYMPTOMS OF ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND RESET ARE DAILY NOW AND EXTERNAL LIGHTS DIMMING ON OFF. CALLING BACK ORIGINAL DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND NEXT STEPS. EXTENDED WARRANTY NOW EXPIRED. VERY CONCERNED THAT CAR ELECTRICAL POWER WILL SHUT DOWN ON HIGHWAY WHILE TRAVELING WITH 3 CHILDREN. 76,000 MILES. *TR