2005 Ford Freestyle

WHEN I WAS REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE MY CAR LUNGED BACKWARDS AND THEN SHUT OFF AND ON MY DASH BOARD IT READ "FAILED SAFE MODE". THEN 2 WEEKS LATER THIS SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I PULLED OUT ONTO A STREET. I WAS AT A BUSY INTERSECTION AND MY CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN STATING "FAIL SAFETY MODE" AFTER 2 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART MY CAR THE VEHICLE FINALLY STARTED AGAIN. WHEN I GO INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE MY CAR TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO SHIFT AND WILL ALWAYS LUNGE FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS WHILE GOING AROUND 2MPH-5MPH. THIS VEHICLE IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE COST OF A NEW CVT TRANSMISSION WILL RUN ME $5500. I CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THAT THEY HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, ALTHOUGH THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING AGAINST FORD FOR THIS MATTER. I ALSO CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO I PURCHASED FROM LESS THAN A YEAR AND HALF AGO AND THEY ARE WILLING TO GIVE ME $3000 FOR MY VEHICLE WHICH I PURCHASED FOR $12,000 AND STILL OWE $9,000 FOR. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE MY VEHICLE IS WORTH ROUGHLY $5,000 NOW. *TR

SUDDEN, SPORADIC LUNGING/SURGING OCCURS WHILE AT LOW SPEEDS, I.E. PARKING. SEEMS TO THEM, ESPECIALLY ON HOT DAYS WHEN RUNNING A/C. LAST YEAR I GOT THE "SAFE MODE" AND WRENCH DISPLAY, BIT OF COURSE WHEN I TOOK IT TO FORD THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO BRING IT IN WHEN THE MESSAGE WAS STILL SHOWING. IT OCCURRED AGAIN THIS YEAR, BUT I DIDN'T BOTHER GOING TO FORD. BUT TODAY, AS I WAS TRYING TO PARK, THE CAR DID IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME I ALMOST RAMMED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WHAT CAN I DO? *TR

I TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE SERVICED FOR MAINTENANCE (POWER STEERING SERVICE AND TRANSMISSION SERVICE) TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP IN THOMASVILLE, GA. AFTER A FEW DAYS MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE STARTED TO DISPLAY TRANSMISSION DATA ERROR, CHECK TRACK CONTROL, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. I CALLED THE COMPANY AND WAS ADVISED TO BRING IT IN AND I DID. THE ALERTS WERE NOT ON AT THE TIME BUT THE SERVICE MAN JERRY AND JOSH TOLD ME THEY WOULD CHECK MY VEHICLE AND LET ME KNOW WHAT - IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THEY KEPT IT ALL DAY AND WHEN I RETURNED TO PICK IT UP I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS FINE AND THEY RE-SERVICED MY TRANSMISSION. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER MY CAR STARTED THE SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN WHILE IN TRAFFIC IT SEEMED NOT TO WANT TO PULL OFF NORMALLY WITH ALL THESE ALERTS LIGHTING UP AFTER CHURCH ONE SUNDAY. I CALLED FORD OF COURSE THEY WERE CLOSED BUT THE NEXT DAY WAS MONDAY I CALLED AND WAS ASKED TO BRING THE CAR BACK IN. THIS TIME ONCE IT STARTED TO DO THE SAME THINGS JUMPING IN GEAR AND KNOCKING HARD THIS TIME THE SERVICE MAN WHO ANSWERED MY CALL SAYS THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A TRANSMISSION AND ADVISED ME THAT FORD WOULD PAY FOR HALF THE WORK AND PARTS. I ASKED IF THEY DIDN'T CAUSE IT WHY WOULD YOU OFFER TO PAY HALF. THE LAST TIME THEY GOT MY FORD FREESTYLE THEY GAVE ME A BORROWED VEHICLE AND TOLD MY HUSBAND 4 DAYS LATER THAT THE CAR HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THAT THEY WILL PAY NONE OF THE REPAIR. I WAS TOLD TWICE MY CAR WAS FINE NOW MY HUSBAND JUST GOT A NEW JOB AND NO WAY TO GET TO IT BECAUSE I BELIEVE FORD DAMAGED MY VEHICLE AND REFUSES TO RIGHT THEIR WRONG. WHAT CAN I DO NOW?

FOR SEVERAL YEARS, MY CAR HAD AN UNEXPECTED LURCHING/LUNGING PROBLEM WHENEVER I WAS PULLING IN & OUT OF PARKING SPACES. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS, SINCE I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY SLAM ON MY BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. I NOTICED ON SEVERAL FORUMS THAT THE SUGGESTED FIX WAS TO HAVE THE THROTTLE BODY CLEANED, SO ON 9/17/12, I HAD MY REGULAR MECHANIC PERFORM THIS REPAIR. IN DEC 2012, I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM FORD STATING THAT THEY WOULD REPAIR THE THROTTLE BODY OR REIMBURSE ME IF I HAD ALREADY HAD IT DONE. THIS LETTER WAS APPARENTLY A RESULT OF COMPLAINTS LIKE THIS WITH NHTSA AND A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FILED OVER 2 YEARS AGO. NO SOONER HAD I APPLIED FOR THE REFUND WHEN THE SECOND ISSUE (THAT THE FORUMS ALL DESCRIBE) STARTING OCCURRING - I.E. A LOUD WHINE WHENEVER I HAVE THE CAR IN PARK OR NEUTRAL. THE SOUND GOES AWAY ONCE IN DRIVE, BUT I'VE HAD 3 GARAGES TELL ME THIS IS A SIGN THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSION IS FAILING. THE REPAIR COSTS ANYWHERE FROM $4,000 TO $7,000. NUMEROUS DOCUMENTATION EXISTS THAT THESE CVT TRANSMISSIONS ARE FAILING AROUND 100,000 MILES AND THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THE PART NO LONGER MAKES IT, SO ONLY REBUILT TRANSMISSIONS CAN BE USED. APPARENTLY FORD HAS THE MARKET CORNERED ON THOSE AND THERE IS A HUGE BACK-ORDER PROBLEM TO EVEN GET THE WORK NONE. ALL THIS INDICATES A PROBLEM ON FORD'S PART, BUT A LACK OF RESPONSE UNTIL ANOTHER CLASS ACTION IS THROWN AT THEM WHICH IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAVE NOT BEEN DRIVING MY CAR, SINCE IT SEEMS INEVITABLE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS ABOUT TO DIE. I DO NOT WANT TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, BUT I DO WANT THE NHTSA TO PUT PRESSURE ON FORD TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM SINCE MOST OF THESE VEHICLES ARE REACHING THE MILEAGE POINT WHERE THE FAILURE IS BOUND TO OCCUR AND AN ACCIDENT WILL HAPPEN. THE THROTTLE-BODY PROBLEM IS APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE CVT PROBLEM SO PLEASE HAVE THEM FIX IT. *TR

THE VEHICLE 'S ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF. AFTER PULLING OFF THE ROAD I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO START THE VEHICLE, TO NO AVAIL. I WAITED APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES BEFORE TRYING AGAIN. THE ENGINE STARTED, BUT WOULD NOT GO IN GEAR. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS OF TRYING TO PUT IT IN GEAR, IT SUDDENLY WORKED! KNOWING I HAD A 250 MILE TRIP BACK HOME, I WAS VERY LEERY ABOUT TAKING A CHANCE WITH IT. FORTUNATELY, I MADE IT. I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY. THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE WAS USED AND IT "THREW" SEVERAL DIFFERENT CODES, RENDERING IT UNDIAGNOSABLE? THE MECHANIC CALLED FORD MOTOR CORP. AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD GET BACK WITH HIM. AFTER 2 WEEKS OF WAITING, I CALLED FORD MYSELF AND WAS TREATED EXTREMELY RUDE AND ALSO WAS TOLD MY MECHANIC WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM! TWO MONTHS LATER, I GET A LETTER SAYING THE 'THROTTLE BODY" NEEDED TO BE "CLEANED OUT"...AT THEIR EXPENSE. THIS PROCEDURE WAS DONE AND I AM CONTINUOUSLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT GETS COLD (AROUND 32 DEGREES). THE VEHICLE WILL RUN AFTER WARMING THE ENGINE (SHUTTING IT DOWN/RESTARTING REPEATEDLY) BEFORE IT DECIDES TO FINALLY RUN "NORMAL". I WAS TOLD THIS RESETS THE CODE??? I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD, THEY DO NOT BACK THEIR PRODUCT OR THEIR NAME! FORD HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CVT TRANSMISSION AND THEY NEED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND WE, THE CONSUMER, NEED HELP WITH THIS ON GOING ISSUE. MOST CAN NOT AFFORD TO HANDLE THIS REPAIR AND THOSE WHO DID, HAD NOT RESOLVED THIS ISSUE AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! I BELIEVE, WHEN I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE (USED) IN 2007, FORD KNEW OF THIS ISSUE, BUT GAVE NO KNOWLEDGE TO ME. I DID ASK ABOUT THIS CVT TRANSMISSION BECAUSE I HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS THE GREATEST TRANSMISSION EVER...REALLY!!!! *TR

THE TRANSMISSION OF THIS VEHICLE IS BAD. FORD KNOWS IT AND THEY IT BUT DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AS WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY GOING 75 / 80 MILES AN HOUR THE TRANSMISSION WILL GO TO WHAT THEY CALL A SAFE MODE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT GOES DOWN TO 40 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU ARE ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT COULD CREATE A PROBLEM, CRASH AND THUS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

ENGINE WENT IDLE DURING RUSH HR ON I95 CENTER LANE TRAFFIC FLYING BY RPMS SOARING AND IM AT A COAST TRYING TO GET OVER SCARED THE BLEEP OUT OF SEVERAL OTHER DRIVERS. DASH SAYS ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE AND AS I BRAKE THE CAR IS LURCHING AND JERKING. I SHUT IT OFF. I BREATHE IN AND OUT AND THEN START HER BACK UP AND I LIMP ALONG THE SHOULDER TO THE EXIT RAMP. ARRANGE A DAY OFF AND TAKE IT TO FORD (WENT IDLE TWICE ON THE WAY) AND THEY "CLEAN OUT THE DEPOSITS" IN THE THROTTLE BODY FREE AS PART OF A RECALL. SO MONDAY BACK ON THE HIGHWAY IT HAPPENS AGAIN.OMG SO I TAKE IT TO THE LOCAL GUY AND HE REPLACES THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY FOR ABOUT $700. CAR IS RUNNING GREAT, ACCELERATION IS BACK SHE FEELS LIKE NEW AND IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT THE THROTTLE HAD BEEN ACTING WEIRD FOR A WHILE - OCCASIONALLY THINGS LIKE STARTING THE CAR AND THAT INITIAL ACCELERATION WHEN PULLING FORWARD OR BACK BUT IT NEVER JUST WENT IDLE LIKE THAT - THAT'S JUST DANGEROUS. I THINK IT IS UNFAIR THAT FORD DID NOT REPLACE THIS PART - I LEFT FORD CONFIDENT THAT THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I TOLD THEM OF MY NEAR MISS ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT MONTHS LATER WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH UPHILL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,695.