2005 Ford Freestyle

DURING ROUTINE DRIVING MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE'S WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED LOSING POWER. THE RPM'S WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 2000 OR THE SPEED OF THE AUTOMOBILE ABOVE 30. RESTARTING THE ENGINE DOES ON OCCASION REMOVE THE WARNING LIGHTS COMPLETELY AND THE AUTOMOBILE HAS APPARENTLY NO ILL EFFECTS. AFTER BRINGING THE AUTOMOBILE INTO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY INJECTION AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ONLY THAT THE PART WAS ON NATIONWIDE BACKORDER UNTIL DECEMBER 7TH 2009. ENCLOSED I GIVEN LINKS TO CAR CARE FORUMS WHERE OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/FREESTYLE/2005/ENGINE/THROTTLE_BODY_MALFUNCTION.SHTML HTTP://WWW.MYFORDFREESTYLE.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=547 HTTP://WWW.MYFORDFREESTYLE.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=1&T=2814. *TR

2005 FORD FREESTYLE_- BOUGHT IN 2007 HAS APPROX 19,000 MILES ON IT BOUGHT EXTENDED SERVICE WARRANTY FOR UPTO 100,000- APPROXIMATELY JUNE 2008 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND INFORMATION CENTER SAID "HALF FUEL LIFE OP" TOOK TO DEALER THEY CHANGED OUT THE FUEL PUMP AND THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON ABOUT 1 WEEK LATER WHILE ON VACATION. TOOK IT BACK TO THE SHOP THEY CHANGED OUT THE OTHER FUEL PUMP AS IT HAS 2. IT DID IT AGAIN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. THEY HAVE CHANGED THE SENDING UNIT AND THEN THE FUEL GAUGE STARTED FREAKING OUT- SHOWING HALF A TAKE WHEN FULL AND GOING UP INSTEAD OF DOWN AFTER DRIVING IT. IT HAS HAD THE SOFTWARE REDOWNLOADED IN THE COMPUTER AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT ALL. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP WELL OVER 30 DAYS AND IS IN THERE AGAIN FOR THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

I WANTED TO RESPOND TO THE PERSON UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS AREA OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WRENCH LIGHT COMING ON AND THEIR VEHICLE STALLING. I EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM A YEAR AGO. I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD I WAS NOT USING PROPER MOTORCRAFT FILTER AND PAID FOR THE SERVICE AFTER MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 3 MORE TIMES EACH TIME CALLING THE SERVICE DEPT AND EACH TIME IT WAS INSPECTED BY DEALER WHO FOUND NO PROBLEM. FINALLY, AFTER EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING - ONLY IN STOP AND GO SITUATIONS - IN AND OUT OF PARKING SPACES AND SUCH AND RETURNING IT TO THE SHOP ONE MORE TIME DID THEY FIND A PROBLEM. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY AND I'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. *TR

FOR A FEW DAYS, OUR FAMILY HAD BEEN VACATIONING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF RUIDOSO, NEW MEXICO. BEFORE HEADING HOME TO TEXAS, WE FILLED THE GAS TANK IN OUR 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING RUIDOSO ON OUR WAY HOME, THE FUEL GAUGE SUDDENLY WENT FROM FULL TO EMPTY. WE STOPPED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD NOT KNOWING IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO OUR FUEL TANK BUT KNOWING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS. THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD JUMP INTERMITTENTLY FROM INDICATING THAT THERE WAS GAS TO EMPTY WHICH CONTINUED THE ENTIRE TRIP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE CONTROL PANEL AND ALSO A MESSAGE TO CHECK THE ENGINE. THIS CONTINUED THE ENTIRE TIME. WHEN WE RETURNED HOME, WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP TO BE REPAIRED. AFTER KEEPING IT A DAY, THEY INFORMED US THAT FORD WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL GAUGE ON THE FREESTYLE BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. SO, WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT UNTIL FORD COMES UP WITH A SOLUTION WHICH WILL PROBABLY TAKE A FEW MONTHS. THE CHECK ENGINE MESSAGE AND LIGHT, THEY SAID, MUST BE RELATED TO THIS. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS GREATLY BECAUSE WE NEED A RELIABLE CAR AND DISTANCES ARE FAR IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. WAITING A FEW MONTHS FOR A REPAIR OF SOMETHING ESSENTIAL DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A VIABLE OPTION BUT POLLARD FORD IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS HAS GIVEN US NO OTHER CHOICE. *JB

DT: ON JUNE 24, 2005 CONSUMER WAS DRIVING WHEN GAS GAUGE WENT FROM ALMOST FULL TO EMPTY. CONSUMER STOPPED AT GAS STATION, AND THE VEHICLE ONLY TOOK A COUPLE DOLLARS OF GAS. CONSUMER THEN DROVE DOWN A MOUNTAIN TO GET TO FORD DEALER AND FUEL GAUGE WENT TO EMPTY AGAIN. CONSUMER CONTINUED TO THE DEALER, WHO TOLD CONSUMER THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP. BUT IT STILL DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN VEHICLE ATTEMPTED PULL OUT IT HESITATED FOR A WHILE BEFORE TAKING OFF. CONSUMER STATED THAT FORD GAVE HER AN EXTRA MILEAGE WARRANTY, EXTENDING IT TO 75,000 MILES. CONSUMER PICKED CAR UP ON JULY 8, 2005, AND THERE WAS STILL A PROBLEM WILL FUEL GAUGE UNTIL JULY 10, 2005. CONSUMER SAID THAT AFTER FUELING VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT GAUGE DID NOT WORK. VEHICLE DID NOT ACCELERATE. SHE ASSUMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS DEFECTIVE AGAIN.*AK

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A NEW 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WE HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY OOD AUTOMOBILE EXCEPT FOR ONE NOTABLE DEFECT. THIS DEFECT IS DESCRIBED BELOW.*AK THE AUTOMOBILE'S SPECIFICATIONS INDICATE THAT IS HAS A 19 GALLON FUEL TANK. THE FUEL GAUGE AND INSTRUMENTATION PANEL COMPUTER ALL CALCULATE FUEL USAGE BASED UPON A 16 GALLON FUEL TANK. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES 1/2 FULL, THE FUEL USED IS APPROXIMATELY 7.5 TO 8 GALLONS. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL BE AT EMPTY (AND LOW FUEL LIGHT COME ON) AT 15.5 TO 16 GALLONS OF FUEL USED. AFTER NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS, A LOCAL FORD SALES MANAGER INDICATES THAT THE FORD FREESTYLE HAS A 3 GALLON RESERVE IN THE TANK. ALL CARS I'VE OWNED HAVE A 0.5 TO 1 GALLON FUEL RESERVE BUT NEVER ANYTHING AS LARGE AS 3 GALLONS. THE OWNERS MANUAL ADDRESSES THIS ISSUE ON PAGE 260 AS FOLLOWS: "THE ADVERTISED CAPACITY IS THE AMOUNT OF THE INDICATED CAPACITY AND THE EMPTY RESERVE COMBINED. INDICATED CAPACITY IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN A FULL TANK AND A TANK WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES EMPTY. EMPTY RESERVE IS THE SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANK AFTER THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES EMPTY" IS 3 GALLONS A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL? THIS AMOUNT OF FUEL PROVIDES ALMOST 60-72 MILES OF ADDITIONAL DRIVING RANGE BASED UPON THE PROJECTED FUEL CONSUMPTION. 3 GALLONS IS ALMOST 16% OF THE TOTAL FUEL CAPACITY!!! THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THIS MUST BE CONSIDERED FALSE ADVERTISING AT A MINIMUM. NUMEROUS WEBSITES (EDMUNDS.COM, ETC.) WILL PUBLISH DRIVING RANGE OF THIS CAR BASED UPON A 19 GALLON FUEL TANK. BASED UPON THE FUEL GAUGE, COMPUTER AND LOW FUEL INDICATORS, THE DRIVING RANGE WOULD BE REDUCED BY ~16%. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT. DEALERS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEIR IS NO TECHNICAL PROBLEM. WE HOPE THAT YOU CAN MAKE FORD MOTOR COMPANY AWARE OF THIS CONDITION AND INDICATE THAT A THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM VIA A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN.