2005 Ford Freestyle

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC STOP WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ACTIVATED WHEN THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS. THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE BUT THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES TO AVOID CRASHING INTO THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF HER. THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY RESTART THE VEHICLE AND SHUT OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER. THE DEALER ADVISED HAVING A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE BUT THE CONTACT DECLINED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE FOLLOWED BY THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE, CHECK TRANSMISSION AND THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. EACH TIME, THE CONTACT WOULD SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND WHEN RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WOULD RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. IN ADDITION, THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NO LONGER OPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 83,000. UPDATED 10/21/10. LJ THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING INTERNAL FAILURE IN THE TRANSMISSON. UPDATED 10/26/10

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

JUST AFTER PLACING CAR INTO REVERSE, IT STARTED ACCELERATING BACKWARDS AND REQUIRED HIGH PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP IT. THIS IS THE 3RD OR 4TH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE FIRST TIME OR 2, I THOUGHT IT WAS ME. EACH TIME I LOOKED DOWN AT MY FOOT TO MAKE SURE I WAS NOT PRESSING BOTH PEDALS AND I WAS NOT (I'M A HIGH-SPEED DRIVING INSTRUCTOR). THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED, I APPLIED FULL BRAKE PRESSURE, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE MESSAGE "ENGINE FAILSAFE MODE" APPEARED ON THE WARNING CLUSTER. WE'VE STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL IT'S FIXED. MANY MANY PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THROTTLE BODY ISSUES. THIS IS DANGEROUS. *TR

2005 FORD FREESTYLE WHILE STOPPED A TRAFFIC LIGHT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT ANYTHING TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. I HAD TO APPLY A LOT OF PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ENTERING THE INTERSECTION. THE VEHICLE THEN DIED AND WHEN RESTARTED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND WRENCH SYMBOL WERE LIT UP. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS DUE TO A FAILED THROTTLE BODY. IT HAS BEEN 6 DAYS AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO NO PARTS AVAILABLE AND FROM WHAT I AM SEEING ON THE INTERNET THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND I THINK IT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED. *TR

FAILURE OF THROTTLE BODY ALMOST CAUSED MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS WITHIN 1 DAY (JULY 23, 2010). WAITING TO PULL OUT OF GAS STATION, THE CAR TOOK OFF WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AND PUT MYSELF AND MY FAMILY INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC! ON THE SAME DAY, I WAS REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR AGAIN ACCELERATED BY ITSELF AND I ALMOST HIT THE PARKED CAR BEHIND ME. THE CAR HAS 79,000 MILES. AT ABOUT 36,000 MILES, I HAD SAME PROBLEMS AND THE DEALER FIXED. I RESEARCHED FORUMS ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT SEVERAL OTHER FAMILIES HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!!! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AS THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH EXTREME PRESSURE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED THREE ADDITIONAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED BY THE DEALER WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,900. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 80,907 UPDATED 10/13/10. *LJ UPDATED 10/19/19*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY LUNGE FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING; HOWEVER, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A THROTTLE BODY KIT REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103000. UPDATED 10/13/10. *LJ THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 10/19/10*JB

MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE BEGAN JERKING BACKWARDS WHILE IN REVERSE TO THE POINT THAT I COULD NOT CONTROL THE DIRECTIONS OR SPEED THE CAR WAS GOING. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. TODAY WHILE BACKING OUT OF A SPOT MY CAR JERKED BACK SEVERAL TIMES THEN WOULD NOT SWITCH IN TO DRIVE AND STALLED. AFTER RESTARTING, THE CAR WENT INTO DRIVE AND I PULLED OUT ON TO A BUSY STREET. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THEN CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 30 MPH. I HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OVER SO I DIDN'T GET HIT AND KILLED AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME BACK ON BUT I WENT TO AUTO ZONE TO GET IT DIAGNOSED. THE CODES CAME BACK SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT AN INTERNAL MODULE AND THE TAC SWITCH. I TRIED BACKING OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT AT AUTO ZONE AND THE CAR WOULD JERK BACKWARDS AND THEN STALL. I HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY FOUND ANY INFORMATION ON EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG AND HOW TO FIX IT. *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