2005 Ford Freestyle

MIDDLE SEATS IN FORD 2005 FREESTYLE. THE LATCHES BROKE IN BOTH SEATS. WHILE FOLDING THE SMALL MIDDLE SEAT TO REACH THE BACK SEAT AREA, IT WOULD NOT RELEASE AND OPEN UP FOR USE. THE CABLES AND BARS (S) BENT. THE SEATS HAVE ALWAYS OPENED HARD, AND WE HAD TO FIDDLE WITH THEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR, TO LATCH AND UNLATCH, IN SEPT 2005. BOTH LATCH UNITS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. OLD PARTS MAY NOT BE AVAIL. *TR

HAD FRONT AND REAR BRAKES REPLACED AT 35,000 MILES NOW 14,000 MILES LATER REAR PADS AND ROTOR WORE OUT. FIRST TIME THEY SAID PAD GOT WET IN A WAREHOUSE. NOW THEY SAID IT IS MY PROBLEM BECAUSE WARRANTY IS UP, I SAY THEY DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM THEY JUST TRIED TO COVER IT UP. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE SAY THEY HAVE NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS A LIE. HOW MANY DEATHS BEFORE THEY HEAR COMPLAINTS. *TR

CAR STOPS ON ITS OWN. SHUTS OFF. BUCKS AND JERKS AND IS GOING TO KILL ME AND MY KIDS AND FORD WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I CAN'T EVEN GET A FORD DEALERSHIP TO WORK ON MY VEHICLE THEY TELL ME THEY DON'T WANT THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE TO MANY REPAIRS ON THIS VEHICLE AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING WELL YOUR WARRANTY IS UP NOW. THEY KEPT TELLING ME AT FORD (1-800) WE ARE WORKING ON IT, GETTING ME A BUY BACK. NOW THEY TELL ME IT IS DO DEAL AND THEY WILL NOT FIX MY VEHICLE. MY CAR NOW FILLS UP WITH WATER WHEN IT RAINS. I HAVE HAD 2 TRANSMISSIONS PUT IN THIS VEHICLE, THEY REPLACED MY BRAKES A FEW TIMES, THEY REPLACED MY COMPUTER A FEW TIMES, AND ALL THE WHILE KEPT TELLING ME WE ARE WORKING ON GETTING YOU A NEW VEHICLE. THEY THE DEALERSHIP SHUTS DOWN. I HAVE BEEN TO OTHERS AND THEY DON'T WANT MY PROBLEM. I HAVE CALLED FORD A LOT OF TIMES. THEY JUST TAKE MY INFORMATION AND TELL ME THEY DON'T HAVE TO FIX YOUR VEHICLE. I AM FED UP WITH THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. ON MARCH 30, 2008, WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES DROPPED TO ZERO. APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF A MILE LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED, BUT THE GAUGES RETURNED BACK TO NORMAL. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOR THE THIRD TIME A SHORT WHILE LATER AND THE WRENCH LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE OIL CHECKED AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE. APPROXIMATELY THREE DAYS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SERVICE CENTER, BUT THEY FOUND NO FAILURES. ON APRIL 9, 2008, THE FAILURE RECURRED FOR THE FIFTH TIME AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK. AFTERWARDS, EVERY RED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE MILEAGE DIAL BEGAN MOVING SPORADICALLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD STILL NOT FIND ANY FAILURES. THEY FINALLY CONCLUDED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER. THE VIN, PURCHASE DATE, ENGINE SIZE, NUMBER OF CYLINDERS, AND POWERTRAIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.

THE REAR CARGO AREA ON MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE BEGAN TO LEAK SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE FROM BOB BELL FORD. IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE DEALER 4 OR 5 TIMES. THEY KEEP IT FOR A WEEK OR MORE. REPLACE THE CARPET. REMOVE THE MOLD THAT HAS BEGUN TO GROW IN THE REAR CARGO AREA. REPLACED THE CARPETS AND MASK THE SMELL WITH DEODORIZER. THE WORK IS ALWAYS PERFORMED BY A SUB-CONTRACTOR HIRED BY FORD. THE COMPANY VISITS THE DEALER HERE IN MARYLAND TWICE A WEEK, WHICH MAKES YOU WONDER HOW BAD THE FORD PRODUCTS ARE. THE PAPERWORK IS WRITTEN SO THAT YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT REPAIRS IF ANY ARE EVER CONDUCTED. THE DEALERS PAPERWORK PROVIDES LITTLE OR NO DETAIL AND WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE REPAIRS, THE SERVICE WRITER ACTS AS IF YOU ARE BOTHERING HIM FOR THE DETAILS. OF COURSE THE VEHICLE HAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER AGAIN FOR MORE WATER LEAKS. THE FORD CORPORATE COMPLAINT OFFICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROBLEM. THEY ACT AS IF THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. WE WERE ADVISED THAT SOMEONE WOULD CALL US BACK IN TWO DAYS. BOTH OFFICE AND HOME NUMBERS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO FORD IN HOPES OF A REAL CONTACT WITH SOMEONE THAT CAN FIX THE PROBLEM. SO THEY KEEP CALLING THE HOUSE AND LEAVING A MESSAGE. YET THEY WILL NOT RETURN THREE VOICE MAIL MESSAGES THAT I LEFT TODAY. FORD DID OFFER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT AS SOON AS THEY OFFERED IT THEY STATED THEY COULDN'T MAKE THE OFFER AND IT WOULDN'T COVER THE WATER LEAK ANYWAY. HOW STUPID. WE ARE VERY FRUSTRATED WITH BOB BELL FORD, FORD AND THE LOCAL GLASS REPAIR COMPANY. WE KNOW THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS FOR MANY FREESTYLE OWNERS CROSSING SEVERAL YEARS 2005-2007. SO WHY CAN'T FORD FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT. OUR WARRANTY EXPIRES THIS MONTH. WHERE DO WE TURN NEXT? *TR

LOST OPERATION OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND WHEN THIS OCCURS THE BACK-UP LIGHTS OPERATE. THE DANGER IS WHEN POWER IS LOST IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER YOU DO NOT KNOW YOUR SPEED, THIS IS CRUCIAL WHEN DRIVING THROUGH SCHOOL ZONES. THE BACK-UP LIGHT CAUSE PEOPLE BEHIND MY CAR TO BELIEVE I AM BACKING-UP. ALSO WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LOOSES POWER. ALL THIS IS A DISTRACTION TO DRIVING. I HAVE ORDERED THE PART TO REPLACE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE DEALER INFORMED ME IT WILL TAKE OVER A MONTH TO RECEIVE THE PART. *TR

1. I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A KNOCKING NOISE OF SORTS COMING FROM MY VEHICLE WHEN I WOULD PUT IT IN DRIVE. AT FIRST, IT WOULD ONLY DO IT IN DRIVE. NOW, IT MAKES THE NOISE IN PARK AND IN EVERY GEAR EXCEPT REVERSE. IT IS EXTREMELY LOUD. 2. AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THREE DIFFERENT PLACES, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE INPUT SHAFT AND BEARING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED IN MY TRANSMISSION. PER THE FORD DEALERSHIP, THIS WILL RUN ROUGHLY AROUND $2,200.00! 3. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO GET MY CAR REPAIRED. HAVE CALLED 2 SEPARATE FORD DEALERSHIPS AND ONE OF THEM TOLD US TO CALL BACK IN A WEEK WHEN HIS TRANSMISSION GUY WOULD BE IN, THE OTHER TOLD US TO CALL BACK WHEN THEY OPEN TODAY. *TR

ON MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE WITH 21,400 MILES THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE WORN WITH LESS THAN 3 MM OF PAD REMAINING. AT 6 DAYS PAST MY 3 YR / 36 K MI. WARRANTY, FORD CUST SERVICE AND FORD CORPORATE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO HELP ME. THEY DID ADMIT THAT THEY EXTENDED THE REAR BRAKE WARRANTY TO 3 YR/ 36 K MI - HOWEVER I WAS PAST THE 3 YR DATE (EVEN IF BY 6 DAYS) -- THANKFULLY MY DEALER CONTACTED THEIR FORD REP AND HE AUTHORIZED THE ENTIRE REAR BRAKES TO BE REPLACED -- MY COPAY WAS $119.68 VS $475.00. I GRILLED THEM AS TO WHAT ALL WAS REPLACED AND THEY SAID THE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPER MOUNTING PLATES AND BRACKETS AND BOLTS ETC. THEY SAID THEY REAR BRAKE ISSUES THAT MOST EVERYBODY IS HAVING IS DUE TO THE WRONG CALIPER MOUNTING HARDWARE USED. THIS CAUSED THE CALIPERS TO BE ALWAYS MISS- ALIGNED AND EXCESSIVE PAD AND ROTOR WEAR. SIMPLY REPLACING PADS AND ROTORS WILL NOT FIX THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM (THE MIS-ALIGNED CALIPERS) HOPEFULLY THIS MAY HELP SOMEONE WHO IS REPLACING PADS AND ROTORS EVERY 7K MI. FORDS INDIFFERENCE TO THIS PROBLEM IS ABSOLUTELY UN-ACCEPTABLE. I WISH ALL OF OUR COMPLAINTS COULD BE SUBMITTED TO AN ATTORNEY FOR A CLASS ACTION SUIT. IT SEEMS FORD DOES NOT WANT OFFER A FIX FOR THIS UNLESS YOU CATCH IT WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. HOPE THIS HELPS. *TR

I OWN A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE AND THERE ARE 45,854 MILES ON THE CAR. OVER THE PREVIOUS FEW MONTHS, WHILE BACKING UP, I HEARD A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. AS A RETIRED SALESMAN WHO DROVE OVER 1,000,000 MILES WITHOUT REPLACING ANY BRAKES ON A CAR, I DID NOT IMMEDIATELY COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE REAR BRAKES. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE FRONT BRAKES HISTORICALLY WOULD FAIL BEFORE THE REAR BRAKES WOULD. I FINALLY DID TAKE THE CAR TO BRAKES ONLY AMERICA, INC., IN LANSING, MI, WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM WAS WORN OUT. I HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED FOR A COST OF $269.85. STAFF AT THE BRAKES ONLY STORE TOLD ME THAT THE QUALITY OF THE REAR DISC BRAKES ARE NOT OF THE SAME QUALITY AS THE FRONT, WHICH ON MY CAR, ARE STILL IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. I CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY TODAY, MARCH 3, 2008, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2007, THE COMPANY REVIEWED EACH COMPLAINT REGARDING THESE REAR BRAKES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, EVEN AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF THE WARRANTY. BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF MY REAR BRAKES FAILING, FORD SAID THAT IT COULD NOT HELP ME WITH THIS MATTER. IF THERE WAS A RECALL FROM FORD, I DID NOT RECEIVE THIS NOTIFICATION. *TR