2005 Ford Freestyle

I OWN A FORD FREESTYLE. SINCE THE FIRST DAYS I DROVE IT, I CANNOT SEE THE INFORMATION LIGHTED PANELS ON THE DASH WHEN OUTSIDE LIGHT IS NORMAL BRIGHTNESS. THESE LIGHTED LETTER PANELS SHOULD BE MADE BRIGHT ENOUGH TO READ AT A GLANCE, SO THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR LONG WHEN YOU NEED THE INFORMATION. OTHER CARS, IN THE PAST, AND NOW HAVE PANELS THAT CAN BE READ EASILY ENOUGH. I BELIEVE ACCIDENTS ARE BEING CAUSED BY PEOPLE STUDYING THESE DIM PANELS AND NOT WATCHING THE ROAD AT A CRITICAL TIME. I HAVE PLACED A SEPARATE COMPASS ON THE DASH TO HELP MYSELF, FOR EXAMPLE, SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO TRY TO SEE THE LIGHTED COMPASS. FORD MADE CARS IN YEARS PAST THAT HAD READABLE PANELS. THEY SHOULD DO SO AGAIN. THE SERVICE PEOPLE AT FORD GARAGES CAN DO NOTHING TO HELP THIS CONDITION. SINCERELY, *JB

DEFECTIVE BRAKE DESIGN ON 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. PREMATURE WEAR. FORD/DEALER ONLY AGREED TO REPLACE REAR PADS AND MACHINE REAR ROTORS WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING TO CORRECT DESIGN FLAW, AND THEY REQUIRED I PAY A PART OF THE COST OF THE REPAIR. FORD/DEALER REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO CORRECT THE RELATED PROBLEM INVOLVING FRONT BRAKES. *JB

AT 15,000 MILES SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE DEALER FOUND OUT THAT BRAKES WERE WORN TO THE METAL AND THAT BRAKES AND ROTORS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. DEALER STATED THAT CAR MUST HAVE BEEN DRIVEN WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. DEALER COULD NOT FIND FAULTY PART FOR IT TO BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HAD TO REPLACE REAR BRAKES AND ROTORS AND COSTS NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY. SENT A LETTER TO FORD. THEY CALLED TO SAY NOTHING COULD BE DONE. SENT ME BACK TO DEALERSHIP. ONE WEEK LATER THE BRAKES WERE BURNING. DEALERSHIP THIS TIME REPLACED PADS WITH UPDATED PADS WITH NO COSTS. *JB

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 75-80 JUST 5 MPH OVER THE SPEED LIMIT HERE IN FLORIDA. I HEARD A DUNK,DUNK,DUNK THEN A HUGE THUMP AND THE CAR WENT SWERVING OUT OF CONTROL, I TRIED TO GET TO THE LEFT MEDIAN..I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE... I WOUND UP DOING A 360 DEGREE CIRCLE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC THEN ANOTHER ONTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. I WAS DRIVING MY FATHERS FREESTYLE. THE TIRE, EXPLODED, THERE ARE ONLY 8000 MILES ON THE CAR, ITS ALMOST A YR OLD. THINGS LIKE THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. I NORMALLY DRIVE A 1996 ESCORT WHICH I HAVE ALSO HAD MANY MANY PROBLEMS WITH. I AM UNHAPPY WITH FORD AND ANGRY WITH THE WAY THEY BRUSH IT OFF. THEY SAY OH, IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE TIRE COMPANIES FAULT. DON'T THEY TEST DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES BEFORE THEY PUT THEM ON THE MARKET? THEY KNOW COMMON PROBLEMS... I ALMOST DIED DURING MY 360 DEGREE TURNS ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY, WATCHING A 16 WHEELER COME AT ME...I WAS LUCKY IT MISSED. ITS A SHAME THE OUTSIDE OF FORDS LOOK SO NICE BUT ITS EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS... I WOULD MUCH RATHER DRIVE A TOYOTA - AND I WOULD BE SAFER ON A BICYCLE. *JB

LEAKS WATER FROM WET WEATHER INTO VEHICLE'S CARGO AREA AND FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR AREA. FREEZING TO SUB-FREEZING TEMPS CAUSE WATER TO FREEZE CARPET AND ANYTHING IN CAR WITH MOISTURE ON IT. FIRST TIME THIS WAS APPARENT, CAR WAS IN FOR RECALL ON DOOR LATCHES; AT THAT TIME, WE TOLD DEALER ABOUT WATER LEAK IN CARGO AREA AFTER IT HAS JUST RAINED - THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND THE LEAK, AND THEREFORE NEVER FILED WITH FORD. SECOND TIME CAR WAS IN WAS AT THE END OF DECEMBER '06 FOR A WATER LEAK ON FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR. DEALER SAID THEY SPENT MORE THAN AN HOUR WATER TESTING UNTIL IT DID LEAK IN THEIR PRESENCE. SAID THEY REMOVED AREAS OF CARPET AND DOORS WHERE WATER WAS COMING IN, FIXED SEAL, AND DRIED OUT CARPET BEFORE RE-INSTALLING AND GIVING CAR BACK TO US (KEEP IN MIND THIS IS ROUGHLY 11-12 TOTAL HOURS OF LABOR). A MONTH LATER, WE ARE IN THE SAME POSITION AFTER A LIGHT SNOW (1-2"). THIS TIME, HOWEVER, THE FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR AND REAR CARGO AREA ARE SOAKING WET. DEALER HAS HAD CAR FOR ALMOST A FULL WEEK. ORDERED NEW CARPET FOR FRONT AND REAR, REPLACED ANY PANELS AND ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATED WITH WHERE WATER WAS COMING IN, SAID THEY HAVE MADE FIXES TO SEALS WHERE WATER IS NOW COMING IN *ANOTHER 12-14 HOURS). STILL WAITING FOR VEHICLE TO BE RETURNED. DEALER SAYS THAT, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE THE HIGHEST END WARRANTY YOU CAN BUY THROUGH THEM AT 7 YEARS/75,000 MILES, THIS PROBLEM WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT BE COVERED BEYOND THE 3YR/36,000 MILE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. WE ARE TALKING ROUGHLY 25 HOURS OF LABOR AT ALMOST $100/HR. I CANNOT AFFORD $2,500/MONTH. WHAT IS FORD GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS? THERE IS A BLOG ONLINE, HTTP://WWW.FORD-FORUMS.COM/FORD-FREESTYLE/3008-WATER-LEAK-ISSUES.HTML, ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM, HOSTED BY FORD, YET THERE ARE ZERO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSBS) OR COMPLAINTS POSTED ON THIS (NHTSA) SITE. *NM

I PURCHASED A FORD FREESTYLE NEW, HAD BRAKING PROBLEMS FROM START, 1ST TIME IN TO DEALER SAID NO PROBLEM, 2ND TIME REPLACED FRONT PADS, 3RD TIME REAR PADS AND CUT ROTORS, I HAD AN ISSUE WITH CUTTING ROTORS ON VEHICLE W/7000 MI. 20,000 MILES LATER, REAR BRAKES ARE SHOT, ROTORS NEED REPLACING, FORD SERVICE MANAGER SAYS "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, THIS VEHICLE IS DESIGNED TO WEAR OUT BRAKES QUICKLY. " "ALSO TOLD ME HE WON'T LISTEN TO ME, I DON'T TELL HIM WHAT TO DO" WHEN I SAID IF THIS VEHICLE IS MADE TO GO THROUGH BRAKES QUICKLY IT IS A DESIGN FLAW, AND FORD SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON JANUARY 9, 2007 SHE WAS DRIVING AT 30 MPH ON A RURAL ROAD. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND SLUSHY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING DOWN HILL, WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS. THE CONTACT VEERED OFF THE TO AVOID HITTING ANYONE, THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. THE CONTACT CONTINUED ON HER TRIP AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE, BUT SHE HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. SHE DID HEAR A GRINDING NOISE IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. LATER IN THE DAY THE VEHICLE FISH TAILED AND SHE DOES NOT RECALL IF SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT, REMEMBERS SLOWING THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD SHE NEEDED REAR BRAKES AND REAR ROTORS, THE VEHICLE HAD 30,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. SHE HAS NOT REPLACED THE BRAKES & ROTORS. *NM UPDATED 03/07/07. *JB

MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE WAS PURCHASED USED, UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY IN MAY OF 2006. SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IT STARTED RIGHT AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, WHEN TRYING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE IT WOULD CLICK WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED BUT NOT START. IT WOULD TAKE TWO OR THREE TRIES TO GET THE CAR TO START. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THEN AFTER THE CAR WOULD NOT START ON THE FIRST TRY, WHEN IT DID START THE OIL LIGHT WAS ON, THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT WAS ON, THE BACK-UP LIGHTS WERE ON WHEN THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, THE LEFT BLINKER LIGHT WAS ON AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF, THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT WORK AND ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF THE BATTERY WOULD DRAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE DEALERSHIP WITNESSED THE PROBLEM ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, HAD SOMEONE FROM CORPORATE COME DOWN TO WORK ON THE CAR AND IT SEEMED FINE FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS. THEN ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WE STARTED THE CAR AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW FLYING IN A "TECHNICAL ENGINEER" TO WORK ON THE CAR. *NM