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2006 Ford Freestyle

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Ford Freestyle do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 893.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

1,187 reports with mileage · 113 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 602 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 484 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 144 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

42 crash reports10 fire reports10 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

74 reports
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80,289 miles · May 26, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

I WAS WAITING IN LINE TO PICK MY DAUGHTER UP FROM SCHOOL TODAY. WHEN SHE GOT IN THE CAR I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE AND MY CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO PUSH DOWN ON THE BRAKE TO STOP MY CAR FROM CRASHING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE FOR A…

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I WAS WAITING IN LINE TO PICK MY DAUGHTER UP FROM SCHOOL TODAY. WHEN SHE GOT IN THE CAR I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE AND MY CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO PUSH DOWN ON THE BRAKE TO STOP MY CAR FROM CRASHING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE FOR A SECOND TIME AND TO DRIVE AROUND THE OTHER CAR, MY CAR LUNGED AGAIN AND ALMOST STALLED.

NHTSA ODI #10403536

98,647 miles · May 18, 2011
Unknown Or Other

I WAS PULLING INTO MY GARAGE. I WAS COMING TO A STOP AND THE CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD AND CAN WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING MY HOUSE. ANOTHER TIME I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT ACCELERATED IN REVERSE FOR SEVERAL FEET.

NHTSA ODI #10402000

55,000 miles · May 16, 2011
Unknown Or Other

WHILE SITTING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS CAR HAS TENDENCY TO LURCH FORWARD WHILE FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. IT ALSO AT TIMES WILL MAKE A SOUND AS IF SOMETHING IS HITTING THE ENGINE WHEN STARTING.

NHTSA ODI #10401880

Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2007
Unknown Or Other

BOUGHT IN AUG 06. AIR UNIT WORKING GREAT! HAD TO TURN UP THE TEMP, BECAUSE WE GOT TO COLD. IN JUNE 07 STARTED USING UNIT AND WAS NOT BLOWING OUT COLD AIR. DRIVER SIDE BLEW OUT AROUND 55-60 AND PASS. SIDE BLEW OUT 65-70 AIR, EVEN THOUGH THE TEMP WAS SET ON 60. THIS CAR HAS THE DUAL TEMP CONTROLS. HAD IN TO ONE DEALER 6 TIMES!…

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

NHTSA ODI #10196254

Official recalls

1

06V383000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

Oct 5, 2006

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AS A RESULT, THE DOOR LATCH PAWL MAY NOT RETURN TO THE LATCH POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE FRONT LATCHES; SEAL A DRAIN HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW TRIM MOLDING ON THE FREESTYLE REAR SIDE DOORS; AND APPLY GREASE TO ALL FRONT AND REAR SIDE-DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE11018 · Idle Instability

Opened May 11, 2011 · Closed Feb 7, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control

On November 29, 2012, Ford Motor Company (Ford) initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 12N03 to extend warranty coverage terms for repair of engine idle RPM surge caused by throttle body deposits in all model year (MY) 2005 through 2007 Ford Freestyle, Five Hundred and Mercury Montego vehicles.The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle (all vehicles are eligible for the program through May 31, 2013, regardless of mileage).Dealers will repair vehicles exhibiting the condition by removing and cleaning the throttle body and reprogramming the PCM with software containing an updated idle speed control strategy.According to Ford, some of the affected vehicles may experience momentary, intermittent engine idle RPM surge (idle flare) when stopped or during low speed driving maneuvers such as in a parking lot or driveway.Unstable idle speed control (dips and flares) around the target engine speed (700 rpm) can occur in vehicles with deposit build-up in the throttle body when the system adjusts engine speed in response to changes in engine load, typically from power steering application or air-conditioner compressor cycling.Idle speed control logic is only active at vehicle speeds below 3.5 mph and when the accelerator pedal is not applied.Ford testing of a vehicle with a worst case throttle body measured a maximum idle flare of 1360 RPM lasting approximately 1 second, which Ford indicated was consistent with system design to limit vehicle speed and acceleration in idle control mode.Ford indicated that the test vehicle was held in place with normal brake effort and that vehicle speed remained under 4 mph without the brake pedal applied.In addition to throttle body deposit accumulation, symptoms associated with the condition may include Check Engine lamp illumination and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0505, P0506 or P061B.Ford attributed the surge condition to changes in idle air flow resulting from the progressive buildup of deposits in the throttle body from normal Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system operation.This condition was not adequately compensated for in the original Powertrain Control Module (PCM) calibration.Ford issued a technical service bulletin on August 15, 2011 (TSB 11-8-5), releasing an updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with CVT transmissions.On October 19, 2011, Ford issued a second bulletin (TSB 11-10-21) superseding TSB 11-8-5 and including updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with 6-speed transmissions.Prior to Ford issuing the TSB?s, owner?s experiencing the alleged defect either received no repairs, if dealers could not duplicate the condition, or had the throttle body cleaned or replaced, which only provided temporary correction until the throttle deposit build-up returned.Ford?s revised powertrain calibrations appear to be effective remedies for the idle instability caused by build-up of throttle body deposits.However, even after the TSB?s were released, many owners experiencing the condition continued to have difficulty with proper diagnosis and repair as dealers were often either unable to duplicate the condition or were unfamiliar with the new repair procedures.Ford's new program addresses those concerns.NHTSA's testing and complaint analysis indicate that the idle speed control issue in the subject vehicles can only occur at very low speeds, are very brief events, are easily controlled by moderate brake pedal forces and result in minor increases in vehicle speed even with no braking.This investigation is closed.The closing of this in