2006 Ford Freestyle

WE OWN A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 90,000 MILES ON IT. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR EVERY SCHEDULED SERVICE SINCE PURCHASING IT, OIL CHANGES, AND "29 POINT CHECKS" AS FORD ADVERTISES. THIS WEEK, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON, WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR DEPRESSED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE EVEN WITH THE BRAKE DEPRESSED. IT ALMOST RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE CAR WAS TO TURN IT OFF. UPON BRINGING IT TO THE DEALER, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE "THROTTLE BODY" WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $ 1,400. UPON RESEARCHING THE NHTSA WEBSITE, WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 200 OR MORE COMPLAINTS REGARDING A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH THE SAME MODEL CAR AND THE SAME MODEL YEAR (UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION AND LOSS OF CONTROL). THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE "THROTTLE BODY" COULD NOT BE REPLACED UNTIL AUGUST 20, 2010, AS THERE ARE NO LONGER PARTS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. AND FOR THE NEXT 35 DAYS THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN. UPON CALLING THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CONSUMER HOTLINE, THE GIRL WITH WHOM I SPOKE TOLD ME THAT "THE PART IS ON BACKORDER" BEFORE I EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO TELL HER WHAT PART I WAS REFERRING TO, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE SHE WAS ALREADY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE SHORTAGE OF PARTS WAS DUE TO HAVING TO EFFECT SO MANY OF THESE REPAIRS. WHEN I TOLD HER MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES (EVEN REFERENCING THE RECENT CASE WITH TOYOTA), SHE PUT ME ON HOLD FOR ALMOST 20 MINUTES WHILE SHE TRIED TO REACH DIFFERENT PEOPLE, BUT SHE WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE OR DISCUSS WHETHER THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE BY FORD. SHE EVADED THE QUESTION JUST TOLD ME THAT SHE WOULD HAVE SOMEONE "ESCALATE THE REQUEST" AND WOULD CALL ME. SHE SOUNDED VERY DEFENSIVE, AND BECAME MORE DEFENSIVE WHEN I TOLD HER ABOUT THE NEAR ACCIDENT BUT COULDN'T EXPLAIN HOW THEY COULD BE OUT OF THIS SPECIFIC PART THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

SUBJECT: 2006 FORD FREESTYLE AGGRESSIVE, UNEXPECTED THRUSTING COMMENTS: I HAVE A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE WITH 60,000 MILES. IT HAS RECENTLY BEGUN TO AGGRESSIVELY THRUST (EITHER FORWARD IN DRIVE OR IN REVERSE IN REVERSE) WHEN PUT INTO GEAR AND HAS DONE THIS IN STOP & GO TRAFFIC AND AFTER MAKING STOPS AT RED LIGHTS/STOP SIGNS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE ONLY "CODE" THEY GOT WAS FOR AN AIR FILTER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VEHICLE THRUSTS, THE WRENCH LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THE CAR LOSES POWER (BUT CAN STILL CRAWL ALONG WITH NO STEERING OR BRAKING ASSISTED CONTROL). THE CAR HAS TO BE TURNED OFF & RESTARTED AT WHICH POINT THE PROBLEM DISSIPATES AS IF IT DIDN'T HAPPEN ONLY TO RETURN AGAIN AT ANY UNEXPECTED TIME. ITS FRIGHTENING IN PARKING LOTS, DRIVE THRUS & STOP & GO TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CAR WILL DO NEXT. I DRIVE WITH 3 SMALL CHILDREN & AM IN FEAR THE CAR IS GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY WITH FORD BUT THEY SEEM UNWILLING TO ADDRESS THIS VERY REAL, VERY TERRIFYING CONCERN. WHAT DO I DO? *TR

PROBLEM STARTS WHEN CAR IS SITTING IDLE, IN GEAR, AND THE A/C IS ON. THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD WITHOUT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. IT'S AS IF SOMEONE IS FLOORING THE ACCELERATOR AND I'M NOT EVEN TOUCHING IT. IT HAPPENS AS SOON AS I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. I'VE HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO KEEP FROM RUNNING INTO THINGS. MANY TIMES THE ENGINE WILL STALL AND THE WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER RESTARTING, THE LIGHT USUALLY GOES OFF. THIS HAPPENS ANY TIME THE CAR SITS IDLE FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, I.E. DRIVE-THRUS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, ETC. I'M ALWAYS WORRIED THE CAR WILL LURCH OUT INTO TRAFFIC OR I'LL HIT SOMEONE BACKING UP AS IT'S HAPPENED MANY TIMES WHEN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. I FEEL THIS TRULY IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY A RECALL HASN'T BEEN ISSUED WHEN THE MAJORITY OF COMPLAINTS ARE FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WILL SPORADICALLY ACCELERATE UP TO 10 MPH WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PARK. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BY APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE PART WAS NOT READILY AVAILABLE AND THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE LATE AUGUST BUT THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 06/17/11 *BF UPDATED 01/04/2012 *LN *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE SHIFTING INTO REVERSE WITH THE BRAKES DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND PROCEED DRIVING. LESS THAN ONE MILE LATER WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND THEN STALLED AGAIN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED A THIRD TIME FOUR MILES LATER WHILE IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE STALLED IMMEDIATELY AFTER INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED. THE CHECK ENGINE AND WRENCH WARNING LIGHTS WERE ALSO ILLUMINATED FOLLOWING THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A STICKING THROTTLE BODY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BUT THE CONTACT STATED THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER ILLUMINATED AFTER THE DEALER'S DIAGNOSTIC. THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FAILURE PERSISTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER STALLING UPON FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,250. UPDATED EVOQ 07/20/10.*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN BRAKING OR SITTING IDLE AT A STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKES. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE MECHANIC CLEANED CARBON DEPOSITS FROM THE THROTTLE. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE THROTTLE WOULD POSSIBLY HAVE TO BE REPLACED IF THE CLEANING REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH THE MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL FOR THE FAILURE AND RECOMMENDED HAVING THE DEALER REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000.

WE HAVE A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING IN HOT TEMPERATURES, SUCH AS AT A STOP LIGHT OR IN A PARKING LOT, THE CAR WILL REV UP TO ~2500-3000 RPMS AND LURCH FORWARD. SOMETIMES THE CAR DIES AFTER THIS OR SEEMS UNRESPONSIVE TO THE ACCELERATOR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON. WHEN TESTING THE CAR ON A CODE READER, IT SHOWED NOTHING RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. THROUGH RESEARCH ONLINE, WE'VE FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2005 AND 2006 YEAR MODEL FORD FREESTYLES. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AS IT COULD LEAD TO A COLLISION WHILE TRYING TO MANEUVER AT IDLE SPEED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE RPMS INCREASED EXCESSIVELY WHEN THE CONTACT HAD HER FOOT ON THE BRAKES PEDAL. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AS SHE RELEASED HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE LUNGED BACKWARDS BEFORE IT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AND THEN IT STALLED. NONE OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER INFORMED HER TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AT HER EXPENSE FOR $100. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS OR WARRANTIES RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 39,000.