2006 Ford Freestyle

I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE THROTTLE BODY OF THE VEHICLE FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS. IT SEEMS TO WANT TO LUNGE FORWARD AND BACK ON ITS OWN. THE IDOL IS SCREWED UP AS WELL. FORD ISSUED A CUSTOMER SERVICE 12N03 IN DECEMBER 2012. SINCE IT WAS SERVICED AT THIS TIME, IT STILL HAS BEEN OCCURRING FREQUENTLY. IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW IF YOU WILL HIT SOMEONE IF THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD OR BACK ON ITS OWN. I NOW HAVE IT IN THE SHOP FOR THE THIRD TIME TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY COMPLETELY, WHICH WILL NOW COST ME OVER $800. FORD NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND FIX THIS PROBLEM ON THE CAR!!!!!!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

LOSS OF POWER WITH NO WARNING WHILE TRAVELING AT 50 MPH. "WRENCH" INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON REPRESENTING "THROTTLE BODY" ACCORDING TO OWNER'S MANUAL. INDICATOR LIGHT FOR "TRACTION CONTROL" ALSO COMES ON. CAR IS TOWED TO NEARBY AUTO MECHANIC. NEXT DAY I AM TOLD THE "MEGATRONICS UNIT" MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1,775.00 (INCLUDES RECALIBRATING). ONE IS LOCATED AT A DEALER IN CHARLOTTE, N.C. THEY ARE ON BACK ORDER THROUGH FORD. AFTER THE UNIT IS INSTALLED, IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL AND NEEDS REPLACING. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW THIS UNTIL THE MEGATRONICS UNIT WAS REPLACED. IN OTHER WORDS, IT COST $1,775.00 TO FIND OUT IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER $4,500.00 - $6,000.00 (REBUILT VS. NEW) TO REPAIR. THAT IS MORE THAN THE VALUE OF THE CAR, IF IT WAS IN WORKING ORDER. THE CAR IS LESS THAN EIGHT YEARS OLD AND AVERAGED LESS THAN 10,000 MILES PER YEAR. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY MY WIFE, A RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER, AND MOST OF THE MILEAGE HAS BEEN LOCAL DRIVING. THE $1,775.00 PART CAN'T BE RETURNED BECAUSE IT IS NOW CONSIDERED "USED", EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NOT MOVED ONE FOOT. I OWN A CAR THAT HAS NO TRADE-IN VALUE AND WILL MOST LIKELY END UP IN A JUNK YARD. THE MECHANIC TELLS ME THAT EVEN IF I WERE WILLING TO SPEND THE MONEY TO REPAIR IT, NO ONE WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRANSMISSIONS WANTS TO TOUCH IT BECAUSE THEY WORRY ABOUT A REPEAT OF THESE PROBLEMS AND DON'T WANT TO ISSUE ANY WARRANTY WITH IT. I HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE A VEHICLE WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF VALUE TO TRADE. MY WIFE AND I ARE BOTH IN OUT 60'S AND CERTAINLY DID NOT ANTICIPATE HAVING TO MAKE A PURCHASE OF THIS MAGNITUDE AT THIS POINT IN OUR LIVES. I DON'T THINK IT IS A STRETCH TO EXPECT THE VEHICLE TO HAVE GOTTEN WELL OVER 100,000 MILES BEFORE ANYTHING CLOSE TO A PROBLEM OF THIS MAGNITUDE OCCURRING. INSTEAD, IT GOT 74,342. *TR

WE ARE A CALIFORNIA COUPLE IN OUR 70S, LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND A TEACHERS PENSION. IN 2012 WE BOUGHT A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE FOR $11,000. IT WAS IN IMMACULATE CONDITION AND HAD JUST 26,000 MILES. AFTER LESS THAN TWO YEARS AND AN ADDITIONAL 20,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED SUDDENLY AND COMPLETELY. THE TOTAL MILEAGE OF 46,000 IS BARELY THREE-QUARTERS OF THE WAY TO THE FIRST RECOMMENDED SERVICING, FACTORY-SET AT 60,000 MILES. WE WERE TOLD BY A REPAIR SHOP THAT THERE ARE NO REBUILT UNITS AVAILABLE FOR THIS TRANSMISSION AND A LOCAL TRANSMISSION EXPERT REFUSES TO WORK ON THESE UNITS, A CVT' (CONSTANT VELOCITY TRANSMISSION) AND THE ONLY OPTION IS A NEW REPLACEMENT THAT COSTS $5,000 FOR THE PART AND $1,000 TO INSTALL. A LITTLE RESEARCH REVEALED MANY CASES OF EARLY FAILURE FOR THESE TRANSMISSIONS (USED IN THE 2005 THROUGH 2007 MODEL YEARS), EVEN VERY EARLY FAILURES FOR REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONS. IT ALSO REVEALED A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OVER FAILURES OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS. SUCH COMMON FAILURES SEEMS TO MAKE IT INADVISABLE TO INSTALL A TRANSMISSION SALVAGED FROM A WRECKED CAR. HOW HAS FORD DEALT WITH THE PROBLEM? THE LOCAL DEALER HAS BEEN FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL, BUT WE DID NOT BUY THE CAR FROM THEM, WE ARE NO'T THE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND THE SIX-YEARS OF WARRANTY HAD JUST EXPIRED' AND IT IS NO'T A DEALER ISSUE, IT IS A MATTER OF THE POOR QUALITY OF THE MANUFACTURER'S PART. SO HOW HAS THE FORD CORPORATE OFFICE DEALT WITH THE PROBLEM? THEY OFFERED X-PLAN PRICING AND CREDIT FOR TWO MONTHLY PAYMENTS IF WE WOULD BUY A NEW FORD. WE MET WITH A SALESMAN, AND HE SAID HE COULD MAKE A BETTER OFFER SIMPLY THROUGH THE FLEXIBILITY HE HAS IN PRICING. INFORMED OF THIS AND GIVEN AN OFFER TO SHARE IN OUR LOSS BY SELLING A REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION FOR $1,500, A FORD CORPORATE OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THEY WOULD NOT BUDGE. *TR

VEHICLE LURCHES WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN FORWARD AND REVERSE. HAPPENED MANY TIMES. THE WRENCH INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON ALSO WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THIS HAPPENED MANY TIMES WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I CHECKS THREADS ON THE INTERNET AND SAW THIS AS A COMMON PROBLEM. I PERSONALLY CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY AS SHOWN ON YOUTUBE BY A GENTLEMAN AND IT FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR AWHILE. THIS HAPPENED RECENTLY TO MY WIFE AS SHE WAS LEAVING HER WORK PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED. LURCHED WHEN PUT IN GEAR WITH BRAKES APPLIED. CAR FELT UNCONTROLLABLE. WE SEE THAT AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS PROBLEM HAS BEGUN SO I WOULD CONFER WITH OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS. MORE TIMES AND DATES THAN I CAN REMEMBER THAT LURCHING HAS TAKEN PLACE. ONE TIME I HAD TO SLIP IT INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE CAR AND APPLY THE BRAKES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE STARTED THE ENGINE BUT THE RADIO, INTERIOR LIGHTS AND POWER WINDOWS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE WIRING FROM THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS HAD FAILED, AND CAUSED THE FUSE BOX AND RELAY TO MALFUNCTION. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT BOTH COMPONENTS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29,2013 I NOTICED A NOISE IN MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC HE SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION AND TO CALL THE DEALER. WE CALLED THE DEALER THEY SAID TO GET A TRANSMISSION IT WOULD BE A REMANUFACTURED ONE USING OUR OLD ONE FOR THE CORE AND WOULD BE ABOUT 48 HUNDRED DOLLARS HOWEVER THEY CAN'T GET ONE. I NOW HAVE A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE OR SELL. *TR