2006 Ford Freestyle

2006 FORD FREESTYLE ([XXX]) LUNGES FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. ALMOST REARENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. IT APPEARS THIS HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN GOING REALLY SLOW IN DRIVE THRU LANES AND TRYING TO PARK IN PARKING LOTS. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. I HAVE BECOME VERY LEARNING OF DRIVING IT MORE THAN NECESSARY WITH MY KIDS INSIDE THE CAR. I FEEL IT IS NOT MEETING THE SAFETY STANDARDS THAT FORD USUALLY STANDS BEHIND. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY LUNGE FORWARD. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE EXCESSIVELY AND BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR HAD IT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HER THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY CAR LUNGING FRONTWARDS AND BACKWARDS. I FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS AN ISSUE WHEN THE CAR HAD BEEN IN IDLE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME BUT I HAVE NOW NOTICED IT HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY UPON INITIAL START AND AFTER BEING IN IDLE WITH THE HEAT OR AIR RUNNING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ESPECIALLY IN A PARKING LOT OR DRIVE WAY WHERE THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES PARKED CLOSELY OR PEOPLE WALKING NEAR BY. *TR

2006 FORD FREESTYLE STARTED TRYING TO DRIVE FORWARD ON ITS OWN. BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BUT YOU COULD STILL FEEL IT PULLING AND THE VEHICLE STARTED ROCKING BACK AND FORTH FOR A FEW SECONDS. WE HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST 3 MONTHS AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS A HOT DAY AND THE AC WAS ON AS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME VEHICLE. SINCE SEEING THE REPORT THIS MORNING I HAVE DECIDED NOT TO RUN THE AC FOR THE TIME BEING WHILE THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BECAUSE SUDDEN LUNGING COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT WHEN MY WIFE TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED, BUT IT APPEARS IT IS COMMON. *TR

ON OR ABOUT SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF ABOUT 40 MPH FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR AND WAS ENTERING ONTO THE HIGHWAY. I WAS COMING AROUND THE ONRAMP CURVE AND WAS NOT PRESSING ON THE GAS. I FELT THE CAR ACCELERATE WHICH AT FIRST I ATTRIBUTED TO A SLIGHT DOWNHILL PITCH IN THE HIGHWAY. I DID HEAR A 'REVVING' SOUND TYPICAL OF WHEN I WOULD BE ACCELERATING TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY, BUT SINCE I WAS NOT PRESSING ON THE GAS I ASSUMED THAT IT WAS THE SOUND OF THE CAR NEXT TO ME. AS THE ROAD BEGAN TO RISE IN PITCH, I PREPARED TO STEP ON THE GAS ' BUT WHEN I WENT TO STEP ON THE PEDAL, IT WAS NOT WITHIN THE NORMAL REACH OF MY FOOT. AT THAT MOMENT, I REALIZED THAT THE CAR WAS CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE EVEN UPHILL AND THAT THE REVVING SOUND WAS INDEED COMING FROM MY OWN CAR, EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT PRESSING ON THE GAS AT ALL. I SCOOTED FORWARD ON THE SEAT A BIT TO TRY TO REACH THE GAS PEDAL AND REALIZED THE GAS PEDAL WAS SOMEHOW PULLED COMPLETELY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I TRIED NOT TO PANIC AND WAS CONSIDERING WHETHER I SHOULD SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT MY FIRST COURSE OF ACTION SHOULD BE TO TRY THE BRAKE. AS SOON AS I DID, THE REVVING STOPPED AND THE ACCELERATOR RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL POSITION. I TOLD MY HUSBAND, WHO WAS IN THE BACK SEAT, WHAT JUST HAPPENED AND HE SUGGESTED I CHECK THE FLOOR MAT. I PULLED OVER INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. I COULD SEE THAT THE FLOOR MAT WAS TWISTED (RATHER THAN GOING STRAIGHT, IT WAS TURNED TO THE RIGHT BY ABOUT 20 DEGREES), SO WHEN I PULLED IT TO STRAIGHTEN IT I DID GET A TINY BIT OF RESISTANCE INITIALLY, AS THOUGH MAYBE THE FLOOR MAT HAD BEEN CAUGHT IN THE PEDAL. HOWEVER, THE RESISTANCE WAS SMALL . WHILE IT DID SEEM POSSIBLE THAT THE MAT COULD HAVE BEEN HOLDING THE PEDAL IN PLACE IF I HAD BEEN PRESSING ON THE PEDAL, I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT COULD "PULL" THE PEDAL DOWN TO THE FLOOR OUT OF MY REACH. MY MECHANIC COULD SEE NO PROBLEMS. IS THIS RELATED TO THE LUNGING? *TR

2006 FORD FREESTYLE. LUNGES AT IDLE SPEED, OFTEN WITH BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO NUMEROUS REPAIR FACILITIES, INCLUDING FORD DEALERSHIPS, AND NONE CAN DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS, WHEN WILL FORD BE OWNING UP TO THIS ISSUE AND ISSUING A RECALL TO FIX IT AT THEIR EXPENSE? WE ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR STALLING WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL AT SPEEDS OF 60MPH OR HIGHER. CONSIDER BEING ON A FREEWAY WITH NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES AT 60-70 MPH, SEMI TRUCKS AND OTHER VEHICLES SPEEDING AROUND YOU, AND TRYING TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY SAFELY. AGAIN, NO REPAIR FACILITY CAN DETERMINE THE CAUSE. *TR