This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Began when car was about one year old. It occurs just about every time it's driven. I took car to garage and they said it was O.K. it lungs in forward and reverse.
2005 Ford Freestyle AWD limited, car surges forward, when stopped and when steering wheel is turned. Car also stalls while driving or if hitting the gas.
Problem with 2005 Ford Freestyle - surging forward when idling at a stop sign, stop light, or drive through - even though foot is on the brake. Happens more frequently in warmer weather, especially with air conditioning running. Have had several near-misses with hitting other cars or garage doors. Problem was resolved by Ford dealership in August 2010 at a cost of $800 - replacement of electronic throttle body. Research shows many Ford Freestyle owners are encountering this same dangerous problem, but no recalls are issued by Ford - just advisement to replace the etb at the cost of the consumer.
Car accelerates when at low idle and the A/C is running. The car will lurch forward. I can stop it with the brakes. Can happen at stop lights, but usually the brake is fully depressed at stop lights. Unfortunately, it happens when backing out of the driveway and switching to drive, it will lurch at that point. It will also happen when parking, either pull-in parking or parallel. Just lucky I've been able to hit the brakes in time.
- Austin, TX, USA
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The vehicle lurches after sitting in park. It happens in reverse and drive. The vehicle seems to be okay in the colder months, but when the heat/humidity hit the car begins to lurch uncontrollably. A few times it has gone into fail safe mode and I've had to restart it. This is extremely dangerous in parking lots and around pedestrians.
Usually from a dead stop or when the car is shifting down as I begin to stop, it will rev on it's own and lurch. Many times from a dead stop the car has reved and lurched on it's own. This happens in drive and reverse and seems random. I believe the difficulty lies in the throttle body which Ford refuses to produce a recall on and has had difficulty building replacement parts so many of us are stuck with unsafe vehicles. Today, the car reved and lurched and the "failsafe engine mode" came on and the car lost power. I refuse to let my teenaged children drive this car because I believe it is not safe to drive and fear that the problem will cause an accident.
Over a period of about 2 summers, the 2005 Ford Freestyle would surge while sitting at an intersection or slowing during the approach. The surge was a rapid acceleration of the vehicle which required a heavy, or a quick brake. A quick response was required to avoid a rear-end collision, entering an intersection, or striking a pedestrian. The surges seem to be related to the operation of the air conditioner. The car had gone into a "fail-safe" mode while sitting in a drive-thru. I began using the ac sparingly and would turn off the ac completely when driving in the city or approaching and intersection. However, while approaching a turn on a state route, with a speed limit of 55, the vehicle unexpectedly shutdown leaving the vehicle exposed to on-coming traffic. The date listed below is an approximation. Around the same time Toyota was having problems with "run-away" vehicles, I contacted the Ford Motor Company alerting them of this hazard. I was told to contact a dealership. The dealership replaced the throttle body. I was told that the "computer" could not/did not show any information about the "fail-safe". on-line, it appears that many people have had these problems. Due to the season, I will not know if the problem was corrected. I'm hoping that the family isn't in the car if it wasn't.
All wheel drive malfunction message came up. The message would not clear. Remains on constantly. Result is front wheel drive only, creates unsafe driving in snow or slick streets. Went to the dealer and he said it was a sensor and would cost $500 but expect that price to snowball. Price will snowball"? what kind od diagnosis is that. I will try to fix it but it will surely cost you a lot more because we can't pinpoint the exact cause. It could be this, that, that, we don't know. We will do all the work and then tell you what the bill is. It could be $7000. Would you leave your car at this dealership??"
2005 Ford Freestyle has "AWD malfunction" message (Ford diagnostic code: P1889). Malfunction message comes on sporadically. No clear reason for the malfunction. Happens while driving or idling. When this happens the vehicle reverts to 2wd. This can be dangerous while driving (especially in wet, snowy, icy conditions) and happens unexpectedly. Have taken vehicle to Ford dealer, with no success in fixing. The dealer followed what Ford says to do according to the code and can't fix problem. Dealer has replaced oil pressure and temp sensor with no change in issue. Now wants to try to change the traction coupler at the rear differential without any guarantee that will wok either. Ford does not have a clear fix for issue and will not cover costs of repairs for AWD defect.
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle. Almost immediately after purchase off new car lot began having trouble with engine surging while A/C was running. Have had it to Ford dealership multiple times and nothing has been resolved and the year 2010 is now ending. On many occasions while stopped in traffic, the engine has surged and the car lurched forward so forcefully that I had to hold the brake to the floor to avoid a collision. Repeated visits to Ford dealer has resulted in nothing but a $50-$100 labor bill and no repair. I am afraid that it is going to happen and someone is going to get hurt. Please look into this safety issue.
2005 Ford Freestyle consistently surges both in drive or reverse. It is completely unexpected and is difficult to control when occurs. It can happen at a dead stop or when car is in motion. This is a safety hazard for driver, passenger and any one around car when this happens. It lurches forward or back as if it had a mind of its own. I have had the car surge forward in a parking lot with people around me who feel threatened by my car's actions. We feel Ford should address this issue since we are aware of many, many others who are experiencing this problem.
Accelerating on it's own and lunges forward with foot on brake. Vehicle tries to lunge mostly when going in reverse. This has been happening off and on for over the past 3 years and has gotten worse in the past months. Also, while driving on the highway, the car sputters and goes into failsafe engine mode, the car must be restarted in order to have acceleration resume. Holding off on replacing the throttle body due to high cost.
2005 Ford Freestyle 53,000 miles experiencing loss of power with wrench light on instrument panel illuminating while driving. First trip to dealer, the service department replaced air filter indicating that the filter had slipped out of the housing and was blocking air flow. Within 2 weeks we have dropped the car off for a second visit for same power failure issue. When will Ford issue a recall for this widespread mechanical problem" how many crashes, or deaths have resulted from this issue"
Have a 2005 Ford Freestyle- with a throttle body issue. The part is on back order- no rental given by company. "fail safe engine mode" and check engine light is one because of it- they insist that it is safe to drive (I drive 75 miles back and forth to work everyday). I am sorry- but driving that many miles- with my children in the car as well- while the engine is failing- is never safe. Because of the jolting forward and backwards while in this mode- I can't even count how many times I have almost hit another car, or a pedestrian! what happens when the engine does fail- is Ford going to replace that?
I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle with a cvt transmission. The car did not show any previous signs of problems or engine indicator lights. In may of 2009 the car had approximately 42,000 miles on it. I was driving approximately 30 mph when the transmission "slipped a rod" causing the transmission to explode leaving pieces of the transmission on the road way. During the explosion, pieces from the transmission damaged other parts of the engine. A new transmission was required.
The vehicle would experience intermittent loss of the electrical to the gauges and interior lighting. The gauges would sweep to zero and then momentarily sweep back. The length of the loss of electrical is increasing with each intermittent failure. Twice now the vehicle has also lost acceleration when pulling out of an intersection causing a potential collision condition. The last time this happened it also occurred with a loss of electrical to the instrument cluster and interior lighting. This is a potential serious condition as the vehicle may have been involved in a collision due to the loss of power. The vehicle is currently with the Ford dealer undergoing diagnostics.
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle and over the past 6 months it has surged unexplainably a dozen plus times, to a point where my wife is afraid to drive it. This has happened both soon after the car has been started and, with a foot on the brake, the car is put into D or R. thankfully the car brake was applied. It has also happened to me while braking at speeds of 40+ mph and has made it difficult to stop to a point I had to pput the car in N to slow it. I have 4 kids and these unexplained surges surely are of great concern. I brought the car to the local Ford dealership and they said ot was the aftermarket airfilter and that they couldn't replacate the problem.
2005 Ford Freestyle lunged backward when put in gear. Even with the brake applied the car moved a few feet. This has occurred on three separate occasions. Fortunately, there was no person or object in my path. The car was taken to the Ford dealership and the throttle body was replaced. The car has 60,700 miles on the odometer.
Car accelerated when placed in reverse and brake was applied, 2005 Ford Freestyle... took to dealer... replaced the throttle sensor w a kit. Problem was resolved to the tune of $700,00.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Avon Park, FL, USA