9.2

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,620
Average Mileage:
71,900 miles
Total Complaints:
18 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (9 reports)
  2. replaced throttle body assembly (5 reports)
  3. replace throttle body (2 reports)
  4. replaced engine (1 reports)
  5. wait until 1/2010 for new part from ford (1 reports)
2006 Ford Freestyle engine problems

engine problem

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2006 Ford Freestyle Owner Comments

problem #18

Jan 012014

Freestyle Limited 3.0L V6

  • CVT transmission
  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When surging problem started in 2014, problem was manageable with brake peddle. Continued to happen with more frequency and not easily stopped with brake pedal. Reported to Ballentine Ford in Greenwood, SC at 153,00 miles and told "recall" ended at 150,000 miles. Received conflicting reports from Ballentine that there was no actual recall but it was ordered by Ford to be fixed on a person to person basis but no massive recall. Still own car and love it but cannot drive in traffic or for any distance. Will not drive it with my grandchildren in the car. Problem continues to get worse and my wife is terrified to drive it anywhere. Accelerated on her in driveway and she almost went thru our fence and hit our other car. Understand that to repair it is very costly.

- brownie1948, Mountville, SC, US

problem #17

Aug 102015

Freestyle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

I'm so mad! This car has cost me so much money it is ridiculous. My complaint today is about the Electronic Throttle Body.

Around August 10th I noticed my care started surging. I took it to my mechanic and of course it stopped and he couldn't find anything wrong because all the numbers came back normal and when he drove it of course it didn't surge. So today I am dropping something off to the post office for my daughter, back up, put my 2006 Freestyle in drive. Pull out into ongoing traffic and my car won't accelerate! Scary! It literally will not pick up speed while I am pressing on the gas.

Thankfully, I was down the street from my mechanic. If I tried to press on the gas nothing would happen. It would not do anything over 20 miles per hour. Let's just say a two minute drive took 15 minutes. Once I get there he puts it on the diagnostic machine and tells me that the ETB is reading open and that I need to break out the tissue because I am most definitely about to cry. He has been me mechanic for over 3 years and when he says I am about to cry, I am about to cry. He has watched me shed tears over the A/C compressor, transmission, electrical system, complete undercarriage work and a few others I can remember.

Now I read on this site that the complaint has been closed and I am yet again out of a load of money in order to get my car repaired. Lord, Your gonna have to fix this one because I don't see the way.

- Nicole M., Baytown, TX, US

problem #16

Jun 042013

Freestyle LS 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles

I took it to the dealer to have it repaired but the problem still exists. I just live with it and will just get a different make on my next vehicle

- Steve B., Dalton, GA, US

problem #15

Nov 032012

Freestyle Limited

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

It is so scary to be behind someone at a light with the brake on and the car lunge forward.

- Lisa I., Guthrie, OK, US

problem #14

Jun 122009

Freestyle Limited V6

  • CVT transmission
  • 50,000 miles

My 2006 Ford Freestlye is a good car but...the car lunges or surges forward or backwards at start up or entering a parking lot looking for a place to park you need to be ready to hit the brakes. sometimes it will stall or the little wrench lite will come on and you need to shut it off and restart to reset it. I noticed it more when the A/C is on and in Florida that is a lot. the dealer just is not taking any action, but I am sure there are a lot of complaints and Ford needs to address this issue. I contacted the NHTSA on this problem hoping that they would get things going if enough complaints about this problem are sent in to them.

- bbaughman, Lehigh Acres, FL, US

problem #13

Apr 022013

Freestyle SE 3.0L

  • CVT transmission
  • 77,671 miles

It will be a short and sweet complaint because everything has been said about this problem in other reviews. My goal is to mention there is a recall to solve this problem. The Ford program is named : Customer satisfaction Program 12N03. I found this program while browsing the web to see if i could solve my problem. Basically this program is for 05 to 07 Freestyles, 500 , and Montego vehicles. If your car is in those years and exhibits those symptoms and has less than 150000 miles ford will take care of the problem. I just called the dealer and gave them my VIN and the recall popped up on their screen. I have had the job done a week ago and the car is not having the surge problems anymore. They had to clean out the throttle body, replace the module, and program the PCM. Hope this helps.

- saraud, Thetford Mines, Quebec, canada

problem #12

Oct 222011

Freestyle SEL 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

OH MY GOD!!! On my way home on Friday I was stuck in stop and go traffic. The car started to lose power as if it was going to stall out. When I tried to accelerate it wouldn't and it started to misfire. It improved as I got moving and I made it home. On Saturday everything went down hill. I had problems getting out of the driveway, the car was banging and lurching, the engine light came on. I took it in for an oil change and new air filter hoping this would help. They told me to get it in as fast as I could for repairs. The car ended up getting towed in for repairs. Now they are replacing the engine at a cost of 3700.00$$. I'm still paying on the car. I was told they just replaced the engine on another Freestyle last month. A month ago I spent 1000.00 on the brakes that went to soon. Whats next. FORD found on road dead. Fix or repair daily. Sound familiar. Ford needs to take responsibility for their cars.

- sueh2, Duvall, WA, US

problem #11

May 312011

Freestyle SEL 3.0L V6

  • CVT transmission
  • 42,714 miles

Simliar to the other complaints the car would surge forward and reverse. At 42K I am paying over $1, 000 for a new throttle body assembly. I will say this the dealership never tried to defend this as an acceptable condition of a modern car.

- mwellm, Solon, OH, US

problem #10

Jul 112011

Freestyle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,500 miles

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS CAR!!!!! I keep lunging forward when I am at low speeds and I almost hit a car in the process. It even happens when I am in my driveway backing out. I put it in reverse and it lunged about 2 feet.

- Andre J., Annandale, VA, US

problem #9

Jul 042011

Freestyle

  • CVT transmission
  • 72,000 miles

My 06 Freestyle had surged a couple times since I have owned it. We always chalked it up as a foot slip or some such. We were sitting still in a parking lot with my wife's foot on the brake and it surged for a good second or so.with all the obviously known problems why didn't it get a recall.

- Gene K., Lexington, KY, US

problem #8

Sep 302009

Freestyle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 44,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I had an issue w/ the Throttle Body TWICE, in September of 2009 and a second time in December 2009 after the 1st repair/replacement was made. In each instance the Ford Freestyle suddenly started sputtering as if it was choking for gas and jerking, then suddenly started flooring it! I'd hit the brake and it'd seem to subside, but then it would stall and the check engine light/wrench would come on. Sometimes it wouldn't stall but then I could only reach a very low speed after that, as if my acceleration was impaired. In each of those instances I was only moving about 10 mph (either approaching a stop-light or pulling into my yard at home). If I shut the car off and waited a few minutes it seemed to reset whatever the issue is, long enough for me to get back on the road and head to the nearest mechanic, which of course most of the time the car seemed to run fine as if nothing ever happened.

When it originally happened in Sept 2009 I took it to Star Ford in North Hollywood,CA and the service tech basically said his diagnostic pointed to the Throttle Body and a slew of other parts/accessories that went with it needed to be replaced; O-Rings, Gaskets, Intake Manifold, Valve Assembly, Bolt Assembly, Upper Intake Seals...and thats about all I can recall. He also mentioned that this appeared to be a common problem w/ the Ford Freestyles and that this malfunction occurred in most around the 40K mileage mark coincidentally. To add insult to injury, the factory that made certain parts to replace this defect apparently went out of business earlier that year because of the recession and that the replacement parts were on back order until November of that year (which later was pushed back till early 2010). Apparently the dealership had 2 other Ford Freestyles sitting in their Service parking with similar issues that couldn't be fixed till November as well. My check engine light had also detected an Evaporation Leak which the service repair tech mentioned that the Evap sensor was also connected to this and that issue would be resolved in conjunction to the Throttle body repair.

I ended up taking the Freestyle to a local friend/mechanic who runs a Mom & Pop shop and he contacted a part shop in another state who happened to have a spare Throttle Body for the Ford. He replaced it and close to $500 and 3 days later I was back on the road and all seemed well...until 3 months and close to 4000 miles later it happened again in December. I returned to my local mechanic who was able to once again (though a bit more a challenge this time) find another Throttle Body with another vendor outside California, and so far I've had no issue with the vehicle, though the Check Engine indicator light does come on at times claiming there's an Evap Leak issue, which it doesn't appear to the mechanic to be faulty, so this still baffles us.

- Steve C., Tujunga, CA, US

problem #7

May 012010

Freestyle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

The car was under waranty when the problem first occured but the dealership couldn't figure out the problem. They told me to drive it this way till it broke down and have it towed to them and then they could figure it out and they would go back to the same ticket at no cost to me for repairs. That dealership closed down before my car became to unsafe to drive. So I was stuck trying to figure this out on my own.

I took the car to a shop hoping he could fix it cheaper than a dealer. the car's engine reved up to 3 rpms on its own while he was under the hood.He explained to me how dangerous this was and after a month he called me to come get it that he had no clue what was wrong. I took it to Ted Russel Ford and they fixed the throttle body.The car still revs up on its own and running the air conditioner is out of the question. If you run the a/c the air bag light comes on first and the wrench light follows then the car starts trying to shut down.I'm afraid it will shut down in the middle of the interstate while i'm driving with my newborn baby in the car and I won't be able to get us out of the car before a 18 wheeler hits us. Please Help!!!!!!!!!!!!! No one can figure out the problem.

- Carrie A., Lenoir City, TN, US

problem #6

Sep 202010

(reported on)

Freestyle SEL V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles

I am still paying on the dam thing . It is the throttle with with the body unit . You can't just buy the one piece as it is a whole unit. Sands' Ford said "It is defective and on back order for 3 weeks . Which means Ford knows they have a problem with it .And they are telling the public they aren't going to pay for it.

It is a Factory Malfunction. Any one who is having a problem with this has to pay for it out of their own pocket. It bucks and then stalls out . It rives up on it's own to over 4 RPM"S then it levels out and stalls out.

- RoseMary C., Pottsville, PA, US

problem #5

Jun 102010

Freestyle LX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles

Well, I just called Jones Ford in North Charleston, SC and talked to the service department. Although this problem is ALL OVER the internet for 2005, 2006, and 2007 Freestyles he said they have done no recall. My son and I were in the car and for months it has been lurching and surging forward and backward without me pushing on the gas pedal at all!!! This is scarry and if it was to happen while I was at a light and didn't have the good sense of a car like I do I would have already gotten into an accident.

Talked to service and he seemed to know right away it was the throttle body assembly!!! How would you know this if this wasent a common problem. And it was going to be $100 IF covered under my extended warranty (thank goodness), whomever hasent purchased one and is thinking of getting a Freestyle I suggest you purchase the extended warranty. He went on to say after he found out I had an extended warranty that if it wasent covered he would let me know. This is a big part and problem and VERY DANGEROUS....i will never buy a FORD again! This could potentially cause an accident!

- valcourt, Summerville, SC, US

problem #4

Jun 302008

Freestyle SEL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,000 miles

My car started to surge forward on really hot days even though the brake pedal was pressed. I took the car into the dealership and found out it was the Throttle Body Assembly. At first they told me it would be a couple of weeks to fix it (luckily I had rental coverage for up to 10 days). However, just a few days later, I received a phone call stating my part would not be delivered until SEPTEMBER. I contacted a different dealership & spoke with the service manager and he indicated that he had received an email stating the one and only factory in the us that makes the Throttle Body Assembly had been shut down by Ford (to save money) and wouldn't be reopening until mid August. My dealership assured me that they would 'take care' of the rental car for me, however, a few days, they told me they would not. I contacted Ford Customer Service and ranted and in mid July I received another phone call from the dealership stating "Guess what just showed up on our doorstep? Your Throttle Body Assembly is here and your car will be ready tomorrow". However...the story continues...see my next complaint...

- amberjk35, Las Vegas, NV, US

problem #3

Jun 292010

Freestyle SEL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 96,000 miles

Again, heat of summer, same lurching surging problems as the last 2 summers. This time they want to replace the Throttle Body Assembly AGAIN...even though it was just replaced 2 summers ago and the transmission was replaced last summer. I really doubt the Throttle Body Assembly is to blame

- amberjk35, Las Vegas, NV, US

problem #2

Aug 222009

Freestyle Limited 3L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,861 miles

Car suddenly stalled then died about 150 miles from home. No warnings/No sign of any problems. We managed to milk it to a Ford dealer with it stalling about every minute or less of run time. The dealer replaced the computer and EGR value then called to say the problem was half fixed. No light or error message from computer, but still only runs for 1-2 mins before stalling. The dealer hopes a new Throttle body will fix the problem, but is not sure if that is the problem. So in August the dealer stated we would have a throttle body in Oct 2009, in September we received a call state the throttle body would be here in Nov 2009, then Nov turned into Dec 2009 or Jan 2010. We have been working with both the dealer and Ford Motor Company, both need to work on Customer Service.

- cd22168, Ellsworth, ME, US

problem #1

Sep 012009

Freestyle Limited V6

  • CVT transmission
  • 48,000 miles

Ford has no manufacture for this part. Ford said it wont be ready until Jan. 2010. So I just have to sit and wait. NO WAY FORD....I want my car back..That's the last thing I'm going to do is just sit and wait!!!!!!

- Michelle O., Simi Valley, CA, US

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