Vehicle surges forward whether the vehicle is in drive or reverse. I have had the throttle body replaced in 2011. I have had to replace brakes at 30,000 miles. The driver side back door will not lock with the key remote. On July 6 2012 with ac on driving slowly out of a parking lot car would not go. It started up and I went about 20ft and car just died. On July 10, 2012 took it to dealer in Virginia beach, va. On Tuesday, July 12, 2012 I was told it was something to do with the powertrain and the cost would be $1600. I went ballastic and asked to speak to manager and then asked for number to Ford company. I talked with someone there explained my financial situation and was given a claim number and said someone would get back to me in four (4) days about financial assistance, which is not what I was looking for. I told the Ford rep, that I had been looking on the internet about all the complaints about my 2007 Freestyle and asked why there was not a recall on this car. On Wednesday, July 11, 2012 dealer called and said the problem was not the $1600 deal but a pigtail (whatever that is) at the tune of $600. I am afraid of this car and I am looking to get rid of it as soon as possible.

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

When attempting to enter a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and lurched forward necessitating a very quick change of foot position from gas pedal to brake pedal. After bringing vehicle to a complete stop and again attempting to move forward into a parking space, vehicle repeated lurching movements, and again necessitated rapid change of foot position to brake. Vehicle continues to exhibit problem, not only when moving forward, but also when vehicle is in reverse. It has been inspected several times at a certified Ford dealership, with no obvious defects detected. Online defects search lists numerous reports of similar problems with solution being to replace throttle body, a very costly repair.

- Ivins, UT, USA

2007 Ford Freestyle. Consumer states vehicle had a burning smell and stopped running while driving the consumer stated the catalytic converter was replaced. A few days later, the burning smell returned and the vehicle stopped running. The dealer replaced the catalytic converter again. The consumer stated the catalytic converter was replaced three times. Also, the manifold, gasket and seals had to be replaced because they melted due to heat. Three months later. The oil light illuminated. The service mechanic informed the consumer there was no oil in the engine and he was unable to see any type of leak. The consumer was informed the entire exhaust system needed to be replaced as well as the ignition coil and fans, because the vehicle would probably overheat.

- Mendham, NJ, USA

Throttle body failure.

- Brighton, MI, USA

I was taking my two children to school turned to cross over railroad tracks and car stalled on the tracks. I tried to restart & everytime I took my foot of the accelerator the car stalled. Finally I was able to get the car to move with my foot on the accelerator & brake. The car continued to stall when my car came close to a stop. I had my car checked last year for lunging & Ford could not find anything, & it continues to lunge now it is stalling. I was just lucky there was not a train coming or my kids & I could have been hurt.

- Turlock, CA, USA

The first incident occurred while I was at the store with my children. We were leaving the store as I put the Freestyle in reverse, the engine made a loud "dropping" noise and would not reverse. I put the car back into park and looked around the outside to check for anything visible that would have caused the noise or lack of movement. I noticed the car idling at a high RPM. I got back in the car to try again with no luck. This is when the car surged forward. I then became scared and turned the car off. When I turned it back on everything was "normal" again. I drove it straight to the Ford dealership. They were unable to duplicate the problems and told me to continuing driving it again until I got a light on my dash to prove to them I was having problems. They serviced my transmission at that time as well to find no issues. Unfortunately, this was not covered with the warranty so I had to pay out of pocket. Since the first incident, I have experienced this issue 5 more times, mostly while in parking lots while idle. However the last incident was 1/10/12. This surge put my vehicle in the intersection. I took the car again to the dealership. This incident had the same issues with the engine sounding like it was dropping when switching into different gears and idling high. The car would not switch out of 2nd gear while the tech test drove it with me. There was a new issue that appeared with this incident. It is a grinding noise when the gas was applied. The grind is similar to the sound the brake would make when the anti-lock were to kick in, except the brakes are not being applied. This has caused the anti-skid light and ABS light to kick on. I have maintained my car religiously since I purchased it so I do not believe this is a maintenance issue. Ford has been unable to solve these issues, charge customers for unnecessary repairs, and allow the vehicles to be driven.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

The car stalls out and I get the wrench on my dashboard. The car will restart after a few minutes and runs fine at that point. This apparently means that there is a powertrain fault detected. When the diagnostics were ran they pulled the code U0401 and the dealer told me that there were alot of Freestyles and Mercury's with this code and that it would be $280 to diagnose the problem.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

For the past year, when the car is at idle, but not in park, with foot off accelerator, the car will suddenly, and without driver action, surge or lurch forward. Or if in reverse, it will surge backward. If foot is firmly on brake, the lurch will not cause movement of tires, just body of car as the brakes restrain movement. But if it occurs in the instant the driver is moving the foot from accelerator to brake, or without the brake being firmly depressed beyond what is needed to restrain movement while at idle, the surge can be 2-5 feet before the driver is able to apply the brake and cease the movement. We have almost hit a pedestrian coming out of a fast food restaurant crossing in front of car as we were going through drive-through. We were at a stop to receive food with foot on brake enough to stop forward movement while at idle but not enough to stop when surge occurred. We have almost hit numerous cars while trying to park, especially during parallel parking attempts. The condition comes and goes. At times when it is "acting up" the car also loses its ability to properly accelerate in response to demand for gas and speed. Push on accelerator but the car will not respond except at only a very slow rate, taking many seconds to reach a top speed of 25-30 mph. This has caused safety issues when it occurs while pulling out in front of on-coming traffic, even though doing so at what should be a safe distance. My wife is now refusing to drive the car when the condition is occurring due to her fear of it acting on its own. It started in the 80,000 mile range. Our car now has about 102,000 miles.

- Saline, MI, USA

Vehicle surges forward when releasing brake pedal. Any time car comes to complete stop, upon release of brake pedal, vehicle surges forward involuntarily. Especially noticeable when air conditioning is engaged and more pronounced at higher blower settings. Dangerous to drive while picking up kids at school. Have not experienced surge when A/C off. Recently had A/C problem and while A/C not working-no surge, the first day A/C fixed-surge back. A/C problem fixed with a scroll compressor relief valve. We feel the A/C and the surge problem are directly connected and are very weary of driving vehicle except for it is the only family vehicle we own. This has been an ongoing problem, especially when the weather is warm and we must use the A/C. several times have come close to hitting other vehicles or pedestrians. This is a regularly occurring problem that is getting worse. Today, numerous warning lights came on together and we had to stop, turn off vehicle and re-start. Sometimes engine will die when we push rapidly on brake to prevent surge. Vehicle must then be allowed to sit for 30-60 seconds then be restarted. Unsure source of problem from A/C to transmission to fuel system but all are electronically controlled. This vehicle is getting dangerous to drive.

- Athens, TX, USA

While slowing down, backing up or parking, with the ac on, the engine suddenly surges 500-800 RPM's. it has not happened with the ac off. The dealer claimed it was normal operation, because of the type of auto it is; automatic. Updated 07/05/11 updated 08/04/11

- Staunton, VA, USA

This started last year, when warm weather started, tried to back up after vehicle had been idling for awhile, Freestyle stalled out and tried to jump, about three times in a row, before we could get in drive. This seems to be an on going intermittent problem that happens in warm weather. Took a friend to the hospital on 05/25/11. Drove to East gate from my house to pick her up, stopped at fast food place, had to wait for food, noticed gauge needles all jumped up and then fell back down while waiting w/A/C and engine running in park. Pulled out, went to downtown cincinnati, got into parking garage, vehicle started to lurch when I took my foot from the brake. I slammed both feet on brake, to keep from hitting anyone, or anything, vehicle stalled. I restarted, and kept both feet on the brake, the vehicle again tried to lurch out, and then died. This happen 3 or 4 times in succession, finally got vehicle under control, and parked it. It was parked about 30 minutes, drove back to eastgate, and then home. Wrench and transmission light came on at time of incident. It was still on when I got home. It went off after a couple of days. On 5/30/11, dropped off friend from work, on my way home, talked in car for awhile with engine and A/C running while in park. Upon driving to main road, vehicle stalled, restarted no acceleration, when I hit the gas, vehicle stalled again. Pulled over to side, turned everything off, removed key, restarted and drove home. Dealership called today, said it was the throttle body and will cost me about $600 to install a new throttle body. This is a safety issue that many people are having, after reading info on edmunds.com updated 06/0/8/11

- Batavia, OH, USA

The contact owns 2007 a Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would surge forward while the heating system was activated. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer advised the contact that there were no related recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 78,522 and the failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Updated 6/8/11 the consumer stated when the defroster or air conditioning system was in use, after idling or stopped, the vehicle would surge forward without her foot on being on the accelerator pedal. The consumer stated when she placed the vehicle in reverse, it would surge backward and then stall. Updated 06/21/11

- Warren, MI, USA

We own a 2007 Ford Freestyle. It has roughly 51,000 miles on it which have been all city/highway miles. We have never towed with this vehicle. We have been experiencing problems with surging followed by lack of power for about a month. To get power back, you must put the gas pedal to the floor and wait for it the power to kick back in. We took our vehicle in to lithia Ford in boise, id where we reside and where we purchased the vehicle and have had it maintained. They informed us that the throttle body needs to be replaced. Of course, this is not covered under the powertrain warranty, even though it is required for the vehicle to drive. The estimated cost is $954! I guess we are lucky that it has not failed on us yet as there have been numerous frightening stories about this type of failure. We will need to have it replaced within the week and will be retaining the old part. However, this appears to be a systemic issue with Ford Freestyles and certainly a safety issue. I have owned a Ford all of my driving life and, for the first time, am regretting buying this one. We would ask that you take note of the overwhelming number of complaints from other Freestyle owners, especially for the 2007, and immediately open an investigation on behalf of us consumers. Thank you!

- Boise, ID, USA

2007 Freestyle sel AWD w/50,000 miles surges at low speeds and stalls at high speeds. The wrench light comes on and the vehicle enters "limp" mode until vehicle is restarted. The dealership was unable to recover error codes when I took it in for diagnostics. However, based on my verbal description of the problem alone he suggested replacement of the entire throttle body assembly, saying "this is a very common issue for the Freestyle, 500, and edge." I am still deciding whether to spend the $1000 they quoted me for replacement (a Firestone service center quoted me $750). For one, I can't understand how such a dangerous malfunction is allowed to go unaddressed. Two, how can the throttle body assembly, which controls the entire powertrain, not be covered by a powertrain warranty" and three, if it is such a common problem that by verbal description alone, a dealer knows a major component needs replacement, why is this not being addressed by Ford at a national level" here's my vote of no confidence.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

2007 Ford Freestyle throttle problems on July 30,2010 the car surged by it's self in reverse. Upon getting the card into neutral the car stopped after numerous attempts on the brakes. We drove the car approx. 1/8 mile and stopped the car cut off. Once again starting the car it surged forward this time. Now I'm having to pay $901 plus tax to have it repaired. On edmunds.com I have read and I'm not the only one that has had this problem. Once again Ford has gotten away with the same thing that Toyota got caught in its actions. Also the repairman said the software would have to be reprogrammed. Please go online and looked at all the problems with the Ford Freestyle.

- Jackson, GA, USA

The 2007 Ford Freestyle we bought allows exhaust fumes from other vehicles to enter the vehicle at overwhelming quantities. We live in a rural area in New Mexico and are grateful we don't have this car in a busy city. The exhaust that enters our car is very dangerous luckily we have clean air and can open windows almost year round. Turning off the heat or air conditioning is mostly helpful, but in some weather that's also dangerous and certainly uncomfortable. We are irritated by the ac turning on automatically however that presents no danger. Finally the light bulb for the gauges has gone out at just 1 year. I've been informed that it will cost more than $800 to fix the bulb. For a self employed mother of 6 this is just too far out of reach as it is almost two months payments. I believe this too can be very dangerous because I can't see the temperature gauge and half of the speedometer at night. The other half of the speedometer is sometimes lit and sometimes not making me question the integrity of the electric system. I've not had an accident and pray that these problems don't cause one.

- Moriarty, NM, USA

Engine began stuttering, jerking and seemed about to stall. A/C went sporadically "wish, wish", etc. As if a person breathing hard. Lights dimmed and brightened alternately, lights on dash went black, all dials went to zero or off, check brakes light came on and off with the same pace as lights. Car stalled. Restarted right away but went through same routine again. Engine light, ABS light and skid light went on and off at same time. No other dash warning lights came on. Condition was checked at dealer but no problem found; no codes displayed. Drove another 2500 miles and no problem. Just started again 9/4/2007 and worse this time with very rapid and frequent lights going out, stuttering of and failure of engine momentarily. Seems like an electrical or computer breakdown. *updated 12/12/07 update 12/12/07

- Lady Lake, FL, USA