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.
The car started showing hesitation when accelerating and making a strange noise early in 2010. This condition got progressively worse until one day, while driving on the freeway, the engine would not respond to the gas pedal being depressed, the wrench light came on, and I was forced to coast to the side of the road. I turned the car off for a few minutes and when I attempted to restart it, the gas pedal seemed to be working again. Took the car to jones Ford the next day and they told me the throttle body was bad and replaced it to the tune of $638.97. Date of service was April 1, 2020. Mileage at time of failure was 61,540 everything seemed fine for a few months but I started noticing the hesitation on acceleration again. Took it to summerville Ford on July 21, 2010. I didn't wait for a complete failure since it was extremely dangerous to lose power on the freeway with a whole car load of kids! jones Ford said the throttle body was bad again and replaced it under warranty this time. Checked for codes and got code #U0141. Mileage at time of replacement was 65,207. Within the last couple of weeks I have noticed similar conditions to the last two times the throttle body failed. Yesterday I was parking and the car surged forward as I let my foot of the brake, almost causing me to hit the car in the spot in front of me. I have no choice but to keep driving it until something is done by Ford about this dangerous condition. I was also told that the motor mount needs to be replaced. I also have replaced the 2/3 row seat pivot once during warranty but it failed again in 2010 and I haven't been able to afford to replace it. The A/C compressor stopped working this summer. Still not fixed. I have replaced my tires twice in seven years. I have replaced both sets of brakes. Ford needs to address these common failures. Before someone gets hurt!
Car lunges forward (when in drive) or backward (when in reverse) when sitting idling for a period of time. Rpms rev without applying gas. Occurs especially in hot weather and when A/C is running. Engine failsafe mode appears on driver information screen. Check engine light then comes on.
Engine / speed surging especially noticeable when parking. Whether in drive or reverse engine moderates only slightly but car lurches. This has happened to three different drivers of the same car, same day, similar experiences. Extra pressure was needed on brake to prevent car from hitting other cars in parking lot.... circumstances: Hot day ( 90+ F), air conditioning on, engine at idle speed while maneuvering into / out from parking, turning wheel or holding wheel turned during maneuver.
2005 Ford Freestyle surges and accelerates from a stop or low speed. It is particularly evident when shifting the transmission from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. The acceleration can last for maximum 5 seconds but you better have your foot firmly planted on the brake or the vehicle could lunge forward or backward into oncoming or parked cars and pedestrians. It doesn't happen al the time, often after the car has been run and parked for a 15-30 minute period.
- Walpole, NH, USA
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Vehicle intermittently seems to surge either in forward and reverse when taking foot off brake before you even hit the gas pedal. On or about Aug 1st, 2011 when backing out of a parking space it surged in reverse and then quit. It did that twice. Once I restarted after the second time it seemed to stabilize almost like the computer adjusted. This problem seems to occur more in the warm to hot weather. At this point with my vehicle I feel very uncomfortable and would not let anyone else drive it as I am aware of it and am I know that I need a firm foot on the brake pedal. My reviews of multiple people with this problem point to the throttle body and I would also think maybe a possible computer control.
2005 Ford Freestyle unexpectedly accelerates when car is put into gear (forward or reverse), this seems to be aligned with other complaints associated with NHTSA investigation PE11018. The engine will rev when putting the car into gear and will lurch in the direction of the gear that it was placed in. This is not due to the driver inadvertently pressing on the gas pedal at the same time as the brake. The driver has to firmly press on the brakes to prevent the car from moving. If the brake is only pressed just enough to put the car in gear the vehicle will actually move 3-4 feet. The happens sporadically but does occur at least 4-5 times a week.
I first noticed a surge in the car just as it was out of warranty. The problem has gotten progressively worse with time. Whenever the car comes to a stop (e.g. in a parking spot) the car surges in the direction the transmission is selected. Additional brake pressure is immediately required to keep the vehicle from moving forward. Likewise... when first selecting reverse from a stopped position the vehicle surges drastically which also requires prompt additional braking to keep the vehicle under control. The vehicle has always been well maintained by the dealer. The surging may be coming from an issue within the function of the throttle body, but not 100% sure of that. The addition of fuel cleaners seems to help, but only a little... and then only temporarily. Symptoms occur year round, but seem to be worsened by high ambient temperatures. The vehicle is a threat to safety in it's design and should be recalled.
We own a 2005 Ford Freestyle. For the past four years, we have had a vehicle speed control problem. It first started in 2007 when the car started to lunge backwards when shifted into reverse by simply shifting the car into gear, without releasing the brake pedal. The car was taken to Ford in 2008 (under warranty) where we were told the "problem" was fixed and so we took the car home. The problem only appeared to become worse than before. Ford was once again contacted and they said that they would take the car and take care of it. They said that the problem was how the computer was not reset/recalibrated. Eventually, the lunging problem continued and so we went back Ford, where we were told the guarantee had expired. Corporate Ford was contacted and they stated how they agreed with the dealer. The lunging happened only several times a month until it slowly started occurring on a daily basis where we (the drivers) knew to never remove the break pedal completely in order not to crash into other cars or people. The problem is now occurring both when it goes backward and forward. Now, the car not only lunges but it stalls and the car goes into failure engine mode. The wrench light also comes on and does not turn off. When the car is turned off for several hours and turned back on the wrench light does not light up and nothing seems to be wrong again. Because of this, mechanics tell us that nothing is wrong, after spending several hundreds of dollars for every diagnostic. After reading numerous other complaints on the same exact issue with this model car, we understand that it is a throttle body issue but we refuse to replace it as it is, not only, a costly repair (+$800) but it was already "fixed" or "replaced" by Ford when the car was under warranty.
When idling with your foot on the brake the car will suddenly experience an increase in the rpms and "lunge" either forward or backward depending on which gear is selected: Drive or reverse. This behavior happens intermediately, but does not seem to occur when the engine is cold.
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle sel AWD. The car lunges out of park. Happened about three times in the last 30~ 60 days the car comes to a failsafe engine mode. I have to shut off the engine and restart it to clear the failsafe mode. This is not the first time this has happened. It has happened in the past few years.
For 4 years the car has surged when placing the care in reverse, but I always thought it was the transmission. Two days ago the car surged forward 3 times and I was inches from hitting the vehicle in front of me I turned the car off and back on and it was fine. Yesterday I placed the car in reverse and it surged back wards so forcefully I could almost not contain it with the breaks. Today the car surged back again but I was ready or it and the car stalled stating "failsafe engine mode" I again I turned the car off and on and it worked with out a problem. All 3 times the car was idle in 90+ degree weather for >5 min.
Our 2005 Ford Freestyle lunges (car jumps forward and gas pedal drops with no driver action) in first gear and low to no RPM in forward and reverse. This most often occurs at stop lights, parking, and easing out of parking. All of these times have the propensity to cause minor accidents. If it does cause an accident, I will have my lawyers contact yours. This is a well documented issue.
When turning my car on and switching from different gears, the rpms jump up and down and cause the car to lunge even while holding down the brake pedal. It has been happening off and on for 2 years, but has more recently been happening daily. I did not take it to get repaired yet, but will have no choice.
Car lunges (revs up to high RPM) when trying to park, when backing out, when at lights. Can barely hold car by pushing very hard on brake. It has been going on for a while but there does not seem to be any acknowledgement that there is an issue.
The vehicle has been lurching at low speeds & at idle. It is occurring when shifting from park to reverse and drive. My wife and I have to make sure we are pushing down on the brake hard to prevent the lurch from hitting anything. It is also lurching while idling at red lights as well. This problem started about 1 month ago and seems to be getting worse and worse. I researched this issue and it appears that it is not uncommon to Freestyle owners. Most forums indicate that it is a throttle body issue & that it can either be cleaned or repaired. There are numerous complaints on this website regarding this issue & I am concerned about the safety for my family. If the car were to lurch into an intersection at a red light or possible rear end another vehicle. Also, the possibility of hitting a pedestrian in a parking lot and crashing into our garage.
Our 2005 Ford Freestyle is lunging forward at low speeds. We need to firmly press on the brakes to stop it which is very dangerous! at this point, the engine stalls. It seems clear this is a very common issue in this vehicle due to a malfunctioning throttle body. This is not safe and there needs to be a recall to permanently fix the issue!
Vehicle revs up when turning into a tight parking space. Feels like a surge which requires faster than normal braking to stop. The car does stop but it feels like the car suddenly has someone on the accelerator and brake at the same time for a moment or two.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Charleston, SC, USA