10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,235 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2005 Ford Freestyle drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2005 Ford Freestyle Owner Comments (Page 4 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #263

Jun 032010

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • miles

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

Riding down road and car started lunging and trying to go on its own. Then transaxle light came on. Car would then only go 40mph but it would rev up and tac at 5 or more. Took it to americus sunbelt Ford, they said it needed transaxle fluid and put some in. Light went off and it worked. Very dangerous to be in road and car won't go fast enough to get out of the way. The A/C quit right after this. Had A/C fixed and it was ok. Next the throttle body in June 2012 messed up and I had it fixed at sunbelt Ford and they charged me almost $900. Ran for a while then Ford had a recall on throttle body and I took it in and they cleaned it but would not reimburse me for what I paid to get fixed. May 2014 A/C compressor went out again got it fixed and on July 13, 2014 in atlanta ga on interstate 85 around norcross with the traffic flying 75 80 mph by me jerking along at 40mph and the transaxle light came on. It was extremely scary since I had my child and husband with me when this happened and we were not at an exit to get off but when we limped to one I turned into a parking lot and it quit going up the small hill. It would not go forward or backward therefore we were in harms way again. With the help of strangers we pushed it to safety. I had to have it towed 169 miles back to my home and the mechanic says that it is full of transmission fluid but it will not go. This is a safety hazard and an accident waiting to happen. Ford should have to take these cars off the road and pay me for all the repairs and a car that won't go.

- Buena Vista, GA, USA

problem #262

Jul 202014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 129,500 miles
Vehicle idling, vehicle put into reverse and instantly accelerated backwards, depressed brake and vehicle net into a safe fail mode. Engine light and a wrench dashboard light came on. Turned vehicle off and back on systems came up fine. Put vehicle in drive and vehicle accelerated and lunged forward. Engine light and wrench dashboard light came on and engine went into fail safe mode again. Drove vehicle home in fail safe mode. Vehicle was taken in for servicing September 08, 2010 for same issue, throttle body was replaced.

- Bradenton , FL, USA

problem #261

Jun 252014

Freestyle

  • 125,000 miles
The vehicle suddenly lunges forward when at a stop. Vehicle lunges forward and stalls.

- York, PA, USA

problem #260

Jun 212012

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles

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

The very first time it occurred I was parking my vehicle and it just lunge forward on its own. My foot was on the brake and not on the accelerator. It happen multiple times that day to the point I started to put the car in neutral when I came to a stoplight to keep it from possibly hitting another vehicle. This went on and on that summer and it seemed to do it when it is hot and the A/C is running. It hasn't stop since!

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #259

May 292014

Freestyle

  • 90,000 miles
When putting car in drive on warm days with the air on the car will lunge forward. I am used to this but my wife got in the car yesterday 5-29-2014 and almost hit a car in the parking lot. Very dangerous !!! read that I am not the only one with this issue. I am the original owner of this car.

- O'fallon, MO, USA

problem #258

May 292014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 145,000 miles
This vehicle looses complete power while driving. Runs sluggish and hesitates.. took it to the dealership for possible recall (throttle body) dealer says not the issue need to replace alternator, and transmission, etc.. called Ford Motor Company customer service for assistance to see if this was a known issue.

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

problem #257

Jun 302006

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles

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

It should have been a sign when the brakes wore out at less than a year and less than 9,000. The car would idle high and jump before stepping on the gas. The car would get a jump start before I wanted it to move. A noise could be heard while the car was in park. However, it did change noises as I change gears. Driving the car would sound like it was roaring. During the winter time, the car was not good with the gears/transmission as it felt like it was slipping in the transmission and not sticking in the gear. The car is presently in the service station of the place I purchased the car and I have been advised the vehicle needs a transmission and catalytic converter. The car has a little over 62,000 miles and has been maintained.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

problem #256

May 242014

Freestyle

  • miles
We own a Ford Freestyle 2005 the transmission has never been quite right, it failed over the weekend and the Ford tech says transmissions are defective but their recommendation is to replace it at a cost of 6600 with the same type of defective transmission. I have done my research and have spoken to many people owners of the 2005 through 2007 Ford Freestyles who have had the same experiences. 75 I have found posted online they replaced their transmissions at cost from 5600 to 7800 only to have them fail again in a short time. Ford should be forced to stand behind their product as we have owned Ford for almost 30 years now and maintain our cars will due diligence this is a defective product. We have both owned Ford Taurus wagons which one had nearly 400000 miles on the clock when we sold it still running great! our Ford also has had many occurrences of the throttle sticking under acceleration so much so that it would have to be shifted to neutral to pull over and restart it.

- Sweetwater, TN, USA

problem #255

Apr 192014

Freestyle

  • 117,000 miles
Last weekend the transmission went out in our 2005 Ford Freestyle. The car had been driving fine with no indication that there was a problem. We were traveling at about 45 mph when we suddenly heard a loud clunking noise. Immediately after the clunking noise we heard the sound of metal clanging around under the car and hitting the road...the front wheels began skidding and it felt as if the back of the car lifted of the road. At this point I felt as if I had no control over the vehicle. We were fortunate that no one was driving behind us, as it is very likely we would have been rear ended. I pulled the car to the side of the road and the oil light came on. I immediately turned the car off, got out and looked underneath and saw oil running out of the car onto the road. We then noticed the trail of mangled metal in the road. At this point I knew we were in big trouble. We had the car towed to a local garage and were told that the transmission went out. Garage called on Monday only to tell us that a used transmission for this car is very hard to find and that they were unable to find one locally...and further explained that replacing with a new transmission would cost $6000-$7000, maybe more since this transmission had been completely destroyed and we couldn't turn it in for a core. Something in the transmission actually came apart causing the transmission to bind and literally tear itself apart. We bought this car used for $6,500 and have only owned it for 11 months. I am seeing that this is a pretty common problem with this car. Not only can I not afford this repair, there is no way I am going to spend that kind of money on a transmission that is likely to fail just as this one did. So I am without a car with 4 children trying to figure out how I'm going to afford another one. This is obviously a defect with this car and Ford should have done something to fix this.

- Galeton, PA, USA

problem #254

Apr 102014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
On 04/10/2014 at 10:50am. I was driving on route 22 West bound. I was going 65 mph when the traction light came on as well the wrench light that is transmission light came flashing across dashboard "check transmission". the car went from 65mph to 25mph and I almost got killed by a tractor trailer that was behind me, because of sudden loss of power. The vehicle lost power and I could not travel more than 25 mph and the car was stuck in low gear and would not go above 3 RPM's. I took it to dealership they ran it through diagnostic, the code that came up was P0715, which is possible mesontranich unit, tss input was erratic, the code was consider inconclusive and dealership and the warranty company refused to fix and they said there was nothing wrong with the car. On 04/22/2014 I was driving Pennsylvania turnpike going North bound on route 476. When the same incident happened with a speed of 50mph and was stuck in gear. I had to pull over with 2 young kids in the vehicle. I shut the car off and turned it back on. Besides traction light that came on and wrench light came on saying check transmission, the check engine light came on as well. I was able to video record the whole incident to show how unsafe the vehicle I was in. I was able to get the vehicle to a Ford dealership. They ran diagnostics the codes that came up were P0715, P0701, P2765, the vehicle motormounts were broken, whoever fixed did and illegal fix, the motor mounts should of been completely replaced and the motor mounts was super glued by rtv super glue, which is illegal. This vehicle was inspected by the dealership where purchased and the sold me a vehicle with an improper and illegal inspection. The car should of been fixed by dealership and was not and put me and my family safety at risk.

- Whitehall, PA, USA

problem #253

Mar 172014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 142,400 miles

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

On Monday, March 17th, 2014, after $3685 in repairs and maintenance, as well as some recall work, and a loan for $5321 for my 2005 Ford Freestyle limited AWD (which was just purchased in October 2013 and has only been driven about a month total due to numerous issues), I encountered a problem with my transmission while pulling out of my driveway. As I finished pulling out of my driveway and shifted the vehicle into drive, all of the sudden the vehicle lost power, accompanied by a wrench light and a message on the dashboard saying "service transmission soon." There was a vehicle driving down the road behind me in the same lane; however, I was able to pull the vehicle back into the driveway in time before the vehicle approached my car. It is my understanding that Ford is aware of the issue with their cvt transmissions and that incidents like this pose serious safety risks for the driver/passengers/others; however, they have failed to issue a recall for the transmission. According to the carfax on my vehicle, the transmission has already been replaced once, so this is absolutely ridiculous that it needs to be replaced again at a little over 142,000 miles. I was quoted about $6500 for a new transmission to be installed by the local Ford dealership; however, I cannot afford this, so I either risk the chance of getting into an accident by continuing to drive the vehicle and having it lose power once again, or I do not drive it at all.

- Twin Lake, MI, USA

problem #252

Feb 262014

Freestyle

  • 106,439 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased on February 6, 2014 and advised the dealer during a test drive there was a noise. The dealer stated that there was a loose belt and stated to schedule a service appointment. While driving 25 mph the vehicle was making a grinding noise and then it stalled and would not shift in or out gear. The vehicle had to be towed to a local mechanic that was recommended by the dealer. The failure nearly caused a crash to occur. The dealer advised the contact that they would pay half of the repair cost; however, instead the dealer provided another transmission. After the transmission was installed the identical failure recurred. The contact was concerned about a potential crash. The dealer did not diagnose the failure. The failure occurred on February 26, 2014. The vehicle was in the mechanic possession from February 26, 2014 to March 19, 2014; however, the failure recurred and was towed back to the local mechanic. The mechanic was referred to the contact by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer gave the mechanic a transmission with no warranty; however, there is a limited warranty provided by the local mechanic. The failure mileage was 106,439.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #251

Mar 042014

Freestyle

  • 90,000 miles
Well it idles loud. And is slow to go when their is nothing wrong with transmission. Their is a lot of complaints from people on this car and everyone is trying to get a govt recall on this make and model. Also the car fix shop says it could be the throttle body or transmission filter. Researching everyone else is having this same problem and when you get this fixed which altogether is 1700 dollars. It just goes right back out. Someone said that a lawsuit was being formed on Ford because they won't fix the problem. And you are stuck with this car. Even the ones who hasn't drove very much and is brand new is having the same problems also. From 2001 to 2006 yr models. Please help us get Ford to do a recall on this make and model of these cars please.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #250

Feb 142014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
In drive at 40 mph to 55 mph the car almost stalls and goes I to fail safe mode. In fail safe mode the car runs at 15 mph. The dealer says they can not duplicate the problem.

- East Stroudsburg, PA, USA

problem #249

Nov 012013

Freestyle

  • 118,000 miles
2005 Freestyle cvt transmission failure, bought in summer 2013 as was never made aware of the issues with the transmissions. Sometimes it would work just fine and other times it seemed like it was straining to keep up the speed it was set at. In November started to head to work and the transmission and check engine light came on, took it to shop and spent $1200 to repair computer chip inside transmission hoping this would help but it did not. The car will only engage in the cvt transmission if warm but takes a long time to warm up and then only goes a short distance before more problems. Now being told 5000 plus to replace the transmissions cause nothing else fixes the problem. Have only taken the car for one night a month ago and it has been at the repair shop ever since so since November only had it a night due to this matter. Was advised the car is not safe to drive especially during the winter due to the possible complete failure at any time.

- Kirkersville, OH, USA

problem #248

Dec 122013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles
While my wife was driving home from work one night the wrench light came on the dash and the car started to make a loud whining noise from the engine area. She pulled into a shopping plaza and shut the car off and called me on the cell, we tried to start it up but the whining noise kept going and the car would move into any of its gears. It would shift into the gears selections but would not move at all, so I had it towed with a ramp truck threw my aaa membership. The transmission was not leaking and was full at the time of the breakdown and now its going to cost me around $5,000 to replace the transmission because Ford motors co. Had a problem with there cvt transmissions in the models from 2005 to 2007 in the Freestyles and 500 models.my car may have 170,000 miles on it but the body is in great condition because its never been in an accident and right now I can not afford the repair bill. I could purchase a nice used car for that amount of money. I will never buy a Ford product again. Ford motors co. Knows about this problem but due to the time line they will never have a recall and the owners will be stuck with the costly repairs. Thank you

- Bellingham, MA, USA

problem #247

Dec 062013

Freestyle

  • 161,693 miles
I took my car to the local Ford dealership to diagnose a tapping noise in the engine and was told I needed a transmission. Used $2,000 to $3,000 and new $6,500. He told me that the car could go 50 miles or 50,000 miles before it completely stopped working but it could be dangerous if it happened if I were going at a high rate of speed. After searching the internet this appears to be a common problem that Ford has never been forced to issue a recall for and won't fix for me. What happens if my kids are in the car with me when the transmission goes" I can't afford to fix the problem, I can't afford a new car - so what do people like me do" this is not a new problem for Ford they could and should repair their defective design and equipment.

- Hanover, PA, USA

problem #246

Jan 222014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles
Me and my wife carpool on third shift to our jobs. Upon backing out of the driveway in reverse, the wrench light came on, and an error reading" failsafe engine mode". I was able to make it to work, however I couldn't go fast at all no more than maybe 40. I'm seeing online many with this year and model need or have had new throttle body's put in with no luck coming from it. I'm hoping there's a recall because I have two children and a wife to get around in this one car.I wanna know what the recall is on it if one at all is available. Why haven't they corrected it yet after all these years of problems and so many complaints?

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #245

Jan 152014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 92,200 miles
Cvt failure. Car would not accelerate over 45 mph and began jerking. Would sit at traffic lights sometimes for 3 turns before car would move. Barely made it home.

- Easton, MD, USA

problem #244

Dec 282013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 87,500 miles
Cvt failed at approximately 87,500 miles while my nephew was driving the car. Fortunately, no one was hurt and he was able to bring the vehicle to a controlled stop. The vehicle continued to operate for another 5 miles of driving before it would no longer shift into forward or reverse gears.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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