10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
16 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,577 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Ford Freestyle Owner Comments (Page 16 of 30)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #286

Jul 292011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles

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

My 2005 Ford Freestyle unexpectedly lunges forward in drive and reverse. This usually happens in high heat after using A/C for a while. Thankfully I've had my foot over the brake during these occurrences, but this issue concerns me. I have also been told by a local Ford dealership that my ac compressor is leaking, and wonder if the two are linked somehow.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #285

Jul 302011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 122,000 miles
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.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #284

Jun 012010

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
Ford Freestyle 2005 60K miles no known precedent event cvt no impact damage North Carolina 1 normal driving or idling in gear 2. symptoms intermittent and spontaneous drive line surges engine power surges at idle vehicle lurches without warning check engine and safe mode warnings after several events with increasing freq more frequent in hot weather 3 dealer assessment conclusion throttle position sensor faulty tps embedded in throttle body assy dealer advised remove-replace (no service bulletinor warranty) occurrence while idling in center lane for left turn with risked surging into oncomming traffic owner removed vehicle from service until replacement found difficult to verify viable vs faulty replacement assy part cost $500.

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #283

Jul 302011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 39,000 miles

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

I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle. Yesterday when backing up the car suddenly surged. My foot was not on the gas pedal. I was able to stop the car and it stalled. This is not the first time the car has done this but this time was the most noticeable. This happens sporadically and only seems to do it when at idle speeds. It does happen in forward and reverse. Mainly in parking situations. This may also be related to the A/C as I just started noticing this issue in early summer when I started to use the A/C.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #282

Apr 012011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
My 2005 Ford Freestyle limited all wheel drive vehicle lunges forward unexpectedly. Having my foot on the brake doesn't seem to do anything sometimes. It happens sporadically, as soon as my foot is off the brake or I put the car into gear is happens. This is very dangerous and I hope it will be resolved soon. I have seen hundreds of complaints on this issue.

- Mchenry, IL, USA

problem #281

Jul 262011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
My 2005 Ford Freestyle has been surging forwards while at redlights, stop signs or any other time it is idling with the ac on. The rotors and brakes have also been replaced several times. Is there any known reason for this" or any thing that can be done about" its pretty scary especially when another vehicle is in front of me.

- Narrows, VA, USA

problem #280

Jul 292011

Freestyle

  • 80,000 miles

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

2005 Ford Freestyle accelerates when not pressing the gas pedal. Had this "fixed" over a year ago but it is doing it again. This is very dangerous in parking lots when backing out. It happened today and when I hit the brake, the car cut off.

- Smithfield, NC, USA

problem #279

Jun 232010

Freestyle

  • 62,000 miles
We have a 2005 Ford Freestyle and we have noticed for the last 2 summers that our car will lunge forward on its own while driveing at low speeds especialy when you first shift from drive to park or to reverse. It has been geting worse and it is deffinetly worse when it is hot outside and you have the ac on. It is a very dangerous situation. The other day we were leveing a parking lot and behind another car and our Freestyle lunged forward and we almost hit the car in front of us. These cars have a serious issue and it will cause injuries or mabye kill someone if nothing gets done about it.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #278

Jul 282011

Freestyle

  • 72,000 miles
Vehicle surges and accelerates without any contact whatsoever on the gas pedal. On 7/28/11, we had to have the vehicle towed to a mechanic to address the issue. "failsafe engine" light came on followed by "check engine" light.

- Sutter Creek, CA, USA

problem #277

Jan 012011

Freestyle

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently surge forward until the brakes were engaged. The failure occurred while driving various speeds. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Willow Spring, NC, USA

problem #276

Jul 282011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 91,000 miles

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

Vehicle has a sudden jump in acceleration even when driver is pressing on the brake pedal. It feels as if both the brake and accelerator are being pressed and the car is in conflict. Then the idle seems to drop either to a point of the vehicle dying or almost stalling. When restarted (sometimes this takes 2-3 tries to keep it running) or idle evens out the rpms and acceleration are delayed for some time. While pressing on the accelerator (even pushing almost to the floor) the vehicle will not increase in speed (in a normal response time-within 3-4 miles) and rpms top out at 2000. This happens at both low speeds and when attempting to achieve highway speeds. The trigger for this is typically a sharp turn. This also results in the check engine light coming on and giving diagnostic codes of P061B and P2106 which I have been unable to find a description of these codes. This has happened once every 4-6 weeks to begin with, but has increased in frequency to 3-4 times a month. I have not replaced the throttle body but that appears to be the common fix as reported by others experiencing this problem. After leaving the car sit for several hours and restarting the next day or 4-5 hours later the problem is not apparent until the next time.

- Loogootee, IN, USA

problem #275

Jul 232011

Freestyle

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle suddenly lunged backward and nearly crashed. The fail-safe and check engine lights began to illuminate on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000.

- Versailles, KY, USA

problem #274

Jul 222011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 69,378 miles
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle. In the last month, I have experienced the car accelerating on it's own and lunging while attempting to stop or pull off from a stop. This problem is very concerning as it occurs when my child is in the car. I have narrowly escaped running into other vehicles.

- Danville, VA, USA

problem #273

Jul 192011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 74,000 miles
On several occasions on July 19 and 20, 2011, while maneuvering the vehicle at low speeds to park in a parking structure and to parallel park in an urban street setting, the vehicle's engine "revved up" without my pressing down on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to "surge" or "lunge"--this occurred both in drive and in reverse. In all cases, a quick application of the brake caused the "surging" to end; fortunately, no nearby vehicles or pedestrians were struck. These incidents occurred under very hot weather conditions (temperature around 100 degrees), with the vehicle's air conditioning running "full blast." The problem seemed to be triggered by turning the steering wheel, while attempting to park or exit a parking space. After experiencing this "surging/lunging" on several occasions, I was able to replicate this problem in an isolated corner of a shopping mall parking lot, by driving at a slow speed and then turning the steering wheel as if to make a right or left turn. We have owned our Freestyle for nearly four years (purchased used) and have never experienced this problem before. We have not experienced the problem since July 20--although the weather has been cooler since that date, and the air conditioning has been used far less, if at all. This problem sounds exactly like a matter we understand the NHTSA has been investigating recently with Freestyles of this vintage. I had read an article on the investigation several weeks ago, and did not think anything more about it--until my experiences on July 19-20. On inquiring about this matter with our local Ford dealer, the service department indicated it was unaware of such a problem, and suggested that we have the refrigerant level checked, as a low refrigerant level might cause the A/C system to demand more power from the engine. An appt. Is scheduled.

- Two Rivers, WI, USA

problem #272

Apr 192011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 54,234 miles
When manuevering in parking lots the vehicle has lunged forward when trying to park the vehicle. After it lunges forward it stalls and comes up with an error message. It starts back up fine afterwards. Sometimes during regular travel it will speed up unexpectedly.

- Jamestown, NY, USA

problem #271

Jun 122010

Freestyle

  • miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was first started or while in motion sporadically, the vehicle would surge. The failure would also occur when accelerating from a complete stop or while in reverse. The vehicle was not inspected. The failure and current mileages were unknown.

- York, PA, USA

problem #270

Jul 232011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 83,178 miles
My 2005 Ford Freestyle has been acting up for quite some time now and it is to the point where I need to get it checked out I feel it is very unsafe to drive. When I start my car and go to put it in drive or reverse the car will take of lunging!! I have to stand on the brake for it to stop sometimes it revs up so much that my car goes into engine failure mode and my car shuts down. This has been going on for the past year and now it is to the point where it does it all the time on a daily basis. I feel the vehicle is unsafe for me and my family!! I took my car in today to the Ford dealership where I bought my car and the service man checked it out and they told me I need a new throttle body for it which is going to cost $800! I have no choice but to get it fixed I need a safe vehicle for my children. The car will be ready for me in a couple of days. I have not had any accidents due to this however there have been many time where I have almost hit other vehicles and people!! very scary what is going on with this Ford Freestyle. I hope that this matter is seriously checked out before someone is seriously hurt.

- Warsaw, IN, USA

problem #269

May 262011

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 84,000 miles
Ford Freestyle 2005 experiencing the lunging issue pretty much since car was purchased new. Just figured it was a "touchy" engine that I needed to get used to. After hearing that there were many people experiencing the issue, took it to dealer. First dealer couldn't find anything wrong. Second dealer insisted that it was a safety issue and replaced the throttle body for $900 - my expense. Since then air conditioner has not worked and East coast has had 5 heat waves - staring down the throat of #6. dealer claims that there is no relation to previous work done (30 days ago). I do realize that air conditioning is a luxury, but am learning from other posts that dealers are pushing complete replacement of compressors ($800 ++) while other people are getting their fix with a valve replacement ($30). These overcharging practices are unacceptable and with so many people reporting the same problems, it is apparent that these are manufacturer's defaults and should be recalled.

- Green Lane, PA, USA

problem #268

Jul 252011

Freestyle

  • 73,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would unexpectedly accelerate when pressure was not being applied to the accelerator pedal. The failure would occur at speeds ranging from 0 to 10 mph. The brakes were effective in stopping the vehicle during the failures. An authorized dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not taken in for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the failures were similar to the complaints included in the investigation associated with NHTSA action number PE11018 (vehicle speed control). The failure and current mileages were 73,000.

- Trimble, OH, USA

problem #267

Jul 232011

Freestyle

  • 91,000 miles
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle. It has started jumping and accelerating on it own. After is does this the car goes into engine failure mode or cuts off. It has done this several times. I don't feel comfortable going through a drive through because the car will start jumping. I started looking online about this problem and saw this is a wide spread problem and Ford needs to fix this.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

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