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.
Anytime I go from park to reverse or drive at idle speed my car lunges. On this particular day I was backing out of a parking spot. The car lunged so hard it through codes and the wrench on the dash lite up and car lost all acceleration power. I parked the car and drove it the next day and the power was back and the wrench was not lite anymore. It really scares me to drive this car.
At a very low speed the throttle body stuck open, and the car lunged backwards. I had to slam on the breaks hard to not zoom out into the parking lot into a passing car. The check engine, "wrench" light came on and the lunging kept continuing both in forward and reverse for several seconds. Finally, it appeared to stop once I put the car in neutral, and I was able to back out of the parking space. After that, there was something definitely wrong with the throttle itself. I was unable to accelerate into traffic at the necessary rate. This is a reoccurring problem as there are hundreds if not thousands of reports and complaints about 2005-2006 Freestyles and 500S. I would hope that Ford would do the right thing and recall this part for the safety of their customers and everyone on the roadway.
I have owned my 2006 Ford Freestyle for just over a year....in this short time I have had it in the shop twice, both for major repairs. The first time was within weeks of my driving it off the lot; all of a sudden my car stopped recognizing the key (I guess it's a smart key with a chip embedded in it). I had to get my car towed to two dealerships before the second one had it for multiple days before getting it back. This time I was leaving the store with my daughters. I started my car and shifted the gear to drive and although my car made the accelerating sound, it went absolutely nowhere. I then tried to reverse it and put it in neutral to see what it would do. I once again had to get it towed to two different dealerships and it has now been at the current dealership for over a week and they are having to disassemble my transmission to determine what is wrong with it. I did a very generic search on google for recalls on my car and stumbled upon www.edmunds.com where there are numerous complaints about transmission issues in the 2006 and 2007 Ford Freestyles as well as lunging issues. My car did this once while I was driving my children to school. I was turning a curb and felt it accelerate immediately and it shocked me so that I threw on my brakes and almost caused an accident. Out of this letter, I would like to see a recall on the 2006 Ford Freestyles for transmission issues where the manufacturer would be responsible for negligence in making these cars and repairs associated with it. This is my third car that I have owned and my first Ford car. After these issues in such a short time of ownership I promise you it will be my last Ford. Very unhappy Freestyle owner!!! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My complaint mirrors verbatim others related to the May 2011 investigation opened into the "lunging" at slow speeds for the 05-07 Ford Freestyle. The ac, hot temps, & lunging. One occurrence traveling 60mph & began to "stall out" & slow on major highway with three children in car. Any pressure on fuel pedal no result. Busy traffic, could only travel max 35-40mph. Put flashers on & struggled to make it to repair shop. Turned off ac in 100 degree heat to get any kind of response from engine. I was worried & feared for mine & my children's safety. Vehicle would barely accelerate thru intersection after stopping for red light. Finally made it to shop. Vehicle was placed on machine. Codes appeared: P061B alter fuel control module error, P2106 throttle actuator forced limited. Took vehicle to Ford house & explained issues as well as codes from previous shop. Was told would be $100 for Ford to hook up for a dx. If the codes I had were same, would cost est $800 to repair. As mom of 3 & who drives great distances for work, this repair asap. Have had many occasions if not had foot firmly on brake the vehicle would've caused a wreck at stop light, pulling into, out of parking lots, etc. Car literally drives itself in D/R at 10mph with no acceleration at all after placing in D/R. on 8-12-12 was in drive thru line & car lunged at high rate of speed forward after barely lifting foot off brake. Came mm from slamming into vehicle in front. Put car in P & the vehicle died. Wrench/engine light came on. Turned engine off, turned ac off & restarted the car. I can only imagine what would've happened if this had occurred at a stop light in a busy intersection? this issue is a fatality waiting to happen. This cannot be a fluke random issue if you have rec'd 238 prior complaints regarding the exact same issue. I urge NHTSA to place a recall, if for the only reason to save lives. Updated 08-03-12 updated 09/07/2012
- Tyler, TX, USA
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Issues with throttle body, the wrench light has come on multiple times while driving at low speeds(under 45mph) the can will randomly lurch at low speeds, having the air conditioner on seems to make the problem worse. The way the car jolts and jumps is unpredictable and makes the vehicle unsafe. This problem has been happening since we purchased the car, and after years and many trips to the Ford dealer the problem will stop for only a few days or few months and then the same problem starts all over again. Also other owners of Ford Freestyles made either IN2005 or 2006 have also experiences the same exact problems I have experienced. I strongly feel this car should be recalled due to the safety issues.
The car surges, jumps, sometimes acclerates and I put on the brakes and it will sometimes die. Mainly happens when I am in reverse/forward or the air conditioning is running. Also, does this when I am idling in a parking lot or at a traffic light. I have taken it to auto repair shops and they think it is the computer. Couldn't afford to do a new computer so thought I would hold out, since it doesn't do it all the time. Now it is starting to get worse. I turn the air off when starting out. My wrench light comes on and I don't have much power and my rpms get up to 4 when driving 50mph. Turn the car off and it is like it never happened. The car is dangerous to drive with my kids not knowing when it will happen in busy traffic, ,will it die and someone hit me" this isn't normal and I have found out my car isn't the only one doing this same thing. Will it really take someone getting very hurt for something to be done" what justice is that and knowing that this problems exist. First time buying a Ford and will probably be the last time. I don't trust them. You have a problem you fix it. That is integrity & trust. Love for someone from Ford to come with me for a day and ride in bumper to bumper traffic and see how our day goes.
Backing from driveway into the street, car surged but was able to stop it when brake applied. At that point the vehicle stalled. Able to restart and continue without incident but warning "wrench" light was on indicating throttle / transmission fault was detected and service required. After restarting later that day no problems noticed and no warning light. This was the most severe case so far but had noticed some small surging in prior weeks both in reverse and drive when starting out both from cold start and from restart conditions. Further research suggests this is a well know throttle body problem for Ford Freestyle / 500 / montego models from 2005 / 2006 timeframe. Safety risk is significant, cannot let other family members or any less experienced operators drive this vehicle until the problem is addressed. Replacement or at least maintenance for this known faulty system should be provided at no charge by the manufacturer.
I was stopped and in a line of vehicles in a parking lot with my foot on the brake and the engine surged. Fortunately, I had my foot on the brake with sufficient pressure to keep the car from lunging forward. This occurred several times while in the parking lot with the engine going into (limp mode) forced limited power mode. I drove the car directly to the Ford dealer where the car was purchased. The mechanics did not detect any diagnostic trouble codes and sent me on my way. Since then there have been probably six (6) more events without the engine going into forced limited power mode. In all events the engines surges to approximately between 1500rpm and 1800rpm with the car in drive and the foot securely on the brake. The event generally lasts less than 5 seconds. All events occurred during summer months. Last event was this past Wednesday when my son was driving the car. I witnessed the event as a passenger. The two codes that came up are P2106 and P061B. I purchased a tester to read the codes. Current mileage is 77995. Researching the potential cause of this problem led me to your site and prompted me to file a complaint.
First time it happened car lunged forward at shut down, died completely. 30 minutes later was able to turn it over. Mechanic said it needed throttle body but it was on national backorder until August 2009. So had to drive it home. Happened quite a bit throughout that time until I realized that it had a lot to do with having the A/C on. It happens even without the A/C on sometimes at lights, stop signs, and in parking lots, and also when in reverse it lunges in that direction as well; sometimes at very high rate which is scary. Have 3 children and cannot fathom why this car has not been recalled. I still owe money on it and now it is sitting in my mechanics garage because the cvt transmission went out.. 5 weeks now and I do not have transportation because I cannot afford to fix the cvt transmission that alot of other people are having the same problem with.
While backing up the car lunges when foot is still on the brake. Car will occasionally lunge forward when pulling out of a parking spot or when stopped at traffic light or stop sign. Very unsafe!!!!!! must make sure my foot is on the brake hard when stopped or be ready to quickly brake when backing up. The ac is sometimes on when this happens and the temperature is in the upper 80's. we live in Colorado springs, co and 80 degree temp are pretty hot here. Lately it has been in the 90 degree + range and the issue has been happening more. My wife mostly drives this car and our teenage daughter, new drive with a permit, is learning to drive, this is not safe!!!. please put pressure on Ford to fix this safety item. Seems like may others are having the same issue. Will it take for someone to be seriously hurt or killed before this gets looked at" how many accidents major or minor has this caused? how many insurance rates have increased because of these accidents" please do something about this!!!!!!!
My 2006 Ford Freestyle surges mainly in reverse, but also does it in drive at times. The first time it surged I thought maybe my foot had hit the accelerator and dismissed it. I started driving this car in October of 2010 and had not experienced the problem until then, but now it happens frequently. I have no idea about previous owners or the car's history so I only know how it has been maintained since I have owned it. Also there are 2 technical service bulletins that are also wrong with my car. Tsb 07-1-8 and 06-11-4 I think that since Ford knows there are problems with this cvt transmission that they ought to recall the vehicles and repair them.
The car ahead of me had run off the freeway due to snow. I stopped to see if he was ok. Once I started up, I pushed down hard on the gas pedal to accelerate and be up to speed for the traffic coming up behind me. The pedal stuck to the floor and the car kept accelerating. Once it reached 75mph, I held down firmly on the brake and was able to stop the vehicle. I turned off the engine and then restarted. As soon as I put it in drive, the car took off again accelerating on its own. I quickly hit my foot to the gas pedal and was able to knock it loose and the car slowed down. The dealer said it was a faulty gas pedal and I had it replaced (at my cost). The problem still continues to this day. The dealer continues to tell me that there is no problem and there have been no complaints about the vehicle. After that first incident, there was one time that I had started the car in my garage and drove down the street. Once I turned the corner, the car accelerated on its own, lunging forward but I was able to stop it. At that time, I was told it was a transmission problem and the dealer did the repairs under warranty. Even after that work, I still have a problem with the gas pedal sticking.
My car speeds up with out any warning when in reverse. So far I have been lucky and only scraped the front bumper on the garage door. Two different Ford dealers cannot find a reason for this problem.
Wife was driving on I540 near raleigh, nc and car "wrench" icon came on and car decelerated quickly causing a dangerous condition. Car was unable to be driven and required towing to a safe place. Appears that the throttle controller malfunctioned causing the car to be disabled temporarily. After the car cooled the throttle worked but we elected not to drive until a local mechanic could check out this condition / problem. We towed the vehicle on a trailer to local garage near our home.
While traveling home from holiday, my wrench light came on in the car and we could smell the engine beginning to overheat. My engine was trying to lunge forward even though I had the cruise control on. My vehicle then started to decelerate and I barely made it off from the highway via an exit ramp. Pulled over, turned off the car and opened the hood to let the engine cool off. I thought the problem may be gear or transmission related or perhaps bad gas. I tried a trick told to me by mechanic friend to back up the car and go forward approximately 40-50 feet, stop the vehicle and repeat the movement again to reset the transmission controls. I also added fuel injection cleaner and filled the tank again. After fuel injection and letting the car sit, it was okay for the rest of the trip. Had another incident just recently (July 2012). The same wrench light came on and my car once again lunged and decelerated and I had to pull off. Luckily, there was a gas station at exit again. And, luckily, I was able to maneuver through traffic when decelerating without harm to my family. I bought more fuel injection cleaner and filled the tank. I then let the car sit again. That seemed to help. We made it home after another rest stop for the car. Shortly after, my husband used throttle body cleaner to clean out my fuel injection pathway. He removed air connection and found the throttle body to be clogged with gunky material and sprayed a good dose of the cleaner into it while I gunned the engine to clear it out. I am now using fuel injection cleaner with every gas fillup to mitigate the problem. I know I probably need to replace the whole throttle body, but I am leary from what I've read on internet with others having same problem, replacing throttle body and then it having to do it again a year later. I am going to fix car and then probably sell it. Not safe anymore.
Engine speed will surge and vehicle will lunge forward or rearward, depending upon which gear the transmission is in, at unexpected times. Always noticeable near 0-2 mph with A/C on, foot on or off brake pedal, may or may not be turning. We have scared people in crosswalks and drive-thrus with this. It scares us as well.
The vehicle is in reversed gear or forward. It only happened when the brake pedal was pressed down the vehicle losses power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the failure was caused from the throttle box. The vehicle was repair the fist time. And for the second time the vehicle was fail with the previous problem and was taken to a private mechanic. The private mechanic diagnosed the failure was the throttle body box. The vehicle warning lights illuminated. The manufacture was not notified. The failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage was 91,000.
My family was sitting in the car while it was parked in drive. It stalled out and made a strange sound that sounded like a problem with the transmission. I have noticed that when it is hot it seems to accelerate on its own. I have noticed that it usually happens at low speeds and reverse. I feel that this is very dangerous. I have researched this car online and have read that this has happened to quite a few of these cars. I wanted to make sure that this defect has been noted. Thank you for your time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Faribault, MN, USA