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.
My Ford 2007 Freestyle was positively, certainly accelerating on it's own. It was at times terrifying. It kept getting worse. It happened in different degrees of severity and length of time. It also happened in two different ways. The first way was when I was either simply driving but predominantly when I began to slow down for a red light or to park. At that very second, the car would literally jump ahead in a sudden, mortifying tremendous acceleration. I would try to restrain it by stepping on the breaks as hard as I could. The car would not respond to the breaks, the thrust was as strong or at times, stronger. Most times it kept going for a bit, but with my heart pounding in fear that I would hit another car or a pedestrian, I would find myself truly off my seat, solely on the break with all my possible strength; and the car would die. When I was at a light and the green came on, I was having to restart the car quickly to keep with traffic flow.many times, after restarting the car and driving slowly and trying to stay away from other cars, the car would go on, but with a hiccup on and off.then things would seem normal, but I never knew for how long. The second way in which the car self accelerated, was when I turned it on to start driving.again the acceleration would be so sudden and I never knew how strongly. Some times I was very close to hitting the car behind me in a parking lot, or anywhere I was parked. I had to take extra, precautions to make absolutely sure, more than usual, than no persons would be even remotely in range of my car when I turned it on, because I never knew, depending on the acceleration force, how far the "jump" would be. This problem kept me in anxiety and uncertainty. I took my car twice to my regular car shop, had to take it to Ford dealer, only place to find the equipment needed. Person there knew about same problem in other Ford.
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.
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that while having regular maintenance performed, the mechanic advised him that the rotors had become too thin and would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance other than to file a report. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 45,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Freestyle. While driving approximately 25 mph, the contact applied the brakes which abruptly traveled to the the floor. After numerous attempts, the vehicle failed to slow down. The contact drove up a slight incline and accelerated through an intersection. When the emergency brake was engaged, the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the master cylinder was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The rear rotors and pads on my 2007 Ford Freestyle (fwd) were replaced for the second time at 43,700 miles, less then 15K miles after the first time. The first time there was no charge at 28,900 miles under the Ford program 07N10. The front pads were replaced and the rotors turned only once at 43,700. The Ford dealership service area said the rear rotors needed to be replaced just from normal wear. I heard that the front brakes are the stopping power of my Freestyle, if that is true one would think that the front rotors would have the same amount of wear, or am I incorrect?
- Wyandotte, MI, USA
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Purchased 2007 Ford Freestyle in Nov. 2007. Began to hear noises when braking in 2009. The first time we took the car to the dealer (fuller Ford chula vista) we were told they could not duplicate the problem. Nothing was done. At about 16,000 miles we took it in again for the same problem. We were told there were warped rotors, frozen caliper, and completely worn pads. During safety inspection at 27,000 miles it was noted that rear pads were completely worn and rotors needed resurfacing. Ford is charging $265 for resurfacing and pads for a problem that has occurred twice in 2 years and refuses to recognize this as defect or design problem. In addition, we are having to replace the transmission at 27,000 miles.
Several times my vehicle surges forward when moving at slow speeds or braking. This has happened while driving forward and reverse. More noticeable when the A/C is on. Even when my foot is on the brake - the car accelerates on it's own and lunges forward. I can hear the engine revving when this is happening - even though my foot is on the brake.
We were stopped at a stop light and my husband had his foot on the brake when the car lunged forward. My husband pressed harder on the brakes so that we would not strike the car in front of us.
Ford Freestyle '07 less than 36K miles...vehicle surged forward while foot was on brake pedal...vehicle then died in middle of highway. Could not drive in stop and go traffic while on highway because fear of ramming into vehicle ahead of me. Happened one time before while vehicle was in reverse with foot on brake pedal...vehicle surged backwards. Have vehicle at Ford dealership now...awaiting analysis.
2007 Ford Freestyle limited AWD. Consumer states problems with brakes the consumer stated on April 24, 2008 there was a recall by Ford and the rear brakes and rotors were replaced. The front brakes were replaced and the front rotors were re-surfaced. On April 14, 2010, the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer because a loud noise was emanating from the rear wheels. The front brakes were found to be ok, but the rear rotors were found to measure below specs and had to be replaced, because they couldn't be turned. The rear pads also had to be replaced. The consumer stated for the brakes to have worn out so quickly, it seemed there might be a defect that Ford was unwilling to address.
The rear brakes on our 2007 Ford Freestyle, with 28,000 miles on it are shot. We have read where other are experiencing the same problem and some are being replaced as a warranty item while others, such as us, are being billed for over $300. Brakes should last longer than 28,000 miles. I understand there is an issue of that nature with others that own Ford Freestyles. There is no recall as of yet. Couldn't the bad brakes cause a major accident?
Premature brake wear - 2007 Ford Freestyle, our 2007 Freestyle needed rear brake pads and rotors replaced at only 23,400 miles. This car was driven mainly on the highways, with little stop-and-go city driving. While no accident occurred, premature wear could have affected the car's handling in an emergency stop. The dealer and manufacturer refuse to reimburse me for the $400 replacement cost.
Premature wear of rear brake pads on Ford Freestyle. First incident approx. May of 2008 with 18,700 miles. Second incident Aug. 9, 2009 with 35,390 miles. Both times had to get new pads and rotors and not under warranty. First time they did replace for free even though they made it clear it was out of warranty. Second time replaced and charged me for parts only. After researching this I found it was an ongoing problem since the introduction of the Freestyle in 2005. In fact I found a letter from the director of service engineering operations sent to all Ford dealers on July 3,2007. They were blaming the issue on "direct exposure to moisture for an extended period that may have caused the pads to "swell" and create slight drag conditions." Obviously this is not the case. I have read numerous reports from owners who have replaced rear pads and rotors several times and not yet had the front brakes fail. Seems to me to be a mechanical problem that Ford does not want to address by fixing the problem causing this issue.
I have a 2007 Ford Freestyle and in May 2008 the rear brake pads wore out at only 16,500 miles where were replaced under warranty provision of 12 month or 18,000 miles. The mountain view Ford service advisor stated that Ford had a bad lot of brake pads due to water intrusion and the new pads are far superior to the original. The car has 31,900 miles and the left rear brake pads are worn down to the metal after 15,400 miles. Please note that the original factory front brake pads have 2/3 to 3/4 remaining left on the pads. There is no warning that the rear pads are worn out which could lead extended braking distances and possible crash.
I own a 2007 Ford Freestyle sel fwd with 24,000 miles. Yesterday while driving the car my husband heard a strange noise while braking. He immediately checked front and rear brakes. Front brakes and rotors look good. Rear brakes need replacing, and rotors are severely marked and grooved. I contacted our local dealership (same one we purchased the car from) and was told this is not covered under warranty even though this is happening across the board. I began reading a forum today addressing this issue and suddenly realized just how frequently this is happening. (not only with the Freestyles but also with other Ford cars.) we drive our families around in these cars, and like mine we had no warning. My husband checks these types of things every 1 or 2 months and so far has found no scaring on the rotors. On the same day we hear an unusual noise we find that the rotors need replacing! this is a serious (and expensive) issue that needs addressing. Since Ford is not willing to publicly admit the problem or offer assistance in having it fixed, I am asking that you all look into this. I have not heard of any deaths being caused from this issue. I have heard everyone say that they've had their brakes and rotors checked within a couple of days of hearing the strange noise. However, I would hate for someone to ignore this warning and be injured. I certainly don't want anyone in my family injured due to this. Since this is a safety issue please do something to help the owners of these cars!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Austin, TX, USA