10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
120,591 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #79

Nov 082014

Freestyle

  • 120,000 miles
We were pulling out of a parking lot into traffic on a highway and the wrench light came on and we lost all power to the vehicle. The vehicle had to be shut off and then started back up in the middle of the road. Another incident happened on my way to work and there were cars behind me. I was able to make it to the side of the road to start it back up. The third incident happened again on my way to work and then the engine light illuminated and when I had it checked the codes P2104 and P2111 came up. The throttle body was stuck opened and in a bind. I was almost hit during the second incident and feel that this is a serious safety issue. I am glad that I wasn't on the interstate going 65 or 70 mph. The car almost came to a complete stop on its own in the matter of a few yards.

- Salisbury, NC, USA

problem #78

Jul 222014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 141,000 miles
While driving on the highway the wrench light suddenly came on & my car was put in "safe mode". this make my car stop. I almost slam another car. Had engine light that came on read & was told the throttle body was stuck open. Took it to local Ford dealership where they changed the throttle body. When the wrench light comes on the car doesn't want to accelerate & goes into safe mode. I took the car to a Ford dealer and was told the transmission has to be replaced but it was replaced few years ago.

- Caguas, PR, USA

problem #77

Sep 152014

Freestyle

  • 117,000 miles
While driving on the highway with my four children the wrench light suddenly came on & my car was put in "safe mode" which caused my car to stop on the highway after losing all power. I was very close to be slammed into from behind. Had engine light that came on read & was told the throttle body was stuck open. Took it to local Ford dealership where they cleaned the throttle body. Drove normal for a week & now repeated same issue. Car doesn't want to accelerate & goes into safe mode shutting down at random times. Also sitting in line at my children's school the car surged forward while foot on brake almost hitting car in front of me. Ford dealership says extended warranty only covered a cleaning & not replacement of a part they know is faulty.

- Warrensburg, MO, USA

problem #76

Aug 142014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 104,000 miles
Car was financed and purchased used from authorized Ford dealer in 2007 @ approx. 64K miles. Previous owner was registered as Ford Motor Co., Indiana. On 12 Jun 2014, without warning, the continuously-variable transmission (cvt) first showed signs of a problem: Failing to shift out of lower speed gear from a stop to higher gears during travel. Problem was remedied temporarily by shifting from D to R and back to D while stopped. The problem recurred sporadically, but within last week frequency of problem has increased while awaiting service appointment. This morning, 13-Aug-2014, transmission slipped and failed to engage in any forward gear while stopped at intersection, resulting in a complete loss of forward propulsion. Problem remedied by shifting from D to R and back to D, with significant difficultly. Service technician states that cvt failures in this make and model are common and recommends replacement of transmission with rebuilt (as transmission is no longer manufactured by Ford). Moreover, only Ford can perform the repair/replacement. No warning lights were activated during any of these events. Cost of repair will exceed value of car. $5800 or more versus $3600 trade-in or instant-cash offer price $1500. Ac compressor failure and rebuild (including rear ac) in 2012 cost $875.

- Jackson, MS, USA

problem #75

Aug 012014

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles
The problem with this car and the throttle body has been going on for a while. I took the car to the Ford dealer but they only cleaned the throttle body when it needed replacement. The last event was in August 1 when while I was driving the fail safe mode came up and the car suddenly lost the power and wouldn't run faster than probably 0.1 mile per hour. This was the second time this happened the first time I was with my kids in a major highway and the car suddenly stop running. Thank god I had a chance to steer to the emergency lane. Many people are having the same issue with the 2005-2007 Freestyle, this is a super safety issue and nobody is doing anything about it. When my car stopped I could have been hit on the back with a worst outcome. I got a tow truck and they took the car to the Ford dealer. Those people are not helpful at all and treated me with a bad attitude. Very expensive to change that's why Ford is not getting involved and only offered to clean the part in the extended warranty, knowing that wouldn't fix the problem. Ford should have a recall for the throttle body part before somebody gets killed in a very serious accident that this problem could cause.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #74

Jul 182014

Freestyle

  • 104,902 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle experienced a three to four second lag. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 104,902.

- Smith River, CA, USA

problem #73

Jul 132014

Freestyle

  • 180,000 miles
I was driving on the freeway roughly 65-70 mph and the failsafe engine mode came on, which disabled my gas pedal. I could not accelerate. I was in the far left lane, and had to "coast" with my hazard lights on so I could turn the car off while in park on the shoulder. I restarted the car and it went away. Thankfully traffic was light! earlier in the week this same thinghappened on my way to work I was on a 35 mph rd, and it did this, lost all use of the gas. Had to kill the car and restart but that time the check engine codes P2106 and P061B were drawn.(not the first time I've had these codes I know they mean throttle body'sbad) I've kept my obdii scanner in the car cuz these codes come up once a week at least. I just keep erasing them, restarting the car, and drives fine till it randomly goes off again. Thus was the first time it has happened to me on the highway. It scared me to death that I would have been rear ended on a highway. These should be recalled. Ford claims there's no safety issue. I barely avoided a potential fatal crash!

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #72

Jun 212012

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 83,000 miles
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 #71

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 #70

Jun 302006

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles
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 #69

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 #68

Dec 142013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 132,000 miles
When idle in drive the RPM's surge by itself and the vehicle jerks forward.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #67

Nov 032013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
In 2011 the throttle body failed on my 2005 Ford Freestyle. Ford recommended cleaning the throttle body and I had this done at a Ford dealer. Ford later extended the warranty on this part and reimbursed me. Following this, I found that the car occasionally lunged and the rpms would race. On November 3, 2013 the vehicle went into fail safe mode while driving at 45 mph. I was in heavy traffic and the entire engine stopped accelerating. I immediately hit my brakes and began to pull over. I restarted the vehicle and tried to make my way home at 15 mph. On Monday I made an appointment to have my car seen. I was told it was still covered by the extended warranty. On Tuesday the car again went into fail safe mode and shut down while driving. I was almost rear ended. On inspection, the dealer found that the throttle body was at fault. The part was faulty, and could not be cleaned to fix. It would have to be replaced, but Ford would not cover the cost (over $900) even though they know there is a problem with this part. When calling, I was told that they would only cover a one time cleaning. The cleaning did not fix the problem, and this is a massive safety issue. The car shuts down in traffic, leaving you vulnerable.

- Hales Corners, WI, USA

problem #66

Jun 202013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 118,223 miles
Had a previous recall done to clean throttle body for cold start stall it ran fin for a couple of weeks when one Sunday we were on the interstate my wife was driving at the time when suddenly it was like some one shut the engine off, we were in very heavy traffic with traffic moving fast my wife become very scared she had no power steering or brakes cars were locking their brakes blowing horns and passing around us I shifted the car to neutral for we were still rolling about 50 by then and had her try and restart car which it did and we resumed speed to the next pull over, I contacted the dealer and someone in Ford quality and was told I would have to pay check out fees and it was not a warranty nor goodwill item. Since we reluctantly take the Ford we use our older Chevy instead, I have used the Ford several times since the incident and it acts up every time, I am on disability and cannot afford the cost for check. Out fees after reading dozens of blogs there seems to be a problem in the throttle body, and this is a big safety issue, I am a retired Ford technician forced to due to cancer, we need help with our car and for you to be aware of the dangerous problem these cars are having, had I not been with my wife the first time this occurred there could have been a serious accident, I have been on line and talked with many other people with the same problem, some not as lucky as us. I think Ford needs to first ck the recall they did and then find out why I am having this dilemma, after 24 years. As a Ford tech I have never come across something as scary and dangerous as this. A word of feedback would be greatly appreciated thank [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Brookville, OH, USA

problem #65

Oct 012013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 79,661 miles
We purchased a used 2005 Ford Freestyle on April 4, 2013. It had 74,590 miles on it. On October 1, 2013 the ctv transmission began to fail. Check engine and check transmission warnings came on, the car would not accelerate past 10mph, it lurched and crunched at 3500-4000rpms. We made it less than one block before it just stopped in the road. Turning the engine off and back one, I was able to get back to ten mph and limp it back home. Later that day after disconnecting the battery for ten minutes, the car fired up no problem and was drivable until the October 3, 2013 where this action repeated but it didn't even make it a block before stopping. Again, by turning the engine off and back on I was able to limp it home. My husband was able to get it started one more time and took it to the mechanic. After an afternoon of full diagnoses, we were told it needed a new refurbed (so not even new) transmission for $6400! we were able to limp it home from the mechanics while we consider our options. After researching online this appears to be a well known problem with the ctv transmissions that Ford is fully aware of and has no plans to correct. We would like to know what our options are with this lemon! we haven't even had it for 6 months and it has low mileage. Thank you.

- Bellingham, WA, USA

problem #64

May 172013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 198,000 miles
2005 Freestyle sat parked at idle (in parking lot) for approximately 7 minutes. Brake pedal was then pressed and gear shift put into "drive". vehicle RPM's immediately went up out of control without foot on accelerator. Vehicle quickly lurched forward about 10 feet before brake pedal was depressed far enough to cease the movement. Speed estimated at 8mph. RPM's continued to increase and vehicle lurched again and traveled about a foot before brake pedal was further depressed enough to cease movement. For about one-half second after brake pedal was depressed, rpms stayed high and then vehicle shook violently and stalled. Dash readout said, "engine failsafe mode". fortunately, no persons were in front of vehicle during incident. One hour later, same day, vehicle would not properly accelerate during passing attempt. Unknown if this issue was related. The next morning, vehicle would not start and hasn't started since. Vehicle currently in auto repair shop (we've been afraid to drive vehicle and will not drive it until situation is rectified).

- Harrisville, MI, USA

problem #63

Jul 192013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 117,000 miles
My Freestyle surges and lunges forward and backwards. I hit a car while trying to back up and park because the car surged and accelerated into reverse. This is the second time that I have had this problem in 2 years and needed to replace the throttle body. I almost hit people in a parking lot because of the sudden surge and acceleration. This is extremely unsafe and unpredictable. Needs to be recalled! engine mount was also cracked and needed to be repaired as in many of the other cases in the class action lawsuit.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #62

Jul 282013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 117,000 miles
Bought it 7/23/2013, day one fine. Day 2, spouse in car, with 3 children, check transmission light, track control light, check engine light, wrench light all came on..on the highway. Car lost significant power, almost resulting in accident, car bucking and using significant rpms to accelerate. Restarted the car after 3-4 times, lights gone car running smoothly. Day 3, same thing. I've owned it for 6 days! terrified for my family and other drivers with this vehicle. Too many safety complaints on the vehicle/transmission for Ford not to recall. An american company putting americans at risk for harm.

- North Grosvenordale, CT, USA

problem #61

Jul 062013

Freestyle

  • 132,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. Also, the contact mentioned that the wrench warning icon would illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 132,000.

- Jones Boro, GA, USA

problem #60

May 202013

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 65,200 miles
When I was reversing out of a parking space my car lunged backwards and then shut off and on my dash board it read "failed safe mode". then 2 weeks later this same thing happened to me when I pulled out onto a street. I was at a busy intersection and my car shut off again stating "fail safety mode" after 2 attempts to restart my car the vehicle finally started again. When I go into drive or reverse my car takes a few seconds to shift and will always lunge forwards or backwards while going around 2mph-5mph. This vehicle is becoming more and more unsafe to drive. The cost of a new cvt transmission will run me $5500. I contacted Ford about this issue and they made it clear to me that they have not heard anything about this, although there is currently a class action lawsuit pending against Ford for this matter. I also contacted the dealer who I purchased from less than a year and half ago and they are willing to give me $3000 for my vehicle which I purchased for $12,000 and still owe $9,000 for. There is no way I can afford to pay for this repair, especially because my vehicle is worth roughly $5,000 now.

- West Reading, PA, USA

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