10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 69,985 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I had left the vehicle idling in park while I went to check the mailbox. When I gotback I shifted into reverse and when I took my foot off the brake the vehicle lunged back almost striking a pedestrian I have complained about this before and I notice the investigation has been open since May 2011 I have also noticed there have been alot of complaints about this problem on the web. Just an fyi it seems to lunge when taking off in forward or reverse. I also noticed there is a class action suit against Ford for this problem in California.
- Kent, WA, USA
I was going to pull out into a 4 lane road and was easing up to see better...out of nowhere the car begins to accelerating. Once I got out into the road the car just cut off and I had to quickly restart it to avoid being hit. Then I turned in to chic fil a and was in the drive thru line. It was a pretty long line so we would ease up ever few minutes. The car jumps and starts to accelerating and I stomp on the brakes. The car was accelerating so much that the force of the brakes stopping the car made my tires squeal.
- Madison, GA, USA
On very hot days, the car will lurch forward when put into gear the first couple of times.
- Brookeville, MD, USA
My 2007 Ford Freestyle will lunge unexpectedly in idle, with foot on the brake. Sometimes the vehicle will surge and shut down. This happens more with the air conditioning on. I will shut off the A/C, then restart the vehicle and drive without A/C.
- Tigard, OR, USA
Car lunges when brakes, traveling forward slowly or even when sitting still with brake applied. Also happens when changing from park to drive or reverse. Started erratically but problem is almost constant now. We have surmised from other postings this is a throttle body problem, however replacement seems to rectify issues temporarily but reappears.
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA
My Freestyle has started to lunge forward at times when immediately taking my foot off the brake in forward or backward motion. After making a turn today it did it too, but this time the transmission light came on. It has happened many times over the last couple of months. The weather has been very hot too. I have a new teenaged driver so this is disconcerting.
- Havre De Grace, MD, USA
While driving in 90 degree + temperatures, we have noticed that the car lurches while reversing from a parking spot, or at a stop. Braking does stop the unexpected acceleration, however it still feels unsafe. This has happened 3-6 times, and as recently as today (7/17/12). It is not driver error - again has happened enough that we are able to analyze that the foot is not on the gas. Check engine light comes on when this occurs.
- Overland Park, KS, USA
I was backing my wife's car in and it started accelerating without me pressing the gas, actually my foot was on the brake thank goodness. We promptly took vehicle to Ford dealership and they said it was the throttle body, and that it needed to be replaced, and of course it was supposedly not under warranty. Then they charged me $900 to fix it.I have since done lots of research online as well as in person and have come to the realization that there are thousands upon thousands of this same complaint for the 2005-2007 Ford Freestyle. I have also found that almost everyone who has had a failed throttle body has had multiple failed throttle body's as well as A/C compressor failure.
- Columbia, MS, USA
If you have your A/C on and leave your car idling for just a few minutes then when you put it in reverse or drive, it surges a few feet like 4 to 5 ft unless you really hold the brake down. It really seems to be getting worse as time goes on.
- Hempstead, TX, USA
Our car has on several occasions accelerated on it's own. Mostly when it is hot out. It will accelerate either in reverse or forward without even having our foot on the gas pedal. On 6/21/2012 it almost fordced us out into an intersection.
- Mount Joy, PA, USA
My 2007 Ford Freestyle has been having unexpected acceleration while at very low speeds in either forward or reverse. The acceleration can be stopped by the brake, but happens unexpectedly. I have previously reported this to the Ford dealership where I purchased the vehicle, however, they were unable to replicate the problem, so no action was taken. The problem has been occurring with increasing frequency over the past year. It is worse when the car has been running for a long time, or in hot weather it seems with air conditioning running. The lunging will sometimes happen repeatedly in the course of trying to park the car, then the car will sometimes stall. I have serious safety concerns while driving in parking lots as it is difficult to control the vehicle. The problem is exactly as described in NHTSA investigation PE11018.
- Glenmoore, PA, USA
Just bought a used 2007 Ford Freestyle and had it for 3 days, and had the already documented lunging/stalling issue.
- Louisville, KY, USA
- Starkville, MS, USA