2006 FORD FREESTYLE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF DRIVEWAY OR PARKING SPACE WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON VEHICLE LUNGES WITHOUT FOOT ON ACCELERATOR, SOMETIMES LOOSES POWER. HAS CAUSED VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN IN ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *TR

CAR WAS SITTING, PARKED IN A LOT, IDLING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING. WHEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND LET MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AS THE RPM'S FIRST REVVED AND THEN DROPPED. THE CAR DID THIS A FEW TIMES, BUT ONCE I GOT TURNED AROUND TOWARD THE EXIT OF THE LOT, IT STOPPED DOING IT. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER, IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING SPACE, IT DID THE SAME THING AS I WAS BACKING OUT TO LEAVE. THE CAR HAD SAT RUNNING FOR ANOTHER 10 MINUTES OR SO WITH THE AIR ON. THIS TIME HOWEVER, THE CAR IDLED UP AND THEN DOWN, LUNGED IN REVERSE, AND THEN IDLED SO LOW IT DIED. ONCE I RESTARTED IT AND FINISHED BACKING OUT OF THE SPACE, I TURNED THE AIR DOWN TO LOW FAN SPEED AND THE CAR WAS FINE THE REST OF THE TRIP BACK HOME. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2006 FORD FREESTYLE IN JUNE OF 2007. INITIALLY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE COMFORT, SIZE, AND GAS MILEAGE OF MY NEW CAR. AROUND 2 1/2 YRS LATER I STARTED NOTICING WHEN MOVING FROM PARK TO REVERSE MY CAR WOULD SOMETIMES STALL OR LUNGE BACKWARDS. IT WAS ONLY OCCASIONALLY AND AT THE TIME I WAS TOLD I PROBABLY DIDN'T HAVE IT IN GEAR ALL THE WAY BEFORE REVERSING. I HAD TO SWITCH FROM PARK TO REVERSE VERY SLOWLY AND ALWAYS BE READY TO HIT THE BRAKE IN CASE IT DECIDED TO LUNGE ON ITS OWN. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE AWAY EXCEPT NOW I HAVE PROBLEMS ACCELERATING. ALMOST ALWAYS ON THE HIGHWAY NOW MY CAR WILL LOOSE POWER AND THE WRENCH LIGHT WILL COME ON. ONCE I PULL OVER AND RESTART IT , IT SEEMS TO TEMPORARILY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS HOWEVER BEYOND DANGEROUS. SEVERAL TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED IN PLACES ON BUSY HIGHWAYS WHERE THERE IS NO SHOULDER. I HAVE TO TRAVEL IN THE SLOW LANE NOW 100% OF THE TIME AND I TRY TO AVOID MAJOR INTERSTATE AT ALL COSTS. I HAVE INVESTED A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAVE TURNED OUT TO NOT BE THE PROBLEM. I FEEL LIKE THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED BY NOW, BEFORE IT ENDS UP KILLING SOMEONE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE A GREAT FAMILY CAR BUT NOW I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO EVEN LET CHILDREN RIDE WITH ME. I AM ALSO VERY UPSET THAT AFTER PAYING DOWN OVER A 20K LOAN TO 5K THAT I WILL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER CAR. I PLANNED ON HAVING THIS CAR FOR YEARS AND YEARS. I ATTEMPTED IN 2009 AND IN 2011 TO TRADE THE CAR IN FOR A NEW CAR AND THE $ VALUE OF TRADE IN IS VERY LOW. THE DEALERSHIPS ARE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS AND OFFER A VERY SMALL AMOUNT FOR A 7 PASSENGER 2006 WITH ONLY 85K MILES ON AND IT GETS GREAT GAS MILEAGE COMPARED TO MOST SUVS OR VANS THAT SEAT 7. *TR

MY FREESTYLE LUNGES FORWARD OFTEN AND BACKWARD SOMETIMES. WE'VE TAKEN IT IN FOR A NUMBER OF EXPENSIVE REPAIRS, YET IT PERSISTS. A FEW TIMES THE MECHANIC HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET A CODE FOR WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. IT IS WORSE WHEN THE A/C IS ON BUT HAPPENS OTHER TIMES AS WELL. THE SCARIEST WAS EXITING A FREEWAY ON AN UPHILL EXIT RAMP WITH CARS BEHIND ME. IT DIED, I RESTARTED, AND THEN AT THE STOP SIGN IT LURCHED FORWARD ABOUT 6 FT. DESPITE MY BRAKING. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY (MINIMAL INCLINE) AND IT LURCHED THEN DIED. I HAVE TO PARK CLOSE TO THE WALL IN MY GARAGE, AND I'M SCARED IT WILL SOMEDAY RUN INTO IT OR HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON. *TR

CAR SURGES WHEN IDLING. SEEMS MORE IN HOT WEATHER BUT AM TOLD IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY THAT HAS TO BE REPLACED AND IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALL OF THEM FOR 6-7 YEARS NOW. *TR

WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT WAITING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ON, THE RPM SHOT UP AND THE THE CAR STARTED TO LUNGE FORWARD. I ALMOST HIT SOMEONE IN THE CROSS WALK BEFORE THE CAR KILLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THIS HAS HAPPEN MANY TIMES ACCORDING TO MY WIFE THIS IS HER CAR AND I NEVER DRIVE IT. AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE THROTTLE BODY I DECIDED TO POST MY STORY. PLEASE HELP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR WORSE KILLED. ALSO IT WAS HARD TO RESTART AND VERY SLUGISH TILL WE SHUT OFF THE AIR. MY WIFE HAS TOLD ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ALMOST A YEAR BUT THAT I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW BAD IT WAS TILL IT HAPPENED TO ME. THERE REALLY NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS BEFORE IT IS TO LATE. *TR

IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE A/C IS RUNNING WHEN I'M BACKING UP OR PULLING FORWARD IT MANY TIMES WILL UNEXPECTEDLY LUNGE. I'VE ALMOST HIT PEOPLE AND KIDS, CARS, CURBS, BUILDINGS, ETC. MANY OF THE TIMES THAT IT LUNGES IT WILL STALL OR BEGIN TO RUN VERY ROUGH. WE HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND CUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTART. MANY OF THOSE TIMES IT WILL BEGIN TO RUN NORMAL BUT HAVE A INDICATOR LIGHT THAT IT NEEDS MECHANICAL ATTENTION. ONCE THE CAR IS PARKED AND SITS FOR A WHILE WHEN IT IS STARTED THE MECHANICAL ATTENTION LIGHT WILL DISCONTINUE. YET EVERY TIME THE A/C IS RUNNING ESPECIALLY ON HIGH IT WILL LUNGE ALMOST EVERY TIME. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS IN THAT IF MY FOOT WOULD NOT BE ON THE BRAKE HARD ENOUGH WHEN IT LUNGES AND A KID OR PERSON WOULD BE IN THE LINE OF THE LUNGING CAR. DANGEROUS! *TR

SITTING AT A LIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND MY CAR STARTS LUNGING FORWARD. *TR

WHILE PULLING INTO OUR GARAGE, CREEPING UP TO THE FRONT WALL OF THE GARAGE WITH FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKES, THE FREESTYLE LUNGED FORWARD 2-3 FEET. IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE CAR STRUCK THE FRONT WALL OF THE GARAGE, CRUSHING THE DRYWALL, BREAKING 3 STUDS, AND BREAKING THE BRICK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE GARAGE. THE ACCIDENT CAUSED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE CAR HAS LUNGED LIKE THIS BUT IT IS THE FIRST ACCIDENT. PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSE AT LOW SPEEDS, WHILE HOT, AND MOVING VERY SLOWLY SUCH AS IN THE GARAGE OUT BACKING IN/OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. A/C ON MAKES IT WORSE. THE FORD CAR DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR HAS HAD THE CAR NOW FOR A WEEK, TRYING TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. . *JS