Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

dougmalissa

Did anyone else get a letter from Ford telling of a recall on the door locks?

bobw3

Yes, and I live in Southwest Ohio.

jimcat11

Yep got one here in NE Indiana.. but if you register your vin number on ford.com you get info quicker.. Only certain vin numbers are affected I understand

mschmal

Here is the link to check for recalls on your ford vehicle by vin number:

http://www.fordvehicles.com/myford.

Mark

freestylegal

I got one and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. If I'm reading my letter correctly, even if you don't live in the ice and snow and your car hasn't been recalled, you can still get it fixed. I'm going to do that because we have family in Truckee and I really don't want to have problems with it. And I figure if I ever sell it, it will be nice to have had it taken care of.

I've got close to 50K on it and I'm still very very happy with my Freestyle. My new tires are great, I had the tranny serviced, I still haven't had to have the brakes replaced, and it's all good. Getting ready to jam down the I-5 to Los Angeles for the holidays. We've got a F-150 Lariat, but my beloved would rather drive the Freestyle down. We've got to get two car seats in there for the grandkids, a roll-away tool chest, assorted chairs and other borrowed items for dinner and the Freestyle will hold it all in dry safety and we'll be comfortable, too. What a great car! (And a whole lot less gas than that big old truck).

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

bruneau1

All Freestyles whine a little at speeds between 25-45 when accelerating slowly or when decelerating to a stop. i believe this is the intricate steel belt-chain in the CVT; it whines but is probably more durable. However, I have driven one where the whine was too loud. Go drive another one and see if it is very different from yours. Did the whine just appear or has it been there since new?

lenwoodruff

I have only really noticed it in the last 10k. I have 36k on the Freestyle

carstenb

i noticed that the tires started to whine more. it is obvious but not annoying and clearly comes from the tires as the whining stops or changes with changing road surface (condition and/or material).

Carsten

lenwoodruff

I did put new tires on about 10k miles ago. But it is more prevelant at the lower speeds which is the reverse of what I would think would come from the tires.

cdndriver2

Yes. I received a recall up here in Toronto, Canada.

The doors did exhibit this problem last winter. I have a small can of de-icer in the glove compartment which seemed to work last year.

I purchased the vehicle in May 2005. No problems to report on than this one.

willie19

Hi Mark, I also got the recall for the safety latches on my 2005 Freestyle Ltd AWD and I'm in Chilliwack,BC, Canada.
Not brought in to get fixed yet as I did not encounter any problems last winter.
Did not follow this forum very much for the past several months as I lost my wife earlier this year. Things are looking better now but it's been a rough year.

cdndriver2

Hey Willie.

My condolances, my friend. Hang in there. Time heals.

I just came back to this site after a long while to see if others received a recall notice on the door latches. Then I came back again to correct my never ending typos. I meant to say that I've had no problems OTHER than this one.

Last year it seemed that in real cold weather that the door wouldn't close after I opened it in the morning. I kept slamming it and it just bounced back. I tried some de-icer spraying it in the door latch and after a minute or two it closed solid as ever. So I thought I must have have got water into the locks when I ran it thru a car wash. Guess not.

I am off tomorrow and will take it in for an oil change and get this recall addressed. I work for an American company and head office is quiet due to their Thanksgiving, so I'm taking advantage of that. I'll let you know what they do to fix the problem.

I hope you are enjoying your Freestyle as much as I. I have no regrets buying it and not even the EDGE or MKX are tempting me away from it.

Take care.

Forgive my typos, if any.

willie19

Thanks for the kind words.Let me know how you make out on this fix. The Ford dealer I bought the car from is some 55 miles out of town and I hate to take it to my local dealer as I got poor service from them in the past.
If it's not a major repair job then I have not much choice but to go the convenient route.

cdndriver2

Hi Willie.

I stopped in to the dealer today and evidently this fix takes 2 1/2 hrs to complete which includes removing the door panels. Needless to say, I have to make an appointment ... which I will soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'd suggest that you take it in to a dealer you trust. If some bozos take off those door panels, then who knows what will happen - powers window switches opening the wrong windows if they work at all. Or the dreaded rattle sounds that happen when they don't snap things back together just right.

I'll keep in touch.

Regards, Mark

willie19

Thanks Mark, appreciate your advice.

dougmalissa

I had my car in last week for an oil change. I picked it up and asked about making an appointment for the locks recall and the service tech had no idea what I was talking about. I'm losing faith in this dealers service dept in a suburbs of Kansas City. Anyway, after discussing it with him for 30 seconds, my car is in today for the lock recall. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up at lunch. I'll report back whan I get it and how the car looks and works.

dougmalissa

OK. Here is the technical talk they used on my parts list and receipt: "Grease 4 door latches, Install tape to rear doors." And that is supposed to fix the issue?? :confuse: What have others had stated on their invoices?

coldcranker

dougmalissa,
cdndriver2 above said the door panel has to be removed in a 2.5 hour labor job. Can somebody clarify? It would be nice to see a copy of Ford's instructions. (fordwrench: Help!!!)

mschmal

It is my understanding that the latch is suppposed to be replaced.

Mark.

jimcat11

they only oiled mine.. nothing showed they replaced anything

fordwrench

I've done quite a few of these recalls, both front door inner panels have to come off, the latches have small "rain hats" that get thrown away & new larger "hats" get installed, all 4 doors get grease injected into the latches at one of the securing bolt holes, & the rear doors the moulding along the lower edge of the glass get removed & a clear plastic filler is installed along an opening at the junction of the 1/4 glass & frame. It all takes about 45 minutes. The 500 gets all except the rear door clear plastic.

stever

Just a reminder - after posting, you may edit your post for 30 minutes.

stever

Except when we take the servers off-line for half an hour for maintenance, lol.

bobw3

I noticed that CR moved the Freestyle up to their Recommended list.

tim156

I don't know if the two are related, but I have seen more Freestyles on the road in the Minneapolis area lately. I saw 4 on Saturday and another 4 on Monday. Talked to a older couple in a shopping center parking lot and just like the majority of owners, they love theirs. Maybe the word is slowly getting out from current owners. Ford still isn't doing much to promote them. When I went to my dealer for the recall work, there wasn't a Freestyle in sight. I didn't walk around too much, but there weren't any near the front of the lot.

rick2456

What kind of tires did you put on your FS if I may ask? Thanks.

dougmalissa

I called Ford's 800 number to customer service. I wanted to tell them I really like my Freestyle and tell them how great a car I thought it was. They responded like they had no idea what I was talking about. Either that, or they are not used to getting positive feedback?

bobw3

I think you'll confuse anyone working any customer service hotline if you call just to say what a great product they have! Probably better off sending a letter to the Ford Corporate office.

ecbmp1

I have 2005 Freestyle LTD AWD. It has about 41K miles now, and it started "whining" at around 36K. Here is what I have noticed about my Freestyle's whining noise:
1) It happens at low rpm's, i.e. not only at low speeds, but when the engine is idle (parking);
2) Noticable whining starts only after the engine reaches a certain temperature. On a summer day it takes about 20 min to get it into this "condition". On a cold day (below 40F) it may never get into this state or only after considerable driving (> 50 min on a rush-hour highway).

I'm in Cincinnati area. I once got brave and showed it to Service Dept. at Kings Ford dealership (after driving for 30 min at 70F outside). On a test drive, they definitely indicated that this was not a normal noise and I had to leave the car. Unfortunately it got much colder afterwards, so I cancelled the appointment and now waiting for Spring warming to bring the car in -- otherwise they will have hard time reproducing the problem, which could result in service charges without any result.

I searched this newsgroup for the "whine" keyword, and could see a lot of owners having the same issue. I can't believe Ford hasn't issued a recall on this yet. This is my first Ford, and no matter how much I like it (mostly due to interior and other fancy features), quality is definitely a big issue (should have known better), and next time I would probably choose another brand.

passat_2002

Why are you so shy of your dealer? Believe it or not.. they want you to be happy with your Freestyle. How else could they expect you back for your next purchase? At least take it in to have any possible "stored" computer codes read. It might be something pretty simple to fix. It might also be something that is a known issue with an '05 AWD model that Ford will cover the cost of fixing.

bobw3

Of course it will start right at 36K miles when the warranty expires!!

But seriously, are you sure it's not something as simple as a slipping belt that's affected by temperature (you can always buy a can of belt-sticky and spray it on the serpentine belt to see if that does anything). You said it happens when parked and idling, so I assume that the transmission is in Park, so that rules out any transmission or wheel problems.

Have you noticed any difference with/without AC use? It could be a bearing in the water pump, AC, alternator, or something like that.

Other than the whine, have you noticed the MPG going down or loss of power?

Does turning the steering wheel while parked make any difference to the whine.

Instead of taking it to a dealer, you might want to just try a local mechanic after the car is warmed enough to make the whinning noise, and they might be able to identify it right on the spot without charging you like at a dealer.

I doubt if there will be a recall for a whine noise, unless it's isolated to the same component.

ecbmp1

The dealer told me that if I can't tell them how to reproduce the problem (and I can't easily do it when it is cold enough outside), it is better to postpone the appointment till it gets warmer outside.

ecbmp1

Just to clarify -- when the car idles, I still have to press the gas pedal gently to reproduce the whining noise. It is not as "vivid" on park/neutral as when driving, but it is still noticable. It is unlikely to be a CVT because CVT is enclosed and probably reached its top temperature rather quickly (I'm not a mechanic). So I agree, it is likely to be something external to the engine or transmission. The only thing that makes me go to the dealer vs. other shops is some kind of a warranty that I got when buying the car (extended 75K/4yrs for a certain list of components).

passat_2002

Then for pete's sake, make use of your extended warranty and take your car in. Talk to someone other than the person who told you to put it off until spring. If you're concerned enough to be writing about it now you shouldn't wait until spring to do something about it. Their service bay is much warmer than it is outside, so there should be no problem in duplicating the noise you hear. If you make an appointment in advance it will increase the likelyhood that they will give you a loaner vehicle. Ask for a loaner when making the appointment.

bobw3

Still, a good local mechanic might be able to stick their head under the hood and tell you what it is in two seconds for free, and if he says it sounds like the water pump, alternator or whatever, you can just say thanks for the info and take it to the dealer for the warranty repair. It's worth a try.

My guess is still the belt, or belt tensioner pulley, because if it was a bearing I think you'd hear it more consistently.

pnewby

Another possibility is a vacum hose that only makes the sound at higher temps. I have seen that before also. In any case it appears to be because of either slippage or different dimension of parts in warm weather.

lateralg

Alternator is a possibility. Listen under hood, with all accessories off, at various engine RPM. Then turn lights & heater motor on high. Listen again.

lenwoodruff

My 2005 LTD AWD has 36898 on it and the whine has been more noticable in the last 3000 miles. Hear are my symtoms.

1. It has a warn up before I notice it.
2. It was very severe a couple of days ago and was more pronounced when I moved the steering left to right while stopped.
3. I think it is tied to something in the steering or steering pump. But it the severity comes and goes.

lateralg

Check power steering fluid level.

rmeyer1

I have a 2005 Freestyle and have purchased a XM Delphi SkyFi2
tuner. The XM antenna is a small magnetic unit that holds onto the roof and needs to be as close to the right front fender mounted regular radio antenna as possible. I have put it beside the roof rack and routed the wire down the window channel into the engine compartment. Delphi suggests finding a firewall grommet or pass through to run the antenna into the cabin. Can't find one that even remotely looks available to pass an antenna wire through. Any suggestions? (don't want to run it back to 3rd brake light in rear and in that way). Must be someone who has done this already.

jimcat11

The heater.. I have noticed when I have it pointed to the floor only.. I am getting heat thru the middle vents.. this just started to happen, I have 25k on the 2005 freestyle. We purchased it used with 14k on it.. I know it is still under warranty.. any one have the same problem?

Thanks
Jim

bobw3

Are you getting heat or blowing air through the dash vents when the setting is to floor? It could be just hot air drifting out, but if you put the fan on high and set it to the floor AND you're getting a breeze through the vents, then something is wrong.

passat_2002

I have XM as well (Roady XT) and have found that there is no need to mount the antenna outside. It works great simply placed on the far right side of the dash pushed towards the bottom of the window. The wires are very easy to hide from that point, and you don't need to worry about someone ripping the antenna off your car.

lulu54usa

:confuse: What other vehicle is out there that compares to the Freestyle?? I guess the pilot would be the closest for passenger room and cargo room but it is too truck like. Nothing has 1. the three rows of seats, which is versatile and can be folded flat when necessary. 2. Drives like a car rather than a truck. and; 3. Gets the fuel mileage that it gets (with or without AWD). Why there are not more of these on the road is beyond me...

bobw3

Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia are now coming out

ANT14

Take a look at the Mazda5. While it's smaller. But you are correct, not many have this arrangement, and offer 20/28 EPA ratings.

kjnorman

In addition to the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook as already mentioned, there is also the Mazda CX9 and the Chrysler Pacifica to look at and shortly Hyundai will be launching the Veracruz. Further out, Buick will release the upscale and nice looking Enclave and VW are planning a large crossover for 2008 (probably a 2009 model). Also rumored is a large Toyota crossover probably for 2009.

I expect by year end, that the Saturn and GMC will be the market leaders in the 6 to 8 passenger crossover segment as these new vehicles are certainly pretty good.

There will probably be a lot more of these type of vehicles in the upcoming years.

saabturboid

I had a Mazda5 as a rental car. It is tiny. Yes it has three rows of seats, but would be best suited to families of very small stature. Also, room behind the third row is non-existent and fuel economy was worse that our Freestyle. I was not impressed.

passat_2002

I too have driven a Mazda 5 rental, and agree that it in no way compares to a Freestyle. That being said however, it was more fun to drive than a Freebie and I think it got at least slightly better gas mileage. But it seemed "cheapish" overall, and not anywhere near the class of a Freestyle.

stmss

My Freestyle was in getting the hail damage fixed for 5 weeks. I wanted to try the Mazda but I got a rental 'equivalent' - Suzuki XL7 - I had this for 2 days and had to exchange it - small, no leg room in the front (and I am under 6 feet), no where close to equivalent - either space or quality. Traded it for a Chrysler 300 for the duration of my rental.

There are many of these out there that boast about 7 seats but I don't know who is suppose to sit in some of them.