Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

stever

While I'll read the reports, reviews and pay attention to JD Power and the rest, I place a lot of weight on what an owner or two will tell me. I've been burned less by other owners I guess. I like the long term tests here too since they are more involved than a day or weekend review of the car.

Hitting the forum is the next best thing to finding an owner in person to quiz.

Steve, Host

bobw3

Plus CR is pretty predictable anyways. The Hondas & Toyota's get the red circles and the Ford & GMs get the black ones. From what I understand, CR gets information from people who buy CR responding to surveys. At least with family, friends, neighbors, and people on this forum, you get some better details on the nature of the problems.

It's funny on the one hand, since it's CR readers responding to the surverys, you'd think if they buy CR they'd buy more Honda and Toyota cars, so who is reporting on the Ford and GMs? It would be interesting to see the statistics behind the circles.

dan bitman

I am not gonna argue on this forever.The current Freestyle is a low quality car.
I have my dear sister as a QC Engineer at Ford, in Dearborn, Mi. I believe she knows way more about it, then anyone here.
The new coming version of Freestyle is drastically re-done. Even styling is modified in a way that will not resemble too much with the first version, which is LOADED with quality issues and electrical glitches. Time will tell. These things are not publicly, or listed on Edmunds reviews. This car was design and manufactured in a big “hurry” to counterbalance the Pacifica which was becoming a hit. Of course, the same quality issues makes now Pacifica a heavily discounted car.
ANY new car perform “sublime” at 5-15-25 thousand miles.
If you purchase the Freestyle and plan on keep it for long term, better sell it now, until it’s still worth it …some.
Again, my sincere advice…buy TOYOTA!
The high quality- made in Japan- Highlander has 3 rows and a ton of cargo space…. if this really matter that much for you.

jschreiber

Well each of us is entitled to an opinion. This is a freestyle site to share good and bad experiences. Most of us who actually drive the vehicle like it alot. I test drove the highlander and the freestyle drove better and had better rollover safety. Why not move on to the Toyota site and let us get on with why we are here?

cmuniz

I traded a Toyota Highlander for my Freestyle and have no regrets so far. I like the Freestyle better, although each has it's advantages & disadvantages. I have had no quality issues with either. Both had recalls that were fixed easily. My son-in-law is also a Ford enginner at Dearborn and has owned several Fords and has never given me any negative comments about my Freestyle quality. Sorry for anyone having problems with any new car - it is frustrating, but you can't generalize your experience over the entire production of a vehicle much less the whole manufacurer.

pnewby

Sorry if you had bad luck. Mine has been great, and everyone who has driven it or rides in it falls in love.

Hope your dear sister doesn't need her job too bad if that's the way she feels about her employer. Probably be easy to track her down with the detail you've given.

bobw3

"Highlander has 3 rows and a ton of cargo space…. if this really matter that much for you."

Since this comment is completely false, it makes other comments in the post also suspect.

Also, I'm not sure what is your definition of "tons of cargo space" but from the below specs, the Highlander isn't close to the Freestyle.

Freestyle/Highlander:
Length (in.) 200.1/184.6
Width (in.) 74.9/71.9
Height w/rack (in.) 68.2/68.3
Head room (in.)
First row 39.4/40.0
Second row 39.8/39.8
Third row 38.6/32.3
Leg room (in.)
First row 41.1/40.7
Second row 40.4/36.4
Third row 33.3/30.2
Hip room (in.)
First row 55.5/55.1
Second row 56/54.9
Third row 45.9/39.8
Cargo volume (cu. ft.),
Behind 1st row 86.1/80.6
2nd row (cu. ft.) 47.9/39.7
Behind 3rd row (cu. ft.) 20.8/10.5

barnstormer64

I have my dear sister as a QC Engineer at Ford, in Dearborn, Mi. I believe she knows way more about it, then anyone here.

I doubt she knows more about it than my friend who was actually in on the design of both the Taurus and the Freestyle.

barnstormer64

The high quality- made in Japan- Highlander has 3 rows and a ton of cargo space

Have you ever tried to USE that (optional, as an afterthought) 3rd row in the Highlander?

Given that my three Tauri had the same kind of quality as my brothers' Camrys and Civics, etc, I just don't see any addtional quality coming out of Japanese cars compared to the American cars I've owned.

northlakes

Interesting comments in light of the 5 star front and side crash ratings, Volvo underpinnings, and lack of recalls.

The Freestyle was delayed in first shipments because they spent time getting things right. No hurry in the eyes of the early customers. Fixing QC issues in the plant is not the same as fixing them at the dealer.

You did not say if your sister was a QC Engineer on the Freestyle, but if so, I think she did a good job. :shades:

bruneau1

I am happy to see some activity in this forum. I ,too, tried the Highlander and then picked the Freestyle. I am very happy with it, but I like to keep my eyes and ears open concerning quality and potential problems.

bobw3

Exactly...same with me. While I like my Freestyle, it's still just a car. I don't need to defend it like it's part of the family In general, I think that Toyota & Honda build higher quality vehicles than Ford; however, neither had a car like the Freestyle whick met my needs, so I'll live with the slightly less quality Ford product that actually meets my needs. Plus I don't think that the quality difference between Ford & Toyota are that huge either...at least in my experience. There are good and bad things about all cars, so you just weigh them and make your choice.

barnstormer64

Plus I don't think that the quality difference between Ford & Toyota are that huge either...at least in my experience

That's been my experience, as well. Obviously limited to only a few particular Toyota and Ford products, though.

I know people who've had complaints about the Taurus, but also quite a few who've had complaints about the Camry. I know that the amount of repair work needed on my Tauri is very similar to what was required on the Camrys and Civics, etc that my brothers (and a few friends) own.

So far, the issues on my Five Hundred and Freestyle are similar to those of a friend who has recently bought a Camry and a Corrolla.

stevedebi

"I have my dear sister as a QC Engineer at Ford, in Dearborn, Mi. I believe she knows way more about it, then anyone here. "

Hummm, not to disparage your "dear" sister in "Dearborn", but I think the FS is made in Chicago, not Dearborn.

And I beg to differ - the end user knows far more about the quality of a vehicle than a QC Engineer. They have to drive it every day.

After all, I don't see magazines polling QC Engineers; I do see them polling owners.

volfangary

My thoughts exactly! The guy can't be trusted when he provides false information. Anyone who would pick a Highlander over the Freestyle has not driven both! No comparison. Freestyle by far the best of the two!

stmss

And no comparison of dimensions are required. The size difference inside is obvious once you climb in - and I needed it. I didn't even need to drive the Highlander as it wouldn't have affected the decision.

barnstormer64

The size difference inside is obvious once you climb in

I looked (at the car show) at both the Highlander and the Lexus RX330 (same basic car), and there was CLEARLY less room in either than in the Freestyle.

bobw3

Of course both vehicles are much shorter than the Freestyle, so you'd expect there to be less interior space. It just depends on how much space you need. I really needed adult sized 3rd row seating, plus room behind the 3rd row, and outside a full sized minivan, the Freestyle can't be beat in terms of space.

barnstormer64

I didn't really *need* the third row seats, but it's nice to have that option just in case.

What I really wanted was to have at least as much room as I had in the back of my Taurus wagon . . which I can get with the third seat folded down.

The other vehicles didn't meet that requirement.

passat_2002

Oh danny-dan. By now, no one could of missed the fact that you seem to be a fan of Toyotas in general, and of the Highlander specifically. We get it already. But for some reason, you find it necessary to try to counter some insecurities and low self-esteem by coming onto this board and unjustly knocking a very fine vehicle. You do this knowing full-well that most who read your poorly-worded diatribe are Freestyle owners who are probably perfectly happy with their vehicle. And that is precisely why your arguments fail here. Any Freestyle owner would have no problem whatsoever identifying just how ridiculous your assertions are. "Low quality car"? Oh puhh..leeese. The 2008 model going to be updated you say? I certainly wouldn't expect otherwise. Cars are constantly being improved. Toyota Highlander has a third-row? Now that's a laugh. It has one, but in name only. In contrast the Freestyle's third-row is not only a very usable one, it also leaves storage space behind it when it's in use.

Oh.. and by the way danno... in addition to getting all the above wrong, you failed to mention that the Freestyle gets appreciably better gas-mileage than your beloved Highlander. Did you know that danny?

I've looked at the Highlander. I concluded that it's really nothing more than an very expensive Camry. I'll take my Volvo-based Freestyle, thank you very much.

northlakes

A year ago, a friend who got a Lexus RX 330 CUV thought I should do the same. I have never been one for status symbols, but thought it interesting that a year later, my friend said he had heard good things about the Freestyle and wanted to know what I thought of it. I don't expect my friend to sell their Lexus, but I did get a little respect. The Freestyle's reputation must be getting around. :shades:

mgtq

A new owner of a FWD Limited and I'm very happy with my purchase. I love driving it and people stare at it and ask, What is it? 2,500 on my NOMAD which I named it and I enjoy the crossover cvt experience. Here is the rub. I went to a drive through car wash and during the blow dry sequence my moonroof opened!
I did not try to close it, going against the powerful blower I decided to wait it out then I drove off. Anybody out there have a similar experience? Worried about going back to the drive through...

bruneau1

I would never allow a drive through wash to scratch my shining Merlot finish.

mgtq

I used to own a Ford Aerostar. Great vehicle. My Aerostar was the best looking old vechicle on the block. I washed it in the same drive through for six years never had a problem. I noticed a lot of high end cars going to the same place. I guess you are saying hand car wash and I have considered it after the freaky moonroof experience. Good bye drive through.

dan bitman

Hello Sir,
I don't think this is a place to present elaborate "diatribes" or criticize about other members "poorly worded" messages. This is an AUTO-fans- forum, not a literary blog.
Could you , please, pro-create your mockeristic pamphlets in your personal diary?
This is a place to debate on the products of the greatest auto market and industry in the World.
Debating and criticizing in a positive manner, makes this place unique and this industry advancing in a fast pace.

To clarify:
I am not a fan of Toyota or a specific brand. I used to and still own domestic AND foreign cars.
Instead, I do care about people misconception or over-perception of a certain product. Some foreign brands are over rated, indeed, but that does not mean to compensate by over rating domestic brands instead.
Highlander, by all means, is a way much better quality products in it's class. No need to be a fan of it to realize.
I noticed your lack of technical facts that would help you understand and make a difference between a high quality vs a poor quality product. "Poor" does not always means crap. And "high" does not mean more leg room.
Your engineering "expertise” stops at cargo space, number of rows, styling, rear leg room..."diatribes" which are very subjective, depending on who you ask. Please notice: a shorter wheel base makes less cargo or leg room. Basic math.
For your edification, simply open the hood of any Toyota car and look at how "things" are packaged, compared to any Ford under hood packaging. It's NOT like opening a box of candies:)
And on a bigger scale- just step into a US based Toyota plant, and a Ford plant, to see the remarkable contrast of the environment in which the respective cars are built.
And FYI - basic Highlander DO get a little better mileage (23/27) then Freestyle. And that's because it's a 4 cyl, you knew that?
Highlander has a 5 -6 years on the market of proven quality and reliability. Let's wait and see about Freestyle. Or any new Ford Corp. product, which promise us a "new, reliable, solid" brand, according to its President.
All the best for you, and keep on criticizing in a positive way, if you please.
Thanks,
DAN

northlakes

Thanks for the clarification. I now know that your definition of quality and mine are very different. :shades:

dan bitman

you're more then welcomed.
I'm glad we're not on the same page.Or should we?

tom_holsinger

My next-door neighbor has a 2005 Toyota Highlander and likes it. I purchased my 2006 Freestyle after a one-on-one comparison between the Highlander and Freestyle. I chose the latter because of its greater interior cargo capacity and somewhat better milage. The Highlander's better quality and depreciation did not outweigh the Freestyle's advantages due to my immediate needs.

I have no idea if the Freestyle design and build quality is as bad as Dan Bitman says.

But I have had the opportunity to compare my Freestyle's cargo space with the center and rear seats down compared to my neighbor's Highlander. They were side by side in my neighbor's driveway at the time.

The Freestyle has significantly more cargo volume, especially in length. I'm still moving college-age children around so packing twin bed mattresses, box springs, dressers, chairs, etc., is required.

So Dan may have asked us, using the classic Groucho Marx line: "Who do you believe? Me, or your own lying eyes?"

ramj70

We traded in our '03 Taurus for a '06 freestlye in December during their employee discounts and we love our car. We were looking at the highlander, pacifica, pilot and escape. We thought the freestlye was the best choice in regards to value, room, comfort, in our opinion anyways. I used to be a Nissan fanboy and thought and told everyone how much better the japanese cars were, even though I had quite a few problems with them, but hey it's fashionable to ignore that in japanese brands after all. I owned a Datsun 200sx, Nissan king cab truck, nissan maxima and a nissan pathfinder. My last two cars were a Ford Taurus SHO (what a great car, bring it back Ford) and then a regular Taurus. I had more problems with my Nissan's than with my Ford's. Air conditioning going out, paint faiding after four years, transmission problems, automatic antennal popping out while driving down the road. All those happened with my Nissan's. No problems with my ford's. Nissan's are still very nice cars, but there's not much difference between domestic and foreign brands, except perception that dates back to the 70's and 80's and it wrongfully continues today. Take for example the pontiac vibe and toyota matrix, both made on the same assembly line, by the same people, same materials. Yet perception will be that the toyota is a better car. The japanese brands have better advertising and it shows. Anyways, I love my freestyle and couldn't be more happier with it.

northlakes

Welcome to the Freestyle family. There is a lot of innovation in the Freestyle's engineering. A sophisticated, no frills design. It is amazing what you get when they let the engineers engineer.

Your comments about differences between domestic and foreign vehicles make a lot of sense. All auto engineers, regardless of manufacturer, show up at the same conferences and standards groups and learn from each other. Automakers' continual push for cost cutting mean design trade-offs for any and all cars, foreign or domestic. It is mainly a question of where the tradeoff was made, and how savvy the engineers were that chose the tradeoff.

Let us know if you need help finding that third power port. Enjoy your Freestyle! :shades:

barnstormer64

Take for example the pontiac vibe and toyota matrix, both made on the same assembly line, by the same people, same materials.

I didn't know those were the same vehicle.

I rented a Vibe the last time I rented a car. Interesting vehicle (like a mini-Freesytle almost).

One thing I loved about that car: it had an actual 120-V plug in the dash! No need to have a cigarette lighter AC/DC converter. Now THAT'S something I wish they had put in the Freestyle (along with the other 3 power-points).

ramj70

Yeah, the vibe and matrix are a joint venture by GM and Toyota. They have a joint plant in fremont, Calif. where the Vibe and Toyota Voltz (made only for Japan) is made side by side. The matrix is made in Canada, so excuse my same assembly line which I mis-wrote. Oh yeah one more thing I forgot to originally post, the best selling trucks and SUV's are American made so obviously domestic brands build quality vehicles.

Oh yeah, where is that 3rd power port in the FS?

northlakes

For the mysterious third power port in the Freestyle, open the front row arm rest, then reach down inside into the lower left front corner of the bin. The power port has a rubber cover, but there it is.

With the ledge on the right, inside the armrest, and the power port, it is a good place to charge your cell phone or PDA out of sight. :shades:

vicenac

I am impressed about this discussion.
When I've got my FS I looked initially for a Mazda 5 and a Honda Odyssey. FS won.
I couldn't say I was 100% happy with FS due to what I perceive to be inconsistencies in its behavior (acceleration, mainly), so I always thought that something it's not right. On the other hand, I think my wife would trade me for the FS. So I thought I am picky, especially since the service advisors looked suspicious at my claims. So I decided to be happy with it, imperfect as i saw it.
My heart got bigger and bigger seeing Pasadena CA getting flooded with FS's. I see 2 or 3 everyday, now.
But all that changed when my CVT broke down last week. Now I am scared and I have a tiny heart. Trading it in means loosing 5000 dollars, or otherwise put, adding 5000 to the cost of a new vehicle. And what would I buy?
I would like a turbo diesel FS with a manual transmission. Simple and rock solid. But they wouldn't make one, would they?
I have a question: It seems to m that more than one person here had transmission problems with some of their cars. Can a transmission be fixed and be problem free afterwards?

rick2456

If I could have gotten an AWD Highlander V6 for the same price as I did my AWD 2005 SEL Freestyle, I might have gotten it, for there is no doubt toyotas hold their value better than Fords. But as the price difference was $6000 (25,500 vs 3,1500), the decision was easy.

brakes1

I have a problem with the rear brakes on my 2005 freestyle. Both rear pads are basically gone after 23K on the car. My front pads are about 50% worn. While all my previous car ownership experience points to front brakes going before rear. I am taking the vehicle for the dealer and will be looking for an explanation. It makes no sense at all.

northlakes

It sounds like what might happen if the parking brakes don't fully release. :shades:

passat_2002

A good explanation would be that the rear brakes do most of the braking on a vehicle like the Freestyle with disc-brakes all-around. Have you ever noticed that brake dust is much more noticeable on the rear wheels than on the front? I really think this is how the vehicle was designed, and it is therefore normal to see the rear pads wear out first.

stever

That's interesting since "between 60 and 90 percent of a vehicle's stopping power comes from the front wheels." (link).

Anyone else experiencing more rapid rear brake wear than on the fronts?

Steve, Host

stever

I finally found the "proportioning valve" thread from last year about how some cars (not many though) manage to send more of their braking to the rear wheels:

nmp, "Infiniti FX45 / FX35" #2856, 14 Oct 2005 4:04 pm

Maybe this is the case with the Freestyle?

Steve, Host

vicenac

I remember many people complaining about excessive break dust on rear wheels. It happened to me too, but when measured, the pads showed 100% or near that, so it was not wear.
The service advisor said that these are "European" breaks. More stopping power, but faster wear.
I just think he didn't know. However no more break dust for me!!! They claim they did not do anything. I assume they did do some cleaning in order to measure.

xnappo

Hmm, I have never known rear brakes to wear first. I thought there was something to do with momentum that made front brakes always wear more.

Anyway - for brake dust I highly recommend picking up a product called 'Wheel Wax'. This stuff keeps your wheels looking great and prevents dust from sticking.

xnappo

barnstormer64

I used to be a Nissan fanboy and thought and told everyone how much better the japanese cars were, even though I had quite a few problems with them, . . . I had more problems with my Nissan's than with my Ford's.

Just curious . . . did you also fill out Consumer Report surveys showing problems with the Fords and NOT with the Nissans? :surprise:

northlakes

I suppose one could send more braking force to the rear, but as you said earlier, 60 - 80% of the usable force falls to the fronts due to momentum and engine weight. This is a good thing. Too much force in the rear brakes without sufficient traction locks them up. That is why early pickup trucks only had ABS on the rear brakes - to prevent lockup.

The Freestyle does have "electronic brake force distribution", but it is intended to send the force where it is needed most - especially in non-uniform traction conditions. It helps to make sure that the rear brakes (or the fronts) aren't doing too much, or too little. :shades:

bruneau1

Sorry to hear of your trouble. is yours a FWD or AWD? What actually was the problem?

ramj70

Just curious . . . did you also fill out Consumer Report surveys showing problems with the Fords and NOT with the Nissans?

I haven't filled out any for my Ford's, but for my Nissan's I filled them out very positively, with no problems. That's why I take CR with a grain of salt.

brakes1

The shop that looked at the pads said they had not scene anything like it. I have not fealt a difference in the breaking, but noticed more break dust on the front wheels recently. If you are having your tires rotated, have them expect the pads even if the car has low mileage....

passat_2002

Why when you're Toyota, of course. Had this safety related recall of nearly a million vehicles been generated by Ford or GM, the media would've crucified them. But when you're Toyota (or Honda) you get a free pass and nothing but good publicity out of it. How can Ford and GM compete against this seemingly apparent double-standard?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-prius31may31,1,1830357.story?ctrack=1&cset- - =true

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jun2006/bw20060601_836628.htm?campaign- - _id=rss_daily

northlakes

Or would you believe yesterday's announcement (June 1) of the recall of, and sales stoppage of the 2006 Nissan Altima (4 cylinder) due to engine fires. No car company can walk (er, drive) on water. Consumers need to do their homework to see through the imbalance of information and folk tales. :shades:

ramj70

Sacrilege, everone knows Japanese automakers are perfect and make no mistakes, you all should be ashamed of yourseleves.