Ford Freestyle - Taurus X

bruneau1

The Freestyle is a unique and great vehicle. However, it is my opinion that you may be disappointed if you want to use it with heavy loads and tow also. It isn't really capable of doing that with grace and good mileage. It will do it, but with a lot of high rpms which will give you noise and poor mileage. Even if you could find something to increase power, you would run the risk of voiding the warranty. Suit the vehicle to your needs and use. Do I love my FWD Limited? Yes, but I wouldn't want it to do want you describe.

pob

Engine problemI purchased a 2005 Ford Freestyle in Sept 2004. The engine cut off while I was driving down a highway. The truck had 250 miles on it. The dealer could not diagnose the problem and I was given a new vehicle. I have 5,000 miles on my new vehicle and the same engine problem happened again today.
Has this happened to anyone else????
I am thinking of trading it in on a Toyota.
Frustrated.

northlakes

Pob, No troubles with my Freestyle, but a friend had a "cab forward" Chrysler sedan do that about five years ago. The engine computer seemed to have a bad connector and a poorly attached heat sink (if I remember well). They revved the engine computer module (took a while) in the end.

Possible factor #2. The fuel cutoff switch is located on the passenger side under the dash by the door. Dooooon't hit that while on the road. :shades:

barnstormer64

Were you perhaps running near empty? If so, the fuel pump can get quite hot, and result in the car being undriveable until it cools off.

cdndriver2

Thanks. I'll try that out. Regarding all my store bought Cd's ... are these tags missing? Why can the LTD radio the display artist info on store bought CD's?
I'm sadly lacking in knowledge about burning .

northlakes

ID3 tags are typically embedded in MP3 files. Commercial audio CDs have some "metadata" on them which lets online databases such as CDDB identify and fill in the track, artist, album, etc, on computer CD drives. Not really an ID3 tag for commercial CDs. This CDDB data, however, can be used to automatically fill the ID3 tags for your music library listing, or MP3 disks you burn, as I understand it. So, if I am to make sense of this, the SEL radio must read only the latest version of MP3 ID3 tags, while the LTD radio must read these tags, plus metadata on commercial CDs and convert it from code to English on your dash. Anyone from Ford know better? :shades:

globecanvas

Table of how many vehicles in each model Ford has sold this year (including Volvo):

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=F&script=414&layout=-6&item_id=7158- 07

luvmyfstyle

See my post - 3344 - I had the exact same problem although my transmission light was coming on before I had the forward motion problem. When I turned off the car and back on again, the light went away. Dealer checked it out - no problems - next day forward motion problem. Dealer replaced my transmission completely. No problems since then.

xnappo

Actually, other than using CDDB, there is a format for CDs called CD text that the LTD might be able to read:

http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aa571/cdtext.htm

It is only on some CDs. I have an SEL, so I don't know for sure...

xnappo

kbrown2

Had the exact same thing happen to me. The dealership said that it was an electrical problem and not a transmission issue. They ordered (took over a week) a solenoid of some type and we have not had a problem since.

mmccloskey

Greetings:

The Freestyle brochure and my window sticker mention power/heated/folding mirrors as standard on the Limited. I see no reference to the heated mirrors in the owners manual. I would assume they are activated when you use the front defroster/defogger but don't know for sure. Can anyone confirm that the heated mirrors do work when the front defroster is turned on?

Thanks in advance for any comments -

M. J. McCloskey - AWD Limited

lanbaba

I think they just start working when you turn the engine on.

mastylin

Actually, I believe the side mirror defrosts come on when you put the rear window defrost on. I left the Freestyle out of the garage the other night and the mirrors were fogged in the mrning. They didn't clear until I put on the rear defrost.

Regards,

Nancy
Gold AWD Limited

northlakes

My Minnesota experience is that the side mirror defrost on the Freestyle (SEL in my case) comes on with the rear electric defroster (just like on my Contour). :shades:

mmccloskey

Greetings again:

Thanks to all for your comments on the Heated Mirror issue. I assumed they would activate with the front defroster but apparently they come on when the rear defroster is used. I checked the owners manual on my 2002 Lexus ES300 and the heated mirrors come on with the rear window defroster. I guess there is an industry standard for heated mirrors and rear window defrosters.

On a very positive note, I've had my AWD Limted for over 5 weeks (and 2,045 miles) and am quite pleased with the vehicle. I took a brief weekend trip and averaged nearly 25mpg which I consider very good. I hope Ford does a better job of getting the word out on this really great car as they have only sold a bit over 29K units since introduction compared to some of their lesser offerings.

Anyway, thanks again and happy and safe motoring to all.

As a special bonus, I'm attaching a pic of my Freestyle for your viewing pleasure.

M. J. McCloskey

bobw3

I paid 23,500 including tax, title, etc on the Z-plan (SE, convience group, curtain airbags, rear A/C, dual A/C) I just turned over 8K miles and it runs great. I get about 25mpg on the highways. Easy to calculate manually on our many road trips. My wife sits in the back with the baby in the carseat and we fold down the front passenger seat and she can prop up her feet for first class road trips! really nice

428cj

My sales rep called today to tell me the Black AWD Limited I ordered on April 19th will be born on June 16th and delivered on June 27th. He said they just added another $500 rebate to the $1,000 X-plan for my order.

428cj

The Freestyle is a car that you really need to discover. I don't know how Ford will get the word out. You need to get up close and personal with the vehicle. I am a Ford fanatic, but this was not even on my radar. I discovered it when I went to the dealership to see a Ford GT on display. It was sitting next to a Freestyle and I took a close look. The more I looked, the more it seemed like the perfect vehicle to replace my wife's 98 Sable with 135K in-town miles on the odo. The wife loved it so we ordered one exactly as she wanted it.

I got the same feeling when I saw the '98 Cougar as the perfect car for my daughter. She drove it through her last years of high school and all through college and now to her first job. It still looks good. Great car for her -- low maintenance and no problems.

Now I just need to get that perfect car for me. I got that feeling with the Ford GT.

willie19

Picked up our Freebie Limited AWD yesterday.Dark Shadow Grey w/Pebble Leather.Looks quite similar to McCloskey's pic except his shows those sharp bright tips on the tail pipe. Drove the 50-mile trip the big city dealer through a heavy rainstorm most of the way and the 18" Pirellis coupled with the AWD sure made the drive a real cinch under such conditions.The tires were very grippy, the Freebie tracked straight and true as I took my hands off the steering wheel for a few seconds, and the CVT was virtually seamless as I tried out different speeds.

My first impressions that this is a very well designed vehicle for its first year.Got great service from this dealership on X-Plan plus $2250 total in dealer cash and Ford incentives.On top of that I mooched them for a 4-pce set of Ford Freestyle rubber mats,complimentary oil change, and a half dozen Motorcraft oil filters.If they had the locking fuel cap in stock they probably would have thrown that in too.But there is a limit to this too as I had to pay an extra $205 for undercoating and a set of locking wheel nuts which the original dealer added on but my dealer absorbed the shipping cost from out of province.All in all a super deal with only 48 km on the odometer.

So much for the good stuff I mentioned above.We love this car and the assembly quality is flawless as I went over with every which way to find something not done right. To my delight No defects. But still I'm not exactly enthralled with the Limited's interior and that's in the "quality of materials" dept.Maybe I'm just being picky but compared to some other makes , it's hard to say, but there is a certain amount of cheapness for a topline model trim. The instrument cluster is not very impressive without the chrome rings.The Mazda6 has a sharp looking dust cover over the same Duratec30 engine and with bright chrome exhaust tips.

Yeah I know the tired (yawn) rationale of price points. Save $10 here and there and multiply by a couple of hundred thousand units and the bean counters save $millions for Ford.My suggestion to Ford is how about some reverse thinking in spend a little extra and earn much more through elasticity of demand.Customers will first look at cars for good value and high quality. When they see a good thing they will want to test drive it and get smitten by it.This then brings out the impulse to spend maybe up to an extra couple of hundred bucks to get something desirable and the inevitable impact is more buyers move in.
Another bonehead marketing gaffe is the limited choice of interior leather. The SEL offers Shale Grey leather (which I like) but not available to Limited models.Is that an inferior colour tone , I should think not. The customer should make this decision NOT Ford Mktg.

Don't take my comments above too seriously. Now is a good time go hunting for your Freestyle. The Blue Oval Sale days are ON and dealers are willing to deal with Ford helping out.

nitromax

My wife sits in the back with the baby in the carseat and we fold down the front passenger seat and she can prop up her feet for first class road trips! really nice.

Cool idea!
We have a 7 week old boy in the house and I'm sure smy wife will like that feature when we go on road trips.

That is IF we get a Freestyle. Plans are to wait until the fall. Until then, I'll live vicariously through you folks..

.....so keep up the good work of keeping everyone informed of your experiences, and thanks

cmuniz

Thanks for the info on the heated mirrors. I had the same questions and didn't see it mentioned anywhere in the owners manual.

bruneau1

Sounds like you got a good deal. What is your opinion about the following: power, road noise, ride?

jethrojackson

Great picture of your Limited Freestyle! Can't quite tell what color it is....is it Titanium Green?

J.J.

mmccloskey

Yes it is Titanium Green - the color seems to change a bit depending on the light. A very classy color but I wish Ford had offered the Silver w/shale interior on the Limited instead of just on the SE and SEL. The Titanium Green w/pebble interior is what I have and liked that combo the best.

Regards -

M. J. McCloskey

willie19

Thanks for the good word. Still wish we could have your Limited FWD and get the extra 2-3 mpg on Hwy and also save about 2 Grand without AWD.I had not seen a Limited model before this as the local dealer in our small town did not have any in stock. The test drives I had taken were all SE FWDs which at the time I was more concerned with the driveability of this new vehicle and not be affected by all other creature comforts.

As to your question re power, road noise,ride....fully agree with everyone's comment being More than adequate.Handling was purely superb , the Pirellis stuck to the road during the long drive home under a heavy rainstorm and whatever noise was from the new tires sloshing through the wet road.Not unpleasant at all, gave us a good sense of security.Should be better on dry pavement and even better after about 500 miles when the new tires are "broken" in. Wind noise was negligible but after saying all that, I'm kinda deaf myself (what my wife tells me).

Mccloskey: Thanks for the beautiful pic.I thought it was a little darker tone out in the open for the Titanium Green but what do I know anyway, I'm colour blind too.My wife also liked the colour with black leather but our son who is a bit of "detail freak" chimed in his opinion about it being a very nice colour but harder to touch up after scrapes and dings. So we took the conservative route in Dark Shadow Grey.

Nitromax: mentioned about waiting until Fall. One caveat, and that is to expect another price bump for the '06 models.AFAIK no further changes other than added Silver Birch colour and the NAV option. Our car was built Apr.5th with the last 5 digits of the VIN #
64891 as a Job#2 order and about as close as getting to an '06.Not very likely Ford will continue the $1000 dealer cash, $750 e-Certificate from Ford Blue Oval, and an extra Ford $500 cash if you opt for a new '06. Again, these are Canadian deals but U.S.could be even better.

Just a lttle stumped here, and it's about the total number of Freestyles sold to end of May (28,677 ; refer to item 3436). If you add up the total of the D3 cars (500,F,M) that comes up to 78781 units.Add a few more for Canadian units sold, say a total of around 85,000 to end of May.
Taking my VIN# ......64891, at first I thought they built that many Freebies already but now I think the serial #s must be an aggregate of all the D3s coming out of the Chicago plant.Am I wrong on this? Seems like I'm leaving out a lot of units held in dealer inventory.

globecanvas

I thought all the D3s were made in Chicago.

I think Ford counts a unit as sold when they ship to a dealer, so there wouldn't be any overhead above the 78781 count of D3s sold through May.

cdndriver2

Hee haw ... Willie's got the LTD !
You are kind of right about interior cheapness but if all the lines all meet, no gaps, etc. then the general sense is quality. Oh, evidently the tock tock wood-like sound of the signal indicator is right of the Jag ... just to add a bit more class (lol).
I bought three five foot cedar trees today and put them behind the third row seats. I just dropped the third row seatbacks and leaned 'em in. I think I impressed the lady watching me in the '04 Explorer ...
Happy trails.

willie19

"I bought three five foot cedar trees today and put them behind the third row seats. I just dropped the third row seatbacks and leaned 'em in. I think I impressed the lady watching me in the '04 Explorer"

Uh huh ! Well last Fall I helped my son load 28 three and a half foot evergreen cedars into my '01 Explorer Sport Trac (yes, twenty eight) to be planted across his backyard.
So now are YOU more impressed? Haw,haw.

bobw3

I guess I didn't expect super-luxury when I bought the SE. It doesn't seem like the Limited is that much more luxurious for the extra$$. For me it was a $25K big station wagon with all of the utility I needed and car-like versus SUV like driving/handling, mileage, etc. For me, it was the best $25K could buy with the 7 pass. seating and tons of space inside and still with 25mpg on the highway.

tjf2000

I am trying to find the e-Certificate you mentioned online can you help??? Thanks

sj freebie

Our CD player was skipping to the point it was intolerable so we took the car in for repair. We received a new CD that still skips. Is that the case with anyone out there who has had their player replaced? Also, we remember that when the headlight switch was in the manual on position, the dash lights (including the radio and temperature controls) were still at full intensity. Now during the day, when it is not dark enough for the headlights to come on automatically and we turn on the headlights, we can't see the radio or heater/ac settings. I've checked the manual dash dimmer control and it is at full (just before the interior dome light comes on).

I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

saram

We had our CD player replaced and it works just fine now. Maybe you got another bad one. They might have to swap it out again. I would call the dealer and let them know.
Still loving our SEL Freestyle.

willie19

"I am trying to find the e-Certificate you mentioned online can you help??? Thanks"

I got it from Ford Canada's site ford.ca
Basically I asked them for some info and told them I'm ready to purchase a Freestyle.Can't remember exactly but I think I also filled out a short questionnaire about vehicles I presently own,etc. After about 2-3 weeks they sent me an email giving me a e-certificate#xxxxxxx for $750 good until June30/05 during Blue Oval Sale period.Get a printout of that and give a copy to your dealer.

I think you should get the same treatment through Ford.com and ask them straight out for the e-certificate and that you want to take advantage of Ford's Blue Oval sale period.
BTW there is that $1000 dealer cash incentive and because I bought on X-Plan Ford also kicked in $500.Note also that in the U.S. there are also 0% financing &/or cash incentives. Check out forddirect.com or some other ford sites.

Good luck on your new car purchase.

pittsburgh1

At 1700 Miles our new Freestyle left us stranded in the pouring rain. The check transmission notification came on and we lost forward gears (didn't think to check reverse). The Freestyle was towed to the local Ford dealer who claims to be replacing the CVT transmission although it did not indicate a mechanical problem before quiting.

I have delt with high-tech gear for years and have seen many a software issue mimic a hardware failure. Anyway, hoping to get the Freestyle back this week, I really like the vehicle design but am very disappointed in the performance both of the vehicle as well as of Ford as a company. Towing limited to 35 miles and no free loaner car! the Product Manager should be ashamed! I will be researching the Lemon Laws to get out of this lease and either picking up a Cadillac SRX or Mercedes C230 wagon.

mahpa

Lately we are experiencing a whistling sound from about the middle of the vehicle. It lasts only a few seconds but can be very annoying. It happens pretty regular. Any ideas?

saslady

Good luck with your Freestyle and keep an eye on it. I'm also looking into the Lemon Laws. My Freestyle has 16,500 miles on it and dropped the transmission a couple days ago. I was told today by service manager this morning "we're researching the issue with Ford right now." This tells me they don't have a clue.

saslady

Started to hear a noise similar to engine knock a week ago. In a couple days progressed to a constant high pitched squeal when the car was moving, and in Parking or Neutral. Took it to the dealer and was told there is a big problem with the transmission. When called for an update this morning was told "we are consulting with Ford." This tells me they don't know what it is or what to do. To have transmission problems this early in the life of the car concerns me.

If you have had the same or similar problem, would like to hear how it was resolved and if you're satisfied.

cosanostra

I hope this is not an inappropriate post for the forum, here goes.

Did anyone else read this article on the Inside Line section of Edmunds?

link title

It sounds like the Ford Freestyle will be phased out in a few years. Am I reading this right?

nitromax

I don't think you're reading it right.

It sounds to me like the FreeSTAR will be getting phased out.

kjnorman

Yep, re-read the article it clearly states in the first line Ford's traditional minivan is headed for extinction. The minivan is the FreeSTAR.

Now it goes on to say that the replacement vehicles will be more like the Chrysler Pacifica, with no sliding doors, than a traditional minivan. .... They will ride on Ford's Volvo-based D3 platform, which underpins the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans and the Freestyle wagon.

Note that they will ride on the same platform as the freestyle. Hence our vehicles are cutting edge :P I still want a Mercury MetaOne though

However I just re-read the end myself an could not believe this paragraph
The Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans will be discontinued after 2007, about the same time the Ford Freestyle wagon will be phased out.... In its place, Mercury will get a freshened version of what was the Chicago-built Freestyle as a 2007 or 2008 model, finally giving the brand some differentiation from Ford and Lincoln.

It seems that the FreeStyle will no longer be a Ford product but a Mercury one instead. I thought that was the role of the MetaOne?

cosanostra

However I just re-read the end myself an could not believe this paragraph
The Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans will be discontinued after 2007, about the same time the Ford Freestyle wagon will be phased out.... In its place, Mercury will get a freshened version of what was the Chicago-built Freestyle as a 2007 or 2008 model, finally giving the brand some differentiation from Ford and Lincoln.

It seems that the FreeStyle will no longer be a Ford product but a Mercury one instead. I thought that was the role of the MetaOne?

That was the part that made me cry.

dave2222

Fords/Lincoln/Mercury 2008 lineup

Ford
Trucks
F-150
Ranger
SUVs
Expedition
Explorer
Escape
Crossovers/Minivans
Fairlane
Sport Trac
Cars
Ecosport based car
Focus
Five Hundred
Fusion

What will be gone?
Freestyle
Freestar
Taurus
GT
Excursion
Thunderbird
Crown Victoria?

Mercury
Milan
Montego
MetaOne
Mariner
Mountaineer

Dropped
Sable
Monterey
Grand Marquis?

Lincoln
Aviator
Navigator
Zephyr
Mark LT
Continetal

Dropped
Town car?

stever

Also dropped: 25,000 US manufacturing jobs.

Oh wait, that's GM. (Yahoo News)

Steve, Host

nitromax

my apologies....you were right. (apparently I didn't want to see it)

I sit corrected.


It sounds like the Meta One from Mercury will be it's replacement (sort of) which I highly approve...it looks nice.

I kinda like the Fairlane too, but....but....it harkens of Honda Element so I don't know....

cosanostra

nitro - Not a problem. I had to read the article 3 times and even then didn't believe it. I kept thinking it was some kind of typo. Add to that the fact that I'm pretty ignorant about the MetaOne and I was all out of sorts. I had just convinced my wife that the Freestyle would be perfect (she will not drive/own a minivan).

kjnorman

Well intelichoice still show the 2007 Ford Freestyle as being "refreshed" in that model year. Then again they also show the FreeStar being redesigned for both 2008 and 2009... :confuse:

kjnorman

Can across this doing research on future Freestyles. This is from GM Insider News on their Ford Discussion.

Freestyle: upper-midsized CUV wagon based on D3/Five-Hundred platform. Competes with other car-based wagons such as Pacifica, Rendevous,etc. This car appeals to those that want mini-van and suv people and cargo capacities in a lower, more efficeint package. Styling and power will get a boost in 07 and will remain a more luxourious and sophisticated alternative to the Explorer and "Edge."

Interestingly the "Edge" sounds kind of cool for introduction mid next year.

"Edge": though still unnamed, we'll just call it this for now. Based on a stretched CD3/Fusion platform and will recieve the 3.5 v6 engine and 6speed auto. Styling will be swoopier and more funky than Ford's other midsized suvs and be more sporty in interior styling and dynamics. Probobly will only have two rows of seats. Will compete with Murano, Highlander, Pilot, etc. Debuts in mid 06 as an 07.

I can say I have seen any discussion of the "Edge" in Edmunds. Is Edmunds wrong??

willie19

I'm just shaking my head after reading the Edmunds article. :confuse:
The one part I agree with is the phase-out of the FREESTAR and Monterrey minivans.Don't know why Ford did not do this sooner as they were uncompetitive and have long outlived their design and usefulness.

It is too much of a shock to hear the FREESTYLE is already on its way out during its first year of introduction. Doesn't make sense to me because how in hell is Ford going to recover the hundreds of million $ spent in development costs for the Chicago D3s. All this talk about no rebates to protect high residuals and the hot air by that blowhard Ford COO about improving quality etc,etc, don't mean diddly squat for all of us destined to be stuck with an orphan model so early in the game. So how bullish can Ford be in Freestyle sales for MY2006,7,&8? That is going to scare prospective buyers away in droves even with a name change of Freestyle to Fairlane unless I'm mistaken too.

This is unsettling news and Ford needs to clarify their future intent. I have been a loyal
owner of Ford vehicles for nearly 30 years and have never experienced such quick model changes while not even overcoming some powertrain problems reported within first year models reported by some unfortunate owners. Doesn't bode well for the rest of us even though our new Freebie still runs very well. :sick:
Other than worrying about the new models coming down the pike, my main concern is how really reliable is the CVT?
Wonder if this is purely sensational reporting in Edmunds article. :confuse:

kjnorman

From what I read in the Edmunds article, it would seem that the Freestyle is being moved up market as a Mercury version and in its place Ford is getting the new 5 seat crossover "Edge", which will set between the Escape and Explorer. Mercury will not get this model (though there will be a Mazda MX SportCross and Lincoln Aviator versions), and the Freestyle essentially becomes a Mercury MetaOne (or other name). The idea being to differentiate Mercury from Ford...

I still can not help but think that Edmunds has this wrong...

ANT14

The Freestar will be dropped by 2007, and the "Fairlane" vehicle will go into production. Although in correction to the above mentioned articles which are incorrect, it's based on a CD3 architecture, not D3 based. D3 architecture is too expensive to make a van out of. Not to mention the weight gain it'll require to keep the structure consistant to the torsional rigidity that it'll require from a van. Hence, CD3 is much more economical and flexible, to do so.

As it is, the next round of Lincoln sedans (LS and TownCar replacements) will ride on the D3 architecture to make more of a profit, therefore lowering the use of a platform for minivan duty, would not be as cost effective.

The Freestyle, will stay and it does have a future for many years to come.

The Ford "Edge" (the insider name for it) is a CD3 derived vehicle, twin to the upcoming Lincoln Aviator and Mazda CX-7. It'll also use the 3.5L Duratec35, as will the Fairlane concept.

Again, Freestyle isn't dissapearing anytime soon. The media is just trying to justify why there's so many vehicles in the lineup.