Ford Freestyle Lots of Problems

richstatlerrichstatler Member Posts: 1
in Ford
I bought a 2005 Limited in July of 2005. Here is a list of problems. Before I list problems I will sayis has been to 2 differnt ford dealers and we got the same answer both times, and that answer is "If we can reproduce the problem or get error codes we cant do anything." With that in mind here are the problems.
1. Airbag light went on and stayed on for several hundred miles when comming home from a trip.
2. Brake light came on and stayed on for several hundred miles.
3. Car was running parked for about 15-20 min in summer with air on, went into reverse and it died. I restarted engine and prceeded to drive off. When I went to get on high way I had no acceleration and the dash read "Engine in failsafe mode" I stopped shut it off and restarted and it was fine.
4. Hard clunk in front end when truning from roadway to gas station and wheels are turned and going up sharp incline.
5. started car on 40 degree morning after sitting all night, started and died right away, had to attempt to restart 10 x's and finnaly fired and dark BLACK smoke came from exhaust.

Like I said no of this has been recreated or been fixed. Please let me know if there is any answers to this, if not I am planning of tradding it off while it still has low mileage, 10000. We paid cash and owe nothing so would rather get out of it before something happens or puts m y families life in jeopardy.
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Comments

  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    For future reference, it is best if you post these things in the "Problem and Solutions" forum - you will get more answers.

    I am assuming that you had the dealer put in the TSB for updating the computer? Actually, this sounds more like a computer processor problem to me.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Try this: Ford Freestyle Owners: Problems & Solutions

    tidester, host
  • bruneau1bruneau1 Member Posts: 468
    Make a copy of these problems and contact Ford Customer Service by phone to create a file. That doesn't guarantee results, but it's more likely. Some dealers are unwilling and/or incompetent. Good luck, and make them fix it.
  • fordtruckman89fordtruckman89 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1989 ford f-150 custom 4x4 with a 4.9 300 in line 6 that is giving me problems with the fuel. When I shut my truck off after driving, my fuel pump continues to run. I thought if I changed the relay it would stop. That wasn't the case. Now, I am wondering if I should change both fuel pumps or just the one in the tank. Ant suggestions would be greatly appritiated. :sick:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Hey Fordtruckman89, try the Ford F-Series: Problems & Solutions discussion instead (this one is in the Freestyle group). Good luck!

    Steve, Host
  • vj0119vj0119 Member Posts: 2
    We are looking at an 05 freestyle with 13500 miles...
    Any known promblems with these?...
    Ive heard of transmission problems.
    Thanks in advance
  • bruneau1bruneau1 Member Posts: 468
    If it is AWD, I would avoid it. The FWD has proven more reliable, gets better mileage, is a little faster, roars less.
  • nibyaknibyak Member Posts: 26
    I have a 2006 AWD going on 19,000 miles. I've had no problems so far. I would make sure that I got a very good deal on an 05 though. The local dealers here (near Washington DC) already 2007 Freestyles on their lots. In theory (price wise) an 05 is already 2 years old.
  • catmouracatmoura Member Posts: 29
    I have a 2005 Freestyle. Just took it in for a new pivot latch on the second row 60 bench seat. New part was installed (under warranty). For a 4 hour job the car was there from 9:30 this morning till 5:30 this evening.They said they had problems and had to take the seat out and take the cover off of it. We tried it on the lot and it still wouldn't work properly. Actually it's worse than before. Plus they got grease on the tan seat and when my husband tried to pull it up he leaned into the car and got grease on his pants.

    Have to wait till Monday for the service manager and they will again work on it.This time with a loaner car and a different mechanic!!

    Anyone else have problems with the seat latches? I'd love to hear about it. :mad:

    Cat
  • cabriojazzcabriojazz Member Posts: 3
    I had the same problem with my Freestyle. I think it is very common for the 60% seats. There is a service bulletin published but despite that, it still took me three repair attempts. Trip one, got oil change + requested repair. Oil change took 2 hours, then seat was a matter for body shop and by that time my wife did not want to wait any longer. Stopped by again and the ordered a part. A moth later it came in, was installed, but did not work. Had to go back and they ordered a different part. A couple months later that part arrived and it resolved the problem. I was very dissappointed in the service experience. I have a list of 6 other problems I want resolved and I hope I can get them fixed before I'm past the waranty miles. I may have to park it in the garage if it takes 6 months to get these fixed.
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    I'm reading a lot of the "Problem" forums here for different Fords and it seems to me that most of peoples' problems are not being address correctly by the dealerships.

    Your new FORD LINCOLN MERCURY is covered by warranty at ANY FLM DEALER! You can even take a Lincoln or Mercury to a dealer that only sells Fords and a Ford to a dealer that only sells Lincoln Mercury!

    DO NOT tolerate poor service from a dealership, Ask around among your friends and find a dealership with a good service department. If you live in a reasonably urban area, you probably have many choices.

    IMHO dealerships that fail to fix your problems do not deserve to be in business, don't keep going back to them.

    Mark.
  • jane37334jane37334 Member Posts: 3
    When my dealer told me that my rear brakes had 1 mm left at 29,900 miles and my tires all needed to be replaced, I did not put up with this as I see no need to reward a dealer with business for a badly designed product.

    I spent the money elsewhere getting the repairs. When I contacted Ford directly, they tell me these items are not covered in their bumper-bumper warranty. Now, I am open to calling whoever you suggest or passing on the Ford email reply to demonstrate their attitude.

    I really like the Freestyle; I’ve had 6 new Fords in the family in the past 2 decades. Nut the rear brakes and tires tell me that there is no concern for any longevity here. DO NOT tolerate this from Ford; sell your Ford stock and your Freestyle. Spend your money with another manufacturer who listens to the consumer.
  • coldcrankercoldcranker Member Posts: 877
    jane37334, The dealers are not owned by Ford. To punish a dealer just because the brakes wore out is misdirected anger. Dealer are indepedent from the manufacturers.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    coldcranker:
    All dealers get their "marching orders" from the manufacturer! Small Ford dealers in my part of the country are going out of business, or they are combining with larger dealerships.------ I was looking at a 2007 Ford 500 Limited 6 speed automatic for a mid January purchase, but I am having second thoughts about a Ford product. I don't think the quality of the 500 is equal to the Chevrolet Impala, and that is disappointing, becuase I like the styling of the 500. Ford, GM and Chrysler are in trouble today because of their reputation back in the 70's. They produced junk, and they didn't care about customer satisfaction. So, the consumer went to the foreign manufacturer. Now, some of us want to buy American, and a company like Ford still can't seem to get it right! When will the American manufactuer understand that the consumer wants "quality" in their products. If we get "quality" and "service" we will purchase American vehicles. YES, it is that simple! Wake up Ford! ----- Best regards! --- Dwayne
  • passat_2002passat_2002 Member Posts: 468
    "I don't think the quality of the 500 is equal to the Chevrolet Impala,.."

    J.D. Power & Associates would disagree. They rate the Ford 500 as equal or superior to the Impala in almost every respect.

    Ford's most recent launches (500/Freestyle - Fusion/Milan - new Mustang) have all basically been flawless. These vehicles have proven to be very reliable and are rated highly partially because of it. In fact, in order to make sure the upcoming Edge repeats this pattern, Ford recently delayed it's introduction a couple of weeks to make sure it's launch will go smoothly as well. I really don't see that your argument about quality has any merit Dwayne. Ford's troubles have far more to do with the sharp decrease in demand for SUV's and trucks that has occured over the last couple of years.
  • fordwrenchfordwrench Member Posts: 70
    As a technician in a Ford store I can tell you there are no "marching" orders. As a matter of twisted fate more and more stores are closing because there is so little warrantee work, the service dept. has become less profitable! The 500 Freestyle & Montego along with mustang escape... really all our vehicles are virtully trouble free. Yea there are a few issues but nothing like there was say 6 to 10 years ago. That is also a double edge sword, when a problem does arise, it's such a one off that it might be diffuclt to repair because of no history to rely on. In my opinion Ford's problem is in getting the word out, as in no advertising.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    passat_2002
    Read the postings on the 500 dealing with problems on Edmunds! When I purchase a vehicle, I ask "real people" about the quality of their cars. I do not rely on the opinion of J.D. Power & Associates. The 500 has transmission noises, suspension problems, & brake problems. How does this translate into a quality vehicle? I do not think the 500 is flawless! ---- Best regards. ---- Dwayne ;):) :confuse: :lemon:
  • bobw3bobw3 Member Posts: 2,989
    How many real people do you know that have problems with their Ford 500s?
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    bobw3:
    How many real people do you know that "do not have problems" with their Ford 500s, or other Ford products? The rear brake issue seems to be a "big problem"! I guess Ford needs some help in the design of a basic brake system. Maybe they should ask GM or Chrysler or Honda or Toyota for help! YES, it is the same old story! F.O.R.D "Fix Or Repair Daily"! Best regards. ----- Dwayne ;) :confuse: :lemon:
  • bobw3bobw3 Member Posts: 2,989
    Avoiding the question by asking another question won't get you off the hook...so how many "real" people do you know with Ford 500/Freestyle problems like you said in your post?
  • coldcrankercoldcranker Member Posts: 877
    I'd go with Consumer Reports statistical reports, as they survey about a thousand owners at random for a better picture. The Freestyle has been out for a couple of years, providing a good sampling for the first time.
  • northlakesnorthlakes Member Posts: 368
    Though I know we are all supposed to enjoy brand bashing, my brother engineers for Chrysler and a co-worker is always working on his Buicks, or his dad's Cadillac. I am not ready to give up my Freestyle, nor is my neighbor ready to give up his 500 based on the insight into these other brands.

    I like the brakes on my Freestyle. They bring it to a stop quickly - straight and true. The ABS is not fooled over small bumps. The brake system design is fine. Could there be a QC issue with some rear brake pads? Sure. The brake pads come from a supplier which also supplies GM and Chrysler.

    My AWD Freestyle turned two years old on December 1st. I have not had a problem with it - it has not been in the repair shop once. I know that may not mean much to you, but it means a lot to me. :shades:
  • heltonhelton Member Posts: 56
    "There is a service bulletin published....."

    cabriojazz,
    Do you have the number for that service bulletin? I have this problem with my 2006 Freestyle. It seems to come and go, but it could really be dangerous if you had kids in the third row and needed to get them out in a hurry but couldn't because the second row seat back wouldn't fold.
  • freestylegalfreestylegal Member Posts: 70
    Yeeeeeup. I was have trouble getting it into the down position. I even hurt my hand and wrist from pulling up so hard on the plastic handle. I took it in right before my warranty expired and the stupid thing worked perfectly, and that's the LAST time it's worked. I have to have my husband do it. Really, really annoying. I'm afraid the piece of plastic will bust clean off and then I've got a worse problem. It's about the only thing wrong with the car and I've got 53K on it, so I guess I cant' complain too loudly. But something like that really affects the useability of the car for me because once the seat is up, I can't put it back down while I'm out and about and need that feature. After all, that's why I bought this car! Arggghhh. :mad:
  • bruneau1bruneau1 Member Posts: 468
    Same here. no problems in two years. Some of these people need to go to the Toyota Camry site to get things in perspective. There they will find many complaints about a vehicle considered tops in reliability.
  • heltonhelton Member Posts: 56
    "Some of these people need to go to the Toyota Camry site to get things in perspective. There they will find many complaints about a vehicle considered tops in reliability."

    Come on! Don’t try that old “I complained because I had no shoes, then I saw a man with not feet.” Who cares about Toyota? I bought the Freestyle with expectations that the seats would work as described. The seats don’t work. They should be fixed. Ford knows about this problem. They published a Technical Service Bulletin (#0664) about it on January 1, 2006. :mad:
  • carstenbcarstenb Member Posts: 37
    our FS (Limited 06/05) had the seat-will-not-fold-up problem too and it was fixed a year or so ago. took them half an hour i think and was for free. no problems since :)
    but also note that the back of the seat will not fold up if the lower part is not properly locked down. it needs to be pushed down with some force to properly lock it down.

    Carsten
  • rick2456rick2456 Member Posts: 320
    I found that out the hard way. Took me a few mins to figure out why the seatback would not fold upright. I had to make sure the seat was pushed into the locked down position first. I wonder how many have done this thinking it is a defect instead of a safety feature?
  • fordenvyfordenvy Member Posts: 72
    The seats work fine you just have to know how to work them, its the same in my explorer. You can't be a sissy with this stuff, the seat isn't going to break you have to slam that seat into the floor to make sure it latches down securely, your babying your stuff to much, thats why they call cars durable goods. If you don't slam it down into the floor then the seat back won't go back letting you know you didn't get your seat secured on the floor. Makes sense don't it.
  • heltonhelton Member Posts: 56
    "The seats work fine you just have to know how to work them,"

    The seats do not “work fine”. When the left middle seat back on my 2006 FS was stuck in the upright position, they found a defect in the seatbelt system. Later, when it stuck in the upright position, I took a copy of the technical service bulletin to the dealer and they replaced the defective incline seat mechanism.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The TSB for the second row seat recline issue is #10019950, according to the Edmunds Maintenance Guide. We just have summary info, not the whole TSB unfortunately.
  • heltonhelton Member Posts: 56
    They expanded the TSB to cover the 2005-2007 Freestyle and changed the number to 06-26-3. If anyone is interested, I have posted a copy of the TSB on My CarSpace.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Thanks Helton - Here's the link.
  • mlarosemlarose Member Posts: 2
    Today I took my 2006 Freestyle to the local Ford garage to have a routine oil change and get it inspected. (My brother happens to be a Tech at this garage.) The oil change went well but my car failed the inspection due to me two front tires being bald (on the outside of the tire) and my front end in desperate need of an alignment. I've never driven my car rough in fact I'm a stay-at-home mom that at least 2 days out of the week stays at home. My car has 14,086 miles on it- it's a lease that I signed for a year ago in August. I tried calling Ford and the dealership I bought leased it from but no one will return phone calls. I'm already frustrated because perfect timing right before Christmas . Has anyone else had any problems like this???
  • tim156tim156 Member Posts: 308
    There is a TSB for front tire wear. See below from the NHTSA web site.

    Service Bulletins Summary

    Make: FORD
    Model: FREESTYLE
    Year: 2006

    Service Bulletin Number: 06154
    NHTSA Item Number: 10021049
    Summary Description:
    PREMATURE SHOULDER (TOE) WEAR ON INSIDE EDGE OF THE FRONT TIRES. *KB
  • passat_2002passat_2002 Member Posts: 468
    Holy mackerel! What state do you live in that requires perfect alignment on a vehicle to pass a state inspection? Are you sure it didn't fail because of the tire tread depth alone?
  • mlarosemlarose Member Posts: 2
    No my car didn't fail because it wasn't aligned, sorry if I wrote it that way. It failed because my two front tires were completely bald in the inside tread because it was not aligned.
  • passat_2002passat_2002 Member Posts: 468
    Ok, that sounds better. Obviously you would want to pursue the TSB that tim156 has mentioned with your local Ford dealer. At the very least they owe you a fix on the alignment problem.
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    Ford 3yr/36k warranty covers alignment for only the first year or 12k miles. SO TAKE A COPY OF THE TSB to the dealer with you.

    Mark
  • dishbrkrdishbrkr Member Posts: 2
    I know this is an "old" problem on this message board, but I am having problems with my 2006 Freestyle middle seats getting locked in the up position on the 60 split bench and in the down position on the 40 split. It has 41,000 miles on it and has been in the dealers shop 6 times for this problem beginning 2 months after we bought it new and continuing until 12-6-07. Now the 40 split is doing it again-freezing in position. They have replaced both seat recliners twice, lubbed the seat latches, replaced the center latch assembly twice and replaced the pivots. This is getting OLD! Any suggestions? I would gladly trade it except I owe too much on it!
  • jeanie4jeanie4 Member Posts: 3
    I'm not sure what EGR stands for,but my '06 Freestyle has been back at the dealer for the past 2 weeks waiting on a part that's on backorder for the surging problem. The dealer can offer a loaner but the best they could do was a small Ford pick up. I've been driving a sportscar (spare car) to work everyday--45 mi. commute one-way-and have been managing on that. "Conveniently" the Enterprise rental store is inside the Ford dealership. Ford is telling me the only vehicle they will loan out is a Ford. Today I had planned on picking up my 80 yr. mom and taking her into Houston. There's no way she can manage in a sportscar or a truck! Needless to say I'm throughly POed!! After this Ford experience, there will be no more family! Ford needs to get its act together!
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    You have to make sure that the seats are totally LOCKED to the floor from tumbling forward. For safety reasons, the seat back will not move if the seat is not locked to the floor. Make sure nothing is in the crevices that is preventing the seats from locking down, especially the floor mats.

    Lube the clamp that locks the seat down, maybe its not engaging.

    I hope this helps.

    Mark.
  • peazer21peazer21 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased my 2005 Freestyle as a used vehicle...wish that I had read some of these posting before I did that. I have taken my car in 3 times for the seat not folding down...in both prior times they didn't record the visit so there is no record of those repairs. now the car is out of warrante and they want to charge me $600 to fix the issue.

    they described the issue as beeing a cable that is kinked and frozen...

    thank you so much for the TSB as now I'm going to call back tomorrow and see if I can get it fixed using that method...at least I can try :) :sick:
  • riddybearriddybear Member Posts: 3
    Hi, I was wondering if they ever figured out what was wrong with the freestyle that would die when you backed up and had no acceleration, mine is doing the same thing and I have taken it to the dealership six times in the last 2 years and they can't get it to do it again either. It also takes of by itself when you put it into gear. It's very dangerous and don't know what to do about it.
  • fordwrenchfordwrench Member Posts: 70
    I would take it to a differant dealer, tell them the problems and hopefully a competent tech will work on your car. A PCM update would be the first thing I would check for. Good luck.
  • jrmustjrmust Member Posts: 17
    I'vd had 2006 Freestyle for 18 months. The first 10 months were spent back and forth from the dealer with a shutting off issue. It will randomly cut off. Stopped at idle or 65 mph down the interstate, just cuts off. Dealer reset the computer. Same issue kept occuring. Had it timed to when it would start cutting off. We put in a data recorder and after several tries a coil problem in bank 1. All 3 coils were changed, problem continued. After that, they put in a new PCM. Problem solved until 3 weeks later at 42,000 miles the transmission went out. Had that replaced in November of 2007. Now 8 months later with a little heat (it's been over 100 degrees) it's started cutting off again. Took to dealer. Can't get it to duplicate or get a read. Is anyone having the same issues or can possibly give an idea of what's wrong. Help is much appreciated.
  • volfangaryvolfangary Member Posts: 105
    My 2005 has done this once about 3 months ago. I was driving back to Nashville TN from Columbus OH and about half way home, going up a hill, everything went dead and I coasted off of road. No warning lights were on dash and all gauges went dead. Put in Park, Turned ignition to off and started it back up. Has not happened since and we have been to Ohio and back since.
  • jstradpalmjstradpalm Member Posts: 2
    I am having huge issues with my 2006. It is cutting off and jumping in reverse and in drive. I have taken it in over 10 times and they say they can't duplicate the problem. anyone know? they have reprogrammed the computer chip, re-wired the car (as the gauges all shot off and stopped working.
  • jrmustjrmust Member Posts: 17
    Hi jstradpalm

    I've been in your boat with my 2006 Freestyle for 18 months. It's a long story, but here's the latest. The dealer put in a computer called a data recorder. It comes with a joystick and when your car is acting up, you push the button. It takes a "picture" of what the car is doing like for 5-10 seconds and also backs up 5 seconds prior to.
    The latest thing they were able to read was the sensor in the accelator was losing contact with the computer a split second before it would cut off or start to die. Sometimes it would chug or jump instead of cutting off.
    The sensor was ordered on 6/20 and installed in my Freestyle yesterday. I picked it up yesterday afternoon. So far so good but have only driven about 40 miles. Sometimes it takes days for it to happens sometimes weeks. It's been pretty hot around here so if I'm going to have a problem, I should know pretty soon.
    This is just the latest round of things we have tried. We have replaced the instrument cluster because the data recorder information was not readable when they tried to diagnose. We've replaced the PCM (main computer).
    I'll keep your posted
  • x19nutx19nut Member Posts: 1
    Other than poor tire wear (all 4 bald at 36,000 miles), my 2006 Freestyle Limited FWD has been perfect; however, on 6/8/08 while parking,it lurched when I put in reverse and died. (Lucky I had my foot on brake...) Restarted and engine light came on. Engine lurched again after restarting and had "wrench" and "engine" light icons on dash. Turned engine off and restarted. Wrench light went off, but engine light stayed on. Called dealer and they said to bring in ASAP. Turned out to be just diagnostic and not a transmission issue. They found the power train module software out of spec/date, so they cleared the power train module and reprogrammed it with all updated software. Has been working fine since. (Don't know if heat/load related but temperature was 100 degrees that day and AC was full blast, city driving...)

    NOTE: I have the extended warranty and maintenance/service contract but since this was a "software" fix instead of "hardware", I got charged $87.50 for the reprogramming since it was beyond the 36,000 mile dealer warranty... FYI for you folks under 36k - tell the service manager to update all software (get it written on the work order) and save yourself some money.
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