Ford Freestyle Maintenance and Repair

daire · October 2005

Thanks! I'll have to try covering things up while the car is on to see if I can find the spot on that box that works! The auto lamp problem is minor as is the other issue I have with the Freestyle. I wish it had a "real" handle to pull down the hatch instead of those indentations. So far I love it! The CVT is great, the gas mileage is great, the interior is wonderful, and the only thing I am a bit disappointed in is the ride seems stiff, but I am assuming that will change as it gets some miles on it.

stmss · October 2005

The rear hatch is spring loaded pretty heavy (to stay open I guess). You need to be careful you don't get it under the chin when opening. So you have to reach up and grab that little handle - not sure how that will work with the big winter mitts on. Could be worse. Could be like our aging Volvo that closes on you when the dampners are cold and a little bit of snow on the back.

Personally, I like the firm (stiff) ride and am use to it with my other cars. It will likely soften as the suspension and bushings wear in.

tmp888 · October 2005

"Also, I was very disappointed when I heard that Ford cancelled this car and it will be gone soon."

I believe the Freestar (minivan) will be canceled not the Freestyle. People confusing between Freestar and FreeStyle.

tourist1234 · October 2005

"Also, I was very disappointed when I heard that Ford cancelled this car and it will be gone soon."

>>Once and for all, Ford has not "cancelled" the Freestyle. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible.<<

Perhaps people continue to believe this to be true because many reputable automobile magazines have made statements to that effect. From what I have read and believe to be true the Freestyle will be discontinued in 2007 under the Ford name and moved to the Mercury division with a new name.
The Freestyle name will transfer to a whole new vehicle possibly built on the Volvo D3 and/or Mazda CD3 platforms.
I'm sure that if Freestyle sales took off and went through the roof they would preserve it. As of yet Freestyle sales have been slow.
I am not an expert though. This is just the information I have picked up from reading different sources.
Check out http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102793">link title

stmss · October 2005

So I wonder what will happed here in Canada. The Mercury brand is no longer sold here (at least I don't think it is). Probably continue as Ford.

warrior_pr · October 2005

2005 Ford Freestyle Front 2WD

Hi I am a new Freestyle owner. The SUV or car ??? no matters, have 1500 miles right now. I noted when I I turned all the way to the right a strange noise, as if the wheel is touching the plastic liners coming up. I turned to the left and received the same noise but in a minor grade. Turn the transmission gear to reverse and turned the wheel guide to the right and that worse the situation with a little vibration in the wheel guide. Tomorrow I will visit my dealer, but I will like to have some forum expertise opinions just in case I needed with my dealer. Could I try to change it for a new vehicle? Its a no more than 1500 miles /less than a month car.

volfangary · October 2005

Someone mentioned awhile back in this forum about noises that were discovered to be related to bad struts. Might have them checked out.

rgankiewicz · October 2005

I just purchased a 2006 Ford Freestyle , Limited AWD. I took the vehicle for a ride in bright sunny weather, and found that the dashboard instruments panel, dashboard compartment, and the passenger airbag compartment all reflect back into the windshield. You get an inverted dashboard look in the windshield which is very annoying when driving. . Does anyone else have this problem? I'm looking for a solution to get rid of the dashboard reflection. Ford motor company had no solution; the dealership thinks I'm making it up. I called several auto glass companies. They informed me the slope of the glass, also if the dash is glossy it can cause reflection back into the windshield. The dash is light pebble tan. The only thing I can think of is a replacement window with stronger solar tint. Any body have a suggestion?

puckyhuddle · October 2005

Most of this forum is about this topic. Not sure how you can miss it.

cmuniz · October 2005

Several solutions are outlined in this forum and the regular Freestyle forum. Search the forums for dasboard problems and you'll find all the answers you need.

pnewby · October 2005

Maybe related-? 500 and Montego noises-
Printable View (51 KB)
TSB
05-22-2 NOISE FROM FRONT WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

FORD: 2005 Five Hundred
MERCURY: 2005 Montego

ISSUE:
Some 2005 Five Hundred/Montego vehicles built 5/17/2004 to 5/17/2005 may exhibit a noise coming from the front of the vehicle while turning the steering wheel at speeds lower than 10 MPH (16 Km/h). The noise may be coming from the upper strut mount. This condition is not related to noise when hitting bumps, noise at full lock turns or noise in turns when the steering wheel is not being turned.

ACTION:
Verify concern. Replace the upper strut mount/bearing and/or spring if required. Refer to the following Service Procedure.

rgankiewicz · October 2005

I have a similar problem. I see all my instrument panel, dash compartment, anndairbag reflect on my window, Ford Motor Co. and the dealership refuse to deal with the problem. I will probably have to enforce our lemon law to get them to act on it. Has anyone have any solutions?

passat_2002 · October 2005

Lemon Law? Because of some glare on the windshield? Gimme a break.

Did you not test drive the car before purchase?

chiz · October 2005

I have had the CD player replaced two times. Once with unit from local depot and once with a "new" unit from the factory. The last two units have the same defect. The unit forgets where on the CD is was when the car was turned off and instead resets to track zero of the current CD when the engine is restarted. This occurs once every two days of driving the car while playing the CD's. Maybe the car is turned on and off 6-8 times a day.

I have heard nothing from you folks about this problem. Are you just living with it? This is very annoying to me. The regional Ford representative responded by saying the his personal car has this same "feature". The dealer has strongly suggested that I just live with it.

Please let me know if I'm alone in the woods!

barnstormer64 · October 2005

"I have heard nothing from you folks about this problem. Are you just living with it?"

I haven't had this issue. Not with mp3 files, nor with burned audio-CD's, nor with normal CD's from the store.

I have the 6-disc changer.

Which radio do you have? Single-CD, or 6-disc changer?

chiz · October 2005

CD player is Premium 6 disc version

nitromax · October 2005

Tips to cut down glare.

If it's sunny out, wear polarized sunglasses (or at least wear sunglasses...I see way too many traffic jams on the highway because people refuse to wear sunglasses)
Remove shiny attributes from dash surface. (i.e. don't use glossy protectant)

Focus on the road ahead instead of the inside surface of the windshield. (that's right, stop staring at the glass and looking for problems, and watch the road)

Seems to work everytime.
:-)

aggie60 · October 2005

My wife and I purchased a new 2005 Freestyle. The car appeared great until the first rain, 5 days after we picked the car up. Water around the front door (front door seal - passenger side) and throughout the luggage area (around the sides on the plastic and soaking the spare tire cover). The carpet is separating from the glue and the car is gaining a moldy odor. Upon investigating for the source of the leak, I found that the one of the ends of the metal tube that the third seat sits on is rusted indicating a longstanding problem. The car was manufactured in 11/04 and came from a dealer in a neighboring state. The CD6 player skips and the DVD does not always come when a disc is inserted - not recognized by the radio.

We returned the car to the dealer and because, as they explained, the title had gone to the state they could not trade the car for a nonleaking one. The sales manager then stated that he could not repair it and sell it to someone else in good conscious. They gave me a loaner and told me that the Customer Service Manager would investigate the issues. 5 days later he called and told me that he could not find the source of the leak so they wanted their loaner back and told me to pick mine up. We refused saying that the damage has been done and it is not repairable. I returned his car and pulled our belongings out of the Freestyle. The next day I called the Customer Service Hotline in Dearborn and the CSR was very pleasant. She asked what we wanted to do and I stated that we only wanted a comparably equipped vehicle that did not leak. She said that the request would need to go around the office for signatures and we would hear from the dealer in 2 - 5 days. The next day the dealer called and said that the Area Customer Service Rep helped them and found two areas on the body (in the rear) which were leaking. We could opt for repair, trade the vehicle in which would, as he explained, result in a big loss (no kidding), or have Ford buy the car back. You can guess which one I have opted for...I filed the papers (with pictures) with the BBB this afternoon to bring the issue to arbitration.

This is really a perfect example of poor customer service on the part of the dealer and Ford. I certainly will never buy another car from the dealer (purchased a 'new 97 Cobra and a new '99 F-150 4x4 from this dealer). The jury is still out on Ford but it doesn't look good.

I will inform the group as this unfolds. :lemon:

rgankiewicz · October 2005

Didn't show up in a night time drive test. Or when I picked it up at night Only in bright sun light . Enough to cause distraction and cause a possible accident.
Ford acknowledged they know about the problem and don't know what to do..Meanwhile I'm stuck with problem

nitromax · October 2005

http://www.godashmat.com/Dashmats.asp

Buy a dark colored dash mat with a flat finish to it.

rgankiewicz · October 2005

Did you buy anything to prevent the reflection? Ford acknowledged they know about the problem but, they won't do anything to fix it.

rgankiewicz · October 2005

Thanks for your help. I'll check the dash mats.

daire · October 2005

I kept reading about this problem here before we took delivery of our Freestyle with pebble interior, and I must say I don't find it to be a problem. I wsa expecting it to be a big issue, but so far it hasn't been, and we have had the car about a month now. I see it, but I can easily focus my eyes on the road rather than the reflection.

tourist1234 · October 2005

Our Freestyle also has a pebble interior. At times the dashboard reflection in the windshield is very pronounced. Generally I hardly notice it. I am focused on whats out on the road and see right through it. I don't need to consciously try and ignore it. I wonder if the degree of reflection varies within pebble colored interiors? Or is is just harder for some drivers to see through it? Just like some repetitive or constant sound (for me squeaks) will drive you nuts but when you mention it to a passenger they didn't notice it until you pointed it out.
Just musing. :confuse:

barnstormer64 · October 2005

There are certainly some lighting conditions that make the reflection worse than other times. But I think it's generally an issue of just how easy it is (or not) for the individual perosn to ignore and "look through" the reflection.

I've certainly never considered it a safety hazard, that's for sure.

It could also be that some of the vehicles have been "armor-all"-d, making the glare more noticeable. I suspect that some dealers do this.

To me, the reflections I get in the side mirrors are more annoying . . but I think that's been "enhanced" by the tinting I had done on the windows.

puckyhuddle · October 2005

I can empathize with your problem. We certainly didn't have the same level of problem, but I was AMAZED at how poor the customer service was at our dealer. Our Freestyle was transferred from another dealer in the same state. I saw it in the lot the day before when signing papers. It looked like it had been sitting on the lot a while. The door had a good sized ding. The sales guy promised me they would clean it up and remove the ding. We were heading out on vacation the next day, so I was time pressured. Miraculously, they did fix the ding. When I picked it up and got it home the next day, I noticed a rattle in the trunk hatch and upon further investigation discovered that the rear window had been broken at some point. Pieces of the glass were still in the hatch and under the spare. So now I'm wondering if the car has been used, in an accident, broken into, who knows. I call the dealer 45 min after picking it up telling him I don't want the car and plan to return it until it's resolved. He gives me the whole "title has left the building" story, nothing he can do. He finally gives me "What do you think this is, KMart?" I would have received better service over a 99 cent gallon of washer fluid at KMart! Anyway, a lawyer friend threatens legal action (more out of spite) over how we were treated, they tell us to sue. That's why they have lawyers he said. End of story, we're driving the same car, we didn't pursue it. But I did learn some good lessons:

1. Always trust your gut - if it doesn't feel right, it isn't. I should have cancelled the deal when I first saw the car.
2. When looking for transfer inventory, CHECK the build date before buying. Ours was 1/05. We purchased 7/05. I think 3 month lag is more realstic.
3. REALLY inspect a new vehicle before accepting.
4. NEVER buy a vehicle from Country Ford in Levittown, NY!

Good luck. I hope you win! It will be a victory for all of us who've gotten horrible service.

bobw3 · October 2005

The title thing was a bunch of crap. I don't know who you talked to. Did you take it up with the business manager? Where I bought our car, we could return it within 7 days if less than 1000 miles. I'd say write several letters to Ford (CC'ing the dealer so they know you sent them) giving names of specific people at the dealer who screwed you.

aggie60 · October 2005

We have spoken with both the Sales Manager (who has avoided us after the Service Manager called and told us they could not find the leak) and the, so-called, Customer Service Manager - he's the one who told us we could trade it in. The car, on delivery, had 429 miles on it. In 5 days I put an additional 700 miles (a 130 mile round-trip commute). Basically those at Regal Ford of Winston Salem, North Carolina are being complete and total jerks about this whole affair. We have tried to be patient and cordial, but it's all worn very thin. Time has come to take it to the next level - arbitration, lawyers, and letters to Ford in Dearborn.

:mad:

bruneau1 · October 2005

You should have contacted Ford right away. Don't expect anything from a dealer that they are not forced to do. Sound cynical? Yes, based on a lot of experience. Good luck and don't give up.

bobb5 · October 2005

I have 2005 Ford Freestyle with 4k miles.

The vehicle recently over heated on the first long drive I took with the vehicle.

Per the dealership the headgasket had a pin hole or ? and coolant is now leaking into the cyl. requiring a rebuild or a new engine. Has anyone had this problem or coolant lights check engine light problems?

Car is now in the shop and ford dealership says no rental car!

Any ideas or suggestions GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks
Bob

bobw3 · October 2005

I don't know about the engine, but I do know that when I bought the car I signed a statement to let me know that I would not get a rental car while my car was in the shop for warranty repairs. I was told that geting an extended warranty was the only way to get a rental during repairs. I didn't get the extended warranty and while the rental would be convenient, it wasn't that critical for me. Personally I think that for the cost of $25/day for a cheap rental, Ford may lose more money in the long run by turning off customers with this type of policy.

indybell · October 2005

passat_2002 · October 2005

bobw3,

It's certainly not Ford's policy. The statement you signed was no doubt something your dealer dreamed up. You should have politely declined to sign it. Nevertheless, an easy mistake to make. We have so much paperwork thrown at us when purchasing a car, most of us will sign anything just to get out of there!

indybell · October 2005

We have just a tad over 11,500 miles on the vehicle so far. Bought it in April of this year. It has preformed flawlessly so far with just a few, with what would be quirks, I guess.

Every now and then a single "beep" comes from the dash. Today it did it twice. Both times when braking and coming to a stop for a traffic signal at the bottom of a slight grade. It's done it several times over the past months and today I looked to see if anything was amiss with the info center. Nothing. Just the single beep.

Another weird thing that has happened on several occasions is that the speedometer needle has dropped below its "zero" position. (In the old days there'd be a pin stop but this meter has none.) It has dropped so low as to almost come in contact with the reset button housing. And it always happens when the motor was just shut off and the key was in the off position. If this gauge works like a voltmeter movement, you'd think you just saw a negative voltage spike. I haven't mentioned this to the service department yet but will at the next oil change. It's done it several times although not recently.

And the most distressing "intermittent" thing happened this morning. Last night I backed the car out of the garage, washed it, and put it back in the garage so this could have been caused by some fouled plugs from those really short run times. But when I started it this morning, it made such a racket from missing and SERIOUS knocking that I thought the engine would come apart. I shut it down, checked the oil, just in case, and then started it. It continued to miss on just a single cylinder, or so it seemed, and then began to run normally. It ran flawlessly all day today. Just a little early in it's young engine life to start that kind of stuff 'cause it sure puts a little nagging doubt in your mind regarding engine reliability.

And, lastly, I apologize for the post with no verbage. Hit the enter key after typing in the title and off the post went. Don't know why.

explorerx4 · October 2005

"backed the car out of the garage, washed it, and put it back in the garage ".
we had a taurus it happened to a couple of times. didn't seem to have any long term effect. we had the car for 78k.

tayl0rd · November 2005

I recommend letting the engine run at least 2 minutes whenever you move it like that. My car would run a little rough and have the most awful exhaust smell when I would turn it on and shut it off like that. I've since started letting it idle for a few minutes for each time I move it out to wash and when I move it back in.

carstenb · November 2005

i noticed the speedo needle behaviour as well on our 06/2005 FWD and also once experienced the strange engine behaviour but it never happened again.

ours had a ratteling noise from the dash board. there was something loose in the radio area. was fixed and now it is fine.

got the car back from this service yesterday and i noticed that it accelerates much better and smoother now. also, at 70mph it revs only 1700 now. before the service it always rev'ed around 2500 at that speed. i did not ask yet but i guess that the CVT was re-programmed (a multipoint inspection is mentioned on the service delivery sheet). very nice and it was all for free

last week i saw the first other Freestyle on the road here in Houston!

Carsten

bobw3 · November 2005

So everyone in this forum gets a rental car when they bring their Freestyle in for repairs. Don't respond if you have an extended warranty...I'm trying to see if people without extended warranties are getting rentals...thanks.

BTW...I'm at 19K miles and the only thing I've done is 3 oil changes.

marcopolo · November 2005

When you took in your car for service, did you complain about the transmission revving too high at 70 MPH, or did they perform the CVT adjustment on their own? I am wondering if dealers would usually go down the list of service bulletins, and perform these on your car as preventative maintenance. I would imagine that the dealer would perform the minimum amount of work, and would only look at a service bulletin if you brought in a specific complaint

carstenb · November 2005

No, i did not complain because i assumed everything is as it should be. The car was not in for a service (only 2500 mls on the clock) but to fix a ding and to check the dashboard rattling. We did not ask for anything else but there is a multipoint inspection mentioned on the service slip (for no charge). They even cleaned the car in- and exterior! I would expect that they update a car that is still under warranty anytime it is in. I still need to check specifically for a CVT adjustment but the difference is just to obvious, they must have done something. Now i like the car even more

Carsten

mas23 · November 2005

I have an AWD SEL for about 10 months with 6000 miles. A few weeks ago the AWD Malfunction light and message came on when I started the car one morning. I stopped and restarted the car and the message went away. The next morning the message appeared again, and cleared again after restart. I took it to the dealer last week and they didn't find anything. The next 2 days the car worked fine. However, AWD Malfunction message appeared again yesterday morning. Does anyone know what may be causing this? I will take it back to the dealer but it is hard because they keep business hours. Any help would be appreciated.

jschreiber · November 2005

I had the same experience---very rough on initial start then went away happened twice
However, my check engine light came on also and I assumed bad tank of gas--problem went away when I put through tank of shell no ethanol gas and has never happened again--I wonder if alot of the gas now has too much ethanol or had water--In MN they are putting 15% ethanol in the gas now. Anyway the problem never recurred and it's been a few thousand miles.Give it a try.

jdm55 · November 2005

We've had our freestyle since july (fwd). It has spent a total of 5 weeks in the shop for paint wrinkling around the liftgate handle. Dealer says it is a body shop issue. They have sent it 2 different shops and made 5 attempts at fixing it. Can't seem to get a district rep from ford to take a look. Anyone else have this problem?

nitromax · November 2005

That's a weird one. I've never heard of that before. Good luck.

freestyler · November 2005

We just bought a 2005 Freestyle AWD SEL a couple of weeks ago. It has under 300 easy miles and the AWD Malfunction message came on last week. My wife took it in today and the technician tried to reset the system, but that didn't fix the problem. Dealer has said it appears to be a more serious problem that their mechanic will look at tomorrow.

Anyone had similar problem?

styxfs · November 2005

When driving our 2005 Freestyle AWD above 30 mph there is a loud "vibrating" noise if the only window rolled down is the rear passenger side window. The only way to get the noise to stop is to lower the front passenger side window about 2 inches. The noise is almost painful to the ears. :surprise: Has anyone else noticed this noise? We have talked to 2 other Freestyle owners. One has noticed it the other says no. It has to have something to do with the aerodynamics.

tourist1234 · November 2005

We have noticed the same loud noise when only opening one window. It is related to the inrush of air (pressure) with no outlet. The air is trying to get out the same way it came in. When you open another window the air (pressure) has somewhere to go. It is not unique to the Freestyle. We use to hear the same thing in our Honda CRV. I also noticed it in my Jeep Liberty and my old Taurus Wagon. It seems to be more pronounced in SUVs and wagons. I think it is because of the extra space or volume in the back, as opposed to a sedan where the space is closed off (trunk). Thank goodness for power windows! Makes it easy open one of the back windows.

cmuniz · November 2005

I think all Freestyles will make that noise and it is common to many other SUVs.

bobw3 · November 2005

And the more sealed the car, the louder the noise...and the Freestyle seals up really well. Think of it as a sign/sound of quality!

dgulino · November 2005

What was the outcome of your visit to the dealer about this?

I just had a somewhat similar occurrence with my 2005 SE today. I had just filled the tank, then drove about 10 miles before climbing a relatively steep hill (probably about as steep a hill as I have taken the car on in the 11,000 miles I've owned it). The hill is about 1/4 mile long, and about half way up, the fuel gauge needle dropped to zero and the little gas-pump light came on. Once I got on level ground and drove about another quarter mile, the needle popped back to full. The check-engine light never came on.

I thought everything was fine and that this might have had something weird to do with the fact that the tank was full to the brim AND the car was going up a very steep hill and something happened to the fuel tank float, but then about 10 minutes later, after having not driven up or down any steep hills, the fuel gauge again dropped to zero AND this time the check engine light came on. About a half-mile later, the fuel gauge popped back up to normal, but the check engine light stayed on. I had no more weird fuel-gauge incidents all the rest of the way home (about 5 more miles).

Once I got home, I checked the owner's manual, and one of the things that can cause the check-engine light to come on is if the car runs out of gas. Now, the car didn't run out of gas, but the fuel gauge dropping to zero might make the computer think it did.

Is this the only "sensor" the computer has to tell it the car ran out? That seems like second-hand information, if you know what I mean. Plus, if this is what caused the check-engine light to go on, why didn't it go on the FIRST time the fuel gauge dropped to zero?

Anyway, the manual says that, if it was just running out of fuel that caused the light to go on, then three "cycles" of running the engine (cold start to full warm up) should clear the code and make the light go off. I didn't want wait that long, so I disconnected the battery for a few minutes hoping that that might clear the code. When I reattached the battery and started the car, the C-E light did not come on, and it did not come on during an errand later in the day of about 10 miles. The fuel gauge also did not act up, and everthing was completely normal on the trip.

So it seems that the problem really was probably just a false ran-out-of-gas code, but what I would really like to know is, why should the fuel gauge have trouble simply because I drove the car up a steep hill. After all, it wasn't THAT steep a hill. I'm hoping that this was the last of this problem, and, no, I haven't yet driven the car up this same hill again. A part of me is a bit afraid to!

Ford Freestyle Maintenance and Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles