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I'm not an expert on brakes.. but I can't imagine replacing the rotors and not simultaneously replacing pads.
I have an 05 freestyle made in 04 according to the door now with 27,000 miles. Never in the shop and drives great with a real road hugging feel--is great in the snow
so, hang in there you freestyle owners, all is not bad
Disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then reconnect it. (Of course, you'll lose your radio station presets as well as the clock setting, but you can reset those!) I did this once about a year ago with my 2005 SE after I just refilled the tank and then drove up a fairly steep hill. This somehow caused the gas gauge to go haywire, swinging wildly between full and empty and causing the check engine or whatever light to go on.
I was going to take it to the dealer (I'd had the car only about two or three months at the time, purchased new, and it had about 4000 miles on it), but the night before, I thought about the disconnecting the battery thing. Once I reconnected and restarted the car, no check engine light and no problem in the 12 months and 22,000 miles since. I now have had the car almost 14 months, it has almost 27,000 miles on it, and the problem has not recurred.
We just returned from a 900 mile, mostly interstate, but some stop-and-go, round trip from southeastern Ohio to Chicago, and we averaged 27 miles per gallon. The car has given us no problems since we've owned it (other than the goofy check engine light thing I mentioned above, which I don't consider a problem). Before taking the trip, I had it in for an oil change, tire rotation, and routine brake inspection, and the pads, after 26,000 miles of about equal in-town and highway driving, are worn 50%. That's about 10% wear per 5200 miles. If I replace them at 80% worn, that would be just over 40,000 miles on the original pads. Can't complain about that!
The new pieces of plastic cover the old pits real well; looks and feels like new again. I would suggest having this done before the paint damage becomes too severe. My son bought a Freestyle SEL (dark blue/silver) and his fender flares are pitted too. The damage is less noticable on lighter colored paint but it's there if you look. By the way, we live in Oregon (we don't have to shovel our precipitation) and only drive on pavement so the paint pitting is only from normal city driving.
We purchased a 2006 Freestyle in Mar 06 - recieved it in Jul 06. I drove the car almost immediately after it was taken off the delivery truck and the steering wheel rocked left to right when the brakes was applied. This problem has persisted through 400 plus miles. I took the car to a Ford service center where they "polished" the rotors and proclaimed the problem solved. However, on the way home, I noticed that whenever I braked while traveling 50mph - the problem who re-occur.
Another problem has been the A/C; Whenever it is on there is a real strong vibration and a "whump whump" sound, which appears to be getting strong - especially after the car has been driven normally for a while.
Prior to turning the car over to me, the dealer employee's open the sealed box that contained my keyless entry code (factory set and unchangeable). I consider the car's security to be comprised.
Bottom line: Yesterday, I notified the dealer that I wanted the car replaced. We like the Freestyle, but we aren't happy with the performance of this particular car.
I would appreciate feedback from you and other Freestyle owners.
Thank you.
We purchased a 2006 Freestyle in Mar 06 - recieved it in Jul 06. I drove the car almost immediately after it was taken off the delivery truck and the steering wheel rocked left to right when the brakes was applied. This problem has persisted through 400 plus miles. I took the car to a Ford service center where they "polished" the rotors and proclaimed the problem solved. However, on the way home, I noticed that whenever I braked while traveling 50mph - the problem then re-occurs.
Another problem has been the A/C; Whenever it is on there is a real strong vibration and a "whump whump" sound, which appears to be getting stronger/louder - especially after the car has been driven normally for a while.
Prior to turning the car over to me, the dealer employee's open the sealed box that contained my keyless entry code (factory set and unchangeable). I consider the car's security to be comprised.
Bottom line: Yesterday, I notified the dealer that I wanted the car replaced. We like the Freestyle, but we aren't happy with the performance of this particular car.
I would appreciate feedback and guidance from other Freestyle owners.
Thank you.
Your brake issue sounds like warped rotors. Easily fixed. Have the selling dealer replace the rotors and pads. If the car is brand-new, this will be done free of charge to you. If the car has over 12,000 miles on the odometer, then you may have to pay for the brake work yourself. It depends on the conditions under which the sale took place. In some states, "used" vehicles are sold "as is" with no implied warranty. You assume the liability.
The A/C noise issue is covered under warranty. Take it to a Ford dealer and demonstrate the noise to them.
My dealer told me that the service manager records the keypad entry code of every vehicle with keyless entry that the dealership sells. This is so the dealership can provide it to the first or subsequent owners if they ever lose the code. Seems like a reasonable dealer service to me. I wouldn't consider the car "compromised." I think you're overreacting.
Yes, BUT, the original code doesn't disappear. You now have TWO codes that open your doors--the one the vehicle came with AND the one you just programmed in.
According to the owner's manual and my dealer's service manager, the original code is hard-wired in and isn't erased when a new code is created. It just becomes a second code that also activates the locks. According to the owner's manual, the factory code is supposed to be written on top of the "computer module" that controls the locks, but it gives no indication where the module is located in the car.
Think about it. If you trade in a car with a keyless entry system but fail to give the dealer who buys it from you or the person you're selling the car to if you sell it privately the security code you created, the keyless system would be useless to them unless there was some way of getting into the system and recovering some sort of code. That system is to keep the original code active and make it available to the dealer either by simply reading it off the control module, accessing it through some sort of VIN-based database maintained by the manufacturer, or something similar.
1) There is a serious windshield glare problem in the car. It reduces visibility and makes driving hazardous both at night time (under city light posts) and day time (under any bright sunlight condition). The problem is more severe in cars with light color interior.
2) Polarizing sun glasses are very effective in cutting the glare at daytime driving. But, at night time, it is not a practical solution.
3) Using dashmat might be a solution (albeit an ugly one). But I am not sure if they interfere with the airbag operation.
4) Applying a sort of anti-glare coating on the windshield might be another solution. But need feedback from the manufacturer about the appropriate coating (and also compliance with DMV rules).
I hope we get some comments from Ford too.
:confuse:
Also, the first code can be read through the on-board computer if you ever sell the car.
Many dealers want to CHARGE you (or the new owner) to recover this code if you don't remember it.
http://www.global-accessories.com/dashmat/index.html
I purchased a black dashmat especially designed for the Ford Freestyle there. The windshield glare issue instantly disappeared.
Some have reported better sound by replacing the factory speakers with aftermarket ones. This is common to all vehicles. Automobile manufacturers don't go to great lengths to put great speakers in their product. It's just not a priority for them, because they know that most people can't tell the difference anyway.
Actually, I drove thousands of miles this summer and I never thought about this, not even once.
The one I got was $40 or so.
Good luck!
Thanks!
http://www.newsnet5.com/automotive/10052850/detail.html
The issue with the glare must be with the lighter color interiors. My Freestyle is black leather with black dash and I have no problems with glare.
Has anyone had an auto start system installed in their Freestyle? I live in Alaska and am desperately seeking advice on them before it gets any colder. This is going to be my fist winter up here and I don't want to be any colder than I have to be.
Last but not least has anyone had any problems with the VIN numbers? When I went to get insurance on it the VIN number pulled up the car as being a Ford Free star, not Freestyle. We checked all the VIN #'s and the all matched including the one on the data plate on the ford. Right now I don't know if it is affecting my rates or if I get into an accident if the will deny coverage but I don't know what else to do. Is it possible that Ford issued it the wrong VIN?
I really appreciate any comments or answers anyone can give me. Thanks!!!
It's extremely unlikely that the manufacturer (in this case Ford) would have made this mistake. It's far more likely that the mistake was made when somebody at your insurer was entering a bunch of data into their computers and they confused the two names.
Also, I would never presume that only Ford knew about automotive design and engineering. Any reputable mechanic or dealership will always encourage you to get a second opinion from an independent mechanic. So, I think it's you who needs to take a deep breath. A safety cage is about the only thing going for it, if the faulty brake system is going to mean that I'm at a much greater risk for having an accident.
This is a well known problem. Consider yourself lucky as due to your mileage, the dealer should cover it under warranty. My guess is you drive a lot of around town driving. Unfortunately, for me, I do a lot of highway driving and didn't use the brakes as much, so my rear brakes went out much later, but the fronts are practically new. I am a long term Ford customer (since I started buying cars in 1990) and they basically told me "tough luck". The Ford rep even told me that they were aware of the issue and were looking at it. Of course they used this as extorsion to make sure I had my brakes fixed at Ford, saying that if I had my brakes fixed anywhere else, then Ford wouldn't reimburse the repair.
The problem isn't fixed by the new pads as the rear brakes carry way to much of the load by design. This is what the Ford rep told me. The trade off is handling vs. rear brake wear. I understand that this is an issue, but it should have been identified and resolved before it went to market. Also, it should have been a recall as brakes are a safety issue.
I have gone from a long term Ford man to buying something else. I will NOT buy another Ford, ever!! I won't buy a product from a company that recognizes a problem and then won't make the situation right by fixing the problem at no cost. Also, I have never had brakes last less than 60,000 miles on any of the Fords I have owned. I have had plenty of batteries go out (all within warranty and replaced at no cost), but I have always been very happy with the brakes until now.
There's a recall coming if you got your Freestyle in a cold weather state:
Chilling news for Ford owners (Daily Southtown)
I was getting my winter tires put on and having a conversation with my rep, who has been more than super honest with me always. I asked about the Freestyle, and if I should consider trading in for a the bigger car. He leaned over and whispered that I should wait until Ford figures out the problem they are having on the rear brakes that seem to use out within 15,000 klms. Apart from that he says the car is great.
He told me it is a issue he is seeing with all the Freestyles sold in the last couple of years and Ford has yet to make the necessary adjustments to permanently correct the issue and make a formal recall on the rear brakes.
What Freestyles owners need to do is call Ford Canada directly and start complaining! I did the same with my Focus years ago and the issue of the defective tailgate latch, not long after a recall and correction was issued. Send in your issues and complaints directly to Ford Canada. The dealers are more than happy to keep billing Ford Canada to replace faulty brakes, they won't say anything until Ford Canada sees the year end cost of replacing the brakes.
Hope you have some success in getting this issue resolved, hopefully before I make the jump over to the Freestyle.
Cheers
I did indeed write a letter to Ford Canada, and cc:'ed my dealership. They say they are looking into the matter for me. I hope that Ford does a recall soon! Brakes are a key issue on any car.
Cheers