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Ford Freestyle Lots of Problems

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Comments

  • kberly531kberly531 Member Posts: 6
    I have no extended warranty
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    Toyota of Florence since that is who I purchased the used truck from and I bought the extended warranty at the same time.
  • l8againl8again Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Freestyle that died on I-95 in New York, bumper to bumper traffic Friday afternoon. I'm told it's a throttle body problem, the part is on back order all over the US, and it may be over a month until one is available. My car was towed to a dealership in CT and we took the train home to PA. I do have the Ford Extended Warranty but it won't cover a car rental for a couple of months. I have also called Ford customer service and should hear from Ford in two days. Perhaps a call to the Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is in order. This is too common of an occurrence and breaking down on the highway is dangerous.
  • kberly531kberly531 Member Posts: 6
    Had to go without car for four days but luckily my ford dealer gave me a loaner today, I have friends coming from out of the country tomorrow for three weeks, great time to be without car.
  • catcountycatcounty Member Posts: 3
    Ford Coustomer Care just called. I credit them for promptness. Lady said the pre-payment was a dealership policy. I did take the opportunity to voice the issue about throttle body assembley problems, for what it's worth.
  • alexapfalexapf Member Posts: 6
    EVERYONE please report this issue to the NHTSA .
    at 1-888-327-4236
  • catcountycatcounty Member Posts: 3
    I dealer shopped and will get the part for $525, without pre-pay. Parts guy thinks it "may" be available early to mid August. Hope mine holds up that long.....
  • r_42r_42 Member Posts: 4
    When I called Ford CRC to complain about the issue and that they should pay for my rental they said there was nothing they could do because my car was out of warranty. I told the person that was unacceptable and asked to speak to her manager. Her manager called me back after a day and gave me the same story. I told him my car was being held hostage and was unsafe to drive and I'm being forced to pay for a rental because they won't have the part for at least three weeks. He said there was nothing he could do so I asked to speak to his manager. I day later I received a call saying that they will pay for my rental.

    I think they're starting to feel the pressure. Keep it up everyone. Don't let them off the hook. There should be a National Recall and we shouldn't have to pay for this repair.
  • jeanie4jeanie4 Member Posts: 3
    I've been on this thread before but had to give it up--was bad for my blood pressure, if you know what I mean. My Ford Freestyle was traded in for a Hundyai (sp?) last September because of the utter futility of trying to deal with Ford. I will never, ever, ever buy another Ford again because of their inferior products--no wonder they don't stand by them. They're too interested in selling and not concerned about quality or follow--through. I,too, was told it would be months-long wait for the part and was offered a rental for a few days at best. My husband and I decided it would be best to cut our losses and go in another direction. This move is especially hard for a lot of people because financially they may not be able to do this. I would not count on the availability of the requested part. The least Ford could do is let the customer know where a part is in the process of getting it to the dealership--just like UPS does with a package--how about it Ford??? Stringing the customer along is a cruelty!!
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    I'm sorry I do not know what CRC is. I would like to know and I would like the number. I called NHSTA the other day and complained. They said that they had recorded everything I said and read it back to me. I did suggest a recall, but have heard nothing!
  • r_42r_42 Member Posts: 4
    The CRC is Ford's customer relations department and can be reached at 800-392-3673
  • tjbusterandustjbusterandus Member Posts: 1
    When I took my car in because the wrench came on they said it was going to be $6100 I was very mad and couldn't imagine how this was possible. They said my throttle body and transmission was shot. I have an 06 at 77,000. After fighting with the dealer about the problem my father in law helped out we got a little knocked off the price. The next day my father in law's car did the same thing he has the same car 06 at 57,000. His car is in the shop right now too. What the heck is going on? So I thought I would research and I found this site I will be calling the CRC and the NHSTA tomorrow and he will too. :mad:
  • cb529cb529 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2010
    I have just experienced the same issue with my 2007 Freestlye. I called ford CRC and was told they would get back to me but "as the car is out of warrantly there might not be any assistance offered." My next call is to my state consumer protection ageny, the state attorenty general and then to DOT/NHTSA to file complaints. I was told it would be at least 1 month before the part is available by the dealer. I unfortunatly to not have the finances to just go out and rent a car for a month so now I am scrambling to figure out how to get both my wife and I to work every day so we can make payments on a car that we can't even use. This is totally unacceptable. This vehicle has less than 50K miles on it. There is no reason for this failure other than faulty part. Everyone who sees this needs to make as big a stink as possible. $1000.00 for repair of a known defect going back to 05 models. This is outrageous!
  • kberly531kberly531 Member Posts: 6
    my car is going on two weeks at the shop, with no word on the part! Luckily the dealership gave me a loaner.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    i was having similar problems and got the same answer from my Ford Dealership.
    on the this same Freestyle Forum under Maintenance and Repair i got some excellent advise drom danallan. He mentioned that he was having the same problem at 57K and was told he needed Fuel INDUCTION service, which he got and it fixed his problem and he now has over 85K on his car. I took mine to an independant mechanic that provides this service and told them my whole story. He called today with "good news". With what we had discussed when i took it in he said he skipped over all of the diagnostics to keep from running up a tab and went straight to doing the fuel induction service. He said something to the effect that there was some air flow part ( over my head) that was REALLY dirty and with that cleaned out it is running great. It cost me $125. This is the exact experience that danallan had. I have yet to pick up my car today but am so excited about the possibility that if is fixed that i wanted to share. If this does seem to fix it I'll be sharing this with the dealership as well as the company.
  • cb529cb529 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks very much for the info. I am not using Ford dealer for the throttle body repair because my local mechanic can repair for $200 cheaper than ford. Unfortunately same back order problem. Let me know please how your car runs as i am going to ask my mechanic to try this first as well.
  • alexapfalexapf Member Posts: 6
    I waited exactly a month for the car to be repaired and got it back yesterday, also a Freestyle 2007 31 K miles! I called and e mailed Ford Corp EVERYDAY as the vehicle was not safe to drive, filed a complaint with the NHSTA who told me that an investigation for a possible recall takes place based on the number of complaints so please call them and have your VIN ready it takes about 10 mins.
    If you purchased the extended warranty ask for a refund.
    Also the vehicle manual indicates that the emissions has a warranty up to 80K miles so I am now trying to look this of course on my own since I am no longer covered under the warranty!!!
    My auto insurance is covering this under Mechanical Breakdown minus a 250 dollar deductible, so if you have full coverage look into this. I was totally unaware of this option until I called my ins company.
    I will be willing to complain to the state attorney general please post the contact info if you have it. Good luck,
  • lakehouse2lakehouse2 Member Posts: 1
    We've had the same symptoms with our 07 Freestyle. Our Ford dealer recommended first merely cleaning the throttle body to see if that cleared up the problem. I removed the throttle body (one screw clamp, one electrical connection and four 8mm bolts), sprayed the inside of the TB liberally with Throttle Body Cleaner (~$4), reinstalled everything and problem solved. Took 20 minutes.
  • r_42r_42 Member Posts: 4
    Keep the spray handy for when it happens again. I hope it's not on the freeway or on some incline. If that's all it took do you really think Ford would want all of the complaints. Good Luck to you sir.
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    Called and they did not tell me anything about the number of complaints for a recall. My phone call is added to the ones that have called or will call now that what you were told has been conveyed.
  • gmiller1225gmiller1225 Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2010
    I have a 2007 Ford Freestyle, in October 2009 I had problems with the car accelerating when stopped with my foot on the brake, the car would jump forward. I took the car into the local Ford dealer and was told the throttle body was bad. They were very aware of the problems Ford was having with this part. It took over three months to repair because the part was not available. Ford did supply me with a full size rental car for the entire three months. Now three week s ago the same problem started. I again brought the car back to Ford and was told the Throttle body was again bad, they supplied a rental car and five days latter I had my car back. Now today two weeks after getting my car back, my car again started accelerating while stopped at a light with my foot on the brakes. I could not stop the car from going forward, and hit the truck in front of me. Not once but three times because the car keep accelerating until the vehicle actually stopped running. I can say I am thankful we were not the first car at the intercession because the accident could have been much worse, and I had three children in the car. Now Ford is in a hurry to pick up my vehicle from where it was towed, not sure I should let them.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    so sorry to hear that you actually had an accident. That had to be frightening to you and the kids. Ford needs to step up to the plate and realize that replacing the TB is not getting at the heart of the problem.
  • dutchmgdutchmg Member Posts: 1
    We too have had our throttle body replaced back in March. all was well until last week when on vacation after a 6 hour drive and on a very hot day the car all of a sudden started reving up at the stop light. The display showed FAIL SAFE MODE. I brought it into the dealer yesterday and they of course can not duplicate it or find any stored computer codes. We love the car but we cannot help to think about all the Toyota problems. The dealer assures us that we will still be able to shut of the car or select neutral if it ever happens again.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    Ford Customer relations has sent me a survey to take and i intend on letting them know how concerned i am over this issue and am going to make them aware that i have just seen 2 reports of accidents due to "lurching" (your accident and then another on another forum. Would you mind if I just copied the "body" of your post (will not use your "name" at all). I think it would carry a lot of weight to have supporting documentation of the "recommended" repair being done twice and still you had the same problem and a wreck on top of that.
    thanks
  • gmiller1225gmiller1225 Member Posts: 2
    I wish I could agree with Ford that you can turn the car off, but having been in this situation, I do not agree. This happens so fast and after weeks with no problem you are not expecting your car to accelerate on its own, you would have to know it was going to happen to get your car shut off in time.
  • alexapfalexapf Member Posts: 6
    Please report this to the NHTSA they have to recall the part or the vehicles and incidents like the one you had are the ones that prompt and investigation.
    I'm glad you are fine.
  • jpsuitjpsuit Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I got our 2006 FS Limited in early April. We bought it from our local dealership where we were assured it was a solid vehicle (naturally). It first malfunctioned in on 7-19 when we were out of town at the 80K mile mark. Found the local Ford dealership where we were and got it diagnosed as the throttle body. They reset the fault and we made it home without incident. That night I found this forum. The next day I went to the local dealership where we bought the Freestyle, and the service department there confirmed the problems people are having and suggested that I contact Ford Costumer Care. I called Ford and they said "they could not pursue the issue farther until they had a diagnostic report from the "home" dealership". We thought this was ridiculous. We have filed complaints with NHTSA, the Better Business Bureau, our State Attorney Generals Office. How many complaints will NHTSA need in order to pressure Ford. As of 7-20 when I called them they told me they had 26 complaints with this issue. It is really wrong of Ford not to take action on this issue. Does anyone know the full scope of the issue, in terms of how many Freestyle/ 500's were produced vs. throttle body complaints?
  • kberly531kberly531 Member Posts: 6
    just got car back, it took three weeks, cost $780. I will be emailing Ford and complaining but I will give my dealership rave reviews they gave me a loaner to use the whole time.
  • davidmccallumdavidmccallum Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Ford Freestyle that started lurching like the others I have read about in this post. I have been told that the throttle body is on back order, it has been nearly one month. The have not told me about the problems so many people are having with this part. They are saying it will take $700 dollars to fix. This is awful that they would charge to fix a defective part. I have two more years to pay on this car and can't drive becuase it is not safe. What do they expect people to do. I will never buy another Ford.
  • fordinbhamfordinbham Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I purchased a Ford Freestyle from a Birmingham, AL dealership after having trouble with our 3 year old Ford Explorer. What dealership did you have trouble with and how was it resolved? Any advise you could give would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    edited August 2010
    Never really resolved. I took it to a Ford Dealership and they cleaned whatever was making my throttle control stick and so far I have not had any more extensive problems. It accelerates sometime, but not like before. It does scare me a little though. It may get worse and cause an accident. Who knows?
    Another person wrote how to clean your throttle control himself on this site. I do not remember the name right off. It was posting 176.
    The dealership I had trouble with was not a Ford dealership and I had a Ford Explorer Sport Trac and loved it. I only got rid of it since I had been driving it for 10 years.
    One more thing is to call the NHSTA 1-88-327-4236 and Ford CRC 1-800-392-3673 and make a complaint. Have your VIN # handy. I along with others are trying to get a recall and they said it matters with how many complaints they get.
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    I got an email from an investigator with the NHTSA. He inquired about my problem and said that he needed me to answer some questions for him since they are conducting an "in-depth study" of the problem. If you would like to or like to receive a sign of reliefp call NHTSA 1-888-327-4236 and help influence a recall. Not having the Freestyle even a year, I can not afford to fix a problem that is a result of FORD!
  • ilovebeer1975ilovebeer1975 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, happy but sad owners of the ford freestyle, i love our new to us car we really do. Sitting in the french quater of new orelans is not a place to have your car suddenly surge forward and almost hit predestrians. we also have had the same issues as most of the people on this site, we bought the car knowing it had defects such as the steering wheel radio buttons were not working the air would not work untill you got up to 4000 rmp's, but our biggest issue was the throttle body sensor. the mechanic that looked at it at the ford place said it would cost 700 something dollars to fix, i am a mechanic unless that part cost 5 to 600 dollars i dont see the labor in 700 dollars. back to the issue we started to surge also there really needs to be a recall!!!!!!!!!!! on this part the mechanic said there was water running through the throttle body sensor unless vechiles have changed soooooo much in my life i dont see the point in cooling a throttle body sensor with antifreeze. we had it fixed and it costed us 370 dollars. we told them to put the money from fixing the sterring wheel button torward the sensor... ford must do something of this issue we almost hit a mother and her baby crossing the road in new orelans due to the lurching forward at a stop, city driving with the air on high auto with the climite control on. :confuse: :lemon: :mad: if they were a little closer we would have hit that child.........
  • abessengerabessenger Member Posts: 10
    Read my post (190). An investigator from NHTSA emailed me about the complaint that I had and reported it to them after mine had done the surging. They told me that they were doing an in depth study and wanted to know all of the details. I suggest you call NHTSA and make the complaint about what happened to you and this may help get a recall. There is no sense in the consumer having to pay for a problem that they need to fix. The number is on the post. I do not have that particular one pulled up right now so I can not give it to you. Let's bond together and make this problem become a problem of theirs, but at the same time working in our favor.
  • madden322madden322 Member Posts: 7
    ">I have a 2006 Freestyle that I had the throttle body replaced in in 2008(?) and today, it finally died after it, too, had been lurching for weeks...and guess the diagnosis - throttle body - it has failed again!

    I have now had my car in the shop for work covered by my extended warranty 16 times!!!!! Three times for the A/C and now twice for the throttle body. As far as I have read, they are on backorder (not sure of my current wait time). Luckily, I have a rental car in my warranty agreement...now if only the Enterprise lot they have a contract with actually HAD any vehicles....that would be nice!

    By the way, I am right outside Dallas, TX.
  • alexapfalexapf Member Posts: 6
    1. My dealership is in NY, I called Ford Corp and emailed them everyday documenting the safety issues.
    2.I also called the NHTSA to report the issue. You must do this as Ford allegedly does not have to report these safety issues to them.
    3.My auto insurance company covered most of the cost under a mechanical breakdown clause.
    I also intent to get a refund for the Extended Warranty .
  • alexapfalexapf Member Posts: 6
    Please report it to the NHTSA this issue is under current investigation. It only takes 10 mins online or on the phone.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    i have filed an online report with NHTSA and communicated via emails with Ford Customer relations. I was hot on this about 2 weeks ago. It has been 2 weeks since i had Fuel Induction service done INSTEAD of replacing the throttle body and i have had NO problems.
    I will be calling the NHTSA this week as maybe a phone call will allow me to express the urgency in getting a safe diagnosis and fix to the problem. I really am not sure the the TB is the problem, but the diagnostic computer thinks so because of the gunked up fuel system.
  • mediaslinkymediaslinky Member Posts: 1
    Here is a link to my story.

    The key is to apply public pressure to Ford, and keep the complaints coming into the NHTSA.

    I have started a facebook page for people to participate in sharing their story. When enough people join, we can get some buzz in the news.

    One person said that only 419 people have filed complaints with the NHTSA. But backorder numbers indicate the problem has affected thousands of cars. FILE A REPORT! Do it.

    Aside from the financial burden, this is a dangerous issue. stalls at highway speeds, or sudden lunges forward at an intersection will eventually cause a death.
  • herfreestyleherfreestyle Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2010
    Our family owns a 2005 Freestyle that we bought new at the Employee Pricing sale in the summer of 2005. It now has (only) 40,000 miles. It's Mom's Taxi to school, soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse, and the Grocery store. We haven't experienced any of the surging /stalling problems yet, but I like to be aware of them.
    I know that Ford made the Freestyle and the later renamed Taurus X with different engines and transmissions. I have the 3.0 liter engine with the CVT and FWD. Ford later used the 3.5 liter engine and some cars have a conventional 5 or 6 speed automatic transmission, and some are FWD and others AWD.
    Does anyone know if the 3.0 and 3.5 liter engines share the same Throttle Body?
    Anyway, if you would just take a moment and list your engine size and transmission it would be helpful. The engine size is printed on a white Ford emissions decal located just above the radiator. If your Freestyle accelerates from zero to sixty without shifting, you have the Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT), and if your savvy enough to be on this forum, you must know whether you have front or all wheel drive.
    Thanks for you input, I'll be following this forum closely.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    Mine is a 2007 SEL FWD 3.0L CVT.
    Like you i loved the size and the "idea" of the car. My "lurching" started at about 37K but was not happening all of the time, mostly i noticed it when i was pulling into my carport. This summer it became more frequent and made me more nervous as my 15 year old son was beginning to drive. It really got bad this summer as we began to have use the A/C. I also had to have the A/C compressor replaced thisi summer and an engine mount replaced for $1300. Once the A/C got fixed, the "lurching" became a real issue. Ford wanted to replace the throttle body but we opted for the Fuel Induction cleaning for $125 as our 1st option. Car has been running great for the lat 2 weeks and am praying that this is all that it needed.
  • beachitbeachit Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 Freestyle that requires a new transmission. Surged/lunged while stopped at a light in July. I almost hit the car in front of me. Took it immediately to my mechanic. He couldn't get a "error message" nor could he get the car to repeat the surge/lunge.
    During a trip from Michigan to Virginia on August 12th, after about 8 hours into my trip, the car went haywire (surged - all lights came on) while on cruise control. Turned the car off and sat on the side of the road. Turned it back on and everything was fine. About 2 hours later, the car went haywire again. Found a mechanic (after 7pm - how lucky was that???) who was able to pull up a code "Trans Control Failure". Told me I would be able to make it to Virginia Beach but I should not use the cruise control. Made it to Virginia Beach and took it to the dealership where I bought the car. Was told I need a new transmission. Car has only 40,000 miles on it. Contacted Ford Customer Care. The new transmission cost is $7,000. Ford agreed to pay 1/2 and I have to pay $3,500. I should not have to pay anything.This is NOT acceptable.
    The transmission should have been recalled. I have contacted NHTSA.
    PLEASE - EVERYBODY OUT THERE WHO IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO CONTACT THE NHTSA. Their telephone number is 1-888-327-4236.
    Ford needs to stand behind their products. No way should a transmission fail at 40,000 miles.
  • trotterdog69trotterdog69 Member Posts: 3
    ??? Did you have an extended warranty??? Second question why didn't you replace the throttle body? The throttle body has been known to cause a fire while the vehilce is not moving.... My understanding is the the MAF and throttle body are connected together in which they control the gas mixture etc. I had an extended warranty however, my coverage indicated that it was not covered, however, when the extended warranty company asked for codes, and the additional codes, the $1500 that it cost was completely covered. Now because of this issue, they recommended that I have the fuel injection cleaned at the same time to reduce and remove any build up that maybe there to prevent it from causing a problem again with the throttle body etc. The problem is that the company that is making the throttle bodies for this vehicle are on back order and it took almost 1 month to get my part, and my insurance only covered 4 days of rental coverage. So, I called Ford Motor in Detroit at the customer service number and spoke to a customer service rep. She took the information down, opened a ticket, contacted the dealership found out the same information on the back order that I was told, and I had asked for them to pay for a rental car since it was their delay. FORD covered my vehicle completely and actually gave me a bigger car than I would have gotten on a regular rental. The other issue is that I had the same problem where it was intermittant and they could never find anything wrong with it or even a code. They did the same thing that you did on fuel injection cleaning and it did not do anything and eventually ended up several monthly later with my vehicle going into fail safe mode and having a wrench on the dash, and eventually dying. I was told many times over and over by FORD directly that if it happens again, bring the vehicle in while the lunging is happening and do not shut it off so that they can hook it up immediately to the machine to get the reading of the codes and that is what I did this time and they got the codes that they needed..... And I told them what it was when I brought it in, and they confirmed it..... So, please be aware of this problem..........Also, I also thougt it was the A/C and had it replaced as well............
  • trotterdog69trotterdog69 Member Posts: 3
    WAS IT A FORD MECHANIC THAT YOU TOOK IT TO AT 7 PM ????? The reason why I asked is because a majority of mechanic's out there are not familar with a lot of the newer vehicles and their codes, and I had a similar problem with another vehicle that was not a FORD, and was informed of this information from the Automotive Repair Bureau. Even the mechanic that I have that comes to my home to do work on my 1998 vehicle had indicated the same thing about mechanics doing work on vehicles when they really don't know what they are doing or have any knowledge of that vehicle...... Because you had the Trans Control Failure you should not have driven it at all. It should have been taken directly to the nearest FORD by tow truck. Because you drove it with a failure you placed your transmission at risk. This is why FORD made you pay 1/2. Yes, it is not fair that you had to pay for it. If I were you, I would SUE the mechanic that told you it was safe to drive it especially if he had stated to you that you would not cause any damage if that was the case, but you did not indicate that here. So, I will keep you in prayer in this matter......
  • freestyler05freestyler05 Member Posts: 1
    I am new to this forum. I have a 2005 LE Freestyle (front wheel drive) that we purchased new. I have experienced the sudden surging/lurching over the past year or so, but it was so occasional and subtle that I thought I was imagining it. Then this week I almost hit a car in the school car rider line and it was definitely NOT my imagination. The car suddenly lurched forward (not subtly!) when I was STOPPED with my foot on the brake. It was a hot day & I'd just turned on the AC so my son would be comfortable (I usually don't use the AC that much). Also last week I almost hit a car when my car surged while I was backing out of a parking space (again, I'd just turned on the AC because I had other people w/ me). I only mention the AC because other posts have mentioned that variable. And because my incidents have increased this summer during the hot weather.

    Most of my car's surges have happened when I was backing out of a parking space. But the accelerations were not quick/fast - I remember thinking "why am I having to brake so hard to stop when I'm barely moving??" I dismissed the thought that the car was accelerating (must be my imagination, because a car doesn't drive itself, right?). Anyway what happened this week (car suddenly lurching FORWARD from a complete stop!), and reading the MANY accounts of people having the same problem, has put it all in perspective for me. I agree that someone could be seriously hurt or killed and I shudder to think what might've happened if I'd been stopped at the front of the line where the kids were crossing in front of the cars. And now I'm twiggin' about driving, since it's happening more often and will most likely only get worse. I can't believe there's been so many incidents but no action by Ford or the NHTSA or whoever else could help. What's even scarier is having to wait months on the supposed fix (new throttle control - assuming you can afford it), with maybe no reimbursement for the rental car, and then it happening again AFTER the new throttle control. Seems like we're just screwed.

    Anyway back to the facts. Most of my surges happened when the car was moving slowly in reverse. Fortunately it's always responded to hard braking. I have not experienced any "stall outs" during highway driving. However several times this summer the engine has unexpectedly "revved" while driving at higher speeds (45-55 mph). Again, it was subtle and only for a minute, so I overlooked it. Just kept telling my husband the car had a lot of "quirks" and I didn't feel so safe in it anymore.

    FYI I will follow through by calling Ford CRC and filing an online complaint w/ the NHTSA. Thanks for all the info, phone numbers & website links. I guess I'll have to run it by the Ford dealer as well. Good luck everyone and maybe some good will come out of this before someone is killed or seriously injured. Think of all the unsafe Freestyles on the roads right now because their owners can't afford to fix the problem (or because they think their "little" problem isn't that big of a deal). I'm definitely going to enlighten the one other Freestyle owner I know in case she's been experiencing similar issues.
  • 06freestylemar06freestylemar Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2010
    We are also experiencing these problems. We have been approached by 3 separate FREESTYLE vehicle owners in our town asking if share these commonalties. These details are the same: surging and lurching with foot on brake and the AC is on. Stalling and wrench light with codes indicating Throttle failure. Our HVAC (AC compressor) has failed and is on back order. FORD customer service states these are not common issues.... well someone needs to read these forums here and on FACE BOOK.
    I am cutting and pasting another poster's information for everyone to read:
    "The only way we can make sure the dealer fixes this problem is to call the Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 1-888-327-4236 and file a complaint. After they review the complaint they have the authority to request that the Dealer issues a recall and fix the issues. I just did this myself and it took me about 20 minutes, however, a case number was sent to me immediately. If we all take 20 minutes of our time, we can have Ford fix these problems and who knows? maybe even save somebody's life... " Kiecr poster on another FORD forum thread @ EDMUNDS.
    After reading post 198: I called the NH TSB and filed a complaint. I figure twenty minutes of my time my save my life and someone else. Additionally, it may prompt FORD to recall and save me money. PLEASE take a moment and call, they are very friendly and patient @ the NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY BOARD, aka...NH TSB.
  • hotbitehotbite Member Posts: 5
    I was having this problem for months. And like yours, running the AC in the summertime made it worse. I read on numerous sites that I needed to get the throttle body replaced and it would cost between $600-$800. Before trying that, I decided to try a bottle of Gumout fuel system cleaner. It cost about $12. I also upgraded to 89 octane. Believe it or not, it worked! My Freestyle hasn't lunged since. If your problem returns, rather than paying the $125 to have the dealership clean the system, try this first! Best of luck.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    it has been almost 5 weeks since i had the fuel induction service done and not ONE problem. I have yet to hear from Ford or the NHTSA since filing my report.
    It really bothers me that so many people are having problems and having to suffer with worrying about the cause, fix, cost to fix etc. I was recently visiting a local Retirement home delivery flowers to a chruch member when i had the opportunity to park next to a Ford Freestyle. Before i left i jotted out a quick note (and stuck it on the door) about the problem I was having and referring the owner to this website and leaving my contact information in case they wanted to chat. I am sure they thought some insane person left it. At least i tried.
  • lcjesselcjesse Member Posts: 30
    i did not get the new throttle body because i wanted to try something cheaper since i had just spent $1300 getting the A/C replaced and the engine mount replaced. I had not read/heard about the "fire"issue. Now more things to worry about. I did not buy an extended warranty because i "foolishly" believed that a $27K car would "hold" up and that Ford built a quality product. From most posts i have read you really have to work to convince them to apply the warranty. Not sure if it was before or after i had the Fuel Induction service done where at least 2 owners had the TB replaced and w/in 3 weeks had the same problems recurr. Hope i can get another couple of years out of this vehicle.
  • madden322madden322 Member Posts: 7
    Ok - I just saw the words "fire issue"...can someone explain? This IS a new one!
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