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By the way...I rear ended someone last spring while I was stopped at a signal. It was sudden and unexpected. I just assumed it was my fault, but now I'm not so sure.
Good luck. So far I've had mine back for 5 days in 97 degree weather with A/C going full blast and not ONE lurch.
I also update my case with the NHTSA site with what fixed my car. It seems like a simple fix that they don't look for because the diagnostic test point to the Throttle body. But bet the TB looks bad because it is not getting what it needs to function correctly due the the build up in the fuel system.
The service was very expensive and I can't believe they would charge me 192.61 for parts (fluid). :confuse:
When I wouldn't give a go-ahead for the fix, the mechanic warned me that it's really unsafe to drive the car. He said that my current lack of control will quickly increase and even turn into major acceleration with the inability to stop. He even cautioned me that the "the engine could seize" if I drove.
When I got home, I looked up the problem on the internet and found that I wasn't the only person who had the bad throttle issue, but the potential charge I was given appeared high compared to the numbers other people were charged (maybe because I'm a woman?).
The mechanic called me one last time and said he'd work on getting the price down to help me out.
So, now I know it's not MY poor maintenance problems, but obviously a design flaw with the throttle body on the freestyle. I'm very nervous about driving the car, so I'm hoping that another dealership will actually do the right thing and help me get this addressed for a decent price or replace the defective part for free. Has anyone else had any luck with getting Ford to step up and remedy this problem? If it's so common hopefully they have started to work on the issue.
I'm not sure if I should take it to a honest mechanic who works in town or let the Ford crew do the repairs since they're so used to do this. Any insight you can provide would be really helpful.
good luck
before i got mine fixed (with Fuel Induction service, not replacing the throttle body) i was almost to the point of trading it in but hated to think of the next buyer being unaware of the problem and having an accident. Mine has been driving great since i had the service done but you'd better believe that i am always paying close attention to what my car does every time i come to a stop and i always try to allow more space than normal between me and the car in front just in case.
It is awful to be afraid to drive your own car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Acceleration problems were fixed without any further problems by having a fuel induction service completed.
Anybody else have an A/C die on them? the dealer said this was very rare....
Thanks for your help.
-Ken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4gbX3NR8U
Other options are to buy a used unit and replace your bad one with that one, but make sure you get one with a warranty.
CC
I'm taking car in shop tomorrow.
Has anyone had problems with water leaking in trunk area ? Just noticed about 3 inches of water in tire well. Dried that out,and now a lot of moisture and water underneath the carpet in trunk.
Taking car tomorrow to have looked at, but scared it's going to be lots of $$$$.
If you park the vehicle heading down hill you will probably be okay. I am too cheap to spend $800 so mine is always backed into my driveway so it is heading down hill and I do not have any more water in the wheel well.
Recently I have had to have the alternator replaced ($1000) and soon after that myA/C compressor went out and I had to replace that as well (another $1200)....soon after that I started having the same lunging problem everyone else has been discussing and have called and emailed Ford several times and get the same "sorry you are not satisfied with your vehicle but you no longer have a warrenty and the repair expense is up to you." response as everyone else is getting. I did go up there with a vehicle report that I found that relates to the "lunging" issue and it explained to the dealership how to fix the problem....this was something to do with the Throttle body being replaced and a new software download (that has to be done at the dealership).....this "FIX" is going to cost me another $2000 according to the dealership...this is money I do not have since I just replaced the compressor last month. I am going to try and do what you said above and see if this fixes my problem. Thank you so much for posting this....now I just have to see if this single mom that knows nothing about car repairs can do this .... I can let you know how it goes
I sold my 2005 Freestyle a couple of years ago because I no longer needed such a big vehicle. I have to admit that even though I didn't have any problems that I needed to pay for, another reason I sold it was because of the posts I read here. Maybe once it's back in good running order, you might decide if you really need a big three row vehicle and get rid of the Freestyle.
Was thinking about have fuel induction cleaning done again for good measure, but maybe I'll try the Lucase Upper Cylinder lubricant.