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Ford Freestyle Lots of Problems

300 messages,  Last post on Nov 14, 2012 at 6:19 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Freestyle, SUV

    

Messages Page 21 of 31

#198 of 300 Engine / Transmission would be helpful by herfreestyle

Aug 12, 2010 (8:00 am)

  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.

#200 of 300 Re: Engine / Transmission would be helpful [herfreestyle] by lcjesse

Aug 12, 2010 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: herfreestyle (Aug 12, 2010 8:00 am)
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.

#201 of 300 2006 Freestyle CVT transmission 40,000 miles by beachit

Aug 27, 2010 (11:14 am)

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.

#202 of 300 Re: Engine / Transmission would be helpful [lcjesse] by trotterdog69

Aug 27, 2010 (11:02 pm)

Replying to: lcjesse (Aug 12, 2010 8:06 pm)
??? 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............

#203 of 300 Re: 2006 Freestyle CVT transmission 40,000 miles [beachit] by trotterdog69

Aug 27, 2010 (11:13 pm)

Replying to: beachit (Aug 27, 2010 11:14 am)
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......

#204 of 300 Ditto on the surging/lurching/engine revving! by freestyler05

Aug 27, 2010 (11:34 pm)

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.

#205 of 300 Throttle body and HVAC (AC) by 06freestylemar

Aug 30, 2010 (8:29 am)

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.

#206 of 300 Re: Engine / Transmission would be helpful [lcjesse] by hotbite

Aug 31, 2010 (8:04 pm)

Replying to: lcjesse (Aug 12, 2010 8:06 pm)
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.

Messages Page 21 of 31

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