10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,253 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Ford Freestyle transmission problems

transmission problem

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2005 Ford Freestyle Owner Comments (Page 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #39

Jul 012010

Freestyle

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Throttle surges when in reverse. This has happened for about a month and a half off and on. Now starting to surge a little when in drive. When your foot is on the brake and not on the gas, the car tries to accelerate.

- Union , KY, USA

problem #38

Jul 172009

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact was stopped at a traffic stop with the air conditioner activated when there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms. The consumer attempted to accelerate but the contact applied the brakes to avoid crashing into the vehicle ahead of her. The vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to immediately restart the vehicle and shut off the air conditioner. The dealer advised having a diagnostic performed on the vehicle but the contact declined. The failure recurred twice followed by the illumination of the check engine, check transmission and throttle control warning lights illuminated. Each time, the contact would shut off the engine and when restarting, the vehicle would resume normal operation. In addition, the cruise control was no longer operable. The manufacturer advised that there were no related recalls and would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000 and the current mileage was approximately 83,000. Updated 10/21/10. Lj the vehicle was diagnosed as having internal failure in the transmisson. Updated 10/26/10

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #37

Jul 232010

Freestyle

  • 98,000 miles
My 2005 Ford Freestyle began jerking backwards while in reverse to the point that I could not control the directions or speed the car was going. This was especially dangerous backing out of parking spaces. Today while backing out of a spot my car jerked back several times then would not switch in to drive and stalled. After restarting, the car went into drive and I pulled out on to a busy street. The check engine light then came on and the car would not go above 30 mph. I had to quickly pull over so I didn't get hit and killed and shut the car off and restarted it. The check engine light did not come back on but I went to auto zone to get it diagnosed. The codes came back saying something about an internal module and the tac switch. I tried backing out of the parking spot at auto zone and the car would jerk backwards and then stall. I have not successfully found any information on exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #36

Oct 122009

Freestyle

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Cvt transmission for 2005 Ford Freestyle had catastrophic failure at 65,000 miles. Transmission fluid was fine and checked at 61,000. The failure included pieces of the transmission piercing the outer casing and depositing metal parts on the driveway along with a great deal of fluid. The vehicle did not show any indications (lights, shifting or anything else) that the transmission was in jeopardy. My worry would be for others is that if the core of the transmission pierced the case it could have entered the passenger cabin.

- Normal, IL, USA

problem #35

Jul 172010

Freestyle

  • 59,800 miles
Two incidents - while maneuvering at parking lots (external temperature around 100 degrees), vehicle's engine surged and vehicle lurched forward and a second time backward. Had to apply heavy breaking to avoid hitting a tree in the first incident and other cars on the second incident. After a few seconds the engine shut down and the message engine safe mode appeared in the panel. After turning the ignition off and on again, the problem disappeared.

- Liberty Twp., OH, USA

problem #34

Jul 172010

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. While driving in reverse the rpms would increase which prevented the transmission from shifting in gear. The vehicle would also lunged backwards intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there were no related recalls. The dealer also stated that they were aware of the transmission problems. The contact does not know if they will repair the failure or not. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileages were 116,000. The consumer stated when he shifted the gear into reverse, the engine revved without any pressure to the accelerator pedal. It was only when he applied heavy pressure to the brake did the engine rev down to idle. Updated evoq 11/15/10

- Niagara Falls, NY, USA

problem #33

Jul 072010

Freestyle 4WD 6-cyl

  • 66,961 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was parked with the car in park. I went to put the car in the garage. I had to turn it around first. I put car in drive and drove forward a little. Stopped put in reverse, drove backwards a little then put back in drive and just as I was stopping car lurched forward, hitting my deep freezer. The car has acted like it wanted to go forward before when I put on the brakes lightly. This has happened about 4 times but, today was the worst.

- New Bern, NC, USA

problem #32

Jun 202005

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 68,421 miles
Have been experiencing the AWD malfunction message and traction control light coming on. Had it in to be looked at. Dealer replaced the pump pressure sensor. The problem went away for a few months but has returned. Dealer again replaced the pump pressure sensor. My wife got 5 minutes from the dealer and the messages reappeared. Dealer now says the rear differential oil pump needs to be replaced. I just spent 2 hours reading from other freesytle owners who have been through the same thing. Ford doesn't specify that the rear differential oil should be changed at any certain mileage, but from what I have read this is what causes the pump to fail. Furthermore, when this pump goes bad it causes the computer to mess up preventing the alternator from re-charging. My wife barely made it to work before the care shut down. If it would have happened on the interstate during rush hour I'd be typing this from the hospital. Please look into this as I"M no the only Freestyle owner to have the same problems. Go to www.myfordfreestyle.com to see more.

- Alexander, NC, USA

problem #31

May 142010

Freestyle

  • 60,000 miles
Ford Freestyle 2005 when put in reverse the car will jerk/throw you back and stall. A failsafe warning come on and the car shuts down. This has happened twice since May 11th after I had a car accident. I was told it was the throttle body and it wasn't covered under my extended warranty or insurance due to the accident. Was told by two Ford service managers they have never seen that before. Then I find online the thousand of other Ford Freestyle owners that have the same problem. This should be a recall.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #30

May 272010

Freestyle

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the automatic transmission would suddenly go into safe mode which caused the vehicle to stall and lose power when he was driving. The failure occurred between speeds of 55 mph and 65 mph. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the dealer added transmission fluid. The failure occurred again however. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the contact would be responsible for the repair costs associated with replacing the transmission. The current and failure mileages were approximately 64,000.

- Kenneth Square, PA, USA

problem #29

Apr 102010

Freestyle

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car experiences sudden surges and acceleration when idling (in forward or reverse), and will suddenly drop into failsafe mode at highway speed, requiring turning off the car and restarting in order to drive at speed. Car drops into failsafe and will not reset - check engine light remains on. Have replaced and cleaned air filter, air intake, maf sensor. Suspect throttle body replacement needed, but the only manufacturer of Ford throttle bodies has gone out of business and Ford has failed to identify or provide replacement parts.

- Broadlands, VA, USA

problem #28

May 252010

Freestyle 6-cyl

  • 79,000 miles
Loud noises coming from car, engine, transmission days prior to driving to work. Driving to work car turns off and comes to stop in the middle of busy intersection. Can start car but can't move it. Car does not move forward or backward. Having car looked at by dealer. Reading message boards and finding out that there are many, no wait lots of other people experiencing the same thing. People being told to replace transmissions only to have them repeatedly break multiple times. Make: Ford model: Freestyle transmission: Cvt.

- East Troy, WI, USA

problem #27

Mar 012010

Freestyle

  • 82,500 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that at 60,000 miles, the oil pump and supply tube were replaced. Then at 83,000 miles the side shaft gear began to malfunction. The contact felt that the failure was due to the lack of lubricant the oil pump received when it was replaced. The dealer advised the contact that the two failures were not related and the shaft gear would have to be repaired at his expense. Furthermore, the contact stated that the transmission slipped and he was concerned that the vehicle might stall while he was driving. The failure mileage was approximately 82,500. The current mileage was approximately 83,000.

- Oakland , CA, USA

problem #26

Dec 022009

Freestyle

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicles rpms decreased while the vehicle was in the drive position, it surged, jolted forward and then backwards. A local mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact also took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact attempted to file a complaint with the Ford manufacturer but he was told to take the vehicle to the dealer first. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 77,000.

- Poland, OH, USA

problem #25

Aug 152009

Freestyle

  • 58,000 miles
Ford Freestyle 2005 limited edition throttle body needed replacement however part was back ordered for 6 months and now they don't have the right part. I had a heated throttle body that I paid for on the car and now they are switching it to a non heated. So if I go to the snow im sol.

- South Gate, CA, USA

problem #24

Aug 152009

Freestyle

  • 78,000 miles
2005 Ford Freestyle 3.0 liter V6. Uncommanded high revs which can launch the car unexpectedly if one does not have their foot firmly on the brake. Problem in linked to the autothrottle body. Also activates engine light. Part on order, however Ford has pushed back the date of supply of part several times. I believe that the part should be recalled for safety reasons due to the possibility of accident by the car's uncommanded high revolutions and the possibility of the car lurching forward or back and impacting an object.

- Camden, NC, USA

problem #23

Sep 152009

Freestyle

  • 35,000 miles
I was leaving a parking lot, after stopping, to enter a two lane street with traffic both ways. Somehow the cvt transmission seemed to remain in high gear. I crept out into traffic at a slow crawl with horns honking and tires screeching. I was luck it is a small town and I wasn't hit.

- Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA

problem #22

Jul 232009

Freestyle

  • 38,890 miles
Unexpected transmission failure in brisk traffic. No warning lights issued on the dash until failure, dealer saw no codes on the computer.

- Livonia, MI, USA

problem #21

May 102009

Freestyle

  • 66,000 miles
Ctv transmission in '05 Ford Freestyle models have been trouble since the day they were put on the market. What the dealers didn't divulge is that you are not likely to replace parts of this type of transmission, rather you need to replace the whole thing. The situations that arise, outside of being stranded, is that the engine is not reliable. It can make the car jerk, hesitate, jump forward and backward and some cases, the transmission pretty much disintegrated on the ground. There are many complaints about this abuse that Ford has bestowed on it's customers.

- Triangle, VA, USA

problem #20

Mar 032009

Freestyle

  • 60,000 miles
Component: Power train:automatic transmission details: 2005 Ford Freestyle - I have had my vehicle back to the dealer 5 times for this issue, when moving from reverse to drive, the wrench light on the dash comes on and when pressing on the gas, the car does not move. Finally, after "flooring it", the car moved slowly until approximately 20 mph. The problem seems to occur approximately every 6 months or 8000-10000 miles. Ford has changed the same parts every time and the problem still recurs. It is in the shop for over 2 weeks again. I have an extended warranty but Ford refuses to change out the transmission, only replace the same parts every time. I'm bewildered and disappointed in Ford corporate customer service and the inability to fix the problem.

- Baraboo, WI, USA

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