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.
On February 11th I had the recall done that reflashed computer and cleaned throttle body. The 12th and 13 it was unseasonably warm and the vehicle ran great. On the 14th the vehicle would not move at all. The temp was below 15 degrees. I could not drive my car for a month. When the temps went up into the 20's the car ran fine. I called the dealer to report the problem and was informed that the recall could only be completed once. On March 7th I cleaned the throttle body myself and found a ring of carbon around the butterfly. After cleaning the car was running good again. This was less than 400 miles after the recall had been completed. The symptoms of the jerking have gone away with the cleaning. The continuous problem seems to be the engine and malfunction light will come on and the vehicle reduces power and speed. Seems to be at lower temperatures. Yesterday it was 20 out and it did this. I have inspected the air and vacuum hoses to the throttle body and cannot find any loose, or broken. I have sprayed around throttle body gaskets while vehicle is running and can find no vacuum leaks. I don't think this is completely a throttle body issue. I believe the cvt transmission is to blame. In November I had the transmission fluids and sump filter changed. I did this because of the complaints of early transmission failure. Usually the failure occurs when vehicle is under load, ie going up hills etc. And appears to be temperature related.
For about 6 months prior to 10/02/12 I began to have intermittent problems with my Freestyle lunging forward in drive and your foot was on the brake, or lunging backwards at slow speeds in the same scenario. It had gotten so bad that troubles started bleeding over into the gears not catching when I put it in drive or reverse. It was throwing tons of codes, so I ended up having it towed to the dealership. They read the codes and said the throttle body needed to be replaced and hopefully after it's replaced the other codes will go away. So after a bill of $1038. The throttle body was fixed, or was it" my problems only continued, now we were into the cvt transmission. With my car still throwing tons of codes, it was determined that the tranny was bad. As I hung my head low, knowing what this involved, I kept trying to reset the codes and see how long she would go before she gave up again. 3 tows later and to a transmission shop, I ended up with a $3000 rebuilt transmission :-( the throttle body is a known issue, but yet Ford doesn't have a recall and is allowing its loyal customers to pay out the ying-yang for this thing. The tranny, the same thing, because it's a cvt 'very special and no one works on them' lol, tons of people have done the same thing and only had the option to replace the tranny. I am so upside down in my car and tried like hell to get into another one but to no avail, did I mention I only have 75,000 miles on my car"! this is a tragedy to me. I've been a loyal Ford owner for my entire life, and it saddens me to see so many customers that have the same car and are getting shafted because 'big money' doesn't want to address an obviously dangerous issue. Hoping that by stating my concerns and what I had to go through that something will be done. I have my receipts and that's great and all but I'm also out $4,000...in this economy, that sucks for me.
On increasingly frequent occasions, my 2006 Ford Freestyle sel fwd vehicle has surged (or lunged) during very low/0 speed maneuvers, such as turning into, or backing out of a parking space/garage; queuing up in a right or left turn lane, or waiting at a stop light/sign for traffic to clear; or navigating tight passages, I.e., parking garage exit lanes and drive-through lanes. The problem seems to be exacerbated by hot weather and/or A/C operation and/or steering wheel movement. This problem had occurred prior to 9/6/2011, but with very rare frequency. Now however, I am experiencing this problem on an almost daily basis. I am deeply concerned that there is a real safety issue developing with this model. If I don't have my foot firmly planted on the brake, the car can surge (fairly rapidly) forward or backward a good 10 - 20 feet.
Lost power from the engine causing lost speed. Unable to accelerate. Engine sputtered. Since the first episode, I have had continued episodes. Typically worse when the engine warms up. Car completely stopped and was unable to restart the engine on a trip of about 75 miles. Had to have the car towed to a local dealership. We have replaced ignition coil, spark plug, intake manifold gaskets, throttle body assembly without improvement of the condition.
My car was parked and idling with the air conditioning on (husband was in the passenger's seat, and kids in the back and it was very hot), I got into the car, put it in to reverse with my foot on the brake and it surged backwards going very fast. It almost hit a lady but I was able to slam down hard on the brakes and stop it. I then drove it limping along because it wouldn't' shift, to the nearest dealer. There they replaced the throttle body and some fluids and charged me $1000. It hasn't happened since but now that I know it is a common problem and can reoccur, I am looking for another vehicle to replace this one.
- Bentonville, AR, USA
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.while stopped in traffic, this vehicle will, without warning, lunge forward. This has happened many many times. I have been told that the problem is the throttle body, a part that cost around 900 dollars. I feel that Ford should fix this problem because of the serious safety implications.
When I stop the car at a traffic light or any stop, the car is accelerated. And have problems to run again. This is the second time I have to replaced the throttle body.
My 2006 Ford Freestyle lurches forward at 0 to 5 mph. The lurching occurs even if I do not press the pedal. It is dangerous at intersections and when trying to park. A mechanic replaced the egr valve and it is still lurching forward..from what I have found on the internet it seems that many others are having the same problem with this vehicle.
My 2006 Ford lunges. It also loses power and cuts off while trying to drive. This happens everywhere and anywhere. Even if my foot is on the brake it will lunge forward or backward it does no discriminate. This happens all the time. It's also worse when the air conditioning is on. This could potentially be a serious situation on the highways and local streets, if the car is just cutting off while driving down the road. Lunging forward/backward could become potentially serious as well. I really hope that Ford takes responsibility for these issues. Especially since they stopped making the Freestyle what 3 yrs later. It seems to me that they realized there was some kind of an issue why else would they quit making it? I have to say other than that major problem of lunging and going through rear brakes the car itself is wonderful and not my first Ford. I love Ford vehicles, unfortunately I am a little disappointed with this one. If Ford would take responsibility and fix it that would be great! I can't afford to fix it nor get another vehicle. I feel like I have a lemon on my hands.
At a very low speed the throttle body stuck open, and the car lunged backwards. I had to slam on the breaks hard to not zoom out into the parking lot into a passing car. The check engine, "wrench" light came on and the lunging kept continuing both in forward and reverse for several seconds. Finally, it appeared to stop once I put the car in neutral, and I was able to back out of the parking space. After that, there was something definitely wrong with the throttle itself. I was unable to accelerate into traffic at the necessary rate. This is a reoccurring problem as there are hundreds if not thousands of reports and complaints about 2005-2006 Freestyles and 500S. I would hope that Ford would do the right thing and recall this part for the safety of their customers and everyone on the roadway.
My 2006 Ford Freestyle limited has major electrical problems. I have had the car lunge on me, at 0mph it would lunge forward, and in reverse. Fortunately I had my foot on the brake every time. I don't think it is the transmission. I have a feeling that it is all electrical. I have had the lunging problem since last year. (2011) and the car has been deteriorating since. Yesterday I got "check charging system" and now it kills all of the lights and gauges... yet it still kind of ran.(not very good up hill, and no indicator lights, no speedometer nothing.)another recent problem I have is the center engine (shock?)mount is busted.
My complaint mirrors verbatim others related to the May 2011 investigation opened into the "lunging" at slow speeds for the 05-07 Ford Freestyle. The ac, hot temps, & lunging. One occurrence traveling 60mph & began to "stall out" & slow on major highway with three children in car. Any pressure on fuel pedal no result. Busy traffic, could only travel max 35-40mph. Put flashers on & struggled to make it to repair shop. Turned off ac in 100 degree heat to get any kind of response from engine. I was worried & feared for mine & my children's safety. Vehicle would barely accelerate thru intersection after stopping for red light. Finally made it to shop. Vehicle was placed on machine. Codes appeared: P061B alter fuel control module error, P2106 throttle actuator forced limited. Took vehicle to Ford house & explained issues as well as codes from previous shop. Was told would be $100 for Ford to hook up for a dx. If the codes I had were same, would cost est $800 to repair. As mom of 3 & who drives great distances for work, this repair asap. Have had many occasions if not had foot firmly on brake the vehicle would've caused a wreck at stop light, pulling into, out of parking lots, etc. Car literally drives itself in D/R at 10mph with no acceleration at all after placing in D/R. on 8-12-12 was in drive thru line & car lunged at high rate of speed forward after barely lifting foot off brake. Came mm from slamming into vehicle in front. Put car in P & the vehicle died. Wrench/engine light came on. Turned engine off, turned ac off & restarted the car. I can only imagine what would've happened if this had occurred at a stop light in a busy intersection? this issue is a fatality waiting to happen. This cannot be a fluke random issue if you have rec'd 238 prior complaints regarding the exact same issue. I urge NHTSA to place a recall, if for the only reason to save lives. Updated 08-03-12 updated 09/07/2012
Backing from driveway into the street, car surged but was able to stop it when brake applied. At that point the vehicle stalled. Able to restart and continue without incident but warning "wrench" light was on indicating throttle / transmission fault was detected and service required. After restarting later that day no problems noticed and no warning light. This was the most severe case so far but had noticed some small surging in prior weeks both in reverse and drive when starting out both from cold start and from restart conditions. Further research suggests this is a well know throttle body problem for Ford Freestyle / 500 / montego models from 2005 / 2006 timeframe. Safety risk is significant, cannot let other family members or any less experienced operators drive this vehicle until the problem is addressed. Replacement or at least maintenance for this known faulty system should be provided at no charge by the manufacturer.
I was stopped and in a line of vehicles in a parking lot with my foot on the brake and the engine surged. Fortunately, I had my foot on the brake with sufficient pressure to keep the car from lunging forward. This occurred several times while in the parking lot with the engine going into (limp mode) forced limited power mode. I drove the car directly to the Ford dealer where the car was purchased. The mechanics did not detect any diagnostic trouble codes and sent me on my way. Since then there have been probably six (6) more events without the engine going into forced limited power mode. In all events the engines surges to approximately between 1500rpm and 1800rpm with the car in drive and the foot securely on the brake. The event generally lasts less than 5 seconds. All events occurred during summer months. Last event was this past Wednesday when my son was driving the car. I witnessed the event as a passenger. The two codes that came up are P2106 and P061B. I purchased a tester to read the codes. Current mileage is 77995. Researching the potential cause of this problem led me to your site and prompted me to file a complaint.
First time it happened car lunged forward at shut down, died completely. 30 minutes later was able to turn it over. Mechanic said it needed throttle body but it was on national backorder until August 2009. So had to drive it home. Happened quite a bit throughout that time until I realized that it had a lot to do with having the A/C on. It happens even without the A/C on sometimes at lights, stop signs, and in parking lots, and also when in reverse it lunges in that direction as well; sometimes at very high rate which is scary. Have 3 children and cannot fathom why this car has not been recalled. I still owe money on it and now it is sitting in my mechanics garage because the cvt transmission went out.. 5 weeks now and I do not have transportation because I cannot afford to fix the cvt transmission that alot of other people are having the same problem with.
My 2006 Ford Freestyle surges mainly in reverse, but also does it in drive at times. The first time it surged I thought maybe my foot had hit the accelerator and dismissed it. I started driving this car in October of 2010 and had not experienced the problem until then, but now it happens frequently. I have no idea about previous owners or the car's history so I only know how it has been maintained since I have owned it. Also there are 2 technical service bulletins that are also wrong with my car. Tsb 07-1-8 and 06-11-4 I think that since Ford knows there are problems with this cvt transmission that they ought to recall the vehicles and repair them.
While traveling home from holiday, my wrench light came on in the car and we could smell the engine beginning to overheat. My engine was trying to lunge forward even though I had the cruise control on. My vehicle then started to decelerate and I barely made it off from the highway via an exit ramp. Pulled over, turned off the car and opened the hood to let the engine cool off. I thought the problem may be gear or transmission related or perhaps bad gas. I tried a trick told to me by mechanic friend to back up the car and go forward approximately 40-50 feet, stop the vehicle and repeat the movement again to reset the transmission controls. I also added fuel injection cleaner and filled the tank again. After fuel injection and letting the car sit, it was okay for the rest of the trip. Had another incident just recently (July 2012). The same wrench light came on and my car once again lunged and decelerated and I had to pull off. Luckily, there was a gas station at exit again. And, luckily, I was able to maneuver through traffic when decelerating without harm to my family. I bought more fuel injection cleaner and filled the tank. I then let the car sit again. That seemed to help. We made it home after another rest stop for the car. Shortly after, my husband used throttle body cleaner to clean out my fuel injection pathway. He removed air connection and found the throttle body to be clogged with gunky material and sprayed a good dose of the cleaner into it while I gunned the engine to clear it out. I am now using fuel injection cleaner with every gas fillup to mitigate the problem. I know I probably need to replace the whole throttle body, but I am leary from what I've read on internet with others having same problem, replacing throttle body and then it having to do it again a year later. I am going to fix car and then probably sell it. Not safe anymore.
The throttle will race up especially while coming up to a stop. I belong to a couple of forums that people have tried many of times to get this serious repair recalled. One person even pinned their child against the garage wall. I have not fixed mine yet as Ford garage says it is about $750 repair. My wife almost took a guys door off. As she pulled into a parking spot a guy was getting out of the car and as she pressed the brake harder it made the throttle increase. The guy then though she was deliberately trying to run him over. We had to demonstrate the issue of this and then he understood. I just cant believe that Ford can get away with this throttle issue.
Car lunges forward and backward even with foot on the brake. Used to only do it with the air conditioning on but now will do it at any time. When speaking with Ford they claim they know nothing about this despite me reading them the 23 page letter between Ford and [xxx] (office of defect investigation). Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lewiston, MI, USA