Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently surge forward until the brakes were engaged. The failure occurred while driving various speeds. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
2005 Ford Freestyle acceleration complaints
Page 12 of 21: complaints 311 to 340 of 587, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle has a sudden jump in acceleration even when driver is pressing on the brake pedal. It feels as if both the brake and accelerator are being pressed and the car is in conflict. Then the idle seems to drop either to a point of the vehicle dying or almost stalling. When restarted (sometimes this takes 2-3 tries to keep it running) or idle evens out the rpms and acceleration are delayed for some time. While pressing on the accelerator (even pushing almost to the floor) the vehicle will not increase in speed (in a normal response time-within 3-4 miles) and rpms top out at 2000. This happens at both low speeds and when attempting to achieve highway speeds. The trigger for this is typically a sharp turn. This also results in the check engine light coming on and giving diagnostic codes of p061b and p2106 which I have been unable to find a description of these codes. This has happened once every 4-6 weeks to begin with, but has increased in frequency to 3-4 times a month. I have not replaced the throttle body but that appears to be the common fix as reported by others experiencing this problem. After leaving the car sit for several hours and restarting the next day or 4-5 hours later the problem is not apparent until the next time.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle suddenly lunged backward and nearly crashed. The fail-safe and check engine lights began to illuminate on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000.
I own a 2005 ford freestyle. In the last month, I have experienced the car accelerating on it's own and lunging while attempting to stop or pull off from a stop. This problem is very concerning as it occurs when my child is in the car. I have narrowly escaped running into other vehicles.
On several occasions on july 19 and 20, 2011, while maneuvering the vehicle at low speeds to park in a parking structure and to parallel park in an urban street setting, the vehicle's engine "revved up" without my pressing down on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to "surge" or "lunge"--this occurred both in drive and in reverse. In all cases, a quick application of the brake caused the "surging" to end; fortunately, no nearby vehicles or pedestrians were struck. These incidents occurred under very hot weather conditions (temperature around 100 degrees), with the vehicle's air conditioning running "full blast." the problem seemed to be triggered by turning the steering wheel, while attempting to park or exit a parking space. After experiencing this "surging/lunging" on several occasions, I was able to replicate this problem in an isolated corner of a shopping mall parking lot, by driving at a slow speed and then turning the steering wheel as if to make a right or left turn. We have owned our freestyle for nearly four years (purchased used) and have never experienced this problem before. We have not experienced the problem since july 20--although the weather has been cooler since that date, and the air conditioning has been used far less, if at all. This problem sounds exactly like a matter we understand the federal safety agency has been investigating recently with freestyles of this vintage. I had read an article on the investigation several weeks ago, and did not think anything more about it--until my experiences on july 19-20. On inquiring about this matter with our local ford dealer, the service department indicated it was unaware of such a problem, and suggested that we have the refrigerant level checked, as a low refrigerant level might cause the A/C system to demand more power from the engine. An appt. Is scheduled.
When manuevering in parking lots the vehicle has lunged forward when trying to park the vehicle. After it lunges forward it stalls and comes up with an error message. It starts back up fine afterwards. Sometimes during regular travel it will speed up unexpectedly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle was first started or while in motion sporadically, the vehicle would surge. The failure would also occur when accelerating from a complete stop or while in reverse. The vehicle was not inspected. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
My 2005 ford freestyle has been acting up for quite some time now and it is to the point where I need to get it checked out I feel it is very unsafe to drive. When I start my car and go to put it in drive or reverse the car will take of lunging!! I have to stand on the brake for it to stop sometimes it revs up so much that my car goes into engine failure mode and my car shuts down. This has been going on for the past year and now it is to the point where it does it all the time on a daily basis. I feel the vehicle is unsafe for me and my family!! I took my car in today to the ford dealership where I bought my car and the service man checked it out and they told me I need a new throttle body for it which is going to cost $800! I have no choice but to get it fixed I need a safe vehicle for my children. The car will be ready for me in a couple of days. I have not had any accidents due to this however there have been many time where I have almost hit other vehicles and people!! Very scary what is going on with this ford freestyle. I hope that this matter is seriously checked out before someone is seriously hurt.
Ford freestyle 2005 experiencing the lunging issue pretty much since car was purchased new. Just figured it was a "touchy" engine that I needed to get used to. After hearing that there were many people experiencing the issue, took it to dealer. First dealer couldn't find anything wrong. Second dealer insisted that it was a safety issue and replaced the throttle body for $900 - my expense. Since then air conditioner has not worked and east coast has had 5 heat waves - staring down the throat of #6. Dealer claims that there is no relation to previous work done (30 days ago). I do realize that air conditioning is a luxury, but am learning from other posts that dealers are pushing complete replacement of compressors ($800 ++) while other people are getting their fix with a valve replacement ($30). These overcharging practices are unacceptable and with so many people reporting the same problems, it is apparent that these are manufacturer's defaults and should be recalled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would unexpectedly accelerate when pressure was not being applied to the accelerator pedal. The failure would occur at speeds ranging from 0 to 10 MPH. The brakes were effective in stopping the vehicle during the failures. An authorized dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not taken in for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the failures were similar to the complaints included in the investigation associated with the federal safety agency action number pe11018 (vehicle speed control). The failure and current mileages were 73,000.
I own a 2005 ford freestyle. It has started jumping and accelerating on it own. After is does this the car goes into engine failure mode or cuts off. It has done this several times. I don't feel comfortable going through a drive through because the car will start jumping. I started looking online about this problem and saw this is a wide spread problem and ford needs to fix this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated his vehicle lunged forward when the brake pedal was being depressed and he was making a left turn. This failure happened more than once including while driving in reverse. The wrench warning light illuminated after the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency land and towed to the dealer. The dealer stated the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 78,300. Updated 11/17/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the brakes were applied and the vehicle was not moving. The contact stated the vehicle functioned normally while driving at an average speed. The failure only occurred when the vehicle was coming to a stop or accelerating from a stop. The VIN was not accepted at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 92,000.
2005 ford freestyle unexpectedly surges forward while idling at a stop, moving as slow speed or shifting from park into either forward or reverse. The frequency of occurrence increases when the vehicle's air conditioning has been running but the vehicle is not moving, I.e., while either parked or idling. Engine enters "fail-safe" mode and restarting engine temporarily clears the error and alleviates the problem.
Tl* the contact owns 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated the wrench light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle started to lose power. The contact stated the vehicle was turned off; however, when it was turned back on, it surged backwards when it was placed in reverse gear. The contact was taking the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected. The failure and current mileage was 55,500. Updated 10/4/11 *cn updated 10/21/11
The vehicle surges when at a complete stop. It also stops when driving it down the road. The "wrench" light comes on and the vehicle slows to a complete stop. This is extremely dangerous. The service engine light comes on. The vehicle does this on a consistent basis......6 or 7 times per 25 miles! I took it to the ford garage where I purchased it in clinton, nc. They put it on the machine and said they could not find anything wrong. Their suggestion was to turn off air or heat!!! Now after researching this issue online I find out there are numerous complaints about the same issue. I took the car to a local mechanic who was suggested to me by our local advance auto store. The mechanic was very familiar with the freestyle and the same issue. The solution to fix the problem is a new throttle body. At a cost of $520.00. I called the ford garage in clinton, nc to see if they had the part so my local mechanic could fix it. Now the parts employee, bobby told me the throttle body problem was a "huge" issue with the freestyle and there should have been a recall. Is it going to take someone getting killed or seriously injured before ford takes responsibility. By the way, I have contacted ford, to no avail. The wrench light issue started once in a while on february 18, 2011. It now is a daily thing multiple times a day since april 5, 2011. Updated 10/06/11 status update 11/15/11
Vehicle surges/lunges unexpectedly while engaging the transmission into drive or reverse. Applying the brake has been effective at stopping however, this is an unsafe condition as it happens sporadically and again quite unexpectedly. Vehicle has stalled out on several occasions in the middle of moving traffic and service light "wrench" illuminates. We have experienced these issues for the last several months and I have since taken the vehicle to the ford dealership for service where they just informed me that the throttle body must be replaced.
Car lunged while in reverse, had to apply the brake hard to prevent backing into parked cars. Put car in forward, it lunged 2 or 3 times and stalled out as I applied the brake hard. This is the second time with this problem. The car lunged forward while stopped at a red light in july of last year and ford replaced the throttle body assembly. I had never had this type of problem except with this car and it appears ford has a defective throttle body assembly that fails especially during hot weather.
2005 ford freestyle 7/23/2011 lunged in church parking lot with AC on and foot lifting off brake. Went to a grocery store and while parking same thing happened in reverse after idling with AC on. Sat in car in parking spot with AC on. (air temp outside was 99) when going to leave it lunged again and display panel went "nuts" and warning lights came on and car stalled. I restarted the car and I believe the warning system read, system failure and engine start in safe mode. I proceeded to leave and the check engine stayed on and vehicle seemed to run in low gear even while shifter was in drive. All other gauges, engine temp, oil pressure etc were ok. We were 10 miles from home so went to dinner to let car rest, city driving no more than 25 MPH, higher RPM than normal. After 1 hour plus dinner, drove home with engine light on but seemed to be a more like normal RPM so went 50 MPH on 65 MPH highway with hazard lights flashing. Car remains parked. Since it is sunday I will be calling the ford dealership tomorrow am.
1. The air conditioner failed, had to be replaced june 2011. It just gradually did not cool the air at all. Fan on AC worked fine, all controls as well, just no cool air. $850. The vehicle lunges forward or backward, more noticeable when starting to back up. Had valves cleaned. Worked temporarily. Looking at major repair bill for throttle body or transmission, don't know which..
Car was at a full stop and accelerated on it's own lunging forward. Luckily I reacted quick enough or I would have hit another vehicle. My wife thought it did the same thing earlier this week but only briefly. This is really discouraging because I have always owned fords and this vehicle is disswaying my opinion of their vehicles. It,s bad enough I have to get the rear brakes replaced on this vehicle every 25,000 miles which by the way is another safety issue you should be looking into.
Today on 7/23/2011 my 2005 ford freestyle stalled when I put the car in reverse. I re-started the vehicle and proceeded to the parking lot exit and waited to make a left hand turn into traffic. While I was stopped the engine revved twice and the car attempted to surge forward into oncoming traffic and stalled again. When I re-started the car, the display showed the car was in engine fail safe mode and the car would not accelerate to a speed greater than 40 MPH. I have researched this situation online and I have seen similar complaints about this problem from numerous ford freestyle owners. The problem is diagnosed as a throttle assembly malfunction. This was a terrifying situation...to have a car surge forward from a complete stop and endanger me and my passengers.
On 7/22/2011 friday, 5:30 pm my vehicle (2005 ford freestyle limited with 3rd row seating) was at idle in a parking lot with the air conditioner on. I placed the vehicle in "r" reverse and it suddenly lunged backwards very quickly approximately 10 feet. Two parking lot pedestrians could have been struck that were nearby. A "fail safe mode" notification appeared on the information screen located on the dashboard and orange "wrench" warning light illuminated on the left side of the dashboard. The vehicle was driven with severe power loss to less dense populated area for safety. The vehicle was turned off, the key removed. I waited approximately 30 seconds and restarted the vehicle and everything was normal again. The vehicle was driven to another parking area and turned off. Approximately 10 minutes lapsed and the vehicle was turned on. The air conditioner was turned on. The vehicle was placed in "d" drive and vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward approximately 10 feet. The vehicle's "fail safe mode" illuminated for a short time. The vehicle stalled and the "check engine" notification on the information screen appeared and the orange "engine" symbol warning light illuminated and remained on. The vehicle was restarted and driven to my home and is currently sitting in my garage at this time. (7/23/2011 saturday 9:33 am).
I have a 2005 ford freestyle, I have the same problem with the vehicle suddenly lunging forwards or backwards. Just out of no where the rpms will sure and lung the vehicle, I have almost crashed a few times because of it. I have tried to get this problem looked at by a mechanic but there computers wont read unless the check engine light is on. It also has stalled out on me at a red light and when I start it back up it says its in failsafe mode, and when its in failsafe mode the engine wont idle up like it suppose to. Top speed is like 30mph.. But once you turn the car off and back on again it fixes itself.
Vehicle has intermittent lurches when accelerator is not being pressed. Usually from a complete stop or when first started. Had throttle body replaced when car had about 50,000 miles at a cost of nearly $700 and problem went away. Car now has 100,000 miles on engine and problem has returned. Faulty parts? I don't want to spend this money every few years just to stay safe. I have been lucky so far and haven't hit anyone when this happens. Don't want to take the chance of that happening.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that whether in drive or reverse, the vehicle would lunge abnormally. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 76,000 and the current mileage 82,600.
My car lurches forward if my foot is not fully on the brake or when I begin to accelerate from a stopped position. This has happened several times. My check engine light is now on. I was running my AC in 100 degree weather this last time.
We have an 2005 freestyle. My wife was picking up our grandson from vacation bible school on 7/19/2011. The car lunged forward and almost ran over some other kids crossing over the road in front of her. The crossing guard frantically waved his arms for my wife to stop which she was trying to do. By luck the engine died. Someone is going to die from this yet and then ford will have a big lawsuit on there hands with thousands of people on the side of the plaintiff. I can't understand ford's position on this issue since they are rated highly for quality. They had the publics support when they didn't take a bailout. Why damage a good reputation?
The vehicle surges when at idle. Commonly happens when backing up or moving forward slowly (ie, in a parking lot or driving into a garage). Because this is occurring at idle speeds so far my foot has been either on the brake or close to the brake to prevent an accident. However this will also happen if in a traffic jam or slow moving traffic situations (ie, dropping the kids off at school, slowing down due to pedestrian traffic, etc). I have discussed with the dealer the issue and they are ignorant to the problem.
Turned the vehicle on and immediately it surged. Thought it was me but then it continued to happen. Seems to only happen when foot is on brake and/or when turning the steering wheel all the way. Just started happening this month. Took the mechanic to check, but he could no reproduce issue. I am not surprised though, as it seems to be intermittent. Problem best described as vehicle seems to have someone else pressing the accelerator. Has not caused an accident yet, but certainly seems as if it is inevitable.
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