2005 Ford Freestyle: water leaks into the cabin

Filed Dec 1, 2011 · Steering, Transmission · DE

My 2005 limited edition freestyle has a few issues that I am very concerned about. My throttle is having major issues. The car will surge forward with no warning when I am at a complete stop. It also has caused it to have a lot of difficultly accelerating when in motion and starting the ignition. I'm afraid that it will surge forward and cause me to hit something or someone. I've read online about people that have had this issue where it gets so bad that they've even lost all acceleration while driving down the highway and one person who hit something in his garage sending it flying through the garage wall. My husband has tried cleaning out the throttle with no success. We bought the car used less than a year ago with no warranty and this problem has been getting progressively worse over the last few months . We are also having a problem with water in the car. We've had puddles on the back passenger floor and front driver side. I do not have a moon/sunroof. Water has actually pooled out from the car onto the ground when I've opened the door. The doors will be dry and we can't figure out how the water is getting in the car. I'm very concerned about mold as both me and my daughter are allergic to it. There is also a whirling noise that happens when you turn the wheel. We noticed this right after buying the car and the dealer looked at it and said there wasn't anything that could be done to fix it that it's just a noise this model car makes. The first 2 issues seem to have affected a very large group of people and I don't know why ford hasn't recalled the cars as this could lead to severe injury or death.

Filed Jul 15, 2010 · Body · 40,000 miles · TX

Water leaking on drivers side head around moonroof, soaking drivers side floor, pouring out of drivers side door when opened, collecting in spare tire well. After 4 visits to dealer, still unable to repair.

Filed Dec 13, 2009 · Body, Visibility · AL

When it rains water leak inside the car causing the windshield and windows of the car to fog real bad. I had to stop in the middle of I - 65 because I could not see anything. The windshield and the windows fogged so fast that I could not see the highway. This is the third time this has happen to us.

Filed Apr 8, 2008 · Body · 15,195 miles · MD

The rear cargo area on my 2005 ford freestyle began to leak shortly after the purchase from bob bell ford. It has been in and out of the dealer 4 or 5 times. They keep it for a week or more. Replace the carpet. Remove the mold that has begun to grow in the rear cargo area. Replaced the carpets and mask the smell with deodorizer. The work is always performed by a sub-contractor hired by ford. The company visits the dealer here in maryland twice a week, which makes you wonder how bad the ford products are. The paperwork is written so that you can't tell what repairs if any are ever conducted. The dealers paperwork provides little or no detail and when asked about the repairs, the service writer acts as if you are bothering him for the details. Of course the vehicle has returned to the dealer again for more water leaks. The ford corporate complaint office has been contacted regarding the problem. They act as if this has never happened before. We were advised that someone would call us back in two days. Both office and home numbers have been provided to ford in hopes of a real contact with someone that can fix the problem. So they keep calling the house and leaving a message. Yet they will not return three voice mail messages that I left today. Ford did offer an extended warranty, but as soon as they offered it they stated they couldn't make the offer and it wouldn't cover the water leak anyway. How stupid. We are very frustrated with bob bell ford, ford and the local glass repair company. We know that this problem exists for many freestyle owners crossing several years 2005-2007. So why can't ford figure out how to fix it. Our warranty expires this month. Where do we turn next?

Filed Jan 28, 2007 · Body · NY

Leaks water from wet weather into vehicle's cargo area and front passenger floor area. Freezing to sub-freezing temps cause water to freeze carpet and anything in car with moisture on it. First time this was apparent, car was in for recall on door latches; at that time, we told dealer about water leak in cargo area after it has just rained - they said they could not find the leak, and therefore never filed with ford. Second time car was in was at the end of december '06 for a water leak on front passenger floor. Dealer said they spent more than an hour water testing until it did leak in their presence. Said they removed areas of carpet and doors where water was coming in, fixed seal, and dried out carpet before re-installing and giving car back to us (keep in mind this is roughly 11-12 total hours of labor). A month later, we are in the same position after a light snow (1-2"). This time, however, the front passenger floor and rear cargo area are soaking wet. Dealer has had car for almost a full week. Ordered new carpet for front and rear, replaced any panels and electronics associated with where water was coming in, said they have made fixes to seals where water is now coming in *another 12-14 hours). Still waiting for vehicle to be returned. Dealer says that, although we have the highest end warranty you can buy through them at 7 years/75,000 miles, this problem will more than likely not be covered beyond the 3yr/36,000 mile manufacturer's warranty. We are talking roughly 25 hours of labor at almost $100/hr. I cannot afford $2,500/month. What is ford going to do about this? There is a blog online, http://www.ford-forums.com/ford-freestyle/3008-water-leak-issues.html, about this very problem, hosted by ford, yet there are zero technical service bulletins (tsbs) or complaints posted on this (the federal safety agency) site.