My rear brake system on my 2005 ford freestyle has gone out 2 times within 51,000 miles and the struts have had to be replaced 3 times. The brake warning light does not come on. The first incident was covered and repaired under warranty.
2005 Ford Freestyle brakes complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 105, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Had front and rear brakes replaced at 35,000 miles now 14,000 miles later rear pads and rotor wore out. First time they said pad got wet in a warehouse. Now they said it is my problem because warranty is up, I say they did not fix the problem they just tried to cover it up. Ford customer service say they have not had any complaints a lie. How many deaths before they hear complaints.
Car stops on its own. Shuts off. Bucks and jerks and is going to kill me and my kids and ford will not do anything about it. I can't even get a ford dealership to work on my vehicle they tell me they don't want this problem. There are to many repairs on this vehicle and now they are telling well your warranty is up now. They kept telling me at ford (1-800) we are working on it, getting me a buy back. Now they tell me it is do deal and they will not fix my vehicle. My car now fills up with water when it rains. I have had 2 transmissions put in this vehicle, they replaced my brakes a few times, they replaced my computer a few times, and all the while kept telling me we are working on getting you a new vehicle. They the dealership shuts down. I have been to others and they don't want my problem. I have called ford a lot of times. They just take my information and tell me they don't have to fix your vehicle. I am fed up with this.
On my 2005 ford freestyle with 21,400 miles the rear brake pads were worn with less than 3 mm of pad remaining. At 6 days past my 3 yr / 36 k mi. Warranty, ford cust service and ford corporate said there was nothing they could do to help me. They did admit that they extended the rear brake warranty to 3 yr/ 36 k mi - however I was past the 3 yr date (even if by 6 days) -- thankfully my dealer contacted their ford rep and he authorized the entire rear brakes to be replaced -- my copay was $119.68 vs $475.00. I grilled them as to what all was replaced and they said the pads, rotors, and caliper mounting plates and brackets and bolts etc. They said they rear brake issues that most everybody is having is due to the wrong caliper mounting hardware used. This caused the calipers to be always miss- aligned and excessive pad and rotor wear. Simply replacing pads and rotors will not fix the actual cause of the problem (the mis-aligned calipers) hopefully this may help someone who is replacing pads and rotors every 7k mi. Fords indifference to this problem is absolutely un-acceptable. I wish all of our complaints could be submitted to an attorney for a class action suit. It seems ford does not want offer a fix for this unless you catch it while under warranty. Hope this helps.
I own a 2005 ford freestyle and there are 45,854 miles on the car. Over the previous few months, while backing up, I heard a grinding noise from the rear of the car. As a retired salesman who drove over 1,000,000 miles without replacing any brakes on a car, I did not immediately come to the conclusion that this noise was coming from the rear brakes. I was under the impression that the front brakes historically would fail before the rear brakes would. I finally did take the car to brakes only america, inc., in lansing, mi, where I was told that the entire rear brake system was worn out. I had to have the rotors and pads replaced for a cost of $269.85. Staff at the brakes only store told me that the quality of the rear disc brakes are not of the same quality as the front, which on my car, are still in very good condition. I contacted ford motor company today, march 3, 2008, and they told me that until december 31, 2007, the company reviewed each complaint regarding these rear brakes on an individual basis, even after the expiration of the warranty. Because of the timing of my rear brakes failing, ford said that it could not help me with this matter. If there was a recall from ford, I did not receive this notification.
Premature wear on the rear disc brakes. The rear brakes were change under an extended warranty at 13,000 miles by ford. Now at 32,500 miles the rear brakes are down to the rotor. The dealer and ford told me that this was a one time deal. Apparently they know there is a problem with the rear brakes or else they would not offer an extended warranty on them. One service rep told me that 20,000 miles on rear brakes is normal and another told me that you should get 2 front brake pads to 1 rear brake pad. Another problem that I had was the instrument cluster. The gauges would all go to zero. It took 4 times and 8 days to the dealer across a span of 6 months for them to figure out what the problem was. Thanks
On december 22, 2007 my 2005 ford freestyle car was making noise on my entire 30 mile trip to work. I took a guy from work for a ride and he told me he was pretty sure it was my rear brakes. The car warranty had just expired, I had approx. 36, 800 miles on it. We took it to the closest place who could look at it right away, this was an independent shop. They informed me that my rear brakes, rotors and 1 caliper required replacing. The caliper had locked up and I had no brake pads left. They also told my husband that I was very lucky I didn't drive much farther as it was very dangerous. The shop said it looked like I had been driving around with the parking brake on. I never use my parking brake and there is a large light that comes on the instrument panel when it is on! Upon urging from friends who couldn't believe how early the rear brakes needing replacing I did a little research and found so many forums and complaints about the exact problem. I shudder to think what could have happened to my family and I had I not gone to the closest place. Ford customer support told me they had a "customer satisfaction plan" in place for this issue. I was told to take my receipt for the repair to my ford dealer and they would submit it for reimbursement because it happened prior to dec. 31, 2007. Even though I was over 36k. Ford customer support just informed me today that they will not reimburse me because the dealer did not do the repairs. I can not believe ford knows of this major safety concern and has not issued a voluntary recall. When the supervisor at ford customer support told me I should have taken it to the dealer instead of the closest place I asked him "what if I would have had an accident and died on the way to the ford dealer?" his response was..."I don't know, I don't have a crystal ball". Safety and concern for their customers is obviously not a big concern.
Rear brakes replaced 3 times by dealer in less than 37,000 miles.
Rear brake premature wear, rotors warped.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact experienced brake failure. He took the vehicle to a shop and the mechanic stated that the brakes and rotors were very damaged and the vehicle should not be driven. The vehicle is currently located at the repair shop. The contact called ford, but they refused to offer assistance. The VIN, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 7,000.
2005 freestyle- at aprox 25,000 miles the rear brakes were worn down to metal, resulting in a total brake job done at the dealer. Pads, rotors, everything. I complained that these should last longer than this, and service checked to see if it could be under warranty. No such luck. Results $400 repair bill. Some 6 months later I received a letter from ford stating that there was concern for the rear breaks and if you still had the original receipt for repairs they would refund your charge on this repair. I contacted our local dealer concerning this lette. They told me without this letter ( I can not find now) they can not do anything for me. Sorry!!!. Where can I receive a copy of this notice?
Rear brake failed for the second time with in 27,000 miles. Ford refused to help. I believe there is a problem with the braking system in this SUV. Also, had to replace both strut bearings and I have on starting to go out again. I think this car should have never left the plant.
2005 ford freestyle - rear rotors and breaks need replacement after 29k miles.
Rear brakes get very hot during normal driving and smell like the pads are burning. Also, a large amount of brake dust covers the rear wheels.
2005 ford freestyle - I was told the rear brakes need ed to be replaced just after the warranty expired. Another owner with only 24,000 miles was told the same thing at the same time I was. This was not driver related.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. Within six months of purchasing the vehicle, the contact has had to replace the calipers, rotor, and rear brake pads. The same failure occurred a second time on april 14, 2007 while driving 10 MPH. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. The contact was charged $80 and the vehicle has a lifetime warranty. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage is 21,000 and failure mileage was 7,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that the rear brakes are grinded down to the rotor. Ford stated that this is a common failure among this type of vehicle and is not taking any corrective action. The rear brake rotors were also worn and needed to be replaced. The failure was noticed while driving 20 MPH. The failure persists. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 18,000 and failure mileage was 17,500. Updated 06/08/07.
Have a 2005 ford freestyle with 23,200 miles when a dragging sound came from the rear brakes - by this time it was to late. Rear brakes and rotors had to be replaced for $353.00. We questioned that this seemed premature - we were told by the dealer this is normal, they see it all the time. I would have to agree with the other complaints - I believe this is a design flaw and should be investigated.
We took are 2005 ford freestyle in for warranty work . The car had a noise in the rear of car. Ford say the brakes are down to metal to metal . The car has 31614 mile on it the car is under warranty. Ford says they only warranty brakes for 12 months. I took the car to ford to be repaired and they had to also replace the brake calipers on the rear because they are bad also I have had the car 16 months and driven the car 26119 miles. Ford has had to tsb on this the first one is 06-22-17 the last one 07-5-9. Rear brakes drag , noise,dust, and/or premature pad wear. This is a safety problem because I had no brake left on the rear of this car . Metal to metal. I have tried to talk to someone at ford I have made contact with them three time with no help .
I am leasing a 2005 ford freestyle and last april 20/07 I brought the vehicle to witt lincoln mercury in escondido, calif. For an oil change. The recorded mileage was 15,524 miles and after the service was done I was informed that the rear brakes require immediate attention as the rotors need to be machined and the pads are worn out. I feel that ford motor co. Should be made aware of this problem that the brakes prematurely wore out. I started the lease last july 2005 and I do mostly city driving. This is the first time I have this kind of car problem where the brakes wore out too soon!
Rear disc brake pads failed with 20,000 original miles.
We bought our 2005 ford freestyle new in june of 2005 and currently have 50,000 miles. We are on the third set of rear brake pads and are trying to work with our dealer on getting this set replaced again. After looking through this site and many other consumer forums, this seems to be a real problem. The dealership gives us the same speech and we were told the last time the brakes were repaired, that after 36,000 miles, the repair would not be covered under our warranty.
Our 2005 freestyle hit 36k miles and immediately the back pads/rotors went bad. Grinding noises took me into ntb. They stated that the calipers were frozen and to go to dealership. Dealership said they weren't but the pads/rotors were bad and needed to be replaced/resurfaced - at $475! This is crazy. At 36k miles we have to replace the rear brakes? Premature wear & possible brake failure does not sit comfortably with me - especially since the dealer swears up and down that the calipers are fine.
Premature rear brake wear on a 2005 ford freestyle sel fwd with 20,300 miles on it. Notice much more brake dust on rear wheels. Dealer "acknowledges" there is a problem with this and other cars in the same family yet ford will not investigate or cover repair costs. How long before a mishap is caused by a failure of this safety device? Obvious design flaw in the brake pad or in the electronic braking program. Please investigate.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. While driving 35 MPH he heard a rattling noise when the brake was depressed. The dealer stated that the brakes and rotors should be replaced. The brakes and the rotors have not been replaced. The vehicle currently had 22000 miles.
Tl*- the contact owns 2005 ford freestyle with a current and failure mileage of 23,489 miles. The contact went to the dealer to have the rear brakes serviced ,and was informed that there was a service bulletin for the rear brakes. When the dealer tried to get the manufacturer to cover the cost, the manufacturer denied the claim.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. While driving 20 MPH the contact heard the brakes producing a squeaking noise. The vehicle was not driven on a regular basis. The dealer stated that the rear brakes failed and were currently being replaced. This failure occurred often with ford freestyle vehicles. The current and failure mileage were 16,000.*ak updated 05/21/07.
I had to have the rear brakes replaced on my 2005 ford freestyle at 24,000 miles. The reason I consider this a safety hazard is that I do not know of any vehicle that has to have the rear brakes replaced at such low miles. Thus, when the grinding noises appeared at less than 20,000 miles, I never even guessed that it might be the brakes. I have talked to other people with this issue and no one can believe that rear brakes had to be replaced at that low a mileage total. There is a tsb out that says that ford understands that this is happening and will replace the brakes at no cost if they wear out at less than the regular warranty period. However, if this is such an issue that they have a tsb out on it, I believe they understand it is an issue and many people can't afford to replace brakes on a new car so they may continue to drive in the hopes it is not a big issue.
2005 ford freestyle, purchased new. Ford has serviced as well as nys inspections. At 30,000 mile service the rear brakes had little disc pad left,rear rotors were warped beyond repair, caliper frozen. Ford said not covered by warranty (bumper to bumper 3 yrs 36,000 miles) and had to pay $475.00. Caliper now frozen and again not covered by warranty. Called ford at 800‑392‑3673 and confirmed problem that rear brakes failed before front brakes, they acknowledged there was a design flaw, but refused to cover with warranty, and said to keep my receipts in case a recall was issued.
I experienced rear brake noise on my 2005 ford freestyle at just under 14,500 miles. I took it to a ford dealer to have it checked and found that I needed new rear pads and rotors. I was told that the only explanation for this type of wear would be driving with the parking brake on. I do not use my parking brake but would certainly notice it if it were on. I paid approximately $400 for the repair. Neither the dealer nor ford would acknowledge that this is not the normal life expectancy on pads and or rotors.
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