2005 Ford Freestyle: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Aug 3, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 122,000 miles · TX

Driving just fine whenever I got it. Not even 20,000 miles later at about 122k miles the transmission is bad and going out. It drives at high RPM but low speeds and will not shift into proper gear. Makes a funny airplane noise from the transmission. This vehicle has been kept up with by me.

Filed Jun 22, 2016 · Engine · 78,955 miles · CA

Car surged when backing out of parking space then went into limp mode. Took to the shop and it needed the throttle body replaced. I see that has been an issue with this make/model for a lot of people. Looks like there was a corrective action taken but it expired 1 yr ago. Why did ford not notify owners of this and why does a known problem have an expiration?

Filed Apr 12, 2016 · Steering, Transmission · 51,000 miles · MS

Driving on highway, heard loud pop (clap sound). Then dash light came on and car steering wheel began to lock up. Tried to flush transmission fluid and replace os sensor from ford and now it will not shift into first gear.

Filed Jul 22, 2014 · Transmission · 91,000 miles · MO

Check transmission light and check engine indicator came up wrench light lit up would not shift gears.

Filed Apr 23, 2014 · Transmission · 107,000 miles · PA

On 04/10/2014 at 10:50am. I was driving on route 22 west bound. I was going 65 MPH when the traction light came on as well the wrench light that is transmission light came flashing across dashboard "check transmission". The car went from 65mph to 25mph and I almost got killed by a tractor trailer that was behind me, because of sudden loss of power . The vehicle lost power and I could not travel more than 25 MPH and the car was stuck in low gear and would not go above 3 RPM's. I took it to dealership they ran it through diagnostic, the code that came up was p0715, which is possible mesontranich unit ,tss input was erratic, the code was consider inconclusive and dealership and the warranty company refused to fix and they said there was nothing wrong with the car. On 04/22/2014 I was driving pennsylvania turnpike going north bound on route 476. When the same incident happened with a speed of 50mph and was stuck in gear. I had to pull over with 2 young kids in the vehicle. I shut the car off and turned it back on. Besides traction light that came on and wrench light came on saying check transmission, the check engine light came on as well. I was able to video record the whole incident to show how unsafe the vehicle I was in. I was able to get the vehicle to a ford dealership. They ran diagnostics the codes that came up were p0715, p0701,p2765, the vehicle motormounts were broken, whoever fixed did and illegal fix, the motor mounts should of been completely replaced and the motor mounts was super glued by rtv super glue,which is illegal. This vehicle was inspected by the dealership where purchased and the sold me a vehicle with an improper and illegal inspection. The car should of been fixed by dealership and was not and put me and my family safety at risk.

Filed Mar 26, 2014 · Transmission · 106,439 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased on february 6, 2014 and advised the dealer during a test drive there was a noise. The dealer stated that there was a loose belt and stated to schedule a service appointment. While driving 25 MPH the vehicle was making a grinding noise and then it stalled and would not shift in or out gear. The vehicle had to be towed to a local mechanic that was recommended by the dealer. The failure nearly caused a crash to occur. The dealer advised the contact that they would pay half of the repair cost; however, instead the dealer provided another transmission. After the transmission was installed the identical failure recurred. The contact was concerned about a potential crash. The dealer did not diagnose the failure. The failure occurred on february 26, 2014. The vehicle was in the mechanic possession from february 26, 2014 to march 19, 2014; however, the failure recurred and was towed back to the local mechanic. The mechanic was referred to the contact by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer gave the mechanic a transmission with no warranty; however, there is a limited warranty provided by the local mechanic. The failure mileage was 106,439.

Filed Oct 24, 2013 · Transmission · 170,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to shake and would not shift out of gear. The contact moved the vehicle off the roadway, shut off and restarted. The vehicle resumed normally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

Filed Nov 29, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 113,000 miles · AZ

While maneuvering my vehicle in a small space (forward, reverse, turning the wheel) the car began to surge and lunge (has occurred before, but mostly in reverse.) there was loud whining when I turned the steering wheel (that began recently and is almost constant.) the engine began to rev loudly, the car trying to lunge even with the brake applied. I reversed the car several feet from the road for fear it would lunge into traffic. The engine light (1st time ever) and the wrench symbol came on. Car went into limp mode, would not accelerate or exceed 30mph. (4th or 5th time this has happened in the one year I've owned the car.) diagnostic codes given by autozone on 9/19/12: p2106 (throttle actuator control system) & p061b (internal control module torque calculation performance error.) upon restart, engine light off. Dealer was contacted, and on 9/26/12 I drove the car to repair shop. They said smart junction box melted, must replace (electronic chassis control module )before doing repairs to the throttle body, CVT and suddenly non-working A/C (was working prior). No repairs have been made to the vehicle as the dealership (not ford) refuses to honor the 36,000ml warranty with car. Recent problems prior to 9/26/12:*highway driving (55+MPH/sometimes using cruise) car revs high rpms/will not accelerate at all/resumes later*sputters/stalls/loses power when slowing/stopping (it does restart) instrument panel brightens/dims*power locks malfunctioning (unlock function works with fob only) often while driving car locks/unlocks continuously/car randomly unlocks after being parked/turned off*cd player not working/displayed error code/2 month later working again*security system function inconsistent/disables randomly*gears not engaging right away, then a loud noise and car surges/lunges into drive/reverse* lunging (mostly reverse) and surge/lunge when in drive/brake applied.

Filed Jan 21, 2012 · Engine · 85,565 miles · CA

While stationary in my 2005 ford freestyle in the left turn lane at a red light, the engine suddenly accelerated moving the car forward approximately five feet into the intersection before it could be stopped. At the time of this occurrence, my foot was already on the brake and only by stomping harder on the brakes was I able to stop the car's forward travel into cross traffic that was traveling at over 40mph. The car then died and a warning came up on the information display on the dash panel stating "engine failsafe mode". I turned off the ignition and tried to start the car again. The car started, but still displayed the "engine failsafe mode" warning and when we were attempting to return home, the vehicle would not shift out of first gear or allow us to accelerate over 30mph. This incident took place at 9:35pm on january the 20th 2012. It was raining and the AC heat was on.

Filed Sep 27, 2011 · Acceleration, Transmission · 73,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. The contact stated while coming to a traffic light with his foot on the brake pedal the vehicle lunged forward almost causing a crash. The automatic transmission gear shifted into low gear and would not shift into any other gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who repaired the vehicle at the owners expense for $700. The dealer also informed him he does not need to repair transmission. The manufacturer was notified and stated there were no recalls for both failures. The offered no other assistance. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 73,000.

Filed Apr 11, 2011 · Fuel system · 97,121 miles · FL

Car surges then stalls then goes into limp mode. Happens once a month or more. If I turn the car off and restart it seems to clear and work fine.

Filed Sep 8, 2008 · Transmission · 69,000 miles · 00

While driving car gives a series of kicks, loss of power and car enters limp mode, message states failsafe mode. Once you are able to get off the road and safely pull over normal reset by turning car off and turning back on and car is once again mobile under normal drive mode.