2006 Ford Freestyle: won't start

Filed Oct 18, 2018 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 153,000 miles · MT

My mom's 2006 ford freestyle, surges forward when using the air conditioner or defroster. There has been many times it has done this almost rear ending the vehicle in front of hher.this has been going on since beet and my deceased father have own it.(2010?) her instrument panel goes bonkers now, and sometimes the car won't start and the panic alarm goes off when we get out of the car.

Filed Oct 1, 2014 · Brakes, Engine · 140,000 miles · DC

I was driving to work and the car just stopped..it would not come back on, it would not turn over with the key, so I had to tow it home it will move 12 inches forward and backward.

Filed Jul 9, 2012 · Acceleration, Engine · 129,000 miles · MO

Beginning about august of 2011 my car started to suddenly "jump" forward even if my foot was not on the accelerator and even when my foot was on the brake. I was able to apply my brakes hard enough to make it stop and I immediately put the car in park. It happened at least 2 more times in the week that followed. I had a friend look at the car, but then it did not start to do it again until this week. Several times the car jolted forward once I even had my foot firmly on the brake. I had to really push on the brake as I put the car in park to keep from hitting the car immediately in front of me. Each time I was able to step on the brakes and put the car in park. Even in park the engine would rev to higher than usual rpms. I turned the car off and started it again to see if that would correct the issue. But a short time later it did the same thing. Then finally, my car died and I had a hard time starting it again. When it did start, I had a hard time trying to get it to drive. It was in gear, but it did not want to go forward, almost as if it was fighting the acceleration. I got it home and parked it. I will be taking my car to a ford dealer this week to be looked at. But, when I did some research on the problem, I found there have been similar complaints so I wanted to make sure you were aware of mine as well. Do I have any recourse about the issue and the repair that will be required?

Filed Dec 27, 2011 · Driver assistance, Fuel system · 80,000 miles · OK

My car began having problems lunging forward while I was stopped at a school zone cross-walk waiting for children to cross. It lunged forward and stopped just inches from hitting 4 children. It terrified me!!!! It happened several times that day and the next day until I could get it in the shop. I was told it needed the throttle body replaced by the ford mechanics but luckily I got by with just a throttle body cleaning. The car no longer lunges forward. About the same time, the car had problems feeling like it wouldn't get past 2nd gear and it wouldn't accelerate. I still don't know what caused this. A few months later the car started making a strange clicking noise that would get faster when I would accelerate then slower when I would brake. It quit making the noise by the time I could take it to get it looked at a few days later. The air conditioner won't get cold unless the car is in motion. The heater does the same thing. It only seems to happen on extreme temperature days. Then spontaneously, both these problems seemed to fix themselves. Just this week, my car backfired 2 times, then the next morning when I started it, it smelled horrible! I turned it off immediately, then the next day, it wouldn't start. Took it to my ford mechanic, and he said everything checked out ok. He now thinks there is something wrong with the computer system. Everything I have read on the internet suggests that these have been huge problems for many ford freestyle owners. And yet no recall? Come on ford!! You have lost many loyal customers over this!! Please help all of us to get a recall issued for this car!! I am a single mother of three children, and if I get stranded, I, like many people, have nobody to call and no way to pay if I get stranded. Please help before someone gets seriously injured or even killed. Many other probs but no room to list.

Filed Dec 22, 2011 · Fuel system, Transmission · 72,000 miles · MI

Vehicle will not start. Dealership claimed that the throttle body needs to be replace along with a computer update to a tune of $800+. Various posts have been found on the internet regarding a known defect with this model year's throttle body including a "lunging issue" caused by this failed component. I would like this issue to be investigated and ford to be responsible for the replacement and remedy of this defective component.

Filed Sep 12, 2011 · Acceleration, Engine · 70,000 miles · MO

When I am idle or just driving around local, the car is accelerating on its own. Very dangerous. I have adjusted my driving habits around this issue, but took it in this morning because the car will not start without pressing the gas pedal. I have read on the internet that there are many people that are having the same issue, but ford has not issued a recall. I cannot afford to make the repairs that others have detailed, and they say that the problem comes back after the repairs are made.

Filed Aug 15, 2011 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 85,000 miles · WA

Having issues with hard starting issues to the point it got to where it would not start. I have also had issues with acceleration fluctuation without me touching gas peddle. There was even a time where it fluctuated while I was driving. At the time I had the cruise on and it shut off the cruise when it did it. I have had mechanic clean out the throttle body and intake air sensor with electrical contact cleaner which seems to alleviate the problem temporarily. It lasts anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 months and needs cleaned again as it hangs up and my engine begins to self accelerate and is hard starting again. I am very worried that this will self accelerate while we are driving. This first began to give issues dec. 2010.

Filed Aug 4, 2011 · Acceleration, Electrical · 79,500 miles · ME

Trying to park my car in a crowded parking lot, the car suddenly surged forward and then stalled. I tried to restart the car and it would not start. I waited a minute, turned off the radio, A/C, etc and then was able to restart. I have had a similar problem on two other occasions since.

Filed Jun 14, 2011 · Acceleration · 57,000 miles · OK

My 2006 ford freestyle started to jerk and when stopped at a stop sign or pulling into traffic would accelerate uncontrollably. I had the throttle switch replaced only a month after I got the car and it began to do the same thing shortly after and the warning said misfire so I had new spark plugs put in. The following summer same problems but this time I had to have new coils put in. I drove the car for a month and while driving in traffic it would completely shut down, almost causing an accident, this happened about four times. It now has completely shut down and will not start at all. I have replaced batteries, taken it to several dealers and all say there is nothing they can do that it is "probably" a computer problem, I have since parked the car as it is unsafe and undrivable. Help!

Filed May 16, 2011 · Transmission · 33,600 miles · PA

Sunday, may 8, 2011-2006 ford freestyle se was parked and running with wife in front passenger seat and daughter in child seat in the back while I was in a computer store purchasing a hard drive connector. When I returned to the car, my wife had the air conditioning on due to the temperature rising while sitting idling in the sun. I put the car in reverse to back out of my parking spot and had the brake on while coasting back, and then the car jumped...like I was pressing the gas pedal. Immediately, I depressed the brake much harder. Then the "wrench" shaped light illuminated on my dashboard but the car did not stall. I then continued to back out of the spot and then put it in drive to drive home. The wrench light stayed on and the car didn't seem to respond to the gas pedal like normal. I had the gas pedal almost fully depressed to get to 35 miles per hour. My goal was to get the limping car to my driveway about 2 miles away. Once the car was parked in my driveway, I turned it off, then immediately restarted the car. Once it restarted, the wrench light was no longer displayed and the car drove normally. The cars computer had to be "reprogrammed" at the ford dealer three days prior because the car all of the sudden would not start. Only 34,000 miles on the car.

Filed Mar 20, 2009 · Electrical · 55,000 miles · MI · fire

At the beginning of february, my kids wanted to watch a dvd in the car while I was cleaning the driveway. I put the keys in the ignition (I did not start the engine) for the dvd to work, put on the dvd and start cleaning the driveway. Few minutes later I have seen a big smoke coming from the outside passenger side mirror. I have checked the mirror and it was in flames. I took the kids out of the car, took the keys out of ignition, remove the back cover of the mirror and put out the fire which was coming from a bundle of wires inside the mirror assembly.