As of this part friday, I had the motor mount torque insert replaced. There was bad shifting, lunging & loss of gas mileage for the past few months. I have noticed that this was not happening in the cooler weather; just since it has gotten hotter & having to run the A/C on maximum. The car was lunging by itself in reverse & drive. Drove it home; did great. Ran alot of errands today & the emission/transmission light came on; vehicle stalled, no compression. A bit of whining (transmission issues) I will get it into the mechanic monday a.m., but from previous comments from other owners, this is a common problem. Again, definitely not a good thing w/a 2 1/2 year old in the vehicle almost all the time. Checked to see if any recalls & ford says nothing. Looks as though the last update was in the end of 2012. Maybe ford is going to pull this together & take care of business. This is a great car other than that.
2006 Ford Freestyle transmission complaints
Page 5 of 17: complaints 101 to 130 of 484, newest first, as owners wrote them.
In ca for funeral, check engine (wrench) light came on. We brought the car to ken grody ford in buena park. They at first said transmission could be fixed, but during next diagnostics, the transmission froze. Rebuilt trans ordered from ford. Car left there, we rented one and came home. Our daughter drove the car home on 7/3/13, got 300 miles in to trip, transmission locked up, no power. Towed to berge ford in mesa, az where we live. A second transmission put in. Several incidents of leakage, then picked car up on 8/1/13, got one mile on freeway, smoke coming out of back end. Very dangerous situation now twice for this transmission. It is now 8/6/13, car still not fixed.
I own a 2006 ford freestyle which I purchased in 2006. I have had some past experiences with what appeared to be the transmission slipping when mileage was around 50,000. The wrench light would come on, but then the car would resume as normal and the wrench light would go off. I was told by the dealership service department, that unless they were in the auto when it happened or the light was on, they could not run a code or determine the cause. My freestyle now has 108,000 miles and this morning I was on the highway to work, the transmission slightly slipped and then when I accelerated, I had no power. I was able to roll to a side road for safety. I turned my auto off and then on, put it in drive and reverse and neither gears worked. My automobile would not move. I have talked to two ford dealership service departments and they tell me it will be around $6000 (give or take) to replace the transmission. They said that no one will "repair it" due to the "CVT" transmission. I had to have it towed and missed work because of this. Ford should pay, not their customers. I want restitution. Ford needs to recall these automobiles and replace the transmission with one that they know is not faulty. They also need to pay for a rental auto while my transmission is being replaced with a new/reliable/safe one. I am very upset and would like to know where to go from here. I have taken great care of my automobile, regular maintenance done regularly and it looks new. Had I of been on the interstate, I could have been in a serious accident.
The vehicle was idle while I was waiting to enter into traffic and it lunged forward multiple time. I shut the car off and when I started it again it did not respond when I placed it in drive or reversed. After that it seems to lunge forward whenever it wants to without any reason. I started to read about related issues on line and how owners were contact about this possible issue but I was not. This is a very big safety issue.
Driving down the road, press on the gas pedal to accelerate - the traction control and wrench light come on, the engine revs, rpms go up, car decelerates and won't go over 40 MPH. Traction control light goes off, wrench light stays on. Have to pull off the road to stop and restart the car - wrench light goes off. Happened 5 times when I was driving over the mountain on I-40 from tennessee to north carolina. Not a lot of room to be stopping on the side of the road. Puts everyone in a very dangerous situation. Have been living with this for over 2 years. Have seen many other freestyle owners with the same problem. It is time for ford to recall the car and fix the problem.
The freestyle cut out on the interstate. Luckily it was in the breakdown lane and no cars were coming. An 8 year old was in the car as well. After spending $1200 on repairs the freestyle still leaks, and is having the same problems with cutting out, leaking into the car and all the lights coming on. We have spent over $1200 to fix, and the car still has the same problems. The dealership wants us to spend another $1000, and they can not guarantee that will fix the problem, as another freestyle here in boone has had the same issues.
This car is absolute junk and extremely unsafe! Yes, I've had the same throttle body issue as everyone else, and after I took it to ford for the "warranty" it got worse! Instead of surging at low speeds, now the entire vehicles pulses...lights, engine, instrument panel, etc. At 60mph the engine will randomly sputter an the RPM's will shoot way up - every light goes bright/dim, the engine idle goes up and down, the air conditioning pulses and eventually turns itself on and off - then suddenly the instrument cluster goes nuts with the speedometer going from my speed down to 0 and back up, wrench and all kinds of other lights flashing, charging system errors - it's insane. I took it back to ford and they said it was a loose battery cable (!) and of course after I picked it up it did the exact same stuff going back home. Now it appears I need to replace all 6 coils and the computer for about $1500 - this thing is only worth $3500 at this point and I still owe $9000 - it's a nightmare. Also having the transmission issues - doesn't want to go when you first put it into gear and kind of hops at low speeds - I don't even know how much that will cost. I have two small kids and depend on this vehicle to get me to work and get my family where we need to go an I'm scared every time I get in the thing...with so many of these having the exact same problems I really don't understand how ford execs can live with themselves and not replace these failing parts. Someone is going to get killed, if they haven't already - I'm desperately trying to find a way to unload this thing!
The vehicle makes a lound rumbling noise at low speed. Dealer (lindsay ford of silver spring, md) has had the car for 2 days and did not diagnose or repair. Tech says it's because of transmission going bad but they are not sure. They say they are unable to provide parts or service and car may break down anytime.
Car lurches forward in low speed without touching the gas peddle or, if lightly touching gas peddle, car jumps forward as if gas peddle is pushed down hard. Known problem with CVT transmission. Recall to clean throttle body was received and followed thru on with no results.
I purchased this vehicle used from a ford dealer in 2009. About a year after purchase, I began to notice transmission problems with the CVT transmission. Without any warning the vehicle will experience an unexpected failure. This vehicle is extremely dangerous due to sudden problems caused by the type of transmission. All of a sudden the vehicle can lose speed, wrench light will come on, brakes will stop functioningproperly, and occasionally jump. Three different mechanics have confirmed the problem is due to the transmission. One mechanic only works on transmissions . Ford is lucky more people have not been injured as a result of the multitude of problems related to the trannsmittion choice. Also I find it intresting that ford made the disision to build a replica of the ford free style and call it a taurus x. One of the few changes they made to the taurus x was the type of transmission they used.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and failed to shift gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who stated that the medtronics main control needed replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure and current mileage was 62,000. ...updated 07-10-13
I recently bought a 2006 ford freestyle. 2 weeks after I bought it I started having problems with it lunging. This is very scary. It also has issues with power fading in and out. I feel that my family is being put at risk as well as the public. These transmissions need to be recalled. I am deathly afraid I am going to hit someone or something when it lunges. I don't think it's fair to be forced to drive a car that causes you to be stressed out. This issue seems to be very widespread across the country as I have seen hundreds and hundreds of posts of consumers who are very upset that nobody is doing anything about these issues. Ford needs to be held accountable for this. They know there are problems but do nothing about it. Please help!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of second gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was told that the control variable transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 92,000.
Since about june of 2012, wrench indicator will intermittently come on after driving 30-100 miles. I stop the vehicle, turn off the ignition and after a few seconds turn the ignition on and it seems ok. Sometimes I can go over 100 miles without the problem. There are times when the engine light comes on after the wrench but this indicator stays on after turning the ignition back on and stays on for a day or two. The local ford dealership says this is a most likely a CVT problem but I have no assurance that this will be the fix. I have researched this problem on the internet and have noticed that I am not the only one with this problem. From the blogs I've read, ford should have a recall addressing this specific problem. There is a recall addressing a surge, but this is different.
I tried starting the car and when I went to put it into reverse to back up the transmission did not engage. It suddenly lurched backwards and the same thing happened when I put the car into drive. There is about a 10 second delay and then it lurches. One time while driving the car, it slipped out of gear and started to rev the RPM over 3000 it tried to engage the gear but then stalled in traffic. I took the car to the ford dealership and they hooked it up to a diagnostic machine. They said that there is a delay in building up pressure to go into gears. They said that they did not know what was causing it but they suspected the high pressure filter needed to be changed. That cost was 800 dollars. After changing the filter there was no change. I no longer feel safe driving this car and don't know what to do about trying to repair it. Ford said that you can get used transmission from junkyards but this seems to be a common issue. I did bring it in to the dealership in january to have the throttle body cleaned for the recall. I'm highly agitated that ford will not stand by their vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stopped at the shoulder and restarted the vehicle but the failure recurred. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer where the cause of failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 118,000.
We had purchased our ford freestyle 2006 in july of 2011 with 59000 miles. Had the vehicle serviced and trans cleaned in september/october(2011) of that year at 65000. In december we started to have troubles. The wrench light started coming on, then I would be able to start vehicle but not move. One day as I was bringing my child to school the vehicle would not accelerate and then it would. At this point I turned the vehicle off and had it towed. Come to find out the transmission was dead. We had to dish out over $5000.00 for a new transmission with a warrenty from ford. We also had the fluids checked to make sure it wasnt their fault, all came back clean. In the statement it said it was due to transmission failure. My concern is that when I started having problems it happened in the middle of a school parking lot when I was dropping my child off. Had a child walked by when it was acting weird they could have been hurt. I also feel that after driving only 10,000 miles with it and having to buy a new transmission for it, I feel ford is not providing their costumers with reliable service. I feel their should be a recall on these models. We paid the same amount for this vehicle as it would have cost for a newer model. Being a family on a low budget this set us back for along while. Plus, we had a carfax and the previous owner had maintained the vehicle very well.
A few weeks ago I was backing out of the driveway in the morning (it was cold & frosty). When I put the vehicle into reverse it started to back out but then wouldn't accelerate. I pushed harder on the accelerator and it revved and finally went. The car felt off' while driving (shaky & not fully under control-like riding a bicycle when the chain slips but isn't completely off). The wrench light turned on but once I'd arrived at the destination & stopped & restarted the vehicle it seemed fine and the wrench light turned off. Last week I was again backing out and the vehicle would not accelerate, I pushed down more on the accelerator and it skipped / lurched back (almost hitting another vehicle). This happened twice more, both scary but manageable once I was able to turn the vehicle off and on again. Then this morning it happened again with the revving noise and poor and jumpy acceleration but after restarting, the 'check engine' light came on and has continued to be lit. So far I have only encountered the lurching and lack of acceleration occurring while in reverse, though it's continued once going forward until I can pull over and restart the vehicle. Until I can restart the vehicle it feels shaky and on the verge of dying, especially when at idle in traffic or red lights. I did a lot of research before purchasing the freestyle. I chose it because it was one of the highest rated and 'safest' suvs with 3rd row seats - reviewed by the iihs, car-seat.org and other organizations. I would not have purchased a freestyle if these problems were well known to me at the time. We will look at the throttle body as recommended by other owners on this and other sites and I only hope that solves the problem. In the meantime I am afraid of the lack of acceleration and lurching problem happening around other vehicles and people so I am driving backroads where possible.
I purchased a used 2007 ford freestyle w/ one previous owner about 6 months ago with 110k miles. Since then I may have added 5k miles or so, if not less. I took it in yesterday to the local ford dealer because of some issues with the care not accelerating at times and wrench light coming on. I would also hear the care rev up unexpectedly while reversing and doing other odd things that made me uncomfortable. They said I need a new transmission. Parts alone would be $6k. This is unacceptable.
While driving on the expressway, car failed to have continued forward propulsion and stalled. This has happened repeatedly since then. I can't idle, run heat or A/C for more than a few minutes, while consistently keeping my rpms over 1500 without it stalling. ( as I live in michigan this is a big problem!) now I can't get it to start at all. My husband being good with cars has flushed the throttle body twice (recommended action we could find on internet at the time.) has stalled at a variety of speeds, while driving in a variety of settings.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the wrench warning icon illuminated and the vehicle would not accelerate. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 182,000.
On february 11th I had the recall done that reflashed computer and cleaned throttle body. The 12th and 13 it was unseasonably warm and the vehicle ran great. On the 14th the vehicle would not move at all. The temp was below 15 degrees. I could not drive my car for a month. When the temps went up into the 20's the car ran fine. I called the dealer to report the problem and was informed that the recall could only be completed once. On march 7th I cleaned the throttle body myself and found a ring of carbon around the butterfly. After cleaning the car was running good again. This was less than 400 miles after the recall had been completed. The symptoms of the jerking have gone away with the cleaning. The continuous problem seems to be the engine and malfunction light will come on and the vehicle reduces power and speed. Seems to be at lower temperatures. Yesterday it was 20 out and it did this. I have inspected the air and vacuum hoses to the throttle body and cannot find any loose, or broken. I have sprayed around throttle body gaskets while vehicle is running and can find no vacuum leaks. I don't think this is completely a throttle body issue. I believe the CVT transmission is to blame. In november I had the transmission fluids and sump filter changed. I did this because of the complaints of early transmission failure. Usually the failure occurs when vehicle is under load, ie going up hills etc. And appears to be temperature related.
My 2006 ford freestyle is stalling out at low speeds and not responding to acceleration. The wrench warning icon comes on the dashboard when the worse problems are occurring. It is not the throttle bottle which has been replaced and been reprogrammed. The mechanic showed 4 error lights regarding the CVT transmission. The ford dealership was unable to diagnose or fix the problem. Currently there is a mass class action lawsuit being filed in california, it is not a unique of isolated occurrence.
The problem im having is that as the car goes 20-25 MPH it complete stops and the wrench light goes on. It happened to me a few times on the highway at a normal high speed it complete went off. It sure has been a nightmare. Now I cant even take the family with me cause im scare to put them at risk. The ford dealer did not fix the problem im at the point that I don't know what to do or who to call . Every number I call its an operator and the recording hangs up on me after a few times. I had a recall letter that was send to me but the repair dept at the ford dealer don't want to give it back. I just hope the federal safety agency can help me in some way . I was told that the problem im having has to do with the throttle body .
All of the sudden my rpms were surging really high while I was going slow I could only go about 20 MPH with the rpms at 5! Then my car would shoot forward and shut off. I had my throttle body cleaned under the recall and then the next day my car wouldn't move at all! It turns on but doesn't no go anywhere and when you put it in gear it shoots forward and shuts off again! The throttle body cleaning is obviously not the issue!
Around the middle of november 2012, I started noticing a slight knocking coming from under the hood while the vehicle was idling. It seemed to go away when I put the car in gear and started to drive. During the next couple of weeks the knocking was getting worse. I noticed it louder and louder as I was driving. Then, the only time the knocking went away was when the car was put in reverse. Now, I'm starting to get very concerned about my car breaking down while I am out. Shortly after this, I received a recall notice about the throttle body. So, I took it in on january 23, 2013 to have the throttle body recall procedure done. While it was at the authorized "ford" dealership having this procedure done, I asked them to check out the noise I was hearing. They informed me it was a bearing that was within the transmission causing the issue and would need replaced. I was told that the part itself was not able to be replaced, but the whole transmission needed to be replaced. They recommended a "new" transmission be installed at the cost of $5200.00. A used one might result in the same circumstances happening. However, due to the issues with this "CVT" transmission, there may not be "new" one available for a while. I was then informed, that because of this "CVT" issue, ford has extended the warranty on the 2008+ model years up to 100,000 miles. So, this means I am left with a worthless 2006 "ford" vehicle with 95,508 miles. Which "ford" knows has a defective part and has chosen to ignore and refuses any responsibility for it. What am I to do? Is this how, we as consumers, should expect our vehicles to perform? I loved the styling and features of this car, but I can't see putting $5200.00 into this vehicle at this point and down the road the same thing happening or something new that they have known about. Where do I go from here?
Our vehicle was cruising at interstate speeds when it attempted to accelerate due to an incline in the road. Suddenly the vehicle wrench light along with the anti slip light came on and the engine RPM's increased but the vehicle did not accelerate. I took the car off cruise and applied the gas and received the same results, high RPM but no acceleration. The car would not accelerate no matter what I did. We eventually pulled off the highway and stop at a gas station where we turned the car off and fueled up. After leaving the gas station we have not experienced the issue since. We took it to our mechanic the next day who said we needed to replace the transmission for about $5000. After doing research I have found out the many ford freestyle owners have had to replace their transmissions along with replacing the electronic throttle control (which ford eventually placed a recall on). We have had the etc repaired but the transmission being shot is unacceptable.
I was sitting in the drive-thru at mcdonald's when the car suddenly lunged forward almost hitting a pedestrian who was crossing in front of me to go into the store. My foot was on the break the whole time. The car lunges sporadically for no rhyme or reason.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic stop light with the brakes depressed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The engine exhibited a loud, racing and clicking noise as the RPM reading increased. In addition, the throttle warning light illuminated. The parked and powered the vehicle off. The vehicle was later taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed however, the technician was unable to locate a failure. The dealer replaced the throttle body twice however, the failure was not corrected. The vehicle continued to exhibit incidents of suddenly acceleration. The failure mileage was 21,049 and the current mileage was 80,000. Updated 02/26/13*lj the consumer stated ford was contacted and did not offer any assistance. The vehicle has needed other repairs including two axles, one water pump, and brake repairs. On 12/20/2012 the vehicle was exhibiting unintended surging. Updated 3/4/2013
2006 ford freestyle purchased in june of 2011, returned to used veh dealer twice for various indicators on the dash. In november of 2011 the transmission went out and was replaced with a ford transmission that was replaced in mid december of 2011. In september of 2012 this transmission went out and caused an axle bearing to be defective and the axle has to be replaced due to the bad transmission that is under warranty. It is january 16, 2013 and ford still does not have a transmission to replace their bad one. Received word from the dealer that has it we are behind someone else who has been waiting since august for a transmission. Have been on the phone almost weekly and sometimes more than that to get something done. In the mean time we have been without the veh since mid september and no loaner as it is long term and ford is not helping at all. Even suggested they buy it back and replace with a 2008 taurus x. We would give them money for the exchange but they are not interested. Were told it could be 6 months before a transmission is available.
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