Problems with 2005 Ford Freestyle ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I went in to my local mechanic for tire rotation and we discovered that the motor cradle was rusting out with a big hole in the cradle frame. *tr

When at a stop, our car lunges when you press on the gas pedal, forward or reverse. there is a hesitation after pushing on the pedal than it leaps forward or reverse. i was told from a dealer that it needed the throttle body cleaned and was told the same from a transmission shop. the transmission shop informed me of some problems ford was having with this transmission. i looked it up on line and seen many complaints. i cleaned it and it seemed to fix the problem. a couple of months ago, it started the lunging again. this morning, the car shuttered and stopped and several lights on the dash lit up, wrench, motor. the car wouldn't move, it wouldn't even rev up. it stranded my wife on the side of the road. i came to meet her and had it towed to our house. i cleaned the throttle body again. when i got in to try it, all the lights were no longer there but it still lunges. very afraid to let my wife drive it again with the possibility of being stranded.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. while at a stop with the brakes applied, the contact noticed that the vehicle had suddenly surged forward without warning. the following day, the contact was at a stop and shifted the vehicle into reverse and noticed that the vehicle had suddenly stalled without warning. the failure had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 134,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. while driving at any speed or while stopped, the contact noticed that the vehicle would suddenly accelerate followed by stalling. the vehicle was not diagnosed and no repairs were made to the vehicle. the current and the failure mileages were 129,956.

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. *tr

Cvt transmission failed for the second time while driving. vehicle lurched and the wrench light came on, front end shuddered. restarted the vehicle and it would drive, but would only achieve 20 mph with very high rpms. dealer says transmission will have to be replaced. as i understand reading the numerous complaints, they don't make this unit anymore. i am faced with a vehicle that i can't drive. please do something. *kb

On tuesday, our car lost engine power in traffic. the check engine light came on and "engine in failsafe mode" appeared on the dash. she turned the car off and on, and it worked fine. she checked online and found identical problems, and solutions in turning the car off and on. i checked online, found identical failures, a longstanding shortage of throttle parts, presumed a defect in the throttle control, found no fhtsa recalls, but discovered surging documented in pe11-018 (opened may 11, 2011). our car has also had high rpm surges, occurring infrequently, but usually when the engine is cold. our au pair experienced surging 2 weeks earlier when she backed out of a garage parking lot and bumped another car. below are representative websites that document 21 instances of sudden power loss and engine warning "failsafe mode" in the ford freestyle described as sudden stalling, car going to idle, engine dying, running limp, and going into "neutral." my wife's experience is consistent with these descriptions. also, many complaints report surges (pe11-018) and loss of power in the same vehicle complaint, also consistent with our experience: http://www.myfordfreestyle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2197&sid=78cbeb4f4aaa7dd9c571f0cf9c804d74&start=0 15 complaints: fraggle, tmad, mrdinmn, lmarqueling, fordman351, sanlen, fuxxy, gavin, stock mach, scoutman97, lmtech, metalages, indiefilmguy, boston_freestyle, mkramer http://answers.edmunds.com/question-ford-freestyle-throttle-control-transmission-light-came-on-also-engine-failsafe-mode-activated-what-s-wrong-40589.aspx 1 complaint: boots7714 http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/freestyle/2005/engine/throttle_body_malfunction.shtml 4 complaints: michelle o, dennal, sally w, oldschool77 http://www.fixya.com/cars/t1531392-enigine_fail_safe_mode 1 complaint: handyt. *tr

Car wont accelerate from a stop and will surge from a stop and when backing up. took it to mccarthy ford in chicago where they informed me it was the mass flow sensor, six days later i'm having same problem and now being told it's the throttle body. *tr

On the date noted, i was stopped at a traffic light with my foot on the brake when the car suddenly lurched forward (maybe 6-9 inches). i turned the corner to enter a parking garage and while stopped with my foot on the brake, the car lurched forward again, this time the car stalled. i restarted it pulled forward to the garage gate and stopped. it lurched a third time, stalling again and then the service engine light came on. i can best describe it as though i released the clutch (on a manual shift car) with my foot on the brake and not the accelerator. in such a situation, the car will lurch and stall. however this is an automatic and the reason the clutch would engage is from acceleration. i recall the motor revving up prior to the lurch which would explain the event. the ford dealership finally narrowed the problem to the throttle body and the electronics attached to it and required replacement ($700+). i would say this event occurred at least 6 times in the past year, always while the car was stopped but never 3 times in succession. it stalled maybe two of those times, entered 'engine failsafe mode' but was fine after re-starting the engine. i researched this occurrence on the internet finding it to be an issue on many occasions with this model vehicle. there are several reports on your website as well. i see the investigation is still open. i noted one report referencing a design flaw as to the release of gases in the throttle body and how they are re-routed back throughout the body. the service rep at the dealer noted to me that the new body installed on my car was a new design where the gases are released away from the body. i take this as acknowledgement that the original design was flawed, leading to its unsafe behavior. note that this last event occurred in 90+ degree weather with the ac on and after highway driving for 3 hours. *kb

My ford freestyle 2005 has been lunging for months. i purchased this vehicle used from a private party. of course if the previous owner had any issues he did not share them with me.the vehicle did have some minor dings which he claimed occurred when he backed into a fence.he had been having some severe medical problems so i am wondering did he just think it was his fault, not realizing the car had lunged. i see a lot of other people on the internet are having the same problems. when are you going to recall this vehicle? it is very scary and does it in forward and reverse. i have been afraid to park in any tight spaces where it may lung and cause a accident or injure someone.i have a handicap parking tag but have been leary of parking in those spaces should this happen. also the air conditioning only operates when the vehicle is accelerating, i saw others have that issue also. please take action soon before these vehicles suddenly lunge on a interstate and cause serious injuries or death. thank you. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact was driving 65 mph when the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to coast to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. the dealer stated that the throttle body needed to be cleaned but the throttle body cleaning did not remedy the issue. the vehicle continued to stall. the contact took the vehicle back to the dealer who was unaware of the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 76,000.

2005 ford freestyle surges at low speeds when foot is not on accelerator, or suddenly speeds up at low speeds such as parking or backing up.i have had several near misses almost drove into traffic , and rear ended car in front. this is the second issue with this event. first occurred in 02/july/2009 ford replaced throttle body motor this fixed the problem until this week. *tr

Update on odi 10419757: took car to ford dealer because engine light came on after car lunged (while backing up). said it was the throttle control actuator sticking was replaced at a cost of $895.00. two other customers with ford freestyle have had the same problem. *kb

Normal driving conditions-when backing out the car lunges and goes dead. fail safe engine mode is displayed. have had it lunge forward when foot is on brake and engine dies. happens more often when air conditioner is on. check engine light comes on. ford dealer said air compressor was no good. did not replace because we saw complaint about ford freestyle. *kb

I own a 2005 ford freestyle. i often experience a surge in my vehicles acceleration even when i have not touched the gas pedal. this occurs most often with the air conditioning off and just after i put the car in drive. today i nearly ran over a pedestrian after shifting my car into gear, and so i googled the problem when i got home. i see that you are investigating this problem with the freestyle. please demand a recall before someone gets hurt. *tr

Engine / speed surging especially noticeable when parking. whether in drive or reverse engine moderates only slightly but car lurches. this has happened to three different drivers of the same car, same day, similar experiences. extra pressure was needed on brake to prevent car from hitting other cars in parking lot. . . . circumstances: hot day ( 90+ f), air conditioning on, engine at idle speed while maneuvering into / out from parking, turning wheel or holding wheel turned during maneuver. *tr

Vehicle lurching when idling or low speeds. repeated excessive wear on rear brakes. front brakes working properly. *tt

About a month ago, i received error messages on my dashboard ranging from check engine light to critical engine failure. i took my car to the local dealership and he said there were all sorts of error codes that needed to be cleared out. he said this was common and happens every 3 to 4 years. i paid the money, had the error messages / computer chip reset, and went on my way. during the last couple of weeks, my car will surge while i'm temporarily stopped (at a stop light, drive through window, etc), and the engine dies about 50% of the time. the car will lunge 3 to 5 feet as soon as i take my foot off of the break and before i can touch the gas pedal. it is extremely unnerving, it has been very hot in arkansas during the last few weeks (temps in the high 90s / low 100s) and my air conditioner is on while this happens. it appears from similar comments posted, i have a throttle body that is failing. *tr

2005 ford freestyle transmission surging when placed in reverse. had been minor up to this point but while my wife was driving it last night, engine revved higher than before and stalled . check transmission light came on and 'system failure" message appeared. after doing some research, it seems to be the throttle body problem that is prevalent with this vehicle. of course, my extended warranty expired 2 weeks ago. *kb

Vehicle will lunge and jerk while backing or under braking. engine will rev and then stall as well. check engine light with come on or it will go into "fail-safe" mode. took it to a local ford dealership and they advised it needed a new throttle body. after researching the issue we discovered this is a common problem with this model and year.

After sitting in a restaurant's parking lot with the engine idling and the air conditioning on for about 30 minutes, the car lunged backward several feet when the car with placed into reverse. once the car was stopped, i placed the car in drive and it lunged forward without me pressing the gas pedal. luckily, there once no one around the car when this happened or there could have been injuries caused by the car's actions. also, the car's "failsafe engine mode" and "wrench" light came on. this caused the car's power to be minimized to a crawl. we were only able to get the car's speed up to around 20 to 30 mph. after experiencing this issue, i looked on the internet to find that many individuals were having the same problem with this model. it appears that it is an issue with the throttle body component on this model that is bad and causing this problem. this is a serious safety issue and i would hope that ford would be held responsible for replacing this part under a recall.

I have a 2005 ford freestyle. yesterday when backing up the car suddenly surged. my foot was not on the gas pedal. i was able to stop the car and it stalled. this is not the first time the car has done this but this time was the most noticeable. this happens sporadically and only seems to do it when at idle speeds. it does happen in forward and reverse. mainly in parking situations. this may also be related to the a/c as i just started noticing this issue in early summer when i started to use the a/c. *tr

I have a 2005 ford freestyle sel. in the last month, the car has been surging and taking off without my touching the gas. last friday, it surged violently backward while i was parallel parking and ran up on the curb nearly hitting people. i stood on the brake and the engine quit and went into a fault mode. it did this three times after re-starting the car each time. it also about two weeks ago surged forward into the gate of my gated community. it is now surging at a third of my stops. i don't try and back it up if at all possible. i am convinced this is a serious safety problem. i am afraid to allow anyone in my family to drive it. i feel this should be re-called and fixed. *kb

My 2005 ford freestyle unexpectedly lunges forward in drive and reverse. this usually happens in high heat after using a/c for a while. thankfully i've had my foot over the brake during these occurrences, but this issue concerns me. i have also been told by a local ford dealership that my ac compressor is leaking, and wonder if the two are linked somehow. *kb

Bought a ford freestyle in july 2008 took it to the shop july 2009 because it was lunging and stalling. ford kept it on their lot until november. when i got it back i had to replace the tire because they had flat spots they did not move the car. they replaced the throttle body and now july of 2011 it is doing the same problem. i was told that this car engine gets to hot and the alternator can't work correctly. my warranty expired july 27th 2011 and i can't afford to fix this car. something needs to be done about all the problems this car has. *kb

Vehicle has a sudden jump in acceleration even when driver is pressing on the brake pedal. it feels as if both the brake and accelerator are being pressed and the car is in conflict. then the idle seems to drop either to a point of the vehicle dying or almost stalling. when restarted (sometimes this takes 2-3 tries to keep it running) or idle evens out the rpms and acceleration are delayed for some time. while pressing on the accelerator (even pushing almost to the floor) the vehicle will not increase in speed (in a normal response time-within 3-4 miles) and rpms top out at 2000. this happens at both low speeds and when attempting to achieve highway speeds. the trigger for this is typically a sharp turn. this also results in the check engine light coming on and giving diagnostic codes of p061b and p2106 which i have been unable to find a description of these codes. this has happened once every 4-6 weeks to begin with, but has increased in frequency to 3-4 times a month. i have not replaced the throttle body but that appears to be the common fix as reported by others experiencing this problem. after leaving the car sit for several hours and restarting the next day or 4-5 hours later the problem is not apparent until the next time. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle has been surging when my foot is on the brake. i have noticed these last few days it has been surging when i am attempting to pick up speed. tonight just after i turned it on it putitself in engine safe mode and would not let me drive faster than 5 mph. it was chugging the whole way down the street, then finally just turned off. *tr

For 4 years the car has surged when placing the care in reverse, but i always thought it was the transmission. two days ago the car surged forward 3 times and i was inches from hitting the vehicle in front of me i turned the car off and back on and it was fine. yesterday i placed the car in reverse and it surged back wards so forcefully i could almost not contain it with the breaks. today the car surged back again but i was ready or it and the car stalled stating "failsafe engine mode" i again i turned the car off and on and it worked with out a problem. all 3 times the car was idle in 90+ degree weather for >5 min. *tr

2005 ford freestyle unexpectedly surges forward while idling at a stop, moving as slow speed or shifting from park into either forward or reverse. the frequency of occurrence increases when the vehicle's air conditioning has been running but the vehicle is not moving, i.e., while either parked or idling. engine enters "fail-safe" mode and restarting engine temporarily clears the error and alleviates the problem. *tr

We have experienced 3 instances of unintended lurching with our 2005 ford freestyle. after the lurching occurred, there was loss of power steering and the vehicle stalled. two out of three times damage or injury almost occurred and was narrowly avoided. all three times the vehicle was in reverse then forward. the ac was on. *tr

My car lurches forward if my foot is not fully on the brake or when i begin to accelerate from a stopped position. this has happened several times. my check engine light is now on. i was running my ac in 100 degree weather this last time. *kb

My 2005 ford freestyle lunges when placed in drive or reverse, it happens before the accelerator is pressed and i must stomp the brake to stop it. i have had many close calls in the past two weeks. today a "fail safe engine mode" message came on. *kb

We have an 2005 freestyle. my wife was picking up our grandson from vacation bible school on 7/19/2011. the car lunged forward and almost ran over some other kids crossing over the road in front of her. the crossing guard frantically waved his arms for my wife to stop which she was trying to do. by luck the engine died. someone is going to die from this yet and then ford will have a big lawsuit on there hands with thousands of people on the side of the plaintiff. i can't understand ford's position on this issue since they are rated highly for quality. they had the publics support when they didn't take a bailout. why damage a good reputation? *kb

I have a 2005 ford freestyle since i purchased the car it will surge forward or backward suddenly when i stopped and sometimes will sputter and engine lite will come on and will have to be shut off and restarted to get to run right it is getting worse and more often. *tr

When go to back it lunges back and if you are sitting in traffic it will lunges forward and then stall out or die and the rpms go up real high. *kb

While sitting in a parking lot on a hot day (a/c running), my 2005 ford freestyle suddenly lunged forward. when the brake was applied, it stopped the engine. a message appeared reading "engine in fail-safe mode." approximately 2 weeks later, this same condition was repeated with the same result. in between these events the car seems to perform as expected. as of now we have taken no action however next wednesday the dealer can look at the vehicle and hopefully have some good news on the repairs. i had the local autozone technician run a diagnostic check and two codes came up he said were unique to ford so a ford service technician would be required to interpret. he lead me to believe these codes read "tac" and something referring to the torque control module. codes may have been "p061b" and a p1202" (?). *kb

I own a 2005 ford freestyle sel awd. the car lunges out of park. happened about three times in the last 30~ 60 days the car comes to a failsafe engine mode. i have to shut off the engine and restart it to clear the failsafe mode. this is not the first time this has happened. it has happened in the past few years. *tr

I own a 2005 ford freestyle sel. i am experiencing engine surges (sudden acceleration) on a daily basis. the vehicle was taken to a ford dealer where they didn't find any problems and blamed it on engine load from the ac systems. while i have not had any accidents yet i have on several occasions been forced to stand on the brake to avoid hitting other vehicles and in one case a pedestrian. ford won't do anything because they say that they can't find anything wrong and there are not recalls. *kb

When parking the vehicle or reversing out of a parking spot the engine will "rev" and the vehicle will lunge forward as if i had pushed the accelerator but my foot was applying pressure to the brake. this has occurred since i bought the vehicle in 2005 at approximately 11,000 miles but the latest incident happened yesterday, july 4, 2011. up until recently i could not reproduce it on a regular basis so i did not take it to the dealership. after reading an article on reuters website that this is being investigated by nhtsa i decided to report it here. as the article states, it appears more often when i have the air conditioning on high. i spoke to the service department at the ford dealership in flat rock michigan and they said they were unaware of this problem and that there is probably nothing they can do to correct it. to date, this has caused no injuries or accidents but it is only because i take extra precautions (e.g. turn off the air conditioning or be prepared to apply extra pressure to the brake when parking) to ensure the car does not lunge forward and hit anything. *kb

After idling at a stop light, the car lost most of its power when resuming through the intersection. have had many similar issues since this incident where the vehicle will lunge forward or backward by itself when the brake is partially depressed or the when the brake is fully depressed the engine revs up by itself. drivetrain light came on once when power was decreased and then went away when the vehicle was left parked an off for an hour. ford dealership has determined the throttlebody is cracked. offered to fix for $900. no action has been taken because of the steep expense.

Our 2005 ford freestyle is lunging forward at low speeds. we need to firmly press on the brakes to stop it which is very dangerous! at this point, the engine stalls. it seems clear this is a very common issue in this vehicle due to a malfunctioning throttle body. this is not safe and there needs to be a recall to permanently fix the issue! *tr

My wife drives a 2005 ford freestyle and it has a tendency to lunge forward when put into drive, without her foot on the gas pedal. she keeps her foot on the brake, but it still lunges. this also happens when she puts the car in reverse. i drove the car saturday and experienced it for myself. i feel that this is unsafe and am debating parking the vehicle until something is done. *tt

Sudden acceleration at slow speed both in forward and reverse. worse when air conditioning is on. dealership states that it is a throttle body issue. very costly to repair, very dangerous to drive. already ran into cart corral at grocery store when car lurched forward. no damage. *tr

We have experienced numerous problems with our freestyle, and at this point are faced with a failed throttle body, which will cost $900 to replace (dealer quote). searching the internet reveals that this is a very common, known problem with the freestyle, and its sister cars (the 500 & sable) all build by ford with the same engine. the problem causes the vehicle to lurch while at idle, to perhaps 5-10 mph, endangering anyone in the vehicle's path (ie, pedestrians, cars ahead in a drive-thru lane, etc.) ford has produced several successive variants of the throttle body, indicating the newer ones do not have the fatal design flaw that plagues the original. why am i forced to purchase a replacement for an obviously (at this point) badly designed product? these cars should be recalled, and we should be reimbursed for the expense. *tr

While driving the vehicle it goes into fail safe mode kinda like stalling it does this up to 4 or 5 times with only going a few miles and doesn't matter if it is in town or highway it does it everywhere. we have to pull over shut the car off and restart it. *tr

Purchased used ford freestyle december 2010. ran fine until warm weather and use of air conditioner. with a/c on, the electronic throttle control seems to often greatly overshoot the correct setting when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse, which causes a significant engine rpm increase and a momentary "lunge" if the brake is not applied very firmly. many vehicles do this to a minor extent but the freestyle is far and away the worst i've ever seen. this does cause unanticipated vehicle movement and could injure a child, passerby etc or cause a vehicle to enter an intersection. my wife is certainly unnerved by it. effect is in fact sometimes there in cool weather but to a much lesser extent. reading forums and thinking about this (i'm an engineer and sae member) it may very well be something like a worn throttle position sensor interacting with an ecu software glitch, may very well be fixable in software. annoyingly the tps on this vehicle is integrated into the throttle body or i'd just replace the tps. *tr

2005 ford freestyle sel exhibited unintended acceleration when pulling into parking space. vehicle surged forward about 2 feet while moving foot from accelerator to brake. engine speed returned to idle once brake was applied. *tr

Vehicle's engine surges at low speeds when backing up or going forwards. the problem is most noticeable when the air conditioner is running. it does not happen consistently which makes it difficult for dealership to diagnose, and it is unpredictable and dangerous. pressing the brakes will stop the surge. it has been happening off and on for a year but has increased in frequency to where it occurs nearly every day. *tt

i have a 2005 freestyle, i bought new, and have had the throttle body replaced twice for this surging issue. the dealer said it was a bad throttle position sensor. i have read on the forums about other people having the same problem. this is my wife's car and she freaks out when it surges, she has almost lost control sometimes. *tr

2005 ford freestyle unexpectedly accelerates when car is put into gear (forward or reverse), this seems to be aligned with other complaints associated with nhtsa investigation pe11018. the engine will rev when putting the car into gear and will lurch in the direction of the gear that it was placed in. this is not due to the driver inadvertently pressing on the gas pedal at the same time as the brake. the driver has to firmly press on the brakes to prevent the car from moving. if the brake is only pressed just enough to put the car in gear the vehicle will actually move 3-4 feet. the happens sporadically but does occur at least 4-5 times a week.