Problems with 2005 Ford Freestyle ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the failure recurred intermittently as the contact drove at various speeds . the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer advised that the computer had to be reset. after the repair the failure continued. the check engine warning light was also illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated while driving 50 mph, the transmission warning light illuminated. the contact decelerated to 40 mph as the vehicle began to lunge forward abnormally. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure recurred. the vehicle was returned to the dealer, who stated that the transmission would need to be replaced again however, they did not have the necessary parts to complete the repair. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the transmission was rebuilt however, the failure recurred. the contact was informed that there was an electrical problem that was causing the recurring transmission failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

I was backing up out of a parking spot very slowly and the car surged backward about a foot, i was able to depress the brake and stop it. the fail safe mode then engaged. i turned the car off and sat for a couple minutes and restarted it and started backing out. the same thing happened again, the surge backward and the failsafe mode engaged. i once again stopped and turned off the engine and sat for about 15 minutes. when i restarted the car the check engine light was on but i was able to back out of the parking space all right, and the failsafe mode did not come back on. it was an extremely hot 100 degrees day, and the a/c was on. this is extremely scary. i could have hit someone. *js

Car lost power at 35-40 mph for just a few seconds. many instances of lunging in forward and reverse. frightening to drive in parking lots.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that the instrument panel became inoperable. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who informed the contact that the instrument panel would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 35,000. updated 5/22/13 *cn

While driving to work all of a sudden the cluster lights in the instrument panel all went out and the speedometer, odometer, control temp, and gas gage all zeroed out and a wrench and air bag light came on. then after about 10 minutes of driving everything starting working again and the two warning lights went off however, then the check engine light came on. i had a diagnostic done and the errors were all electrical. have to take it in a few days to the ford dealer and be charged a $90.00 fee up front just for them to look at it and diagnose the problem. according to all the complaints it's been a very well known problem that ford should have dealt with in a recall. not just try to sweep it under the rug. i'm sure it's going to cost me an arm and a leg when they get done. i have always owned a ford but now i think i'm going to make a switch to a chrysler (since i do work there now) and i know i will be taken care of not just taken. *tr

I owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the instrument cluster sporadically shuts down and you are unable to see the speedometer, odometer or any gauges on the dashboard for about 10 seconds. the problem recurs several times a day. the answer i have received is that my car is receiving a surge of energy causing this malfunction. my vehicle has completely shorted out at this point and my lights on the inside of the vehicle and dashboard flicker, but the motor is not attempting to start. hoping it is a blown fuse but maybe the alternator. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that the speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge failed and displayed an erroneous reading of zero. in addition, the turn signals and headlights were inoperable. the contact also stated that with the brakes depressed, the vehicle would surge forward abnormally. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure, nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. the current and the failure mileages were 60,000.

The first incident my fuel gauge is off & producing incorrect data of gas remaining in car & driver window would roll up and down when trying to just roll it up. i took the car back to the dealership they did not fix the issue. another incident i was on the highway and the stalled while driving. third incident i was at a stop light with my 5 year old daughter in the car, all of a sudden the car made a loud revving up noise then shot us forward into oncoming traffic. i was barely able to back up before the cars reached us. another time i was driving with my daughter taking her to daycare then going to work and we were going through a school zone. we stopped at a stop sign and there was a family with 3 children crossing and the car shot us forward again and we almost hit the family. several times when picking up my daughter i would put the car in reverse and my foot was on the brake pedal still all of a sudden the car shot us back into the cars behind us. this car is very unsafe. i fear for the safety of others and my daughters and my life when getting into this car. ford should recall this vehicle and replace it with a new car. people shouldn't be at risk for this. *tr

While driving the instrument cluster would behave erratically and then completely stop working for 10-30 seconds, after this the wrench and seat belt light stay on. then they reset and all gauges work normally and then this reoccurs. during these occurrences the engine would act sluggishly and there would be slower acceleration. this has been happening for 3+ months and today the gauges have all stopped working, the same 2 icons are lite and now the reverse lights stay on whether the car is in park, drive, neutral or reverse. the turn signals, lights and brake lights all work but do not display on the dash. seen the tsb's from ford, the investigation done by nhtsa pe07058, this needs to be re-opened and a recall performed by ford. *tr

While driving on the highway with my wife at a speed of 55mph the motor suddenly dies and the wrench symbol appears. i tried to restart the car by turning the key - didn't work. luckily we were close to an exit and i let the car roll out and onto a parking lot. there i tried again to start the car and it suddenly started again and the wrench symbol is gone. i went to a mechanic to have it checked out but he couldn't find anything. and the car runs fine w/o incident since then. i am just glad that my 3 kids weren't with us in the car that day and that nothing serious happened. a motor dying on a highway can cause serious trouble ! shortly after i bought the car about 2 months ago the cel went on and the error codes for torque/throttle body were given. i went to valvoline to have the fuel system cleaned and the codes taken out, no problems since then. but i've noticed that the car is very sluggish when i accelerate and then suddenly lunges. needless to say that i think this car is not the best model ford developed, we did some research on this model and there are so many complaints. ford needs to do some serious customer care !!! and of course i find my car highly unreliable and expect it to break down any day. *tr

Eng. surging car wants to accelerate while standing at red light hat trouble holding car still also while driving car wants to lurch forward. *tr

I have a 2005 ford freestyle with two issues.. issue #1- when shifting into gear (drive or reverse) or starting to accelerate the car lunges forward or backward. it is a requirement to stay a few feet back and foot firmly on the brake at all times as not to hit other vehicles or pedestrians. issue #2- instrument panel randomly began to illuminate lights (ie check engine, seatbelt, air bag) for a period of time and then they would disappear. then the gauges (ie gas, temp, and speedometer) began not working. took it in to shop and they confirmed a faulty instrument cluster. *tr

Unexplained acceleration of vehicle. car lurches for no apparent cause. *tr

2005 ford freestyle surges and accelerates from a stop or low speed. it is particularly evident when shifting the transmission from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. the acceleration can last for maximum 5 seconds but you better have your foot firmly planted on the brake or the vehicle could lunge forward or backward into oncoming or parked cars and pedestrians. it doesn't happen al the time, often after the car has been run and parked for a 15-30 minute period. *tr

Request to re-open nhtsa defect investigation #pe07058. the entire instrumental panel stopped working while starting, stoping or driving at low speed and on highway. also when it happens, no turn signal alarm, no air conditioner, and controls on the steering wheel not working. have not been able to check outside lights. it happens from time to time, comes and goes, lasts about 2-10 seconds. a few occasoins, it trigged air bag, coolent warning and check engine lights to come on. check engien light stayed for a few days. i think it is a design or production defect since ford knew it back in 2006 according to its tsb. i think it's dangerous, especially when driving on highspeed, at night and in bad weather, you lose the info of speed and air conditioner and don't know if turn signal light is on.

My 2005 freestyle is making loud rattling sound (coming from trans) and the failsafe mode indicator as well as the yellow wrench have been appearing. i have had it in the service dept of dealership many times for surging and power failures, etc, and they have made numerous repairs - (including the ac compressor) and replaced a head gasket (which is leaking badly now?), and it appears this time it may be a throttle body problem? the dealer won't look at it till next week and wants $200 to check it out? people waiting in line (at the service dept) today told me they had the exact same problems (with freestyles). there should be a recall if so many people are complaining.

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.

2005 ford freestyle complete shutoff of electrical system including turn signals. this is the second problem. the first was the surging that everybody is complaining about. after a wrong diagnosis and replacing the throttle body and pcm, the whole problem was fixed by replacing the alternator. my concern is the complete shutoff of electrical system is a safety issue. this second problem is current. *tr

The vehicle unexpectedly surges when turning into a parking space or sitting at drive through. also having issues with engine dying when reversing. *tr

When parking, driving very slow (under 10mph) or backing up my car lunges forward with surge of power and foot on brake not gas. sometimes it dies and gave error code engine failsafe mode. worse when acon, don't remember it being an issue in the winter. took to dobbs and was told it was my throttle body and my computer would need reset. cleaned throttle body to see if that would correct issue. improved, but did not correct. very scary and dangerous in traffic, approaching stop signs, especially if pedestrians nearby. fear could lunge at them. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that all of the gauges on the instrument panel were malfunctioning. when the failure would occur, the reverse lights would illuminate and stay on. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the vehicle was diagnosed as the cluster module being defective and needing to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 46,000. updated 05/04/11 *bf

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that the instrument cluster had a interruption in power, causing the dials to operate improperly. the contact was unable to read the speedometer due to the malfunction. the contact had the instrument cluster replaced by the dealer three times bu the failure continued to recur. the contact called the manufacturer regarding the cluster malfunction and the manufacturer advised that there was nothing they could do to assist. the failure mileage was 101,000.

Tl*the contact owns 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that the instrument cluster lost power and all of the gauges stopped working and the interior lights shut off. the failure last from a few seconds to a few minutes. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that they could not diagnose the failure. the dealer also stated that this did not mean there was not a problem because they could not duplicate it. the failure mileage was 78000 and the current mileage was 79000.

When driving my 2005 ford freestyle down the road the entire cluster will start cutting out all the lights will come on. the first time this happened i was driving 30 mile per hour. i pulled over and shut off my vehicle, a few seconds later i restarted my vehicle the lights still came on they stayed on for about 20 minutes and then stayed off for about a 9 days. the second time it happened they stayed on for 4 days. i called our nearest ford dealership the same day they came on and was told it could be the battery causing it or could be the cluster cutting out. we checked and cleaned our battery which is only 9 months old. it was not the battery. then on the 4th day all the warning lights in the cluster went off except the check engine light. after a day or so it to went out. the biggest problem with this the speedometer does not work when this occurs. ...i feel this is very dangerous, especially on the curvy and winding roads where i live. and it is a problem i thoroughly checked out many people are having problem with this issue yet ford has not had a recall on it or the other problem with the throttle body (lurching and surging). both are safety issues and manufacturing defects. bad enough the ac problem and having bought 5 sets of tires since i have bought the 2005 freestyle. i have owned ford products for many years and being they do not back their products i will not continue purchasing from ford. *tr

I own a 2005 ford freestyle and about 1 year ago, when ever i would back out of my garage or pull into the garage at a slow speed, sometimes the car would lunge unexpectedly either forward or backward depending on if i was backing out or pulling into my garage. it occurred at least 3 or 4 times per week until it finally got so back that my check engine light came on. at that point, i took the car to the dealership and they charged me over $600 to replace the throttle body on the car. this did resolve the issue somewhat, but at least a couple of times a month i still experience this lunging of the car, but it is not as dramatic as it was before they replaced the throttle body. i was really worried about this issue as we have a lot of kids that like to play around our house and i was always worried i was going to run into one of them when backing out of the garage so i had to make sure i kept one foot on the break just in case. this is a very serious issue and it is something that is definitely a safety hazard to the public. also, my wife has a 2006 ford 500 and it experienced the same problems and we had to get the throttle body fixed on it as well. i spent over $1,000 within the span of a few months on the same issue in two different ford vehicles. there is definitely something wrong with the throttle body mechanism and ford needs to be held accountable for this dangerous situation they have put car owners in and they should be required to refund the cost of anyone who has already spent $600 or $700 to fix their throttle body. the ford dealer told me to keep my receipts in case this issue made the recall list. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle with 58,000 miles suddenly looses all the instrument panel indications and the engine then dies. restart is possible and instruments then return to normal. this usually occurs within a few minutes of starting the car but has happened at speed on the highway. the dealer claims this is a common freestyle problem and the entire instrument cluster has to be replaced at a cost of $700.00. why has this obvious safety issue not been subject to a recall? *tr

2005 ford freestyle sel has lost power and turned off completely twice. both times, i turned the ac and radio off and it started back up immediately. i have also experienced the sudden surge others have described when slowing at an intersection for a stop sign and it does require a quick hard break to keep from entering the intersection. both of these events are extremely dangerous. *tr

The car lunges forward or backward depending if you are in drive or reverse. it is so fast you have to brake with both feet and pull against steering wheel to stop car. car trips into failsafe mode after this happens (would be too late, you would have hit something by then)dealer says it is the bad throttle body. seems to be a systemic problem with freestyle 2005-2007? very dangerous a matter of time before someone is run over or killed with vehicle. *tr

The vehicle would experience intermittent loss of the electrical to the gauges and interior lighting. the gauges would sweep to zero and then momentarily sweep back. the length of the loss of electrical is increasing with each intermittent failure. twice now the vehicle has also lost acceleration when pulling out of an intersection causing a potential collision condition. the last time this happened it also occurred with a loss of electrical to the instrument cluster and interior lighting. this is a potential serious condition as the vehicle may have been involved in a collision due to the loss of power. the vehicle is currently with the ford dealer undergoing diagnostics. *tr

2005 ford freestyle. 3 different incidents when the car was stopped, lurched forward and then the dashboard light came on reading "engine safe failed" turned car off and restarted. 3rd time it happened the check engine light remained on with the emissions light on the dashboard. took car to dealership to be serviced. we are now told the throttle body needs to be replaced and the electric system needs to be rebooted. the car only has 58,000 miles and we purchased only 30 days ago used. *tr

Car accelerated when placed in reverse and brake was applied, 2005 ford freestyle ... took to dealer... replaced the throttle sensor w a kit. problem was resolved to the tune of $700,00. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed the entire instrument panel gauges would not function correctly with the illumination of the "check engine low fuel level" warning light. in addition, the wrench warning symbol and air bag warning indicator would illuminate. the failures occurred intermittently when the vehicle was in operation. also, both turn signals failed to function properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and they were unable to detect a problem. the failure mileage was approximately 50,000. the vin was unavailable.

I was driving my car (pulling out of a mall) approaching the highway, i stopped for traffic to clear. with my foot on the brake, my car suddenly leapt forward toward traffic. thinking that maybe i didn't have my brake pedal pushed hard enough (scaring me) i pushed my foot harder on the brake pedal. but the car kept lurching forward. luckily the traffic cleared & i proceeded onto the highway. then, the car didn't seem to move, so i pressed the gas pedal a little harder. the car acted like it was in neutral, then moved forward very slowly. i pushed the gas pedal harder, and again, the car acted like it was in neutral, then finally moved forward very slowly. traffic was coming from behind so i kept going forward. luckily the ford dealership was just a couple blocks away (around the corner). so i drove it very carefully straight to the dealership service department. at most i was going about 30-35 miles per hour. the dealership says the problem is the throttle body needs to be replaced. they have to order parts. luckily my extended warranty is in effect, so it's supposed to be covered, except for a $100. deductible. (plus we"ll need to pay charges to have the parts shipped asap). today, my husband checked online and found that this has been an ongoing problem with ford freestyle's. this is absolutely dangerous! my car could easily have lurched out into heavy 40-45 mile per hr traffic, if i hadn't had fast reflexes! or if i had pulled out in front of the higher speed traffic i could have been hit from behind! my car has only about 37,000 miles. i've had about four incidences of electrical problems with it. first, they replaced my alternator. then my battery. then my instrument cluster panels & (in the dashboard) airconditioning panels. at least they're the things that i know they've done (because the don't tell you all the things they've fixed or replaced). i don"t know if these things are connected. also according to the internet, these parts have be hard to find. *tr

I have had this problem from about 2 months after obtaining the vehicle. and i currently have 49500 miles approx. the vehicle will lunge going forward or backwards, stall at times, clunking noises. have taken vehicle in many times, and was at one time nothing wrong. then ford dealer replaced some part in engine. while the vehicle was running and a/c was on in park, placed in reverse vehicle lunged again then the fail safe notification along with the wrench came on. took vehicle to dealer as i was told to bring it back when it was happening again. they told me today that it was the throttle body and map sensors that need to be repaired as they mechanically failed i have an extended warranty and it is not a covered item which for both items will cost almost $1500 which should have been covered under the comprehensive coverage of any extended warranty as it is part of the engine and working comprehensive parts. i know of at least 100 people in my area that have had the same problem with the throttle body, yet ford will not do a recall on this as it is considered a fire/safety hazard as the map sensors are on the manifold which controls the fuel. if you review the internet you will find many people with the 2005 ford freestyle are having the same problem with these items and should be a national recall on it. *tr

Re-experiencing electrical instrument cluster problems. battery and alternator replaced 6/2008 when car dead in driveway. 8 months later 4/2009 electrical gauges fail and reset and same local mechanic replaced fuses. two months later 6/2009 gauges continue to fail and reset leading dealer, referencing tsb, to replace with new instrument cluster. luckily covered under extended warranty. mileage then 63,000. in last year the car running fine until month ago june /july 2010 when electrical gauges continuously stopping and resetting on highway with and without a/c running mostly within first 30 minutes of driving. also, subtle engine delay and fanlike sounds coming from underneath experienced during and after these episodes. while on vacation with these problems, two local mechanics suggested bad alternator but took to another ny ford dealer who diagnosed and replaced alleged leaking battery which was only 2 yr old battery. of course, did not correct problem. symptoms of electrical failure and reset are daily now and external lights dimming on off. calling back original dealer for diagnosis and next steps. extended warranty now expired. very concerned that car electrical power will shut down on highway while traveling with 3 children. 76,000 miles. *tr

Started car and put in gear then it lunged forward with foot on brake. turned car off for a moment (15 seconds) turned back on put in reverse and it lunged backwards into a pole (thank god someone wasn't behind me). failsafe engine mode light came on, a wrench and check engine also showed up. as of now car is being towed to dealer. it is not under warranty. 96 k miles. *tr

All gauges stopped working and back-up lights on when ignition is on. *tr

Sitting at stop light, engine surges and lurches into "fail safe" mode. car slips out of gear into neutral, and limps to a stop. has occured multiple times, especially in the heat of summer. taken car into multiple shops, have never received consistent answer. answers range from transmission failure to a bad computer, or a sensor.

2005 ford freestyle experiencing electrical instrument failure. all gauges fail (drop to zero) and dash light goes out while driving. gauges may resume to working position, but sometimes continue to fail while driving. very scary when speedometer registers 0 mph at highway speeds! *tr

Electrical ground connection failure 2nd repair within 70,000. *tr

During vehicle operation, the instrument cluster suddenly and catastrophically fails, apparently disabling several critical safety features. the malfunction at first occurred intermittently, then more frequently, but now occurs continuously. a local ford dealer has replaced the instrument cluster twice without resolving the problem, indicating that original ford equipment may be defective. the speedometer and tachometer needles suddenly drop to zero and freeze. the digital display shows 'odometer data error.' all warning lights on the instrument cluster come on at once. without these instruments, the driver can no longer monitor vehicle performance, such as speed and engine temperature. the malfunction definitely disables the automatic door locks and traction control. it may very well also disable the air bag system since the self-check display also does not work. *tr

2005 ford freestyle with 54k miles. instrument cluster intermittently goes completely dark. all gauges including speedometer stop working. happens randomly about 2 times per day. taken to ford dealer who looked up tsb (06-17-9). charged $750 for parts and labor. no responsibility taken by ford for this obvious and dangerous manufacturing defect. this is an all to common problem in this year vehicle should be recalled. *tr

I own a 2005 ford freestyle with 33,200 miles on it. i bought it new. in late march 2010, the needles on the gauges started sweeping down to zero and the car lost power. then the car regained power again. this happened 4 times in the last two weeks. the last time it happened i was driving down i-85 at 55 mph with tractor trailer trucks directly in back of me and also along side of me. the gauges swept and the car lost power but the power did not come back and i was barely able to get the car to the side of the road. it had to be towed in for service. of course, ford said it was not covered under my warranty and i would have to pay to repair 'cluster' failure. this was extremely dangerous as i had my 3 yr old granddaughter in a car seat in the rear passenger position. if i had not been able to get the car off the highway, the probability of being rear ended by another vehicle was high. that stretch of i-85 is highly traveled by commercial vehicles. tractor trailer's cannot stop quickly. my granddaughter could have been killed. i did some research and learned that nhtsa defect investigation peo7058 has not resulted in a recall of the 2005 freestyle. at what point does nhtsa determine that a 'defect' is serious enough to warrant a recall? and is it fair that i have to pay to correct manufacturer's defects? *tr

We own a 2005 ford freestyle. over the last 4-5 months we have had issues with the instrumentation panel "going black". this has caused the vehicles reverse lights to come on and stay on. it was happening about once every few weeks and has increased to a weekly issue. we have to unhook and rehook the battery to temporily fix the problem each time. a mechanic indicated it is an issue with the electronic cluster controlling the instrumentation panel. upon searching multiple sites this seems to be the most frequent non-recall issue for this year/make/model car. when it happens while driving the vehicle instrumentation goes crazy, the car bucks, and the reverse lights come on. i have been told it is a component problem with the mother board which is a defect and even replacing it will not necessarily fix the problem in the long term as this could occur with the new electronic cluster as well. *tr

Our freestyle has experienced mild but worsening unintended acceleration for two years now, but it was always "mild" and did not cause the car to lurch forward even when the driver's foot was hard on the brake pedal. then we had a new problem: no cold air from the ac at idle. we responded (6/11) to a mailed promotion from hertrich ford (easton md) for an ac "tune up." they did nothing but add dye to our refrigerant and "clean" our air ducts with disinfectant. so we turned to the owners' forum, myfordfreestyle.com, and quickly diagnosed the problem: a seized-up pressure control valve. apparently ford dealers refuse to perform this simple repair (part cost $40) and will only replace the entire ac compressor ($800 + labor). so we ordered the valve online and had a competent local mechanic replace the valve (1-hour labor plus cost of refrigerant). the ac is "good as new", but the unintended acceleration is now much worse. the incidents always occur at very low to no speed and when maneuvering the car (i.e. parking, k-turning, etc.). in all of these situations, both the ac and the power steering pump are demanding/drawing near-maximum power from an essentially idling engine, nearly stalling the engine; the electronic engine/idle control then kicks-in and hugely "over-reacts" by revving the engine to 2,000+ rpm. even with your foot on the brake, an automatic in drive is going to surge quite far at 2000+ rpm. please look at the myfordfreestyle.com website: note that almost all of the complaints about unintended acceleration come during hot weather months and a few also note the problem is much worse with the ac on. it took us less than 30 minutes on the website to diagnose both the ac problem and unintended acceleration problem. it is inconceivable that ford has not been aware of both of these problems for years. (surely ford's customer relations staff monitor owner forums).

2005 ford freestyle w/87,213 mi., purchased used with 87090 miles. driving approx 40 mph, slowing to stop, put turn signals on, no turn signals. noticed check transmission & air bag lamps lit. pulled over, shut the engine off & took key out, speed still registering a speed of 40 mph. cycled the car on & off 3 times & then the check engine light came on. in transit to dealer & the entire instrument panel lights, then sweeps thru all the warning lamps, the reverse gear taillights & the brake lights light, then the check engine lamp lights & no gauges register, incl speed!! dangerous!! this cycle repeated approx 3 times before check engine came on steady. called dealer & told to put on hazard lights & bring car in asap. was told today that the entire instrument panel must be replaced, but that this is no guarantee that the problem won't occur again. weather at time of incident was dry, temps in upper 40's. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds for a year the driver noticed that all the warning lights would illuminate on the instrumental panel on a intermittent basis. the vehicle would also stall on different occasions without warning. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who informed the contact that the instrument cluster had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired for the instrument cluster. the contact also stated that when trying to decelerate the vehicle it surge forward. the vehicle was also repaired for the instrument cluster for this failure as well. the failure continued to occur for the mentioned failures. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Request to re-open nhtsa defect investigation #pe07058 - instrument cluster failure: electrical system: instrument panel the nhtsa should re-open the nhtsa defect investigation #pe07058 because the car's reverse lights incorrectly turn on during this problem and seem to be related this issue. ford's own technical service bulletins (tsb #0662 and tsb #06179) even state that the reverse lights are part of the problem. we have seen this problem first hand. my ford 2005 freestyle is experiencing the instrument cluster failure problem researched in nhtsa defect investigation #pe07058 and causes the car's reverse lights to come on while car is driving forward or in park. we have witnessed the reverse lights come on while the car is in park and also when the car is driving forward. this is in contradiction to the defect investigation that said the exterior lights were not affected. quote from #pe07058: "... ford states, "the vehicle's exterior lighting would not fail to illuminate even in the event of power interruption to the cluster because the exterior lights are powered separately and do not rely on any signal from the cluster."additionally, odi contacted complainants who affirmed the intermittent condition and that none of the exterior lights on the subject vehicles would be affected by power interruptions to the instrument cluster. here are ford's technical service bulletins that contradict your research findings: tsb #0662 -- intermittent instrument cluster gauge sweep/reset - multiple warning lights on - reverse lights on - vehicles built before 2/17/2006. *tt (nhtsa id #10019951, january 01 2006) tsb #06179 -- intermittent instrument cluster operation - including gauges sweep/reset - multiple warning lights illuminated and/or reverse lights stay on. this applies to vehicles built before 02-17-06. *kb (nhtsa id #10021037, no date provided). *tr