Problems with 2005 Ford Freestyle SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

I own a 2005 ford freestyle ... i took the car in for a tune up and was told that my rear brakes (pads and rotors) need to be changed (90% worn). the dealer told me that my front brakes were only 40% worn. how could this be? the dealer told me that it looks like normal wear and tear! don't we expect the front brakes to wear out faster than the rear? is there a problem here? ford customer relations offers only words but no action. *jb

Tl* - the contact stated that on january 9, 2007 she was driving at 30 mph on a rural road. the road conditions were icy and slushy. the contact was driving down hill, when the contact applied the brakes and the vehicle would not stop. there were no warning lights. the contact veered off the to avoid hitting anyone, there were no injuries. the contact believes the brakes did not engage. the contact continued on her trip and was able to stop the vehicle, but she had to push the brake pedal all the way to the floor. she did hear a grinding noise in the rear of the vehicle. later in the day the vehicle fish tailed and she does not recall if she applied the brakes but, remembers slowing the vehicle down. the contact took the vehicle to a repair shop and purchased 4 new tires. the contact was told she needed rear brakes and rear rotors, the vehicle had 30,000 miles at the time of the failure. she has not replaced the brakes & rotors. *nm updated 03/07/07. *jb

Rear brakes and rotors needed to be replaced at 31515 miles. there are numerous complaints on the internet regarding this issue. *jb

Took 2005 ford freestyle in for oil change and courtesy check. upon inspection, it was noticed that the front tires had significant interior wear, and that the right rear brake was rubbing metal to metal. vehicle only had 24554 miles on it. took to local ford dealership, rear brakes and right rotor replaced, and two tires replaced. *jb

I have a 2005 ford freestyle at 22,299 miles had to have rear brakes place on my car. now at 36,450 12-26-2006 have the same rear brakes replace and head for a class action law suit against ford & ford dealer ship if they don't do something to correct this problem at there cost. a car does not wear brakes that fast with even a person with normal brake usage. if any person would like to be included in suite email at [email protected]. i have it. i have heard the same explanations dealership put up. i am engineer out of auto industry and know when car is miss designed, hope no one get killed. *nm

I took my ford freestyle to be serviced at 20k miles. i was told that my rear brakes were bad and needed to be replaced and that the rotors needed to be serviced due to the bad brakes. i have never heard of rear brakes going bad at 20k miles however the service manager at ford had indicated that this seems to be a common problem. he also indicated that i will most likely need to replace my rear brakes every year. this seens completley ridiculous to me. i replaced the brakes and serviced the rotors but i feel the need for replacement of rear brakes yearly must be some sort of factory defect in the design of the brakes. *nm

i bought a new 2005 ford freestyle in july, 2005. at tire rotation, inspection, the rear brake pads were found to be badly worn and in need of replacement at around 16,000 miles.(december 2006) the dealer service rep. said that it would not be covered under warranty. i am a retired truck driver, and i am trained to use my brakes probably 1/3 as much as the average driver. i am ready to turn this over to my attorney, or a class -action suit. *jb

Rear end noise started about 13000 miles ( sounding like a plane engine when you hit 40 mph). dealer said tires were worn replaced all four tires plus alignment-dealer paid for two. noise continued. dealer then replace ball joints and rear brakes at 14000. noise is gone. *jb

2005 freestyle with 28,000 miles was brought in for a recall and oil change. we were informed that the rear brake pads needed to be replaced, though the rotors were okay. the front brakes had greater than 50% of the pad material left. the representative went through a few unsatisfactory explanations (obviously had no clue what he was talking about) including the car "uses its rear brakes to do most of the stopping," some freestyles "just do this," we are not driving it correctly, and finally, the 500 series cars use their rear brake pads much quicker than their fronts. (this is descriptive, not an explanation!) we paid the costs of the rotor resurfacing and the new pads. i was told the pad wear was even and the calipers are working properly. obviously someone messed up their sums in designing the brake system, since this front wheel drive, front engined, softly sprung car should use its front brakes much more than the rears to generate its stopping power. if the rears are wearing out pads twice as fast as the fronts, they are not "quite right." perhaps bigger rear brakes and a proportioning valve adjustment are what is needed, but ford has missed the boat here and it will cost us, of course. *nm

I needed to replace the brake pads and have the rotors turned on my 2005 freestyle at 18,000 miles. *jb

At about 26,000 miles began hearing metal sounds from rear brakes when stopping the car. brought the car into a dealer and they stated that rotors and pads were shot, and they needed to be replaced. after several internet searches, i believe this is a defect in manufacture design. *jb

I experienced rear brake noise on my 2005 ford freestyle at just under 14,500 miles. i took it to a ford dealer to have it checked and found that i needed new rear pads and rotors. i was told that the only explanation for this type of wear would be driving with the parking brake on. i do not use my parking brake but would certainly notice it if it were on. i paid approximately $400 for the repair. neither the dealer nor ford would acknowledge that this is not the normal life expectancy on pads and or rotors. *jb

Noticed rear brake noise on right rear. at 17,529 miles, ford dealer checked and claimed rear brake pads and rotors need replacing at cost of approx. $400. dealer claims no warranted items relating to rear brakes are covered. have been driving new ford vehicles since 1980 and have never experienced this problem at such low mileage before. *jb

Premature rear brake wear on 2005 ford freestyle. the brakes wore out by 20000 miles, while the front brake are still in good condition. problem was found during a routine oil change. *nm

Rear brakes replaced at 15,000 miles and then again at 32,000 we had to replace rear brakes and rotors. factory paid for first replacement at 15,000. *jb

Rear brakes on right side failed at 7,800 miles. we had a near accident due to lack of adequate brake assistance. disk and pads were damaged. dealer stated that brakes warranty was overdue (12 mo.) and we had to paid for repairs on third party shop. *jb

Rear brakes failed at 31,000 miles. dealership said the brakes and rotors were down to the metal and would have to be replaced. front brakes were fine. was told that they checked the calipers to see if there was a problem and would possibly be covered under warranty. they were not. after checking to see if anyone else has had problems, found numerous other owners that have had the same problem. *nm

In september our 2005 ford freestyle went in for a routine state inspection. it had 19892 miles on it at the time. we were told the rear brake pads were completely worn and the rotors were warped. both needed to be replaced to pass inspection. assuming they were under warranty, the garage called the local ford dealership and they were informed the brakes are only warranted to 1 year, 18000 miles. i wanted a second opinion. the second dealership said the warranty on brakes are 1 year, 12000 miles. since we were not covered by the warranty we had to pay $385 to have the repairs done to pass inspection. *jb

A routine oil change and tire rotation at 16,410 miles revealed that the rear brakes of the vehicle were severely worn. the repair technician stated the brake pads were dangerously thin. subsequently, repair of the brakes by the dealer of purchase entailed new pads and resurfacing of the rotors. premature wear and possible brake failure is of concern. i have asked both the dealer and manufacturer (ford) for assurances that premature wear will not reoccur and none was provided. furthermore they provided no remedy. *nm

I took my 2005 ford freestyle with less than 15000 miles in for an oil change and tire rotation to a local ford dealer and was advised the rear brakes and rotors were completely worn and needed replacement at a cost of over $300.00 and the problem was not in warranty. i decided to have the work done but i complained to the manager and after much discussion he adjusted the bill (the manager said another customer had the exact problem with an 05 freestyle the same week). my question is have there been any other reports of the rear brakes going on 2005 freestyles? there very well could be a defect in the brakes. the old parts are not available although i did ask to see them but during the heat of my protest i forgot about the parts and left when the work was finished. *nm

Noise from rear reported to dealer at 19,000 miles. dealer stated that brakes were wore to the metal and that brakes and rotors needed replaced. dealer stated that car must have been driven with emergency brake on for this to happen, which it was not. took to another dealer for second opinion, was told the same thing. dealer could not find faulty part for it to be considered warranty work. had to replace rear brakes and rotors. *jb

2005 freestyle- at aprox 25,000 miles the rear brakes were worn down to metal, resulting in a total brake job done at the dealer. pads, rotors, everything. i complained that these should last longer than this, and service checked to see if it could be under warranty. no such luck. results $400 repair bill. some 6 months later i received a letter from ford stating that there was concern for the rear breaks and if you still had the original receipt for repairs they would refund your charge on this repair. i contacted our local dealer concerning this lette. they told me without this letter ( i can not find now) they can not do anything for me. sorry!!!. where can i receive a copy of this notice? *tr

Dt*: the contact stated a noise was heard while depressing the brake pedal coupled with rough stops. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined the rotors and pads needed to be replaced. 08/04/06. updated. *tt

Purchased brand new 2005 ford freestyle . within the first few days rear brakes were heard dragging and brake dust was all over rear wheel. returned to dealer who sprayed the brakes with brake cleaner and said "no problem found." drove car for 20k miles as is, returned it to dealer with brake complaints. dealer said no problem found. took car back to dealer at 33k miles, dealer said pads were metal to metal and rotors damaged. dealer would not honor warranty. looking around there are at least 20 other people in forum on edmunds.com reporting same issues. my underlying concern is premature brake failure due to faulty design of the electrical brake balancing system in the 2005 ford freestyle. *nm

Rear brake pads failed after 21264 miles front pads were fine ford dealership and customer service stated while they do not know why this happened but would repair the brakes. they stated they had not seen it before and could find nothing wrong. this afternoon a visitor with a freestyle stated that after 22,000 miles they had to have a rear brake job which was scheduled for monday. a quick visual inspection of the automobile showed a similar failure to what we had experienced. since most braking is supposed to be the front brakes this could be an indication of a serious flaw in the 2005 freestyle brake system. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated whenever the air conditioner was on for a long time and the vehicle was shifted into reverse gear it would lunge forward. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised her that they were unable to diagnose the failure. in addition, she also experienced brake failure when driving at low speeds and decelerating; the vehicle would not stop. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who advised her that the metal part of the brake pedal fractured through the calipers causing it to leak the fluid. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

Inspection of rear brake noise showed pads worn and rotors damaged after just 8000 miles on new ford freestyle 2005 ltd awd. pads and rotors were replaced by dealer under warranty. at 19000 miles rear pads are again completely worn with one pad scraping rotor. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. within six months of purchasing the vehicle, the contact has had to replace the calipers, rotor, and rear brake pads. the same failure occurred a second time on april 14, 2007 while driving 10 mph. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. the contact was charged $80 and the vehicle has a lifetime warranty. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage is 21,000 and failure mileage was 7,000.

Violent anti-lock brake pulsation during hard braking on slippery roads. vehicle cannot be stopped in a reasonable distance. *jb

When depressed, brake pedal will descend below the level of the accelerator pedal. this allows the foot to contact the accelerator (gas) pedal before the car is stopped. dealer technician has informed me that the brake pedal may actually contact the floor in a hard stop. when asked for a solution to this problem, i was told that there was none, except fully moving one's foot farther to the left. when asked if the pad on the brake pedal could be elevated, i was told no. as these two surfaces are in very close proximity, especially for a large shoe, and as a panic stop may not always allow the time and sense to fully clear the gas pedal, i consider this a potentially very dangerous situation. i have contacted both surfaces at controlled intersection stops. i try to be wary, but i am uncertain that i can always accomplish the maneuver. i do not wish to be drawn into a hazardous situation because of a design flaw. thank you for your attention to these details. *jb

I purchase my 2005 ford freestyle in june 2005. july 2005 traveling to georgia between 55/60 mph, the check engine light and transmission icon appeared. upon trying to accelerate, i could not move no more than 30-40 mph with the rpm's racing. i had to pull over and let the car rest approximately 15-20 minutes. upon starting the car and putting into drive gear it was very hard and lunged. the car sounds like you're racing the engine with the vehicle in park. the frequency of the engine/transmission light with trying to accelerate and can not is a persistent issue. it also lunges when the air conditioner is turned on. once the car is shut off and started again, while your foot is on the brake which has to be with more pressure than usual to control the lunge. sitting in traffic with the air on with cars ahead of you is frightening since it will lunge then also. this has been an ongoing issue since the purchase of this vehicle. i've also had the brakes repaired more than normal. since acquiring this car. recently, i've gotten the brakes done in february, may and currently need another repair with all the squealing. *tr

Owner has had numerous serious repair issues since vehicle purchased. this is complaint 2 of 4. car is 3 months old. owner must push brake almost to the floor to get vehicle to stop. brakes make grinding noises and steering wheel vibrates when decelerating from 40 mph or less.

I purchased a ford freestyle on may 5, 2005. six months after purchasing it i started having problems. the first was the strut bearing at 5,000 miles. then another strut bearing a month or so later. during this time i noticed heavy brake dust on back wheels. everytime i took it in for an oil change i had them check the brakes. they always told me their was no problem. then i had to take it in for the hood vibrating, and they replaced the front hood latch. at 12,000 miles the rear brakes were replaced, because the pad were down to metal, they also had to turn the rotors at this time, too. a right rear turn signal lamp went out at this time. now the vehicle has 13,600 miles and another (left side) turn signal lamp has failed. i am not happy with this vehicle and i do not feel safe in it after having so many problems. my five year old daughter does not even feel safe. *jb

The consumer's front brakes rumbled badly when they were applied, the vehicle would shake and the vibration could be felt in the floor of the car. it mostly shakes when coming down from high speeds. it was a hidden defect the dealer is fixing but not sending out notices to everyone. *jb *sb

Car stops on its own. shuts off. bucks and jerks and is going to kill me and my kids and ford will not do anything about it. i can't even get a ford dealership to work on my vehicle they tell me they don't want this problem. there are to many repairs on this vehicle and now they are telling well your warranty is up now. they kept telling me at ford (1-800) we are working on it, getting me a buy back. now they tell me it is do deal and they will not fix my vehicle. my car now fills up with water when it rains. i have had 2 transmissions put in this vehicle, they replaced my brakes a few times, they replaced my computer a few times, and all the while kept telling me we are working on getting you a new vehicle. they the dealership shuts down. i have been to others and they don't want my problem. i have called ford a lot of times. they just take my information and tell me they don't have to fix your vehicle. i am fed up with this. *tr