Problems with 2006 Ford Freestyle ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

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. *tr

My car accelerates sometimes while my foot is on the brake pedal. it feels like it is jumping forward or something. also when i turn on my air condition my car, if in motion, will start to jump forward even though you have your foot on the brake. it even cut off on me several times with the air conditioning on. i now just drive without air at all because i am scared that my car will just stop on me. also my air only works on the highest level. *tr

Car surges when changing gears. problem worse with fan controls on. rpm's stay above normal idle (750-800) most of the time. car will accelerate without using gas peddle at times. must keep a constant vigilance with foot on brake. went through all the basic fixes (mainly cleaning of throttle linkage and module) . was told the throttle body needs replaced ($1000+). this module is mounted on top of the engine-why? this is not a unique problem with this car. many, many, many people with ford freestyles have had this same problem. other people have had this module replaced and that either did not fix the problem or it was a temporary fix. i believe it is a ford engineering design flaw. did not fix the vehicle. bought another car and got rid of this safety hazard. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. the contact stated that while driving 30 to 40 mph, the vehicle would lose power. the rpm s would increase to 4,000, the air bag light, traction control light, and the onboard diagnostic light would also illuminate when the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and a diagnostic was performed, but the mechanic was unable to generate a failure code. the contact stated that the vehicle would return to normal function when the engine was turned off for a few moments. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to have a dealer perform the diagnostic. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 135,000. the vin was not available.

Was driving to work car picked up speed to where the brakes would not stop then the car just went off. *tr

Vehicle surges when idling or going slow. accelerates at times like parking or moving through parking lots or when stopped at stoplights. *kb

When pulling out of my driveway the car would not accelerate, seemed to not have any power. then when placing my foot on the brake at a stop sign it surged forward. it was really scary and had there been traffic, i would have been hit broad side, as i felt i couldn't control the car. the wrench light came on, and as i drove my son to school, the car continued to either have no power or was surging forward, i called my local dealer where i had just had the cvt transmission replaced in september, and asked to bring it in. they diagnosed it as a throttle body problem, and replaced it. i had asked about this when the transmission was replaced, and they had told me they didn't know about any problems. oh please!!!!!! i've also had two very dangerous tire blow outs, and after some research see that unusual inside tire wear has also been a problem on freestyles due to the sway bar links. now tomorrow.... i am back at the dealer for the engine mount, yet another repeat problem that needs to be recalled. please help us get these dangerous cars recalled and repaired! *tr

This incident actually started happening in 2006 not too long after i had bought the vehicle; however it did it only once or twice, or maybe not even so much that i noticed it; however in the past year and a 1/2 i have been experiencing the car lunging forward or backward. it always seems to do it when pulling in or backing out of a parking lot or the driveway. i have noticed that it seems to occur when the ac unit is on. turn the ac unit off and it doesn't do this. i find this very disturbing because even with foot on brakes the car doesn't want to stop, it wants to proceed. fortunately for us it hasn't resulted in any kind of collision. i feel it is only a matter of time before something bad happens. please investigate and issue recall. i understand that it is a throttle body issue which costs a lot of money and this is the only family car we have. i can't afford to pay to have this fixed. struggling as it is after 2 job losses in 3 years time. please help! *tr

Sept 2011: started vehicle and put in reverse to back out of a space and engine revved. if i did not have my foot on the brake it would have leaped backwards thru the parking lot. when i shifted into drive it briefly tried to leap forward. i turned the vehicle off, turned it back on and the diagnostic warning light went off and vehicle seemed normal. throttle body replaced by ford ($800+). nov 2011: speed over 50 mph, went to pass another vehicle and when i pressed the accelerator the vehicle bogged down, rpms revved and it would go no faster than 35-40 mph. diagnostic light comes on. pulled over, turned the vehicle off briefly, restarted, diagnostic light goes out and i proceeded. as long as i do not "punch it" in high gear i can increase speed when going over 50. increase must be gradual. condition has happened several times since initial instance. *tr

On 9/12/11 my 2006 ford freestyle experienced several failures. driving through a parking lot and my wrench and emission lights came on. took to mechanic and he diagnosed complete failure of transmission, and that my power steering was whining as any turns were made. contacted ford motor and the dealership and was told that while not uncommon, there was nothing they could do. my car has essentially died at 160,000 miles as the cost of repairs are greater than the value of the car. *kb

Vehicle will lunge or accelerate unexpectedly while sitting in traffic, stop light or any low speed. it will happen in drive or reverse. almost caused a rear end collision at traffic light. engine died after lunging on one occasion after i applied brakes hard to stop from jumping into traffic from parking lot. *tr

2006 ford freestyle strongly surged/lunged a distance of 5 feet forward from stop immediately after putting vehicle in gear and with foot on the brakes. if a pedestrian or other vehicle had been in front of the car, we would have hit the pedestrian or vehicle. the same has happened countless times in both forward and reverse. ford dealer is unable to diagnose specific corrective action nor has ford motor company issued a recall despite thousands of reports on the internet of this problem and potential danger and injury. *tr

2006 ford freestyle "lurches" at low speeds or when sitting still; into reverse or forward gears; especially when it is hottest out. example: sitting in line to pick up our children (carpool lane) at the school; vehicle in park. once you move the transmission into drive, while holding down the brake pedal, the engine will rev (run higher) and the vehicle will try to move, therby causing it to 'lurch' or jump foward. it is not a consistent thing, however it does seem to happen the most when the engine and transmission are hot. also happens when switching from park to reverse. often, it will cause the 'wrench' icon on the dashboard to turn on. placing the vehicle in park then turning it off; and turning it back on seems to correct the issue, temporarily. however, it does haappen 3 to 4 times a week. *tt

I have a 2006 ford freestyle and at a stopped position, sometimes, will try to lung forward or backward, even when the brake is engaged and my foot is not on the gas. will do the same when at a stop light and release the brake the car will lung forward. have contacted ford with this complaint and even received a case number. after contacting them several times concerning the matter, i still have not heard from ford.

At startup when i put the vehicle into forward or reverse gears the engine races and the vehicle lurches in reverse or forward depending which gear it is in. since i have my foot on the break while putting it into gear i haven't had an accident. also, several times when this happened the service engine light came on and the vehicle had very little power. after i turned the engine off , sat awhile and turned the engine on the service light did no come on until this happened again. i have heard of this happening to others ,so, consequently, i believe this could be a manufacturing defect.

Vehicle surges forward in low idle or when stopped. will happen also in reverse. seems worse on hot days or with a/c running. service "wrench" light will come on and car will almost stop running and has stopped on some occasions. *kb

With the vehicle in gear, either forward or reverse, and with a foot on the break at idle rpm the engine surges causing the vehicle to lurch. consequently, the vehicle will either stall or the "wrench" light will illuminate and the vehicle will not accelerate to over 30mph while driving the rpm's up well past normal for that rate of speed. this is also the case while at idle speed (no foot on break...just engine in gear and at idle...as if pulling into or out of a parking space). this has been ongoing, yet intermittent, for a little over a year though now it's a multiple-daily occurence.

The car has been having a highly irregular idle and has been lurching/surging forward at low speeds when shifting into gear (both forward and reverse). this started occurring about a month ago and has been fairly consistent since that time. *tr

Car accelerated unexpectedly, to the point of having to hold the brake while the tires were still spinning in the gravel. after this the dashboard wrench and check engine light came on. car also stopped while in traffic several times. after taking car to ford dealership for service, we were told the throttle body was malfunctioning and caused this problem. while the car is still under warranty we were advised this part was not covered under the warranty at a cost of $700.00 to us. we have no problem with the dealership, our problem is with ford motor company. why is there no recall!! this is a dangerous situation.

2006 ford freestyle lunging forward. *tr

I was backing out of a parking place when my freestyle lunged backward, narrowly missing people walking. the red 'wrench' light came on indicating there was an engine problem. the motor ran very rough but we did get to our destination. i remember reading an article regarding this issue with the freestyle, lunging forward or backward. i researched this and concluded many other freestyle owners have had the same problem. we did have this problem corrected at a hefty price of $700.00. hopefully, the ford motor company will recall these freestyles before a fatal accident occurs.

After returning from the ford repair center, the car lost power in the accelerator. my husband was unable to make the car move forward while pressing on the gas pedal. ford came to pick up the vehicle and we were later told that the engine was blown and needed to be replaced. we have had the car approximately seven months and have driven it for for less than 8,000 miles.

Car lurches (in drive or reverse) when at low speeds. this issue is much more pronounced while air conditioning is on. engine revs from 1,000 rpm to 2,500 rpm. on occasion the "fail-safe" will engage and the engine will shutdown completely when brakes are applied to stop the car from lurching. the only unusual light that comes on is "throttle system" light. *kb

The vehicle's engine cut out after a stop several times, when restarted, vehicle behavior was erratic during acceleration. dealer determined the electric throttle body was bad and replaced the component.

I drive a 2006 ford freestyle. i would like to report that when the car has been running and it is a hot day when placed in reverse it will accelerate on it's own and then the motor will die causing the check engine light to come one. typically if i turn it off and wait a few minutes it will come back on light free, but there has been two occasions when it has not. the first i took it for a diagnostics where i was told to take it to ford that it seemed to be a transmission issue, ford told me that they were not sure but they cleared out the sensor to give it a good wash if it happened again. it has happened again only this time the engine dying to acceleration ration has increased and a good car wash has not helped the issue. i am becoming very concerned before the acceleration was only in reverse now it is occurring in drive as well and happening more frequently. i have plans to take it to my local ford dealership however i do not have high hopes for answers as they were not all that helpful the first time. *kb

My 2006 ford freestyle lurches and surges. when put into gear my freestyle will lurch violently and while driving it will surge power. while sitting and in gear power surges and lurches forward forcing the driver to press the brake hard to keep the car from jumping forward. while cruising power will surge without input from the driver. *kb

My 2006 ford freestyle will "lunge" into gear in really hot weather. my check engine light came on so i went to autozone. the tech told me it has to do with the throttle body. my car has approx 85,000 miles on it. *tt

It idles to fast with ac on and speeds up you got hit brake real hard to stop it then wrench light comes on it only has 67000 miles on it and im not the only one that it happened to it needs to be recalled as a faulty part if i have to pay for it i will never own another ford again [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

2006 ford freestyle while sitting still at idle, in gear, suddenly surging causing unintentional vehicle movement. *tr

2006 ford freestyle over the past year my car has been accelerating and stalling for no reason. i have had to brake suddenly many times when pulling into a parking space and or backing up. its really scary. last week it accelerated so fast and i slammed on my brakes so hard that it quit, i started it, it quit and when i started it again, my engine light was on. i just spent over $1600 dollars to have the problem corrected at the local ford dealership. i bought this car new and gave over $34,000 dollars for it and it has had many issues. i just paid it off in december and now i'm still spending so much money to keep it going. i am a teacher and can not afford this but i can't afford to trade it in and have car payments all over again. please, isn't there anything you can do to help me? *kb

The vehicle suddenly lunges forward or backward depending which gear it is in. this has happened several times since it first occurred. *tr

Our 2006 ford freestyle sel lunges when idling, when backing out of parking spot, putting car into drive or reverse, etc. it happens frequently. the car will, on occasion, then idle rough, the "wrench" or "check engine" lights come on. approximately twice in the last eight months it then looses power and doesn't accelerate. sometimes, turning off the car will re-set the system and it seems to run better. it concerns me for many reasons. *tr

I experienced an unexpected movement of the vehicle when i wasn't pushing the accelerator either moving forward or backwards. an increase in the rpms is evident in both but worse in reverse. when stopping at the light and gear is in "d", after a full stop, the engine increases the rpms. when you release the brakes to start moving again, the car abruptly moves without pushing the accelerator. in reverse, with brakes lightly applied, the engine increases the rpms more dramatically than in forward. it is even worse if you turn the steering wheel, in my case, to the left. you have to apply firmly the brakes to stop the car from moving without control but the rpms still running high. one of the times, even when applying firmly the brakes, the car still moved up to the point that it shut down the engine. that happened in a parking lot and almost hit another car. that's when i decided to take it to the dealer. this is very dangerous. we park the car inside our garage and it became unsafe to pull in and out as space is tight and you could hit the walls or my other car or the kids. you do not know when it will happen and how severe the sudden increase in speed will be. the dealer said it was the electronic throttle body that failed and changed it. i have a 2006 freestyle se. *kb

Engine revs and vehicle lurches while placing the car in reverse, even with foot firmly on the brakes. appears to be worse when air conditioner is on. vehicle has lost virtually all power while driving. when this happens, you can floor the gas peddle but the vehicle won't go over 10-15mph. pulling over to the side of the road, turning vehicle off, waiting 15 seconds or so, then restarting, seems to reset the vehicle to a more functional level. the vehicle also has an extensive exhaust smell and it is currently at the shop for a $566 repair for the diagnostic exam and that diagnosis indicating that the egr valve needs to be replaced. i called ford and they do not have a current recall for the egr valve, or throttle body-which seems to be a correlated problem within the two. *tr

On saturday, july 2, 2011 we had been driving the car for about 40 minutes to our destination when the vehicle started acting up at a stop. i was idling at a stop with my foot on the brake when the vehicle suddenly increased rpms to 3 ' 4k. i had to turn the car off to get it to stop. the indicator light that looks like a wrench and an engine came on during this time. i had a difficult time starting the vehicle shortly after tuning it off. the temperature on that day was right at 100 degrees and i had the air conditioner running while driving and at the stop when this occured. *kb

Engine rpm will suddenly increase during low speed maneuvers such as parking or backing out of driveway. this sudden change can vary between 500 to 1000 rpm and seems more pronounced when the air conditioner is on and the vehicle is turning

My 2006 ford freestyle was accelerating when i had my foot on the brake at a stop sign. it does not gas when i have my foot on the gas pedal. it stalled a few times and when i have the car in reverse it accelerates without me even pressing on the gas. my wrench light was on in my dash as well. i took it to pepboys and was informed that my sensor was bad and i needed spark plugs and a vacuum hose..after spending $700, needless to say the problem with the accelerating still exists and there is also a humming noise while driving and the steering is very hard to maneuver. i took it back to pepboys and they said it is an electrical issue and i have to take it to ford to get it fixed. *tr updated 03/23/12 *bf

2006 ford freestyle is experiencing sporadic lunging (engine racing) when shifting from park to reverse or park to drive. has happened more frequently in the last month. 65500 miles on odometer. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 ford freestyle. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph the vehicle stalled. upon restart, the vehicle operated as normal. a check engine light was also illuminating on the instrument panel upon restart. the contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing a recurring failure in which it would momentarily surge forward. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000. updated 08/01/11*lj the consumer stated he had an accident last year in a private parking lot. the consumer stated the vehicle surged when it was placed into gear. the throttle body was replaced in 2011. updated 01/30/12

2006 ford freestyle surges when foot on the brake, when backing up, and sometimes while driving. wrench light comes on or service engine light or both. also car revved while driving and could not go over 40mph without the engine revving to over 5,000 rpm. this is not safe and has been reported numerous times. *tr

We own a 2006 ford freestyle. in 2008, at 36,730 miles we had the throttle body replaced because the vehicle lurched & the wrench light came on. problem fixed. however, 2011 @ 88,356 we had the car in again because it lurched and engine & wrench light would come on again, and it would lose power. if we turned the key off and back on, it would temporarily go away. they replaced an electronic sensor in the transmission. this was at a ford dealer. they had to call their mechanic help line & work on it several days to figure out the problem. apparently, that was not the problem, because it had to go back in two weeks later for the same issue. they claimed the new part was faulty and they replaced the sensor again. fast forward 2.5 months. we are in june @ 92,744. vehicle was again lurching, wrench & check engine light would come on and had a loss of power. this all seemed to happen when the engine was under strain/load: ac on high, turning the wheel. it would happen in reverse or drive. i had a foot on/over the brake - so lurching never caused any incidents. this time, i took it to my mechanic. he didn't believe me - because as i said - if you turned the car off, it would all go away until the next random time it happened. so, after 2 days i picked the vehicle up from him. it happened again 2 days later. i took it to autozone and had them plug it in to get the codes out of it - before i turned it off. i took the vehicle and the codes to my mechanic. he had the car for a couple days and was able to get it to behave as i described to him. he replaced the throttle body and it seemed to fix it. we took it on a road trip for 6,000 miles and there was no problem. it is now just over 100,000 miles and the warranty has now expired. until now - warranty has covered the bulk of the cost. about 2 weeks ago, there was one instance of surging but no other symptoms ...

I was approaching an intersection at about 1-5 mph and pressing the brakes, then the car lunged forward and moved 2 to 4 feet (at no point i pressed the gas pedal). after that, the gas pedal did not work, and i had to restart the car to be able to move it again. this all happened at an intersection. i believe this is a very dangerous problem. with the lunge i could have hit a pedestrian. with the need to re-start at the middle of a congested intersection, i could have been hit by a car moving in the opposite direction.

The car is surging and lunging (see pending investigation from may 2011). also, when running the a/c it starts to go off and on by itself, then the engine starts to shut off and on, and all gages go to zero, like the car is losing power.

We purchased a brand new 2006 ford freestyle in march, 2007. on june 14, 2011, and to a lesser extent, periodically since vehicle purchase, the vehicle's engine surged while my foot was on the brake pedal; the vehicle failed to accelerate to normal speed; and, it acted like it didn't want to shift into next gear. the june 14, 2011 occurrence was the worst one, plus, the wrench light came on. our local ford dealership diagnosis is that the throttle body needs to be replaced...at only 37,200 miles. repair estimate from the dealership to replace the part is $836.48. dealership also determined that an engine mount bracket/gasket needs to be replaced for cost of $424.00; rear brakes will be needed within 5,00 miles for $374, if new rotors are needed; and, new battery is needed now for a cost of $138...all this at only 37,200 miles. we foolishly purchased an extended warranty when we bought the vehicle. ford tells us that the warranty only covers the power train, and since the throttle body is considered to be electronic, the warranty will not apply. we were led to believe that it was a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty when we agreed to purchase the warranty. we are very unhappy campers! no more extended warranties for us. we believe that ford should be responsible at least for the throttle body replacement, in full. we are afraid to drive the vehicle now, and even when it is "repaired" we will still be afraid because of the history of the freestyle problems that we have read about online. please help! thanks.

2006 ford freetstyle limited repetitive, unexpected vehicle "lunging forward" when air conditioning is on. will lunge toward walls, people, doesnt matter, have noticed it whether engine is hot or not. ac must be kept off when in parking lots for sure, as it will lunge at twice the speed even when braking, like driving slow with foot on brake to find parking space. *tr

Vehicle will accelerate while foot is on the brake pedal. happens mostly when backing but will happen also when in drive. seems to happen as wheel is turned slightly in either direction, but not for sure. also seems to happen more in very hot weather or after vehicle has been driven for a while. acceleration is minor to moderate and happens unexpectedly. ford reprogrammed computer last summer but still occurs. vehicle is also wearing out right rear brake faster that other brakes.

Hot humid weather with the air conditioner on. vehicle surges forward approximately one foot when stopped in traffic with right foot on the brake pedal. the tachometer shows an increase in rpm from approximately 700 rpm to approximately 1300 rpm. the surge lasts for approximately one or two seconds and stops. the brake stops the forward surge. the surge also occurs when the vehicle is in reverse. shutting off the air conditioner prevents a reoccurrence of the surge.

on several occasions while i was driving in route to work or the grocery store, my 06 ford freestyle seemed slow and sluggish to respond as i would be waiting at a red light for the green. when the light did turn green and i would press the gas pedal to go, the car would shut off. a few times there were close calls as the car behind me would be unaware i was having trouble and almost rear-end me. when the car would cut off, i would proceed to restart the car and then press the gas to go. the car seemed to respond extremely slow like i would have the gas pedal pressed to the floor and would only be able to go 20 - 25 mph. on other occasions, the car would seem to lurch forward or backward (depending on if i had the car in drive or reverse) as soon as i would take my foot off the brake. after the 3rd or 4th time this happened, i took the car to a local shop who had to refer me to my local ford dealer. when i took the car to be looked at, ford explained to me that the throttle body was bad and needed to be replaced as it was causing an electrical communication mishap in the car. so over $900 later, the car was fixed. i did do my research and found that several other 06 ford freestyles had the exact same problem. even the service man at the ford dealer who fixed my car said that he had just had his 06 freestyle repaired for the same reason. this is a very serious and potentially dangerous problem. we should not have to wait until someone is seriously injured or dies to do something to fix the problem like a recall. there were times when i thought i was going to be rear-ended, in an accident, or possibly drive through my house. a recall would be being proactive instead of waiting to be reactive. being proactive shows that the ford cares for its consumers and appreciates them as well. safety should be priority #1!!! *tr

I was driving my 2006 ford freestyle today with the a/c on and the vehicle started to accelerate by itself and then shut off. the wrench light came on and the vehicle would not pick up speed. *tr

I was waiting in line to pick my daughter up from school today. when she got in the car i took my foot off of the brake and my car lunged forward and almost hit the car in front of me. i had to push down on the brake to stop my car from crashing into the car in front of me. when i attempted to take my foot off of the brake for a second time and to drive around the other car, my car lunged again and almost stalled.