The car ahead of me had run off the freeway due to snow. i stopped to see if he was ok. once i started up, i pushed down hard on the gas pedal to accelerate and be up to speed for the traffic coming up behind me. the pedal stuck to the floor and the car kept accelerating. once it reached 75mph, i held down firmly on the brake and was able to stop the vehicle. i turned off the engine and then restarted. as soon as i put it in drive, the car took off again accelerating on its own. i quickly hit my foot to the gas pedal and was able to knock it loose and the car slowed down. the dealer said it was a faulty gas pedal and i had it replaced (at my cost). the problem still continues to this day. the dealer continues to tell me that there is no problem and there have been no complaints about the vehicle. after that first incident, there was one time that i had started the car in my garage and drove down the street. once i turned the corner, the car accelerated on its own, lunging forward but i was able to stop it. at that time, i was told it was a transmission problem and the dealer did the repairs under warranty. even after that work, i still have a problem with the gas pedal sticking. *tr
My 2006 ford freestyle lurches forward at 0 to 5 mph. the lurching occurs even if i do not press the pedal. it is dangerous at intersections and when trying to park. a mechanic replaced the egr valve and it is still lurching forward..from what i have found on the internet it seems that many others are having the same problem with this vehicle. *tr
Issues with throttle body , the wrench light has come on multiple times while driving at low speeds(under 45mph) the can will randomly lurch at low speeds , having the air conditioner on seems to make the problem worse . the way the car jolts and jumps is unpredictable and makes the vehicle unsafe . this problem has been happening since we purchased the car , and after years and many trips to the ford dealer the problem will stop for only a few days or few months and then the same problem starts all over again. also other owners of ford freestyles made either in2005 or 2006 have also experiences the same exact problems i have experienced. i strongly feel this car should be recalled due to the safety issues. *tr
When coasting or idling car suddenly lurches forward. *tt
The throttle body issue with ford freestyle has affected us twice with the same car. the initial time is mentioned above, and the part was replaced under warranty by ford. the issue has resurfaced and it makes the car very dangerous if you are not mashing the brake down at idle because the car will lunge or lurch uncontrollably. it accelerates rapidly at idle without control. the lurching occurs especially bad when the air conditioner is running. *tr
My 2006 ford freestyle first started to surge a couple of years after we got it(approx 2009) i reset it (as was explained in the manual) no major issue-i thought. it surged mostly while the ac was on,when it was hot and sometimes in reverse. after awhile i made allowances for this issue. my car was taken to the mechanic periodically for maintenance w/ no other (new or major mechanical) issues over the next few years. this past summer-2012(it has continued to surge(worse than before)) it also stalled a couple of times. my car was taken in and the throttle body was cleaned(i continued to experience problems all through the summer). it is now december and since september, my car has now stalled out 4 times! the most recent was the day after it was checked by a mechanic. the panel light for the drivetrain illuminates for awhile as well as the check engine light. my car just got a new alternator this past week and stalled on the freeway. all these years i have taken the advice of the forums while communicating with my mechanic to rectify the annoying and dangerous issues. i have not written before because i didn't take this problem as seriously as i should have. i have two young children and do not like stalling out on the streets. if this problem is so prevalent,why doesn't ford just recall it and take accountability for their faulty car?! *tr
First time it happened car lunged forward at shut down, died completely. 30 minutes later was able to turn it over. mechanic said it needed throttle body but it was on national backorder until august 2009. so had to drive it home. happened quite a bit throughout that time until i realized that it had a lot to do with having the a/c on. it happens even without the a/c on sometimes at lights, stop signs, and in parking lots, and also when in reverse it lunges in that direction as well; sometimes at very high rate which is scary. have 3 children and cannot fathom why this car has not been recalled. i still owe money on it and now it is sitting in my mechanics garage because the cvt transmission went out.. 5 weeks now and i do not have transportation because i cannot afford to fix the cvt transmission that alot of other people are having the same problem with. *tr
This happened 3 times before they were able to do anything at the ford dealership because the lights would be off by the time i was able to reach the dealership, and their response was always technician was unable to duplicate symptom. while driving at 50mph on the interstate there was an intermittent idle surge while driving and then a loud "clunking" noise and then the transmission lost power and the vehicle crawled to a halt. there was no acceleration even though the engine revved up. the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver so i was unable to even get it into the emergency lane. i was stuck in the middle lane of the interstate with my child in the car. the check engine light, the wrench light for the cvt transmission, and the passenger air bag light also came on. i had to turn the car off, put it in park, and then restart the car, when i reached the dealership they were finally able to retrieve several fault codes. they performed an r&r transmission and overhaul. this happened 2 other times at (77004 miles, after shifting into park at 0 mph. they replaced a faulty throttle body for this repair- and then at 77238 miles-they replaced the alternator for this repair). it's beginning to happen again. this was and still is a dangerous situation. i now have 3 kids. i thank god we weren't struck from behind while driving on the interstate. i am terrified to drive the vehicle to long distance locations or drive on any parkway, highway, or interstate because it took a while for the vehicle to start up long enough to get it to the dealership that was only 4 miles away. *tr
The car lunges while stopped or going in reverse. has done this for a long time..my wife is driving this car now and has bumped into post/almost lunged into passing car when backing out of parking spot. *tr
We bought a used ford freestyle in 2008. since that time, we have had recurring problems stemming from a defective throttle body. it has been in-and-out of the shop, while various mechanics tried to figure out the problem. finally, approximately two years ago, i did my own research (discovered the countless reports of problems with the freestyle) and specifically requested that the mechanic replace the throttle body. this was after having surges in rpms and lurching of the car (while sitting in traffic with no foot on the accelerator), and also dead stalls in the middle of intersections and oncoming traffic when attempting to accelerate. this fixed the problem until several months later. next, we replaced the entire transmission last spring (the vehicle would shift down to first gear at cruising speed, e.g., on the interstate, then go into "limp" mode). in addition, apparently there is also a systemic issue with the design of the ford's scroll compressor, which began showing symptoms this past spring. thankfully my (new) mechanic replaced a $40 valve in the compressor, instead of the entire $1000 compressor (which the ford folks recommended). approximately two years later, we are replacing the throttle body for a second time today (it is currently in the shop) because of issues with surges in acceleration and stalling in traffic and loss of power. the mechanic just told me, "as a friend, i'm telling you: as soon as this car is fixed, you need to sell it. you will continue to have recurring problems with it." we bought this vehicle for around $10,000, and i'd estimate we have spent nearly that much in repairs over the past four years. i'm just thankful that my wife and children were not seriously injured in the meantime. how can ford sell such an unsafe vehicle with no recourse? as soon as i can afford another vehicle, i'm selling this freestyle. *tr