2006 Ford Freestyle

THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK AND LURCH, AND ENGINE SPEED ABRUPTLY SLOWED AFTER ABOUT (3) HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING (FROM VERMONT TO NEW HAMPSHIRE). A TROUBLE LIGHT (WRENCH ICON) APPEARED. ENGINE RPMS FLUCTUATED, BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE GAS PEDAL. PULLED OVER, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, RESTARTED THE CAR. TROUBLE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ON, AND THE VEHICLE WAS FINE AND NORMAL FOR THE REST OF THE RIDE HOME. BROUGHT CAR TO PORTSMOUTH FORD, WHO COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. SECOND INCIDENT, JANUARY 2011: HIGHWAY DRIVE BACK TO NEW HAMPSHIRE FROM CONNECTICUT. SAME PROBLEM. ABRUPT AND ALARMING DROP IN CAR SPEED. NO THROTTLE CONTROL. ERRATIC ENGINE RPM PERFORMANCE. ATTEMPTED TO PULL OFF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TO A SAFE AREA. WAITED 5 MINUTES. RE-STARTED THE ENGINE. TROUBLE LIGHT GONE, ENGINE PERFORMED FINE, AND NO ISSUE THE REST OF THE TRIP. BROUGHT THE CAR FOR TRANSMISSION SERVICE TO VALVOLINE, THEN TO DOWLING FORD WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THIRD INCIDENT, MARCH 2011: AFTER (2) HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING ABRUPT DROP IN ENGINE SPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ON INTERSTATE 84. LOST THROTTLE CONTROL. NEAR COLLISION WITH A TRACTOR-TRAILER IN BAD WEATHER WHILE TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY AND OFF THE HIGHWAY. FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. BROUGHT CAR TO BOB THOMAS FORD IN HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT FOR A TRANSMISSION PROGRAM UPDATE AND COMPLETE TRANSMISSION SERVICE. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. FOURTH INCIDENT, JUNE 24, 2011: AGAIN ON I-84 IN THE RAIN AFTER 2.5 HOURS OF HIGHWAY CRUISING. RADICAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND VEHICLE SPEED. MY DAUGHTER BARELY AVOIDED A COLLISION ATTEMPTING TO MANEUVER OFF THE HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WITH ERRATIC THROTTLE CONTROL. DAUGHTER CALLED ME IN A PANIC, CRYING. WAITED OFF THE HIGHWAY A FEW MINUTES, RE-STARTED, AND WAS FINE. CAR NO LONGER USED ON THE HIGHWAY, JUST LOCALLY. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. UPDATED PORTABLE 08/23/11 UPDATED 09/14/11*JB

WHILE PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE CAR SURGED BACKWARDS AND THE CHECK ENGINE WRENCH CAME ON. DROVE CAR HOME APPROX. FIVE BLOCKS AND SHUT CAR OFF BECAUSE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH. STARTED CAR BACK UP AND CAR RAN SMOOTH AND THE CHECK ENGINE WRENCH WAS OFF. I SAT IN PARKING LOT FOR APPROX. FIVE MINUTES WHILE MY WIFE WAS SHOPPING WITH CAR RUNNING AND THE AIR CONDITIONING ON. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN THE LAST MONTH THAT THIS CAR HAS DONE THIS. BOTH WITH THE SAME ISSUES. THE CAR SURGES, THEN RUNS ROUGH, THEN THE CHECK ENGINE WRENCH COMES ON, THEN WHEN YOU SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT THE CAR RUNS SMOOTH AND THE CHECK ENGINE WRENCH SHUTS OFF.

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

EARLY JULY 2010 CAR WOULD SURGE AFTER STARTED WHEN PLACED INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE. JULY 17,2010 ABOUT 95 DEGREES AMBIENT. DRIVING 55 MPH CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND STALL. RESTARTED AND IT WENT INTO LIMP MODE WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND OCCASIONAL SURGES. I FOUND A FORD DEALER ABOUT 5 MILES AWAY. DIAGNOSIS WAS A BAD MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. REPLACED AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY AGAIN. EARLY JUNE 2011 IT WAS SURGING AFTER STARTING WHEN PLACED IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. JUNE 11,2011. CAR STALLED AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE AGAIN WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. BOUGHT A NEW MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR, INSTALLED IT MYSELF AND CLEARED THE CODE. JULY 5,2011 WHILE DRIVING TO BALTIMORE AT 65 MPH AND 100 DEGREE AMBIENT, CAR STALLED, RESTARTED AND IT WENT INTO LIMP MODE WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. I FOUND A PARKING LOT WITH SHADE AND LET IT IDLE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. SHUT IT OFF AND RESTARTED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS OFF AND IT RAN FINE TO BALTIMORE. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE MASS AIR FLOW CIRCUIT. NHTSA CANNOT IGNORE THIS FLAW. *KB

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

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

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.