2006 Ford Freestyle

IN 2010, MY 2006 FORD FREESTYLE GEARS FELT LIKE IT WAS STARTING TO SLIP AND A 'WRENCH' LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED AND HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, I STARTED DOWN THE ROAD AT A LOW GEAR UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO PULL IN TO A GAS STATION. AFTER THE CAR WAS CUT OFF FOR 15 MINUTES OR SO, IT STARTED UP FINE AND THE 'WRENCH' LIGHT CUT OFF. I WOULD DRIVE FOR 4 OR MONTHS BEFORE IT DID IT AGAIN BUT ANYTIME THE SPEED CONTROL WAS SET, IT WILL START AGAIN. I WOULD CUT THE CAR OFF AND THE LIGHT WOULD BE GONE. THOUGHT IT WAS A SENSOR. HOWEVER, THIS PAST WEEK, THE CAR HAS STARTED LURCHING FORWARD WHILE MY BRAKES ARE APPLIED. IT WILL DO IT FORWARD OR WHILE BACKING UP AND THE 'WRENCH' LIGHT WILL CUT ON AND THE CAR WILL STALL OUT. I MUST KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN BACKING UP OR GOING FORWARD FROM A STOP POSITION BECAUSE THE CAR COULD ACCELERATE AT ANY TIME. RECENTLY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER 1 AND HALF DAYS THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS GONE OFF BUT THE CAR IS STILL JUMPING. AS OF YET, NO REPAIR WORK HAS BEEN DONE. BEFORE TAKING TO THE DEALERSHIP, I DECIDED TO CHECKED FOR ANY RECALLS AND SAW THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN CASE ON THIS MODEL WITH MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME THING.

WHILE STARTING MY CAR AND ATTEMPTING TO BACK UP, IT STARTED SPUTTERING, WOULDN'T REVERSE, AND THEN THE ENGINE REVED AND IT LURCHED BACKWARDS. I IMMEDIATELY HIT THE BRAKE AND PUT IT IN PARK. THE ENGINE ALTERED BETWEEN SPUTTERING, LUNGING, AND THEN IT REVED ON IT ITS OWN WHILE IN PARK AND WITH NO ACCELERATION. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, WAITED A MINUTE, AND STARTED IT AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH NO PROBLEM. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER, THE SAME INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS TRYING TO PULL FORWARD IN A PARKING LOT BUT THIS TIME THE ENGINE KEPT STALLING. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE AUTO DEALER WHO TRIED RECALIBRATING A COMPUTER SENSOR BUT WARNED THAT IT "MAY BE THE THROTTLE BODY BUT THAT WOULD BE VERY UNUSUAL." AFTER ANOTHER INCIDENT, THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY (THIS PAST MONDAY) BUT SAME INCIDENT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT, THIS TIME LEAVING US STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOUR LANE ROAD. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT TURNING OFF AND THEN TURNING ON THE CAR, WE WERE ABLE TO HOBBLE TO A PARKING LOT WHERE WE TURNED OFF THE CAR AND SAT FOR 5 MINUTES. IT WAS THEN FINE, AND WE DROVE HOME. WE DID NOTICE THAT THE A/C WOULD CUT IN AND OUT ON ITS OWN DURING THE 30 MINUTE TRIP HOME. IT IS THE SHOP AGAIN AS I WRITE THIS.

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

I OWN A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE AND I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. THE MOST PREVALENT AND FRUSTRATING ISSUES ARE ONES I'VE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT. THE CAR LUNGING FORWARD OR BACKWARD (HAPPENS MORE WHEN A/C HAS BEEN ON), HIGH RPMS WITH PEDAL TO FLOOR AND THE CAR GOING NOWHERE (WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON). THE FIRST TIME THE RPM ISSUE HAPPENED I WAS ON MY WAY UP TO LANCASTER, CA DRIVING UP A VERY STEEP HILL. I HAD MY 2 YEAR OLD SON WITH ME AND THE CAR WOULD BARELY GO. I WAS ABLE TO PUT ON MY HAZARDS AND GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND MADE IT TO A PARK-AND-RIDE. AFTER I SHUT THE CAR OFF FOR AWHILE AND STARTED IT AGAIN IT WAS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED QUITE A FEW TIMES SINCE THEN; THE MOST RECENT WAS LAST MONTH (JULY 2011). ALSO, MOSTLY WHEN GETTING ON THE FREEWAY AND HAVING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC, THE CAR WILL REV AT A VERY HIGH RPM AND NOT GO DOWN UNLESS I PULL OVER/GET OFF FREEWAY AND TRY THE ACCELERATION A LITTLE SLOWER. IF THE RPMS STAY HIGH IT SOMETIMES CAUSES THE WRENCH LIGHT TO COME ON AND PROBLEM WITH THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND CAR GOING NOWHERE COMES INTO PLAY. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE ANY WORK DONE ON THE CAR TO TRY TO ALEVE THE PROBLEMS DUE TO FINANCIAL ISSUES. I KNOW THAT A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THESE SAME PROBLEMS AND I JUST HOPE THAT SOMETHING CAN BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE SERIOUSLY GETS HURT. *KB

I WAS WAITING TO PICK UP MY SON AT SCHOOL IN THE "PICK UP" LANE. THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, BUT I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AT THE TIME WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT A CHANGE IN THE SPEED OF THE CAR AND NO MOVEMENT OF MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE, THE CAR'S ENGINE REVVED AND SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD, NEARLY HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE SINCE THIS TIME - ALWAYS WHEN THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING (LIKE WAITING IN DRIVE-THRU LINES) OR WAS ABOUT TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP (LIKE SLOWING DOWN AT A RED LIGHT, FOR EXAMPLE.) I HAVE HEARD FROM A FRIEND WHO IS A FELLOW FORD FREESTYLE OWNER THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY. SHE HAD HERS REPLACED AND IT COST HER OVER $500!

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD FREESTYLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE ENGINE WOULD EXHIBIT A LOSE OF POWER WHILE ACCELERATING. THE FAILURES OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND WITH TIME BECAME CONSTANT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS, WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE11018 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED SURGING FORWARD AND ALSO SURGING IN REVERSE AT AFTER SHIFTING FROM PARK AND FROM REVERSE. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THESE SURGES WITH THE BRAKE AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ACCIDENTS. THERE IS ONLY 34000 MILES (2006 FORD FREESTYLE) AND HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO A DEALER YET , AS I HAVE PARKED IT AT HOME. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE SEEN THAT A NHTSA INVESTIGATION #PE11018 IS PENDING. I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THIS ALSO AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH THIS. *TR