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2005 Ford Freestyle Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,459 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Freestyle, most often about the speed control (40% of complaints, typically around 79,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Freestyle model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2005 Ford Freestyle problems
Speed control
587 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles.
05 Ford Freestyle surges at low speeds, particularly in reverse and/or when the AC is turned on. Car began stalling while driving. Auto mechanic indicated that the cause was a faulty throttle body and needed to be replaced but not available from Ford for many months. Very dangerous considering car can stall or surge…
2005 Ford Freestyle has been surging and lurching without depressing gas pedal. While stopped but in either drive or reverse, once foot is removed from brake pedal, the car suddenly accelerates without warning. The last time it happened, the wrench light and the check engine light came on and it went into failsafe…
Transmission
447 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, driveline.
1. I noticed that there was a knocking noise of sorts coming from my vehicle when I would put it in drive. At first, it would only do it in drive. Now, it makes the noise in park and in every gear except reverse. It is extremely loud. 2. After taking the vehicle to three different places, it has been determined that…
Tl contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that at 60,000 miles, the oil pump and supply tube were replaced. Then at 83,000 miles the side shaft gear began to malfunction. The contact felt that the failure was due to the lack of lubricant the oil pump received when it was replaced. The dealer advised…
Engine
249 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 83,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
When brakes are engaged, vehicle attempts to speed up. Have to bare down on brakes to slow down. Sometimes this causes the engine to go into a back up safety mode. Twice vehicle cut off and had to be restarted.
Vehicle surges forward and in reverse, even when foot is applied to the brake. This happens on a daily basis nearly every time the vehicle is driven and is very dangerous, especially when in traffic and while maneuvering in parking lots. The surges are unpredictable and occur mainly when the vehicle is initially…
Fuel system
153 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery, fuel injection system.
I was backing up when the vehicle started to lurch and did not want to stop. I slammed on the breaks and saw that the cel and the wrench light was illuminated and the dash displayed fail safe mode. Continued to back up carefully and then when driving forward the car died. Turned key off waiting a few seconds started…
2005 Ford Freestyle, car has unexpected acceleration when placing car in reverse and/or drive. Car inspected at Ford garage. Nothing reported.
Electrical
142 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, alternator/generator/regulator, wiring, horn.
We own a 2005 Ford Freestyle. Over the last 4-5 months we have had issues with the instrumentation panel "going black". This has caused the vehicles reverse lights to come on and stay on. It was happening about once every few weeks and has increased to a weekly issue. We have to unhook and rehook the battery to…
2005 Ford Freestyle w/87,213 mi., purchased used with 87090 miles. Driving approx 40 MPH, slowing to stop, put turn signals on, no turn signals. Noticed check transmission & air bag lamps lit. Pulled over, shut the engine off & took key out, speed still registering a speed of 40 MPH. Cycled the car on & off 3 times &…
Brakes
102 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 28,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, pedals and linkages.
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…
I purchased a Ford Freestyle new, had braking problems from start, 1st time in to dealer said no problem, 2nd time replaced front pads, 3rd time rear pads and cut rotors, I had an issue with cutting rotors on vehicle w/7000 mi. 20,000 miles later, rear brakes are shot, rotors need replacing, Ford service manager says…
Other or unspecified
72 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles.
Our 2005 Ford Freestyle accelerates on its own at times after you put it in gear. If you are not prepared by having your foot on the brake it will lurch as the rpms increase on its own without touching the accelerator. This is very dangerous especially if someone is standing behind the vehicle.
My 2005 Ford Freestyle periodically lunges when driving at low speeds, usually when I slow down to stop or put the car in reverse. I have experienced this problem a few times over the past couple years, but it seems like it is happening more frequently. I am unsure if running my airconditioning has caused the…
Body and structure
61 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
1.)every winter the locking mechanism on the drivers side door will freeze. So, once you open your door & you go to shut it, it will not latch shut, instead it will just bounce back open. After spending about 1/2 hour each time of manually moving the latch up & down it finally engages. 2.) power window buttons do not…
Car stalls daily three times while driving, dealer cleaned the throttle body still stalls, another dealer cleaned the maf and changed the spark plugs and change CVT transmission fluid, still stalling. Need a new throttle body it is a common defect with Ford and very dangerous some one will get killed because of it. My…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 Ford Freestyle recalls
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: As a result, the door latch pawl may not return to the latch position when the door is closed, and the door could open while the vehicle is moving.
Fix: Dealers will install a shield over the front latches; seal a drain hole in the rear window trim molding on the freestyle rear side doors; and apply grease to all front and rear side-door latch mechanisms free of charge. The recall began on november 8, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. The side door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion allowing the latch mechanism to freeze in cold weather.
Fuel system: mounting
Risk: If this happens, drivers may notice a noise or a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace both fuel tank straps. The recall began on december 1, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles, the straps that secure the fuel tank to the vehicle body may break, causing the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield to drop on the driveshaft (all wheel drive vehicles) or exhaust system (front wheel drive vehicles).
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Idle instability
Summary
On november 29, 2012, ford motor company (ford) initiated customer satisfaction program 12n03 to extend warranty coverage terms for repair of engine idle RPM surge caused by throttle body deposits in all model year (my) 2005 through 2007 ford freestyle, five hundred and mercury montego vehicles.the program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle (all vehicles are eligible for the program through may 31, 2013, regardless of mileage).dealers will repair vehicles exhibiting the condition by removing and cleaning the throttle body and reprogramming the PCM with software containing an updated idle speed control strategy.accor
Instrument cluster failure
Summary
The subject vehicles experience a loss of proper instrument cluster operation.typically, the problem appears as the needle on the gauge (speedometer, tachometer, fuel, and/or temperature) sweeps and resets intermittently.ford reports the problem as momentary power interruption causes the gauges to sweep and then recover to normal function.in august 2006, ford issued a technical service bulletin (tsb 06-17-9) to provide guidelines to service technicians for diagnosis and repair of this condition.odi's review of ford's response to the agency's informationrequest letter reveals that the majority of the reports to ford (63%) indicate that the instrument cluster would experience intermittent loss
Questions about the 2005 Ford Freestyle
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Ford Freestyle?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: speed control (587 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles); transmission (447 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles); engine (249 complaints, typically around 83,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Ford Freestyle have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 5, 2006 (doors and locks). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2005 a bad year for the Ford Freestyle?
- It is the most complained-about Freestyle model year since 2000, with 1,459 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.