Engine Problems of Ford Freestyle - part 1

As reported in may 2011, my Ford Freestyle is also lunging. It happens typically when the car is starting or stopping. It happens very frequently. I was hoping to see a recall on this because Ford is charging $900 to fix this.

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While pulling in to park, with foot off the gas pedal and applying brake to stop, my vehicle rpms surged. I had to sharply apply additional brake, however my vehicle struck a bollard. Today's episode is another in a long string of sudden rpm surge events dating back to when the vehicle was newly purchased. I have had the vehicle checked by our local Ford/Lincoln dealership three times, with no corrective action taken. We have had to deal with this unsafe condition and have not received any assistance from Ford.

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.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Freestyle 🔎.

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 occassions.

I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle sel. In the last month, the car has been surging and taking off without my touching the gas. Last Friday, it surged violently backward while I was parallel parking and ran up on the curb nearly hitting people. I stood on the brake and the engine quit and went into a fault mode. It did this three times after re-starting the car each time. It also about two weeks ago surged forward into the gate of my gated community. It is now surging at a third of my stops. I don't try and back it up if at all possible. I am convinced this is a serious saety problem. I am afraid to allow anyone in my family to drive it. I feel this should be re-called and fixed.

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Vehicle experiences sudden unexpected acceleration (or lurching) when idling or moving at a very slow speed. Occurs in forward or reverse directions, occurs more frequently in hot weather.

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 occuring about a month ago and has been fairly concistent since that time.

2005 Ford Freestyle unexpectedly surges forward while idling at a stop, moving as slow speed or shifting from park into either forward or reverse. The frequency of occurence increases when the vehicle's air conditioning has been running but the vehicle is not moving, I. E. , while either parked or idling. Engine enters "fail-safe" mode and restarting engine temporarily clears the error and alleviates the problem.

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.

2006 Ford Freestyle while sitting still at idle, in gear, suddenly surging causing unintentional vehicle movement.

I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle sel. I am experiencing engine surges (sudden exceleration) on a daily basis. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer where that didn't dfind any problems and blamed it on engine load from the ac systems. While I have not had any accidents yet I have on several occasions been forced to stand on the brake to avoid hitting other vehicles and in one case a pedestrian. Ford won't do anything because they say that they can't find anything wrong and there are not recalls.

My car lunges on its own. It happens several times a day while driving. When backing out the driveway, pulling through a drive through, or turning from a stop. I have come very close to hitting other vehicles. I have taken it to the dealership and they found nothing wrong.

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.

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.

My wife drives a 2005 Ford Freestyle and it has a tendency to lunge forward when put into drive, without her foot on the gas pedal. She keeps her foot on the brake, but it still lunges. This also happens when she puts the car in reverse. I drove the car Saturday and experienced it for myself. I feel that this is unsafe and am debating parking the vehicle until something is done.

Sudden acceleration at slow speed both in forward and reverse. Worse when air conditioning is on. Dealership states that it is a throttle body issue. Very costly to repair, very dangerous to drive. Already ran into cart corral at grocery store when car lurched forward. No damage.

I have the 2007 Ford Freestyle with the too common "surging" problem. Apparently Ford and the government are ignoring hundreds of reported incidents of spontaneous unintended acceleration. Someone could be killed or seriously injured, if it hasn't happened already. Most likely it will be an innocent pedestrian who didn't choose to buy this menace vehicle. I highly encourage the government and Ford to issue a safety recall immediately.

2007 Ford Freestyle began surging with foot on the brake pedal a few monthds ago. Inconsistent, most noticeable when a/c is running. Also surges right when releasing brake pedal (from stopped position or moving very slowly either forward or backwards). Significant risk of the condition leading to a collision with another vehicle, stationary object, or even pedestrian. Please help!.

Our 2006 Ford Freestyle will sometimes surge when first started or at low speeds. It seems to do this the worst when just started and backing out of the garage. Stepping on the brake will stop it but the engine will race for a little bit.

Several times over the last few weeks, the vehicle will jerk forward when pulling into a parking place or jerk backward when backing out of parking place. The engine will rev on its own without having to push on the accelerator causing the jerky feeling.

2006 Ford Freestyle lurches when coming to a stop or departing from a stop. To prevent the car from involuntarily moving, heavy break pressure is required. These events started in April 2011 when vehicle had approximately 97,000 miles on it (26 Jul 2011 odometer reading 99,150 miles). Symptoms occur every time the vehicle is put into reverse; less frequent when in forward gears.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated while driving in and out of a parking space the rpms would increase and the vehicle would lunge forward or backwards. The failure also occurred while driving in reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed him there was no recall or warranty for the throttle failure. The top motor mount connected to the engine was covered with rust and deteriorated which was made out of rubber. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there were no recalls and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Vehicle lunges after putting it in gear.

Vehicle surges or lunches forward at low speeds. Car also dies when going from park to drive.

When shifting into drive or reverse from park or neutral, the transmission takes several seconds to engage and when it does it lurches forward or backward with no input to the gas pedal. You must have your foot on the brake and be ready to press down hard to keep the car from lunging forward or backward. Also, when creeping forward in parking lots or other slow moving situations and applying a small amount of throttle, the car will lunge forward at a much greater speed than what commanded at the gas pedal. This is an especially dangerous situation because in parking lots there are other people or cars, potentially close by that could be struck.

2006 Ford Freestyle surges when in reverse. Dealer replaced throttle body.

For several months we had noticed that when we shifted our vehicle into gear (forward or reverse) the car would lurch forward/backward as we came off the brake. Several weeks ago, my wife had the vehicle in line at my daughters elementary school driveway waiting to pick her up. As she released pressure on the brake, the vehicle unexpectedly jumped forward and she needed to slam on the brakes to stop it. The engine then went into "failsafe mode" and ran on diminished performance until she was able to get the vehicle home. Upon examination, it was determined that the throttle body needed to be replaced on a car with 65,000 miles. It was the faulty throttle body that had been causing the car to unexpectedly lurch/surge forward. I am filing this complaint because it appears that it is not an isolated issue for the vehicle and it is a family vehicle which means that there are many of them sitting in school parking lots and pick up lanes. As you can imagine a vehicle that unexpectedly surges forward in an area full of children caused a great deal of concern to my wife and I. In my research there appears to be technical service bulletins issued by Ford regarding this matter and although my car had been in for it 60k service just months before, there was no mention of a problem with the throttle body. The Ford dealer wasted no time telling us that the part is not covered under their extended power train warranty which I had on the vehicle. Quite honestly, that was not my main concern as a child could have easily been harmed by this faulty throttle body and the symptoms it produces. The dealer replaced the throttle body and cleaned the injectors and the vehicle is running better.

2006 Ford Freestyle accelerates - surges in reverse. Was in a parking lot and went from park to reverse. Before I could step on the gas, it accelerated and I had to slam on the brakes. I nearly ran into a family. No car should be able to do that on its own. I am also disappointed that this is a known problem and nothing has been done about it.

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.

2007 Ford Freestyle with 36,000 miles last summer began "lurching" when pulling into/out of parking space. This summer now at 57,000 miles the lurching is becoming more frequent. It occurs primarily when the following conditions are combined: 1) engine is warm, 2) a/c is on, 3) at complete stop with brakes applied and 4) turn the steering wheel in preparation for a turn. Reviewed several owner forums for the problem and several owners report same problem with answer from Ford being "replace the throttle body". Problem- throttle body replacement hard to find. Took mine in for service and reported above problem to service dept. Answer was "need new throttle body". Will try to find one, on back order. "car is unsafe to drive" per Ford service department. After evaluation condition is worse. Car now idles below 500 rpms, and fluctuates constantly, even w/o a/c on (worse when a/c on). A/c compressor was just replaced this summer and the condition worsened when the compressor was replaced. The consumer stated since filing the complaint, she took the vehicle to an independent shop and had the fuel induction service done for $125. 00. It has been 5 weeks and the problem has not returned. It appeared that the dirty fuel injection system prevented the throttle body from getting the air it needed to function properly. Updated ivoq 09/13/10.

The vehicle lurches/revs/accelerates when the gas pedal is not being touched. It is most notable when idling, while parking or at very low speed. We are fearful that this acceleration will cause the vehicle to hit another vehicle in a parking lot or that the problem will start occurring at other times. From reading various online bulletin boards and NHTSA complaints it sounds like this is a well-known problem with the throttle body in these vehicles and I don't understand why there hasn't been a recall.

2007 Ford Freestyle with 50, 00 miles would not go faster than 20 mph with an engine code p051b. Need to replace throttle body at 600 dollars.

Engine surge/ wrench light illuminated at stop sign. Had to stand on brakes to prevent lurching into intersection. Turn off vehicle ok on restart. Research reveals that this problem is a known throttle body issue. Ford needs to recall this item immediately. Felt need to register incident after reading of other operator's problems.

Vehicle accelerates went first put in gear (especially reverse). Sometimes dies after the acceleration. Recurrent problem. Dealer says throttle body needs to be replaced, parts on back order.

Engine surges/lurches at idle. Occurs intermittently, but is becoming more frequent as vehicle ages. Nothing done to correct yet.