There are 50 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2005 Ford Freestylein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.
CHECK TRANSMISSION KEEPS POPPING UP AND THE WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON AND CARS RPMS GO TO 3000 YO 5000 ON ITS OWN GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY
DRIVING JUST FINE WHENEVER I GOT IT. NOT EVEN 20,000 MILES LATER AT ABOUT 122K MILES THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD AND GOING OUT. IT DRIVES AT HIGH RPM BUT LOW SPEEDS AND WILL NOT SHIFT INTO PROPER GEAR. MAKES A FUNNY AIRPLANE NOISE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN KEPT UP WITH BY ME.
THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD WHEN BACKING AND WHEN STOPPING GOING FORWARD. IT FEELS LIKE SEONE IS PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR EVEN THOUGH YOUR FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, AN ABNORMAL BUZZING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY FORD SANDY SPRINGS (7555 ROSWELL RD, ATLANTA, GA 30350, (678) 809-5711) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE IDLING, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY SURGE FORWARD. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE IDLING WITH THE GEAR IN REVERSE, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE BACKWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND SPRADLEY FORD (2828 HWY 50 WEST, PUEBLO, CO) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
FUEL LINE JUST SNAPPED OFF THE CAR , ALSO THE TRANSMISSION LINE SNAPPED OFF AND THE TRANS SYSTEM SHUT DOWN, THE DOOR LOCKS SHUT DOWN AND STOPPED WORKING . THE TRANSMISSION AND FUEL LINE SNAPPED WHILE IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY.
THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE CVT TRANSMISSION IT SEEM TO NEVER SHIFT RIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL ALWAYS ACTED FUNNY SHIFTS HIGH OR SHIFT HARD AND THEN IT FINALLY GAVE OUT DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHT IT MADE A LOUD CLUNK AND I HAD NO GEARS I COSTED TO A STOP
VEHICLES SAYS AWD MALFUNCTION AND TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR WON'T SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. THE POWER LOCKS ALSO MALFUNCTIONED SHORTLY BEFORE THE AWD MALFUNCTION, MAKING IT WHERE IT WAS UNABLE TO SHUT. THE POWER LOCK WAS UNLOCKED/LOCKED A COUPLE TIMES FIXING THE ISSUE FOR NOW.
THE TRANSMISSION STOP WORKING WHILE GOING UP A HILL
DRIVING MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE STARTS TO REV FORWARD AND BACKWARDS. I SEE THE "ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE APPEAR AND A LIT UP WRENCH ALSO APPEARS AND THE ENGINE STARTS STALLING OR SURGING, FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER.
WHILE REVERSING SLOWLY FROM A PARKING SPOT AND TURNING THE WHEEL, THE 2005 FORD FREESTYLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT APPLICATION OF THE GAS PEDAL. QUICKLY PRESSING THE BRAKE DID WORK TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR LAST YEAR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CHECK TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED AN UNKNOWN LOCAL DEALER, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURES WERE NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 161,000.
2005 FORD FREESTYLE HAS A CONSTANT SCRAPING SOUND FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I AM DRIVING IT. WE PAID $ 200.00 FOR FORD MECHANIC TO CHANGE OUT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WITH NEW FLUID KIT & HE DID FIND METAL & BRASS SHAVINGS FROM TRANNY IN OIL PAN. MECHANIC SAYS THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW ONE BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY $4,000.00 IT WILL TAKE TO DO IT. I FOUND OUT THE CVT TRANSMISSIONS ALL SOONER OR LATER ,BUT MOSTLY SOONER ; FAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOTORIOUS FOR IT . BAD DESIGN FOR THAT TRANSMISSION & THEY STILL ROBBING THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES AS I SPEAK ! MAN UP & PAY FOR YOUR MISTAKES LIKE THOSE IN SOCIETY MUST WHEN THEY HAVE ROBBED OTHERS AND GOT CAUGHT. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHY IT'S LET GO THUS FAR & WHO THEN IS ACCOUNTABLE ??
WHEN PULLING OUT OF PARKING LOT ONTO HIGHWAY, LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND CHECK ENGINE AND CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHTS CAME ON, WAS LUCKY THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME WERE PAYING ATTENTION AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD. TURNED CAR OFF AND RESTARTED, WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNK IN D AND R, WITH STILL NO RESPONSE FROM THE THROTTLE. AFTER HAVING TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED HOME SO MY FAMILY AND I WERE OFF OF THE BUSY HIGHWAY, I TRIED TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO TRY AND RESET THE SYSTEM, STILL NO LUCK. WE JUST HAD THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED LAST YEAR AT A COST OF 700.00, SIMILAR TO SAME ISSUES WITH THROTTLE BUT NOTHING WITH TRANSMISSION AT THAT TIME. AFTER READING THROUGH MULTIPLE REVIEWS THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THIS CVT TRANSMISSION AND THERE WAS ALSO A RECALL ON THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDING TO BE CLEANED. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OF WHY A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED, THESE VEHICLES ARE NOT ONLY FAMILY VEHICLES BUT DEATH TRAPS! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOME FAMILY GETS KILLED FROM A FAULTY MISTAKE THAT FORD CO. IS WELL AWARE OF!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR STOPPED WORKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
AWD MALFUNCTION IS PRESENT AND IT INTERFERES WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL AND ABS. IT SOMETIMES CAUSES ABS NOT TO GET ENGAGED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FREESTYLE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED IN LOW OR HIGH GEAR. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THIRD ROW SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET WAS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 12V006000 (POWER TRAIN) AND 13V081000 (SEATS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 149,000.
CVT FAIL, THROTTLE BODY ISSUE, STARTED IN SEPTEMBER 2016. CAR NOW HAS 135,030 MILES. HAPPENS CONTINUOUSLY, WHEN IDLE AND MOVING DOWN THE ROAD. I SENT A LETTER TO FORD AND THEY RESPONDED WITH A "SORRY...WE CAN'T HELP YOU". MAKING HELICOPTER NOISE. LOSES POWER AND GOES INTO FAILSAFE MODE. I WILL ATTACH BOTH LETTERS. *TR
I JUST BOUGHT MY VEHICLE AND STARTED NOTICING SOME ISSUES WITH THE CAR RACING/IDLING FAST. SEVERAL TIMES IT WOULD LUNG FORWARD WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE FOOT WAS ON BRAKE ALMOST HITTING A CAR, THEN STALLED & REDUCED SPEED AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TOO OREILLYS AND FOUND IT IS THE THROTTLE AND THROTTLE SENSOR. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND DANGEROUS. I WANT IT FIXED BY FORD ASAP!
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026