Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford Freestyle owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Was coming up to a stop light and the car started to accelerate. When I put on brakes, it accelerated more. To avoid hitting 3 cars in front of me, I went over a curb, up a hill and over and embankment. The car finally stopped in the middle of a side street. The impact of coming off the embankment blew 2 tires and totaled out the bottom of my car. The insurance company has totaled the car. As far as the speed of the car, I was doing 35 until the acceleration failed and when I put on the brakes, it went faster. I read on your website where Ford was having problems with lunging and this sounds like what happened with my car. Especially when I read from others that have posted there problems with this. I do believe that Ford needs to do a recall before someone gets hurt bad. I did go to the er to get checked out but besides seat belt burn, I was fine.
While driving in heavy traffic with snow and slushy streets, the traffic ahead of me stopped. I applied the brakes and the ABS activated for about 1 second and then I had no brakes at all. No matter how hard I pushed the brake pedal, there was no ABS activity and no brakes. Fortunately I was only going about 5 MPH. I struck the vehicle in front of me. It had no damage but I had a broken bumper cover ($1300 to repair). I took the vehicle to the dealer I bought it from to have the ABS and brakes checked. They found nothing wrong. I wrote a letter to Ford, explaining what happened. They said they were forwarding my letter to their engineering department for evaluation. I have heard nothing from them yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. While driving 55 MPH, the traction control and all wheel drive warning indicators illuminated. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the brakes and wheel sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 224,000. ...updated 03/13/17
Stationary and in motion my AWD malfunction light will come on, it does this multiple times a day, I just got this Ford the other day, nobody knows what the issue is, but I've seen thousands of other people have this issue. That almost caused me an accident today in the snow. Not very happy about it, and I don't want it to happen again. It's been doing this since I got it. I'm lucky it's not totaled.
Just got the car and it stalled on me today, accelerated and shut off in the middle of the road. Alot going on iv read other people's comments about the Ford causing accidents I don't want that to happen to me I'm a new driver
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 clue what he was talking about) including the car "uses its rear brakes to do most of the stopping," some freestyles "just do this," we are not driving it correctly, and finally, the 500 series cars use their rear brake pads much quicker than their fronts. (this is descriptive, not an explanation!) we paid the costs of the rotor resurfacing and the new pads. I was told the pad wear was even and the calipers are working properly. …
I own a 2005 Ford Freestyle and there are 45,854 miles on the car. Over the previous few months, while backing up, I heard a grinding noise from the rear of the car. As a retired salesman who drove over 1,000,000 miles without replacing any brakes on a car, I did not immediately come to the conclusion that this noise was coming from the rear brakes. I was under the impression that the front brakes historically would fail before the rear brakes would. I finally did take the car to brakes only America, inc., in lansing, mi, where I was told that the entire rear brake system was worn out. I had to have the rotors and pads replaced for a cost of $269.85. Staff at the brakes only store told me that the quality of the rear disc brakes are not of the same quality as the front, which on my car, are still in very good condition. …
On my 2005 Ford Freestyle with 21,400 miles the rear brake pads were worn with less than 3 mm of pad remaining. At 6 days past my 3 yr / 36 k mi. Warranty, Ford cust service and Ford corporate said there was nothing they could do to help me. They did admit that they extended the rear brake warranty to 3 yr/ 36 k mi - however I was past the 3 yr date (even if by 6 days) -- thankfully my dealer contacted their Ford rep and he authorized the entire rear brakes to be replaced -- my copay was $119.68 vs $475.00. I grilled them as to what all was replaced and they said the pads, rotors, and caliper mounting plates and brackets and bolts etc. They said they rear brake issues that most everybody is having is due to the wrong caliper mounting hardware used. This caused the calipers to be always miss- aligned and excessive pad and rotor wear. …
I was driving my infant son home from the hospital after cardiovascular surgery. It was a light drizzle following a period of heavy rain. The roads were wet but there was no standing water. Cars were braking in front of me to make a left hand turn. I applied my brakes, the pedal was up, but there were no brakes. The vehicle did not even begin to stop. I pushed them again and again and there was still no braking of the vehicle causing a rear end collision with the car in front of me who rear ended the car in front of him. Note: the airbags never deployed! I had to take my infant back to the hospital via ambulance to have him checked out because of the prior surgery. The dealership said the car did not throw any codes and that there was no way to test the anti-lock brakes and no way to prove that they failed. …
I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle. I have had several lunging incidents where the car feels like it wants to lung forward or backward when backing out a parking space etc.. The first time I reported this incident was on 08/25/09. The next time was on 09/22/09. The dealer ordered a new throttle body. There were so many issues with the throttle body on this car that they were on back order. The dealer allowed me to drive for 5697 miles before the part arrived. I requested a rental under warranty and they said they could not justify a rental. On 02/08/10 my new throttle body was installed. Today is 02/22/2012 and I am having the same issue all over again. The Ford Freestyle is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I am on my second set of (rear) brake pads and rotors. I have had the engine mounts replaced. Our air conditioner only works properly during the winter. …
Brake complaints in other Freestyle years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Ford Freestyle?
NHTSA has 105 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Ford Freestyle, 7% of the model year's 1,459 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › pads (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Freestyle brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2005 Ford Freestyle, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Freestyle brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 28,000 miles, and 45% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.