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).
While I am driving down the road, it feels like the vehicle shuts off. I am still able to accelerate, steer and stop; however, the lights, heater and radio shut off and all of my gauges quit working. My dashboard says "check charging system" but the source of the issue has not been found. I have already replaced the starter (was making a clicking noise at times), battery and alternator. This has happened several times on different road types and varying speeds.
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
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 CVT transmission start to slip and needs replacement.
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.
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.
The car lunges forward when at a complete stop; nearly causing accidents (I would rear end someone if I didn't allow more space between the other vehicle and mine than legally allowed.). When you try to run the air conditioning the car shuts off immediately, no matter what speed you are driving at. The car makes noise when turning the steering wheel to the left. I just purchased this car 4 months ago and am now being told I need to replace the transmission, the air compressor and a valve. I noticed the lunging immediately and was able to allow myself more space to make up for the differential, however other people on the road are not aware of my issues with lunging and when they pull in front of me, I May not be able to slow myself. I am highly perturbed by the continuing issues. In looking online I find that I am just one of many people with these very same issues with the Freestyle. …
I took my car in to be serviced for maintenance (power steering service and transmission service) to the Ford dealership in thomasville, ga. After a few days my 2005 Ford Freestyle started to display transmission data error, check track control, and check engine lights. I called the company and was advised to bring it in and I did. The alerts were not on at the time but the service man jerry and josh told me they would check my vehicle and let me know what - if anything was wrong. They kept it all day and when I returned to pick it up I was informed that it was fine and they re-serviced my transmission. About two weeks later my car started the same thing all over again while in traffic it seemed not to want to pull off normally with all these alerts lighting up after church one Sunday. …
We were driving on the freeway (hwy 350) and the car just stalled out, again in traffic on take off the car stalled in the middle of traffic, once getting on I-70 it just stalled,. We took it to dick smith Ford here in raytown, missouri , [redacted] the service person said it was covered under extended warranty. So I left the car with them , and about 3:00 pm I got a call, [redacted] said the car was ready, he said they fixed the problem, but it is doing the same thing. This time it stopped with my wife in the heat of traffic, well I called [redacted] at the dealership again and he said it must be something else, well I had a test done, the test indicated it is the same problem the throttle body. I know the problem could not be a tune-up because I just spent $ 900.00 for that at the same Ford place, yes over nine hundred dollars. Please advise what to do.
2005 Ford Freestyle engine idles up by itself. Almost ran into someone because of the problem, it also did it twice in which I was traveling in heavy traffic and it idled down to an almost complete stop in which we just about got ran over, the check engine light comes on. I had a mechanic to plug in a OBD scanner which it displayed a code which read p061b, said internal control module calculation and performance and torque. After doing a google search, I found there are more than 1000 people with the same vehicle having the same problems. Ford needs to recall these cars. NHTSA needs to contact Ford about recalling such defective cars. Im in the process of contacting the more than 1000 people who are having the same problems and address them too a class action lawyer. …
During vehicle operation, the instrument cluster suddenly and catastrophically fails, apparently disabling several critical safety features. The malfunction at first occurred intermittently, then more frequently, but now occurs continuously. A local Ford dealer has replaced the instrument cluster twice without resolving the problem, indicating that original Ford equipment May be defective. The speedometer and tachometer needles suddenly drop to zero and freeze. The digital display shows 'odometer data error.' all warning lights on the instrument cluster come on at once. Without these instruments, the driver can no longer monitor vehicle performance, such as speed and engine temperature. The malfunction definitely disables the automatic door locks and traction control. It May very well also disable the air bag system since the self-check display also does not work.
Traction Control complaints in other Freestyle years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2005 Ford Freestyle?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2005 Ford Freestyle, 1% of the model year's 1,459 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Freestyle traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 111,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to stability & traction control 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.