Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Ford Freestyle owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was backing out of angle parking space. As I backed I bumped concrete pole. As I put car in drive to go forward the accelerator stuck wide open. I had no control of speed. I sped forward approximately 20 feet and crashed into the back of a parked pick-up. Police were called. I was only bruised and sore. I did see a dr. And will continue to do follow up. My insurance co. Totaled the car. It was very damaged on the driver side. Someone could of been killed in this accident. My description does not adequately describe the seriousness of this incident. Police and others could not believe I was not severely hurt. If theses cars are not recalled it is only a matter of time until someone dies if they have not already .
My vehicle has been surging (the gas) when I am at a complete stop for about a month and this week the car began to lose power while driving. The motor seemed to rev up, but the car didn't go anywhere very quickly. I took the car to a mechanic and he did a "3 part induction" on the vehicle. I am hoping that this will cure the problem since when I put "3 part induction" into the search engine in the computer I came up with a Ford Freestyle problems page with quite a few other people with the same issues. So I spent $150 for a cleaning and if that does not work I understand that I'll need to spend over $1,000 for replacement of the parts. I have also recently had brake issues. I just had my brake rotors and pads replaced 6 months ago for almost $600. Took the car back the other day because so much brake dust on the wheels. …
My car will try to surge forward while at a stop with my foot on the brakes. It will happen while driving, in parked position, and while no gas or brake pedal is pressed. This happened in a pick up line and I could have hit a child if I hadn't hadn't my foot in the brake and done all I could to not move forward. Sometimes I'm in reverse and this happens and it's like I put my foot down hard on the gas. There seems to be a connection to the ac unit, because when that is on it is making a loud sound. I went to carmax 3 years ago (in 2015) with this issue and they replaced the throttle body. Now they are saying it needs to be replaced again. There is clearly an ongoing issue with this part in the car and it is a major safety concern. Sometimes after the surge, my car will 'die'. This happened in the middle of 6 lanes of traffic while stationary at a red light. …
This makes the second time I have complained about this problem. It seems that Ford has no plans to rectify the "throttle body" issue although there are many that have voiced the same concern with their vehicles. This issue is a severe safety risk. I have had several incidences, all involving surging, followed by a sudden loss of power. There have also been instances of sudden loss of power upon acceleration after idling at a stop sign or red light. This happens randomly and there is no warning beforehand. Once, I was passing a truck and pulled into the passing lane and the Freestyle completely lost power. I was "hanging" in the passing lane with no power and no way to avert a collision had there been oncoming traffic or traffic behind me. Thank goodness, I had time to brake and force the Freestyle onto the shoulder. This also happenes at stop signs and red lights when I accelerate. …
My car wouldn't accelerate on getting on the interstate and would only go up to 40 MPH - hard to get in from the ramp with other oncoming cars. It started surging and bucking. When I got off the interstate at the next interstate it again surged when I was going 20mph. Very scary for me. When I stopped at the stoplight it stalled and I had trouble starting it. I put my hazards on for the rest of the trip home. I have been scared to drive it. I took it to the Ford dealer and they said it was the throttle body and estimated $700 for the part and $200 for labor. I have had surging issues this past summer when I used the defrost or air conditioning but not anything this bad. I did call the Ford company and have a case number - they would not help with the part or labor. I spoke with a manager...
I bought this car from private seller. On the drive home I turned on ac and noticed a surge so I turned the air off. After getting the car home I filled the tank as it was almost empty when I purchased the car. The car began to surge forwards and backwards at an idle, and then began to surge while driving. Check engine light came on and codes indicated it was a misfire, so did a tune up (changed spark plugs and coils) only to have the issue get worse. The car is now almost stalling and surging hard. Car is very slow to accelerate and feels to have no power while attempting to get up to even in town speeds(25-30mph) car is undrivable safely at this point and I have not even owned 2 months. Surging happens at idle, low speeds, freeway speeds, and surges violently when trying to accelerate.
The accelerator pedal is unresponsive and the vehicle will move very slowly at first, then unpredictably lunge forward at higher speeds. Occasionally the pedal will immediately respond with rapid acceleration when lightly touched, causing the tires to spin out while taking off from a stop. Altering the way pressure is applied to the accelerator has no effect. This has been happening for over 3 months without any check engine indicators, and only recently when the vehicle had trouble idling did a check engine light come on. The vehicle has been well maintained and lightly driven.
My 2006 Ford Freestyle has had a surging problem at low speeds since we bought it with 15000 miles on it in 2006. Even with your foot on the brake and not on the accelerator the care accelerates on its own in forward and reverse. We took the car to the Ford dealer in tucson and they fixed the problem by replacing the throttle body for 1000.00 at our expense. On one occasion May 1 2010 the car surged forward hitting our garage causing damage to the car. There should be a recall on this car.
While idiling the car will surge. This happens more in hot humid weather. Have had the trottle body checked and cleaned and this is still happening. If not for the fact that I have been able to apply more pressure to the brake I could have had a accident. This I have found to be a ongoing issue with these cars. This has happened while at stoplights, parking, driving at low speeds. The surging has happened several times today and seems to be getting worse.
I was driving my car and the wrench indicator came on, my car would not accelerate. I've taken my car to the repair shop and was infromed there is a known issued with Ford Freestyle 2005-2006 and the CVT transmission. I reviewed and it appears Ford knows this is an issue, but refuses to recall/repair it. I will be seeking legal action if Ford does not pursue a recall on this vehicle and it's known issue with the CVT transmission.
Fuel System complaints in other Freestyle years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2006 Ford Freestyle?
NHTSA has 151 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2006 Ford Freestyle, 12% of the model year's 1,300 complaints. The component named most often is storage (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Freestyle fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2006 Ford Freestyle, though it has 1 recall 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 2006 Ford Freestyle fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to fuel & propulsion system 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.