2005 Ford Freestyle Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Freestyle years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,459 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Freestyle. That is the most of any Freestyle model year in the database (5 years). The most reported problem area is vehicle speed control (587 complaints, 40%), typically at around 79,100 miles. Complaints mention 32 crashes, 3 fires, 14 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 1,459owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 32complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Ford Freestyle problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 587 | 40% | 79,100 | “throttle body” (29%) | $1,200 |
| Power Train problems | 447 | 31% | 86,100 | “throttle body” (21%) | $8,350 |
| Electrical System problems | 142 | 10% | 83,679 | “instrument panel” (23%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 129 | 9% | 70,000 | “throttle body” (29%) | — |
| Engine problems | 120 | 8% | 110,600 | “throttle body” (30%) | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline problems | 95 | 7% | 69,000 | “throttle body” (54%) | $1,200 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 85 | 6% | 23,345 | “rear brakes” (52%) | $630 |
| Unknown or Other | 72 | 5% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Structure problems | 61 | 4% | 79,000 | “door latches” (13%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 41 | 3% | 105,857 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 37 | 3% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 21 | 1% | 120,633 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 18 | 1% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 17 | 1% | 91,250 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 16 | 1% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 15 | 1% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 1% | 113,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 14 | 1% | 19,300 | — | — |
| Visibility | 11 | 1% | 26,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 10 | 1% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 1% | 61,540 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 8 | 1% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 0% | 98,243 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 3 | 0% | 130,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 3 | 0% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 0% | 161,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 150 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | 159,229 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 150,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Ford Freestyle recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. The side door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion allowing the latch mechanism to freeze in cold weather.
Risk: As a result, the door latch pawl may not return to the latch position when the door is closed, and the door could open while the vehicle is moving.
Fix: Dealers will install a shield over the front latches; seal a drain hole in the rear window trim molding on the freestyle rear side doors; and apply grease to all front and rear side-door latch mechanisms free of charge. The recall began on november 8, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the straps that secure the fuel tank to the vehicle body may break, causing the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield to drop on the driveshaft (all wheel drive vehicles) or exhaust system (front wheel drive vehicles).
Risk: If this happens, drivers may notice a noise or a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace both fuel tank straps. The recall began on december 1, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Idle instability (PE11018) — opened May 11, 2011, closed Feb 7, 2013.
- Instrument cluster failure (PE07058) — opened Nov 16, 2007, closed Mar 11, 2008.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Our 2005 Ford Freestyle often accelerates or surges forward on its own when applying the brake or parking. It is a very dangerous malfunction that looks to be a wide spread problem for this make and model (based on online reports).
When temperature get below freezing car doors will not latch shut and come back open. Car doors work fine when temp are higher. There is a recall already for this NHTSA# 06v383000 Ford# 06545. I have a Ford Case# XXX My car was not included in recall and either should be or needs to be further…
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 06V383000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver's side door…
Passanger door latch- door opened while driving, will not stay closed checked said recall was repaired in 2006, latch in not closing
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Freestyle. The contact stated that all four door latches failed to latch while attempting to close the doors. The contact had to make several attempts to close and lock the doors before the doors latch and remained closed. The failure had reoccurred intermittently. The…
Other Ford Freestyle years
← 2004 Freestyle · 2006 Freestyle →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Freestyle | 893 | 0 |
| 2006 Freestyle | 1,300 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1,459 | 2 |
| 2004 Freestyle | 12 | 0 |
| 2002 Freestyle | 1 | 0 |
See all Ford Freestyle problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Ford Freestyle?
Owners most often report vehicle speed control, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, vehicle speed control, accounts for 587 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Ford Freestyle?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Ford Freestyle a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Freestyle model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.