NHTSA Complaint #10178585 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

MY 2005 FORD FREESTYLE WAS PURCHASED USED, UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY IN MAY OF 2006. SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IT STARTED RIGHT AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF, WHEN TRYING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE IT WOULD CLICK WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED BUT NOT START. IT WOULD TAKE TWO OR THREE TRIES TO GET THE CAR TO START. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THEN AFTER THE CAR WOULD NOT START ON THE FIRST TRY, WHEN IT DID START THE OIL LIGHT WAS ON, THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT WAS ON, THE BACK-UP LIGHTS WERE ON WHEN THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, THE LEFT BLINKER LIGHT WAS ON AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF, THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT WORK AND ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF THE BATTERY WOULD DRAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE DEALERSHIP WITNESSED THE PROBLEM ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, HAD SOMEONE FROM CORPORATE COME DOWN TO WORK ON THE CAR AND IT SEEMED FINE FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS. THEN ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WE STARTED THE CAR AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW FLYING IN A "TECHNICAL ENGINEER" TO WORK ON THE CAR. *NM