NHTSA Complaint #10293654 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

A DEFECT IN FORD FREESTYLE 2005. BASICALLY, INTERIOR LEAK THAT IS HIDDEN UNTIL A PERSON HAS A NEED TO LOOK AT THE SPARE TIRE IN THE TRUNK AREA. I NOTICED MOISTURE MONTHS AGO, BUT FIGURED THAT IT WAS RAIN WATER THAT FELL IN WHEN I OPENED THE HATCH. RECENTLY, I NEEDED TO BRING MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND FIGURED THAT IT WAS TIME TO VACUUM, ETC., SINCE I MAINTAIN MY PROPERTY. SURE ENOUGH, THERE HAS BEEN RUSTING AND ROTTING--HIDDEN--FOR A LONG TIME. THE CARPETS WERE WETTER--AND SINCE I DRIVE WITH SHOES ON, I NEVER DETECTED THE MOISTURE THROUGHOUT THE FLOOR AREA--FROM DRIVING AREA DOWN TO THE TRUNK--MOSTLY ALONG THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THERE IS TREMENDOUS RUST ON THE SPARE AND IN THE SPARE COMPARTMENT--THE CARPETING IS MOLDY UNDERNEATH AND THE FLOOR BOARD HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY RECURRENT WATER DAMAGE/MOLD. I NOTICED THAT BROWN MARKS ON THE CARPET WERE NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR BUT RUST STAINS. THIS WOULD REMAIN A HIDDEN PROBLEM IF I DID NOT ACTUALLY PULL UP SOME CARPET AND LOOK. I CHECKED ON-LINE AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN OF TREMENDOUS LEAKAGE--THROUGHOUT THE 2005 MODEL. MANY OF THESE CANNOT BE FOUND OR REPAIRED. THIS CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS MOLD AND RUST DAMAGE AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO LIFE SAVING FEATURES SUCH AS BRAKES, ETC. THE CAR RECEIVED A GREAT REVIEW SO MY EX-HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED IT. I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THEY WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER HELPING ME HERE SINCE I REPORTED THE PROBLEM AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. MIND YOU, IF I HAD MONEY FOR A FORENSIC SCIENTIST TO ASSESS THE DAWN OF THE DAMAGE, I AM SURE THAT THE RUST WOULD TELL A TALE THAT CLAIMS LEAKAGE HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE FOR YEARS. I BELIEVE THAT THESE CARS SEEM TO BE TIME BOMBS WAITING TO DECONSTRUCT. THERE ARE MANY ON-LINE SITES WHERE PEOPLE REPORT LEAKAGE. THERE ARE MANY T.B.A.S FOR THIS VEHICLE BUT LEAKAGE IS NOT ONE OF THEM, ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT DEAL UNLESS FORCED TO DO SO. I READ AT LEAST 50 DESCRIPTIONS OF WATER/LEAKAGE TO BODY/ROTTING. *TR