NHTSA Complaint #10345782 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR (PULLING OUT OF A MALL) APPROACHING THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, MY CAR SUDDENLY LEAPT FORWARD TOWARD TRAFFIC. THINKING THAT MAYBE I DIDN'T HAVE MY BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED HARD ENOUGH (SCARING ME) I PUSHED MY FOOT HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. BUT THE CAR KEPT LURCHING FORWARD. LUCKILY THE TRAFFIC CLEARED & I PROCEEDED ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THEN, THE CAR DIDN'T SEEM TO MOVE, SO I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL A LITTLE HARDER. THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THEN MOVED FORWARD VERY SLOWLY. I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL HARDER, AND AGAIN, THE CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, THEN FINALLY MOVED FORWARD VERY SLOWLY. TRAFFIC WAS COMING FROM BEHIND SO I KEPT GOING FORWARD. LUCKILY THE FORD DEALERSHIP WAS JUST A COUPLE BLOCKS AWAY (AROUND THE CORNER). SO I DROVE IT VERY CAREFULLY STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. AT MOST I WAS GOING ABOUT 30-35 MILES PER HOUR. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE TO ORDER PARTS. LUCKILY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY IS IN EFFECT, SO IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED, EXCEPT FOR A $100. DEDUCTIBLE. (PLUS WE"LL NEED TO PAY CHARGES TO HAVE THE PARTS SHIPPED ASAP). TODAY, MY HUSBAND CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FORD FREESTYLE'S. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DANGEROUS! MY CAR COULD EASILY HAVE LURCHED OUT INTO HEAVY 40-45 MILE PER HR TRAFFIC, IF I HADN'T HAD FAST REFLEXES! OR IF I HAD PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE HIGHER SPEED TRAFFIC I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND! MY CAR HAS ONLY ABOUT 37,000 MILES. I'VE HAD ABOUT FOUR INCIDENCES OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. FIRST, THEY REPLACED MY ALTERNATOR. THEN MY BATTERY. THEN MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANELS & (IN THE DASHBOARD) AIRCONDITIONING PANELS. AT LEAST THEY'RE THE THINGS THAT I KNOW THEY'VE DONE (BECAUSE THE DON'T TELL YOU ALL THE THINGS THEY'VE FIXED OR REPLACED). I DON"T KNOW IF THESE THINGS ARE CONNECTED. ALSO ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET, THESE PARTS HAVE BE HARD TO FIND. *TR