NHTSA Complaint #10411208 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

OUR FREESTYLE HAS EXPERIENCED MILD BUT WORSENING UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FOR TWO YEARS NOW, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS "MILD" AND DID NOT CAUSE THE CAR TO LURCH FORWARD EVEN WHEN THE DRIVER'S FOOT WAS HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THEN WE HAD A NEW PROBLEM: NO COLD AIR FROM THE AC AT IDLE. WE RESPONDED (6/11) TO A MAILED PROMOTION FROM HERTRICH FORD (EASTON MD) FOR AN AC "TUNE UP." THEY DID NOTHING BUT ADD DYE TO OUR REFRIGERANT AND "CLEAN" OUR AIR DUCTS WITH DISINFECTANT. SO WE TURNED TO THE OWNERS' FORUM, MYFORDFREESTYLE.COM, AND QUICKLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM: A SEIZED-UP PRESSURE CONTROL VALVE. APPARENTLY FORD DEALERS REFUSE TO PERFORM THIS SIMPLE REPAIR (PART COST $40) AND WILL ONLY REPLACE THE ENTIRE AC COMPRESSOR ($800 + LABOR). SO WE ORDERED THE VALVE ONLINE AND HAD A COMPETENT LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACE THE VALVE (1-HOUR LABOR PLUS COST OF REFRIGERANT). THE AC IS "GOOD AS NEW", BUT THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IS NOW MUCH WORSE. THE INCIDENTS ALWAYS OCCUR AT VERY LOW TO NO SPEED AND WHEN MANEUVERING THE CAR (I.E. PARKING, K-TURNING, ETC.). IN ALL OF THESE SITUATIONS, BOTH THE AC AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP ARE DEMANDING/DRAWING NEAR-MAXIMUM POWER FROM AN ESSENTIALLY IDLING ENGINE, NEARLY STALLING THE ENGINE; THE ELECTRONIC ENGINE/IDLE CONTROL THEN KICKS-IN AND HUGELY "OVER-REACTS" BY REVVING THE ENGINE TO 2,000+ RPM. EVEN WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AN AUTOMATIC IN DRIVE IS GOING TO SURGE QUITE FAR AT 2000+ RPM. PLEASE LOOK AT THE MYFORDFREESTYLE.COM WEBSITE: NOTE THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION COME DURING HOT WEATHER MONTHS AND A FEW ALSO NOTE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH WORSE WITH THE AC ON. IT TOOK US LESS THAN 30 MINUTES ON THE WEBSITE TO DIAGNOSE BOTH THE AC PROBLEM AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM. IT IS INCONCEIVABLE THAT FORD HAS NOT BEEN AWARE OF BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS FOR YEARS. (SURELY FORD'S CUSTOMER RELATIONS STAFF MONITOR OWNER FORUMS).