NHTSA Complaint #10430285 — 2005 FORD FREESTYLE

FIRST INCIDENT RESULTED IN THE CAR STALLING MULTIPLE TIMES, WHEN STARTED IT WOULD STUTTER, RPMS COULDN'T GET INTO NORMAL RANGE AND WHEN TRYING TO PUT IN GEAR IT WOULD STALL OUT. THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO START WHILE KEEPING MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. ONCE DRIVING COULD ONLY REACH 40MPH. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT THE FREQUENCY OF PROBLEMS HAS INCREASED. SHORTLY AFTER THAT FIRST INCIDENT IT STARTED SURGING (RPM'S REV WAY UP WHEN PUTTING IT IN TO GEAR) TO THE POINT THAT IT HAPPENS NOW PRACTICALLY EVERY TIME I START THE CAR. AT TIMES, THE SURGE IS SO STRONG THAT EVEN WITH MY FOOT FIRMLY PRESSED ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR STILL MOVES. A HUGE CONCERN OF OURS IS IN PARKING AREAS, IT IS VERY SCARY TO HAVE THE CAR SURGE WITH PEOPLE MOVING IN FRONT OR IN BACK OF THE VEHICLE. I RECENTLY HAD A COLLISION WITH A TREE WHILE BACKING UP. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THE CAR SURGED AFTER I HAD STARTED BACKING UP RESULTING IN THE COLLISION. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE THROTTLE BODY LINKAGE IS THOUGHT TO BE THE ISSUE. MY SISTER HAS A LINCOLN LS THAT WAS RECALLED FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE - SHE HAD THE PART REPLACED AS A RESULT OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED THE SURGING/STALLING DESCRIBED. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS MUCH MORE PREVALENT THAN I THOUGHT AND HOPE THAT A RECALL WILL BE ISSUED TO GET THIS CORRECTED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR