NHTSA Complaint #10463545 — 2006 FORD FREESTYLE

AFTER PURCHASING (AS A USED CAR) FOR MY DAUGHTER, VEHICLE BEGAN RAPID ACCELERATION AND 'LURCHING' UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN SHIFTING INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, THIS WAS COMPOUNDED BY OCCURRING WHEN STARTING AND STOPPING IN TRAFFIC DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. I HAD THE FILTERS REPLACED (AIR AND GAS) AND THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO HAVE GONE AWAY. I ASKED MY DEALERSHIP, DURING MY FIRST INSPECTION AFTER IT'S PURCHASE, WETHER THERE WAS A TSB IN REGARD TO THIS ISSUE AND WOULD THEY PLEASE CHECK IT OUT. THEY ALLEGED THAT THEY HAD NO RECORD OF ANY DEFECT REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND NO TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED. THEY DID HOWEVER REFUSE TO COMPLETE THE INSPECTION UNTIL I ALLOWED THEM TO OVERHAUL THE REAR BRAKES W/NEW ROTORS FOR QUITE A KINGLY SUM! (SO MUCH FOR A PROMOTIONAL 'FREE INSPECTION'.) LAST NIGHT I HAD TO VENTURE OUT AND RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE FROM MY LITTLE GIRL AFTER THE CAR KEPT 'LURCHING' EVERYTIME SHE USED THE BRAKE. WHILE SHE WAS WAITING IN AN INTERSECTION ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE CAR 'LURCHED' AND STALLED IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR AN ENGINE LIGHT AND A 'WRENCH' WAS NOW VISIBLE ON THE DASH, AND THE CAR HAD ABSOLUTELY NO ACCELERATOR! DUE TO OUR FLAT TERRAIN I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR HOME ON AN IDLE AT A SPEED NO GREATER THAN 10 M.P.H. ONCE SAFELY HOME I TRIED A TRICK THAT USED TO WORK ON THE FLEET BUSSES I ONCE WORKED ON. THAT WAS RAPIDLY TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH ON-OFF, ON-OFF REPEATEDLY ABOUT 10 (TEN) TIMES, THEN LEAVE SWITCH ON AND START IT. THIS SEEMED TO HAVE CLEARED THE 'WRENCH' AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS RESTORED. THE ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT CLEAR. I'VE PUT TIRES, STRUTS, STRUT MOUNTS ETC. INTO THIS CAR TO MAKE IT SAFE FOR MY DAUGHTER TO DRIVE, YET I CAN'T ALLOW HER TO USE IT. 4 OF 5 CARS I OWN ARE FORDS, 2 BEING 2006 FREESTYLES, AND THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH. WHAT RECOURSE DO I HAVE NOW? *TR