Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Freestyle, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Vehicle speed control587
- Power train447
- Electrical system142
- Engine and engine cooling129
- Engine120
- Fuel system, gasoline95
- Service brakes, hydraulic85
- Unknown or other72
- Structure61
- Fuel/propulsion system41
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 14 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 37 2005 Freestyle vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 19 people died inside them, and 12 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2005 Ford Freestyle failed the safety check 3.16% of the time — 37% more often than the average 2005 passenger car (2.30%). Median odometer at inspection: 144,945 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 11.6–12.5 L/100 km (about 19–20 mpg US), CO₂ 267–288 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.2 | 9.6 | 11.6 |
| Freestyle AWD · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.0 | 10.5 | 12.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2005 Ford Freestyle.
| 2006273 19 Oct 2006 | Other On certain vehicles, the door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion that, over time, may wash out grease applied during the manufacturing process. Th… |
| 2005354 10 Nov 2005 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the fuel tank straps may break, potentially resulting in the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield dropping on the exhaust system (FWD vehicl… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE STRAPS THAT SECURE THE FUEL TANK TO THE VEHICLE BODY MAY BREAK, CAUSING THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL TANK HEAT SHIELD TO DROP ON THE DRIVESHAFT (ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES) OR EXHAUST SYSTEM (FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES).
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2005 Ford Freestyle: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11000557 | Motorcraft Continuously Variable Chain-Type Transmission Fluid (XT-7-QCFT in non-Canadian markets, CXT-7-LCF12 in Canada) is no longer manufactured and will only be available until inventory depletes. The recommended replacement fluids are Phillips 66 VersaTrans CVT Plus Fluid or Kendall VersaTrans CVT Plus Fluid. Mixing Motorcraft CVT fluid (blue-green color) with these replacement fluids (red color) in the same transmission is acceptable. |
| 10109070 | The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer |
| 10051815 | FORD: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. MOMENTARY ENGINE IDLE RPM SURGE MAY BE INTERMITTENT AND MAY OCCUR, DUE TO DEPOSITS BUILDUP IN THROTTLE BODY, AT LOW SPEEDS, WHILE PARKING OR ENTERING DRIVEWAY AND CHECK ENGINE LAMP MAY ILLUMINATE. MODELS 2005-07 FREESTYLE, 500, MONTEGO. *PE |
| 10023294 | FORD\MERCURY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. CERTAIN 2005 THROUGH 2007 FWD AND AWD FORD FIVE HUNDRED, FREESTYLE AND MERCURY MONTEGO VEHICLES - REAR BRAKE WEAR. ALSO HAVE AN OWNER'S LETTER. *NJ UPDATED 1/25/08. *NJ |
| 10022241 | MIL WITH DTC P0106 AND/OR P0109. *KB |
| 10021463 | REAR BRAKE DRAG, NOISE, DUST, AND/OR PREMATURE PAD WEAR. *KB |
| 10021444 | MIL ON WITH DTC P0191 - FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR CIRCUIT PERFORMANCE. *KB |
| 10021220 | TRANSMISSION SHIFTER BINDING / HIGH EFFORT BEZEL REPLACEMENT. *KB |
| 10021061 | BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *KB |
| 10021049 | PREMATURE SHOULDER (TOE) WEAR ON INSIDE EDGE OF THE FRONT TIRES. *KB |
| 10021037 | INTERMITTENT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OPERATION - INCLUDING GAUGES SWEEP/RESET - MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND/OR REVERSE LIGHTS STAY ON. THIS APPLIES TO VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 02-17-06. *KB |
| 10021036 | FUEL GAUGE ERRATIC/INACCURATE AND/OR MIL ON WITH DTC P0463, B1202, B2627, B2879, AND/OR P2068. *KB |
| 10020134 | CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSAXLE (CVT) NOISE DIAGNOSIS. *TT |
| 10019951 | INTERMITTENT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGE SWEEP/RESET - MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ON - REVERSE LIGHTS ON - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 2/17/2006. *TT |
| 10019950 | SECOND ROW SEAT RECLINE CONCERN. *TT |
| 10019914 | OIL LEAK FROM POWER TRANSFER UNIT. *TT |
| 10019811 | INTERMITTENT BOUNCE-BACK OF THE DRIVER'S WINDOW DURING ONE TOUCH UP OPERATION. *TT |
| 10019807 | TENTHS DIGIT NOT DISPLAYED ON ODOMETER AFTER 10,000 MILES/KILOMETERS. *TT |
| 10019793 | NOISE IN RIGHT FRONT OF PASSENGER COMPARTMENT - AIR INLET DOOR ACTUATOR INOPERATIVE (RECIRCULATION). *TT |
| 10019377 | HEATED SEATS INOPERATIVE. *TT |
| 10019068 | GRUNT OR SQUEAK FROM FRONT SUSPENSION DURING FULL LOCK TURNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10018745 | WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT |
| 10018066 | ENGINE RPM FLUCTUATION AT HIGHWAY CRUISING SPEEDS - VEHICLES BUILT PRIOR TO 8/2/2005. *TT |
| 10018065 | INTERMITTENT SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION AND/OR SPEED CONTROL WILL NOT SET. *TT |
| 10014682 | INTERMITTENT HEADLAMP FLICKER WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 2/21/2005. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Idle instability
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation