2006 Ford FREESTYLE: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1,300 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
75,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2006 model year. Data snapshot: . 1,186 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 601 of 1,300 complaints (46.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 564 | 43.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 301 | 23.2% |
| Engine operation | 228 | 17.5% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 39 | 3.0% |
| Steering behavior | 35 | 2.7% |
| Fuel system concerns | 2 | 0.2% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 601 |
| Power Train | 350 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 127 |
| Engine | 114 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 90 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 83 |
| Electrical System | 77 |
| Unknown Or Other | 74 |
Vehicle Speed Control: 601; Power Train: 350; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 127; Engine: 114; Engine And Engine Cooling: 90; Fuel System, Gasoline: 83; Electrical System: 77; Unknown Or Other: 74
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 63 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 153 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 374 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 299 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 241 |
| 150,000 and above | 56 |
Under 25,000: 63; 25,000 to 49,999: 153; 50,000 to 74,999: 374; 75,000 to 99,999: 299; 100,000 to 149,999: 241; 150,000 and above: 56
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (374). 114 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 11 |
| 2007 | 21 |
| 2008 | 23 |
| 2009 | 46 |
| 2010 | 215 |
| 2011 | 466 |
| 2012 | 232 |
| 2013 | 76 |
| 2014 | 58 |
| 2015 | 51 |
| 2016 | 29 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
2005: 1; 2006: 11; 2007: 21; 2008: 23; 2009: 46; 2010: 215; 2011: 466; 2012: 232; 2013: 76; 2014: 58; 2015: 51; 2016: 29; 2017: 16; 2018: 16; 2019: 19; 2020: 10; 2021: 3; 2022: 4; 2023: 1; 2025: 1; 2026: 1
Pattern summary
Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 564 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 301 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 228 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10140558 · 2005-10-24 (October 24, 2005)
DT: THE CONTACT CLAIMS THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS SLOPED. THE DASHBOARD WAS REFLECTED IN THE WINDSHIELD ON SUNNY DAYS AND AT NIGHT UNDER THE STREET LIGHTS. THE CONTACT TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT RETURNING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE VEHICLE'S GLARING PROBLEM. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE GLARE PROBLEM OR OFFER ANY SUGGESTIONS AS A SOLUTION. UPDATED 11/24/2005 - THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND AGREED TO BUY THE CONSUMER A DASH MAT TO REDUCE THE GLARE AND REFLECTION. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10140558 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10151921 · 2006-02-24 (February 24, 2006)
2006 FREESTYLE SEL INSTRUMENT PANEL IS HARD TO READ AND SOMETIMES IT CANNOT BE READ AT ALL WHEN WEARING SUNGLASSES. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** THE VISIBILITY PROBLEM OCCURS MOSTLY WHEN TRAVELING NORTH AND WHEN THE SUN IS VERY BRIGHT. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS BLACK WITH WHITE NUMBERS. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE SPEEDOMETER THEREFORE COULD NOT USE THE SPEED CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A TEST DRIVE BUT THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10151921 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10151991 · 2006-03-06 (March 6, 2006)
UPON LOWERING THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW TO GET A PARKING LOT TICKET, THE WINDOW WOULD NOT THEN GO BACK UP. IT WAS NO LONGER WORKING. OTHER WINDOWS WERE STILL WORKING FINE, BUT THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW COULD NOT BE CLOSED. I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR AT THE AMTRAK STATION AS I WAS ABOUT TO CATCH A TRAIN. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN A MONTH OLD! UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR HAD BURNED OUT. IN ADDITION, SERVICE FOUND A CHAFED/EXPOSED …
Owner-reported narrative. 1,940 miles reported. Look up ODI 10151991 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10157897 · 2006-05-19 (May 19, 2006)
I WAS INVOLVED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH MY 7 MONTH-OLD SON. WE HAD AN EVENFLO EMBRACE 5 CAR SEAT, UPON IMPACT THIS INFANT CARRIER CAR SEAT THAT MY SON WAS SITTING IN BROKE FREE FROM ITS BASE. LUCKILY, MY SON WAS NOT INJURED, BUT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY, HORRIFYING FOR ME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT AND NOT SEE THE CAR SEAT WHERE IT SHOULD BE, AND I SHUDDER TO THINK OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MY SON. *THE FIRE DEPT SAID MY BASE WAS PERFECTLY INSTALLED UPON INVESTIGATION AT THE ACCIDENT - I WAS DRIVING A 2006 FORD FREESTYL…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10157897 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10159389 · 2006-06-09 (June 9, 2006)
BOUGHT A 2006 FREESTYLE LESS THAN 24 HOURS AGO. NOTICED THE A/C NOT WORKING AND THE ACCELERATION NOT WORKING AND LOTS OF SMOKE. PULLED OVER OFF THE HIGHWAY AND THEN THE CAR BROKE DOWN APPROXIMATELY 18 HOURS AFTER THE DEAL WAS DONE WITH 45 MILES ON THE CAR. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 45 miles reported. Look up ODI 10159389 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10161275 · 2006-07-03 (July 3, 2006)
2006 FORD FREESTYLE, BOTH BACK SEAT WINDOWS ROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN, ALLOWING A CHILD TO CLIMB OUT. WINDOWS SHOULD BE SET TO ONLY ROLL HALF WAY, WHEN WINDOWS ARE NOT THE LOCK POSITION. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10161275 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10171062 · 2006-10-17 (October 17, 2006)
2005 FORD FREESTYLE REAR BRAKE PADS WORN DOWN INTO BRAKE ROTORS AT 25,000 MILES. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10171062 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10173641 · 2006-11-16 (November 16, 2006)
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS ON ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE HEAD REST RESTRAINT MOVED UP AND DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10173641 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
06V383000 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch
Reported: 2006-10-05 (October 5, 2006)
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.
Consequence: AS A RESULT, THE DOOR LATCH PAWL MAY NOT RETURN TO THE LATCH POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE FRONT LATCHES; SEAL A DRAIN HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW TRIM MOLDING ON THE FREESTYLE REAR SIDE DOORS; AND APPLY GREASE TO ALL FRONT AND REAR SIDE-DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA campaign record ↗