Your vehicle report
2006 Ford Freestyle
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 1,300
- Received Oct 2005 to Jun 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates147 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power119 complaints · 9.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking99 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #06V383000On 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 42 crashes, 10 fires, 18 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates
- Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
7 more problems
- Transmission fails or loses power while driving
- Transmission will not engage reverse gear
- Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips
- Engine suddenly shuts off while driving
- Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion
- CVT transmission fails or loses power
- Check engine light comes on repeatedly
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 1,300 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 147 | 11% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 119 | 9.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 99 | 7.6% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 45 | 3.5% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 44 | 3.4% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 33 | 2.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 31 | 2.4% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 30 | 2.3% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 29 | 2.2% | – | |
| CVT transmission fails or loses power | 27 | 2.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 21 | 1.6% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 21 | 1.6% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 18 | 1.4% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 13 | 1.0% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 11 | 0.9% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 11 | 0.9% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 9 | 0.7% | – | NHTSA recall #06V383000 |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 8 | 0.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 8 | 0.6% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 7 | 0.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #06V383000October 5, 2006139,537 vehicles affected
latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2006 Ford Freestyle.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN