FaultScore

Worst years for a Ford Freestyle

Owners have filed 5,155 complaints about the Ford Freestyle with NHTSA across model years 2002 to 2007. More of them are about the acceleration & cruise control than anything else.

Avoid

2005 Ford Freestyle

2,018 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly acceleration & cruise control.

Cleanest on record

2004 Ford Freestyle

14 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Ford Freestyle year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2007 B 1,250 42 1 70,000 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2006 C 1,872 58 15 75,600 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2005 C 2,018 53 5 80,000 Acceleration & Cruise Control
2004 A 14 0 0 110,824 Transmission & Drivetrain
2002 1 0 0 Doors, Latches & Locks

What breaks on a Ford Freestyle

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Engine & Cooling 681 13.2%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2005

Brakes 227 4.4%

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2006

Body & Structure 102 2.0%

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2005

Steering 40 0.8%

Worst in 2005

Suspension 39 0.8%

Worst in 2005

Worst in 2006

Tires 30 0.6%

Worst in 2005

Exactly what failed on a Ford Freestyle

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Automatic Transmission 336 52.0%
Engine 114 17.6%
Body 64 9.9%
Pads 34 5.3%
Rotor 22 3.4%
Instrument Cluster/Panel 20 3.1%
Latch 19 2.9%
Cooling System 14 2.2%
AIR Conditioner 12 1.9%
Driveline 11 1.7%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Ford Freestyle, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Feb 2005 peak 470 Jun 2026

Ford Freestyle problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Ford Freestyle

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.