2005 Ford Freestyle SEL AWD review from North America

Soon after I bought the car, the engine light came on. The dealer replaced the EGR valve under warranty. While they were there, they replaced the front seal on the engine because it was leaking.

The rear brakes had to be replaced because a big chunk of one of the rear disc came off. Since these were stock parts, I tried different disc (Centric) and pads (Bendix). Time will tell if it was a good choice.

At 62000 km the tubes for the rear A/C started to leak. Dealer wanted 1300$ for the repair even though I was barely out of warranty. Had the pipes replaced with hoses by an independent shop for 500$.

At 70000km I had to replace the two front sway bar links. The originals obviously don't last too long, because they introduced an upgraded part.

I did my oil change last week-end and I noticed that the front seal was leaking again. I'll see if I can have the dealer fix it.

Despite all this, I rather like the thing. It drives more like a big car than a truck. The AWD is amazing in winter, and this is from an ex-Subaru owner. It's very good on gas, even in town. The engine is not very powerful but the CVT transmission masks it well. It's got good interior space and the kids love riding in it because of the good visibility. I'm just a little worried about the future cost of maintenance because I intended to keep it for a long time.