Ford FreestyleThe Ford Freestyle's roofline stands at 68 inches off the ground, and Ford has declined to put a label on it, either SUV or sedan. Keeping the Freestyle tall and offering all-wheel-drive seems to be attactive to non-SUV and non-Sedan car owners, and the Freestyle comes with low ground clearance, unibody construction, independent suspension and a overhead cam engine.
After notifying my service writer about the TSB regarding the rear brakes on my 2006 FS, the pads were replaced and rotors machined today under warranty by the local Ford Dealer at 22,000 miles. Inspection by the dealer showed 8mm left on the front and 3mm on the rear, no wonder I am only getting brake dust on the rear wheels.
Just replaced the rear pads on my daughter's 06 Freestyle today. The pads are very small for a vehicle this size. I have never seen pads this small on any vehicle (except my bicycle). I believe that is why they are wearing out so soon. The "loaner" brake caliper tool from AUTOZONE worked like a charm. The disc was worn a little but not too bad. I told my son-in-law that at least with the lifetime warranty brake pads future (apparently frequent) brake jobs won't cost anything.
Yep I had my rear pads and rotors done under warranty at 22,000. My service guy at the Ford dealer here in Tucson takes pretty good care of me. He just fixed it, didn't charge me anything and I didn't ask questions.
I have a 2005 Freestyle, 29,000 miles. Entire rear brakes are being replaced today at the cost of $500 plus. Ford dealer was of no help. I also, experienced the electrical problems with the instrument panel, fortunately, it was covered under warranty. I really like the car,but am ready to get rid of it. I've had several Ford vehicles and this is the absolute worst. I'm very disappointed with the way the interior is wearing after only 18 months.
I Just Inherited A 2006 Freestyle From A Deceased Relative. She Bought This Car With 12,100 Miles On It In December 2006. She Drove The Car Only 2000 Miles Before She Died. I Noticed Brake Dust And Ground Up Rotors On The Rear And Took It To The Dealer. I Stated The Rear Brakes Must Be Gone As The Rotors Are All Grooved Up. They Looked At It And Said They Would Repair The Brakes Under Warranty. I Picked The Car Up Next Day And Discovered They Just Put Brake Pads On..no New Rotors. I Brought It Back And Explained That The Rotors Needed To Be Replaced As Well Or The New Pads Are Just Going To Get Ground Up. This Car Has 14100 Miles On It. They Refused To Fix And Said It Wasnt Covered. They Fixed The Pads But They Claim They Didnt Have To. My Repair Slip Indicates Premature Rear Brake Wear..i Was Furious And Called Ford Consumer Affairs. They Said The Vehicle Was Originally Purchased In February 2006 Therefore It Is Over The 12 Months Waranty Period. They Supported The Dealer. We Have Put 2000 Miles On This Car. I Would Think These Brakes Would Have Been Checked Prior To Selling The Car To A 74 Yr Old Women, But I Guess Not.. Now I Come Across This Site And See That This Is A Fairly Common Problem. I Also Read Where Someone Else Had Their Brakes And Rotors Covered At 22000 Miles. Could Someone Advise If I Have Any Shot At Pursuing This?thanks.
My 06 was in for 15K check up and door latch recall. Dealer noticed brake wear and got Ford to pay for the repair, all while I was driving around in their loaner car.
Like all Freestyles referenced in this thread, I too have worn rear brakes at well under 30k miles. I was able to compress the caliper without the special compression tool in a fairly easy manner. I used a 6 inch C-clamp and a pair of channel lock pliers. Once the C-clamp is secured tightly I used the channel locks to spin the piston in the direction of the arrow just about 1/8th of a turn and then re-tightening the C-clamp, I continued this process until the piston was fully compressed and then proceeded with the installation of the new pads. **Please note that it is important not to damage the dust boot or to scar the edge of the piston.** After inventing this unorthodox way of compressing the piston, the second side took a total of less than twenty minutes from removal of wheel to fully replacing wheel.
the brake pads on the Freestyle rear are now the subject of a TSB from Ford. Mine were replaced along with the rotors at no cost. Seems there is a "fix" on the rears. They went ahead and replaced both rear rotors as well as the front pads. the right rears was eating into the rotor at 25K highway miles.
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Rear Brakes Repaired Under Warranty at 22K 
rear brakes WARANTY? 
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