Is the engine cranking over at what sounds like the normal speed when trying to start?.. If so its definitely NOT the starter!
Ok if it doesn't crank at the right seed, then yes it could be the starter, or a bad connection between a battery cable or the battery.. all pretty simple to resolve.
If the engine is cranking at the normal speed.. well then the first question is do you hear the fuel pump (a very quiet whirring sound when you turn the key to the run position, BEFORE you turn the key one more notch to engage the starter.. that's normally how it works).. if not then it is possibly the fuel pump relay not engaging the fuel pump.
It could also be the crank or cam position sensor breaking down and going intermittent... These often don't throw a Check engine light code.
Let me give a little more detail. Yes, I think it is cranking at the normal speed. However, sometimes when this happens, I feel like I released the key a bit too soon---if I had just held it in place a bit longer, maybe the thing would have started. But I'm already holding it in the "starting" notch longer than I used to. You know how you normally let it go when you first feel the engine starting to "catch" (that's probably not the right vocabulary for it but I don't know how people say it)? Sometimes it feels like maybe it just didn't completely engage right when I thought it would based on my prior 7 years' experience driving this car.
No...I don't hear the whirring sound that you're talking about. So maybe that is a clue. I'll run that by DH, have him listen, and see what he thinks.
I should say that the check engine light is on. The mechanic said there were codes in the theft system, though. And---this code only showed up after we had to get new keys made due to losing BOTH keys (moral of story: when the mechanic gives you your key back, do NOT put it on the same keyring with your other key and then toss the whole keyring in your luggage when packing for a month long trip) and being 100% carless for over a week. But previously, before the lost key incident, I think he said there was a different code...just can't remember what it was. I'll have to ask him. Whatever it was, it didn't give him enough info to diagnose the problem.
He did give me one "trick" to try. When it happens, release the key, then put the gas pedal to the floor and hold it down. With the gas pedal down, try turning the key again. He said that if that works, he would know it was one thing, and if it doesn't, he would know it wasn't that. Well, I've tried that trick several times. It works...sometimes. But with the last few incidents, even that hasn't worked and I've only been able to start the car after waiting several minutes then trying again.
The AC compressor.. easy, just get a new/rebuilt compressor.. will take an hour to install it and go get your AC system vacuumed down and refilled for $60.
Somehow, this seems entirely too simple to be true. From what I understand, a new compressor doesn't just snap right in to the car. But what do I know? :) )
One more thing I should mention. This vehicle has a recall issue: in the winter, when the temp drops below...oh, 25 or so, some of the doors won't close (this was not an issue for us until we moved from FL to MD). See
http://answers.edmunds.com/question-2005-ford-freestyle-door-latch-freezing-recall-173908.aspx. So here's me, driving my 3 kids to an appointment for which we cannot be late, holding my door closed driving on an icy road. I tried to get the dealership to address it, but they said they can only fix it if they can recreate the issue. The problem is, by the time I drive it to the dealership, the car has warmed up and the doors close just fine. So they're like, "well drop the car off the night before." Yeah, easier said than done when you only have one car and three kids to schlep with you to go drop it off. Besides, with flaky weather like we get here in MD, there's no guarantee the temp will be cold enough the next morning to recreate the issue. I think these people are BSing me...how do I get them to stop it?
But that's not my main issue of concern at the moment. It's really the A/C and the starting thing.