2005 Ford Five Hundred Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report two things: the transmission (both the CVT and the six-speed automatic) slipping, jerking, or going into failsafe mode, and the electronic throttle body causing surges, erratic idle, and a "fail safe engine mode" message. A separate cluster of complaints describes the instrument cluster losing gauges and warning lights, often after the car is a few years old.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Erratic acceleration and "fail safe engine mode"

   • 262 complaints (51%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (230 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $850 (median of 27 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2025

   Owners describe the engine surging or racing while stopped with a foot on the brake, sudden lunges when shifting out of park or into a gear, and the vehicle stalling with a "fail safe engine mode" message and a wrench or check engine light. Several say restarting the car clears the message temporarily and it returns. Complaints commonly link these symptoms to the electronic throttle body; some report the part was replaced (sometimes more than once) or that it was on back order. Reported from roughly 20,000 to 150,000 miles, with many complaints between 60,000 and 110,000 miles; some owners note the surges are worse in hot weather or when the air conditioning is on.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body has been replaced or reprogrammed and whether a dealer has scanned for stored codes. During a test drive, note any high or wandering idle at a stop and any lunge when shifting into drive or reverse.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Was driving in town on tuesday morning and my Ford 500 (2005) shut down and the message failsafe engine mode came on along with a wrench. This could have been potentially dangerous, I was fortunate that this occurrence happened when there was not a lot of traffic on the road. Car is now immovable and waiting to be towed in to dealership.”

   NHTSA complaint #10221199, filed 2008-03, 60,300 miles

   “Car drives on its own! If I do not have foot on gas on break it will continue to move. Said failsafe mode then check engine light illuminated, dash board said check engine check transmission then the light went out the following day. Now driving back to normal. I took to auto zone the day it went haywire & they advised me its a possible recall several ppl said the same issue with their Ford.”

   NHTSA complaint #10525654, filed 2013-07, 87,530 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, jerking, and harsh shifts

   • 137 complaints (27%)
   • median 77,089 mi at 6.1 yrs old (120 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,400 (median of 20 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2025

   Owners report the transmission slipping or dropping out of gear, harsh or delayed upshifts and downshifts, jerking and bucking when slowing down, and a loss of power to the wheels while the engine revs. Some describe the car not engaging when put into drive, and others a lurch or surge when the transmission engages. Several say the dealer could not reproduce the problem or told them it was a computer issue, and some mention fluid leaks or a shifter that binds or misreads gear positions. Spread widely, from under 10,000 miles to well past 200,000, with many reports between 55,000 and 140,000 miles; some owners say symptoms worsen once the car is fully warmed up or on hot days.

   8 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a mechanic check for transmission fluid leaks and scan for stored transmission codes, and drive a route that includes stop-and-go and highway speeds to feel for hesitation, slipping, or harsh shifts. Ask whether the shifter and the fluid have been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2005 Ford Five Hundred this product with a CVT transmission should be investigated and recalled immediately. There are thousands failing and it is very dangerous! The transmission disengages causing the automobile to lose power without warning. I've seen posts of thousands of this same failure beginning at 3500 miles! I contacted Ford because mine is doing this and they basically sent a form letter saying oh well, sorry about your luck. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10617188, filed 2014-07, 120,500 miles

   “I was driving my Ford 500 on the highway, when I lost power to the transmission. I could rev the engine, but no power would go to the transmission. I was lucky able to pull over to the side of the road. The car now has a little lurch when first starting out.”

   NHTSA complaint #10351336, filed 2010-08, 82,300 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster drops out / gauges reset

   • 84 complaints (16%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (75 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $850 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2020

   Owners report gauges dropping to zero, warning lights lighting up, and turn signals and reverse lights behaving oddly, sometimes for seconds and sometimes for minutes while the engine runs normally. Several say a dealer replaced or ordered a new instrument cluster, and one notes a service bulletin describes the condition for early-build vehicles. Reported from about 13,000 miles up to around 60,000 miles in this sample, in both warm and cold weather and at any time of day.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Watch the gauges during a test drive and ask whether the instrument cluster has been replaced or repaired. Ask whether the fuel gauge reads steadily or jumps around.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2005 Ford Five Hundred instrument panel temporarily stops working and all gauges go to zero. I was told I needed a new nodule, but it was not immediate. This happens almost daily for a few minutes.”

   NHTSA complaint #10209992, filed 2007-11, 58,000 miles

   “I would like to see the investigation reopened for NHTSA action number : pe07058 and a recall by the Ford motor company due to the failure of the electrical system:instrument panel on the 2005 Ford Five Hundred. While driving my 2005 Ford Five Hundred the oil pressure light and brake light illuminated. At the same time this occurred the radio volume would decrease as if I was coming to a stop, the turn signals would fail (just the indication on the instrument cluster), and most importantly the reverse lights would illuminate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10244077, filed 2008-10, 52,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Early rear brake wear and corrosion

   • 72 complaints (14%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (58 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $615 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2023

   Owners report rear brake pads and rotors wearing out much sooner than the fronts, with grinding or thumping noises from the rear and rust or corrosion between pads and rotors. Some say the dealer replaced the rear brakes and that the replacements wore quickly as well. Mostly reported between roughly 20,000 and 47,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask for service records on the rear brakes and have a mechanic measure rear pad and rotor thickness at inspection, looking for corrosion on the rotor surface.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Subject: excessive rear brake wear on 2005 Ford Five Hundred. New car was purchased from local Ford dealership on april 17, 2005. Rear brake pads were replaced and rotors turned by Ford dealership on april 13, 2006 at 29,976 miles. Ford dealership replaced the rear brake pads and rotors on nov. 17, 2006 at 46,691 miles. Why did the Ford factory rear brake pads/rotors get 29,976 miles and Ford dealership installed rear brake pad/rotors get only 16,715 miles? …”

   NHTSA complaint #10175031, filed 2006-12, 29,976 miles

   “- the contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred with a current mileage of 29,345 miles. After driving the vehicle for 191 miles the contact heard a thumping noise coming from the rear brakes. She took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that there was corrosion between the brake pads and rotors. Both rear brakes were replaced. The contact drove the vehicle for another 9,319 miles. When the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance she was told that the rear brakes were 90% corroded. The contact replaced the brakes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10187664, filed 2007-04, 20,024 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Front doors won't latch in cold or wet weather

   • 40 complaints (8%)
   • median 85,707 mi at 6.8 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2019

   Owners report the front doors failing to latch or unlatching on their own, particularly in cold or rainy weather, and one complaint notes a door popping open after a recall repair. Dealers in the complaints sometimes could not duplicate the problem or said the repair would not be covered. Reported from around 18,000 to 146,000 miles, mostly described in cold or wet conditions.

   Recall 06V383000

   What to check: Check whether the door latch recall was performed on this vehicle, and try latching each door several times, including in cold weather if possible, to see whether it catches reliably.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Received a recall notice from Ford moco. Took the wifes vehicle into the dealership for repairs, the technician called and said the car was repaired and we took the vehicle home. I took the vehicle to work that evening and when I got off work my freind and I that rides to work with me noticed thast the door still wasn't shutting properly. I slammed the door 3 or4 times and thought it had latched as the dome light went out. I dropped my freind off at his home and was heading to a nearby convenience store when the door popped open. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10178157, filed 2007-01, 18,600 miles

   “The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 06v383000 (latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch). He then noticed that during below freezing temperatures, the driver and front passenger doors would become unlatched independently or would not latch at all. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10390411, filed 2011-03, 138,000 miles

Buying note. These complaints center on the throttle body and transmission electronics, so a pre-purchase scan for stored codes and a thorough test drive covering stops, low speeds, and highway speeds are worth the cost. Confirm which open recalls and service bulletins have been applied, and ask for records of any throttle body or transmission work already done.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.