IllustrationBACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY IN A 2005 FORD 500 AWD, CAR STUMBLES THEN LAUNCHED BACKWARD VIOLENTLY. LUCKILY I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE OR THE CAR WOULD HAVE KEPT GOING. "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE" APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR. *KB
2005 Ford Five Hundred
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Five Hundred years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
640–25K
7625–50K
8750–75K
8875–100K
79100–150K
49150K+
443 reports with mileage · 67 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 136 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 104 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports6 fire reports10 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
49 reportsFAILSAFE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON, I PULLED OVER AND CAR BEGAN ACCELERATION ON IT'S OWN WHILE IN STOP POSITION... *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE UPPER MOTOR MOUNTS WERE CRACKED. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS THEN NOTIFIED, BUT …
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE UPPER MOTOR MOUNTS WERE CRACKED. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS THEN NOTIFIED, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.
A/C COMPRESSOR PROBLEM. AFTER READING NUMEROUS BLOGS, SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE FORD FIVE HUNDRED MODELS. FORD NEEDS TO RECALL AND FIX. *TR
A/C PROBLEM,COOL WHEN GOING DOWN THE ROAD. WORM AT IDLE. 05 FORD 500. *TR
CAR GOES INTO "ENGINE FAILURE MODE" WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE DIES AND POWER BRAKES AND STEERING GO OUT. WENT TO DEALER FOR INJECTOR FLUSH AND AND THROTTLE BODY CLEANING PLUS REPROGRAM PCM. STILL GET "ENGINE FAILURE MODE". VERY DANGEROUS. MY ONLY CAR. HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE FORDS AND YET NO RECALL. I A…
Read full complaint
CAR GOES INTO "ENGINE FAILURE MODE" WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE DIES AND POWER BRAKES AND STEERING GO OUT. WENT TO DEALER FOR INJECTOR FLUSH AND AND THROTTLE BODY CLEANING PLUS REPROGRAM PCM. STILL GET "ENGINE FAILURE MODE". VERY DANGEROUS. MY ONLY CAR. HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE FORDS AND YET NO RECALL. I AM OUT $340 AND NO LASTING FIX. AT DEALER 5/18/1L. WHAT IS WRONG WITH GETTING THIS REPAIRED CORRECTLY. WENT TO MAROONE FORD, 1333 N. FEDERAL HWY. FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304. CAR NOW SITTING IN MY GARAGE. IT WON'T RUN AND I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. IT STARTS BUT IS VERY ROUGH AND WON'T RESPOND TO GAS PEDAL. CAN I TRY AND DRIVE IT BACK TO THE DEALER AT 10 MPH WITHOUT DAMAGING THE ENGINE? I AM RETIRED AND DON'T HAVE THE BIG BUCKS TO REPAIR THIS CAR. WILL FORD PAY FOR THE REPAIR? THE FAILURE MODE HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES SINCE THE REPAIR BUT HAS "FIXED" ITSELF UNTIL TODAY. *TR
2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. VEHICLE ACCELERATES WITHOUT THE GAS PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. VEHICLE ENTERS INTO FAILSAFE MODE. OCCURRENCES ARE INTERMITTENT. DIAGNOSTIC CHECKS SHOW SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE REAL CULPRIT WHICH IS A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY. HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. DEALER IS ASKING FOR 800.00. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED WITH 68K MILES. I WAS LEAVING A REST AREA AND ACCELERATING ONTO THE INTERSTATE. MY CAR SHUDDERED AND HAD NO POWER. I NOTICED THE ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE LIGHT. I WENT TO THE SHOULDER AND STOPPED THE CAR. I WAITED A MINUTE AND RESTARTED THE CAR. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS REPEAT OF…
Read full complaint
I HAVE A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED WITH 68K MILES. I WAS LEAVING A REST AREA AND ACCELERATING ONTO THE INTERSTATE. MY CAR SHUDDERED AND HAD NO POWER. I NOTICED THE ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE LIGHT. I WENT TO THE SHOULDER AND STOPPED THE CAR. I WAITED A MINUTE AND RESTARTED THE CAR. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS REPEAT OF SYMPTOMS I HAD TWO WEEKS AGO. THE FORD DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY TWO WEEKS AGO. AT THAT TIME, I WAS IN LINE AT MY GRANDSON'S SCHOOL. SAME SYMPTOMS EXCEPT THAT THE CAR SHUDDERED AND THEN ACCELERATED. FORTUNATELY, I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS, I HAVE HAD REPEATED ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODES, BUT HAVE ALWAYS RESET WHEN I TURN OFF THE CAR AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES. FORD HAS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. MINE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. CAR IS IN THE SHOP FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR LEAKING REFRIGERATE OIL, NOT POSSIBLE TO REPAIR, REPLACE COMPRESSOR. 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED 90,000 MILES. *TR
EXPERIENCED A SPARK PLUG BLOWOUT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF FRONT HEAD. REPAIR COST $2600. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A PROBLEM ON FORD TRUCKS. I THINK FORD SHOULD INVESTIGATE WHY THIS OCCURS AND FIX IT! I'M LUCKY I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE A FIRE, THAT WOULD HAVE TOTALED THE CAR!
Official recalls
206V383000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Oct 5, 2006
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AS A RESULT, THE DOOR LATCH PAWL MAY NOT RETURN TO THE LATCH POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE FRONT LATCHES; SEAL A DRAIN HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW TRIM MOLDING ON THE FREESTYLE REAR SIDE DOORS; AND APPLY GREASE TO ALL FRONT AND REAR SIDE-DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
05V515000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:mounting
Nov 9, 2005
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE STRAPS THAT SECURE THE FUEL TANK TO THE VEHICLE BODY MAY BREAK, CAUSING THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL TANK HEAT SHIELD TO DROP ON THE DRIVESHAFT (ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES) OR EXHAUST SYSTEM (FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS HAPPENS, DRIVERS MAY NOTICE A NOISE OR A FUEL LEAK. A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FUEL TANK STRAPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 1, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2PE11018 · Idle Instability
Opened May 11, 2011 · Closed Feb 7, 2013
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control
On November 29, 2012, Ford Motor Company (Ford) initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 12N03 to extend warranty coverage terms for repair of engine idle RPM surge caused by throttle body deposits in all model year (MY) 2005 through 2007 Ford Freestyle, Five Hundred and Mercury Montego vehicles.The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle (all vehicles are eligible for the program through May 31, 2013, regardless of mileage).Dealers will repair vehicles exhibiting the condition by removing and cleaning the throttle body and reprogramming the PCM with software containing an updated idle speed control strategy.According to Ford, some of the affected vehicles may experience momentary, intermittent engine idle RPM surge (idle flare) when stopped or during low speed driving maneuvers such as in a parking lot or driveway.Unstable idle speed control (dips and flares) around the target engine speed (700 rpm) can occur in vehicles with deposit build-up in the throttle body when the system adjusts engine speed in response to changes in engine load, typically from power steering application or air-conditioner compressor cycling.Idle speed control logic is only active at vehicle speeds below 3.5 mph and when the accelerator pedal is not applied.Ford testing of a vehicle with a worst case throttle body measured a maximum idle flare of 1360 RPM lasting approximately 1 second, which Ford indicated was consistent with system design to limit vehicle speed and acceleration in idle control mode.Ford indicated that the test vehicle was held in place with normal brake effort and that vehicle speed remained under 4 mph without the brake pedal applied.In addition to throttle body deposit accumulation, symptoms associated with the condition may include Check Engine lamp illumination and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0505, P0506 or P061B.Ford attributed the surge condition to changes in idle air flow resulting from the progressive buildup of deposits in the throttle body from normal Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system operation.This condition was not adequately compensated for in the original Powertrain Control Module (PCM) calibration.Ford issued a technical service bulletin on August 15, 2011 (TSB 11-8-5), releasing an updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with CVT transmissions.On October 19, 2011, Ford issued a second bulletin (TSB 11-10-21) superseding TSB 11-8-5 and including updated powertrain control calibration for vehicles with 6-speed transmissions.Prior to Ford issuing the TSB?s, owner?s experiencing the alleged defect either received no repairs, if dealers could not duplicate the condition, or had the throttle body cleaned or replaced, which only provided temporary correction until the throttle deposit build-up returned.Ford?s revised powertrain calibrations appear to be effective remedies for the idle instability caused by build-up of throttle body deposits.However, even after the TSB?s were released, many owners experiencing the condition continued to have difficulty with proper diagnosis and repair as dealers were often either unable to duplicate the condition or were unfamiliar with the new repair procedures.Ford's new program addresses those concerns.NHTSA's testing and complaint analysis indicate that the idle speed control issue in the subject vehicles can only occur at very low speeds, are very brief events, are easily controlled by moderate brake pedal forces and result in minor increases in vehicle speed even with no braking.This investigation is closed.The closing of this in
PE07058 · Instrument Cluster Failure
Opened Nov 16, 2007 · Closed Mar 11, 2008
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel
THE SUBJECT VEHICLES EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF PROPER INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OPERATION.TYPICALLY, THE PROBLEM APPEARS AS THE NEEDLE ON THE GAUGE (SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, FUEL, AND/OR TEMPERATURE) SWEEPS AND RESETS INTERMITTENTLY.FORD REPORTS THE PROBLEM AS MOMENTARY POWER INTERRUPTION CAUSES THE GAUGES TO SWEEP AND THEN RECOVER TO NORMAL FUNCTION.IN AUGUST 2006, FORD ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 06-17-9) TO PROVIDE GUIDELINES TO SERVICE TECHNICIANS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR OF THIS CONDITION.ODI'S REVIEW OF FORD'S RESPONSE TO THE AGENCY'S INFORMATIONREQUEST LETTER REVEALS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE REPORTS TO FORD (63%) INDICATE THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WOULD EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER.FORD REPORTS THAT THISLASTS FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS.ALSO FORD STATES, THE VEHICLE'S EXTERIOR LIGHTING WOULD NOT FAIL TO ILLUMINATE EVEN IN THE EVENT OF POWER INTERRUPTION TO THE CLUSTER BECAUSE THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS ARE POWERED SEPARATELY AND DO NOT RELY ON ANY SIGNAL FROM THE CLUSTER.ADDITIONALLY, ODI CONTACTED COMPLAINANTS WHO AFFIRMED THE INTERMITTENT CONDITION AND THAT NONE OF THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WOULD BE AFFECTED BY POWER INTERRUPTIONS TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.ODI LAST RECEIVED A REPORT REGARDING THIS ISSUE IN AUGUST OF 2007.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED AT THIS TIME.ODI WILL HOWEVER CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE ISSUE AND WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.