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2006 Ford Five Hundred

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

329 reports with mileage · 35 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.

  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 118 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 104 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 51 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 reports4 injury reports

Service Brakes, Electric complaints

1 reports
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27,158 miles · Jan 13, 2009
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

ON JAN 8, 2009, I HAD TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 1050 MILES FROM OKLAHOMA TO OHIO. WHILE IN OHIO, 6 INCHES OF SNOW HAD FALLEN, AND THE ROADS WERE SLICK WITH SNOW AND ICE. IN PREPARING FOR MY RETURN TRIP ON JAN 11, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN CONTROL AND BRAKING IN THE …

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ON JAN 8, 2009, I HAD TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 1050 MILES FROM OKLAHOMA TO OHIO. WHILE IN OHIO, 6 INCHES OF SNOW HAD FALLEN, AND THE ROADS WERE SLICK WITH SNOW AND ICE. IN PREPARING FOR MY RETURN TRIP ON JAN 11, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, AND THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN CONTROL AND BRAKING IN THE VEHICLE. UPON DRIVING FURTHER, THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE VEHICLE WENT INTO REVERSE WITH A HUGE "BANG" SOUND AND VIBRATION. THE VEHICLE'S CVT TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS IN DRIVE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, AND BACK ON, ALL LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF, AND COME BACK ON WITHIN 5 MINUTES. AFTER THE 6TH RESTART, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL. THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT, AFTER A FEW RESTARTS, DID NOT COME BACK ON. HOWEVER, THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS STAYED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 650 MILES. AFTER THAT TIME, ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT, BUT THE RPMS WENT FROM 2000 TO 3500 ON THEIR OWN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN CRUISE CONTROL ON A FLAT ROAD. THAT CORRECTED ITSELF ABOUT 100 MILES LATER. UPON TAKING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER ON MY RETURN, THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE NO LIGHTS WERE ON, AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOW ACTING NORMALLY, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MY FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRES IN 14 DAYS, AND I AM NOT SURE IF I'LL BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER BY THAT TIME. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT BLAMED THE MALFUNCTION ON THE COLD WEATHER AND THE SNOW, BUT THE AWD VEHICLE WITH TRACTION CONTROL WAS, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, MANUFACTURED TO DEAL WITH SNOW AND COLD WEATHER. ONE DOES NOT NEED AWD, TRACTION CONTROL OR ABS DURING DRY, WARM DAYS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10254903

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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

1

PE11018 · 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