2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED Complaints

DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY (ETB) ON 2005 FORD 500, FREESTYLE, AND MERCURY MONTEGO. CAUSES CAR TO MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD IN DRIVE OR REVERSE WITHOUT USING ANY PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL. MUST PLACE FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO AVOID RUNNING INTO SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY WHILE PARKING. FORD HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 05-25-13) ON THIS BUT HAS NOT NOTIFIED ANY OWNERS OF VEHICLES AFFECTED TO DATE. IT APPEARS THAT FORD HAS COME UP WITH A NEW REPLACEMENT PART FOR THE ETB UNLIKE THE ORIGINAL THAT WAS JUST MADE AVAILABLE IN JULY 2010. I PAID A LOCAL FORD DEALER $128.08 TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AND ANOTHER $615.83 TO HAVE IT FIXED. I WAS TOLD THE ETB PART NUMBER WAS "5F9Z-9E926-AA". ANOTHER NUMBER FOR THE NEW ETB PART ON MY SALES SLIP DATED 07/30/10 WAS FMC 6F9Z 9E926 A. THEY CALLED IT A KIT FOR THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. THE PRICE FOR THE KIT WAS $495.86. SINCE I HAVE HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM COMING UP ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, I THOUGHT I WOULD TURN IT IN FOR YOUR INVESTIGATION. SINCE THE AFFECT OF THE DEFECTIVE ETB ACTUALLY CAN CAUSE THE CAR TO MOVE ON ITS OWN, FORWARD OR REVERSE, AND REQUIRES YOU TO USE YOUR BRAKES SIMULTANEOUSLY TO KEEP IT FROM HITTING ADJOINING OBJECTS, I THOUGHT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED ON SEVERAL FORD AND MERCURY 2005 PRODUCTS, IT IS NOT THE MONEY, IT IS THE SAFETY ISSUE I AM MOST INTERESTED IN. TO PARALLEL PARK OR GET INTO A PARKING STALL WITH THIS PROBLEM WAS A REAL CHORE KEEPING YOU FOOT ON THE BRAKE AS YOU TRIED TO MANEUVER IN AND OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. IF YOU DID NOT HOLD YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR WOULD MOVE IN ITS OWN EITHER IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND A TRUE SAFETY HAZARD, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN THE PROBLEM ON THE RECALL LISTS FOR MY CAR OR OTHERS AFFECTED IN THE FORD TSB. NOR HAVE AUTO OWNERS BEEN NOTIFIED BY FORD OR OFFERED COMPENSATION FOR THE EXPENSE TO HAVE THE KIT INSTALLED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD VIOLENTLY JERK AND SURGE INTERMITTENTLY. ALSO, THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WOULD INTERMITTENTLY BECOME STUCK IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED WHICH CONCLUDED THAT THE THROTTLE BOTTLE MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 79,000.

I FILLED THIS IN ALREADY. THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE PROBLEM. UPDATED 01/28/11. *TR

MY WIFE WAS RETURNING HOME FROM CHURCH IN BUSY TRAFFIC. THE 2005 500 FORD MOVED INTO ETC - ENGINE FAILSAFE MODE. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON SATURDAY, 22 JANUARY. WE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH THE DEALER AS SOON AS MONDAY ARRIVES. *LN

DASH GAUGES, LIGHTS, INOPERABLE. STUCK IN VARIOUS POSITIONS. TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERABLE AND REVERSE LIGHTS ARE ON IN THE DRIVE POSITION. REVERSE WARNING INDICATORS BEEP WHEN IN TRAFFIC AT STOP LIGHTS OR WHEN OTHER VEHICLES GET CLOSE TO REAR OF VEHICLE. AIR BAG INOPERABLE WARNING LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME. EXISTING RESEARCH BY NHTSA INDICATES EXTERIOR LIGHTING WORKING ON PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS. INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES TURN SIGNALS AND REVERSE LIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE WHEN CLUSTER FAILS. POSSIBLE AIR BAG FAILURE COUPLED WITH INOPERABLE TURN SIGNALS AND INCREASED RISK OF ACCIDENT AS WELL AS REVERSE LIGHTS ON IN DRIVE ARE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERNS. *TR

AROUND 102, 000 MILES, DURING A SNOW STORM, I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED AWD LIMITED ON A MAIN ROAD. AS I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR SEEMED TO "LURCH". I REACTED BY REMOVING MY FOOT FROM THE GAS, IN FEAR THE CAR WAS SLIDING ON ICE, AND THE WRENCH ILLUMINATED ON MY DASH, AS IT DISPLAYED "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE". THE CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE, AND THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT HANDLING VERY SMOOTHLY. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. I WAITED TEN SECONDS AND STARTED THE CAR. EVERYTHING WAS FINE. I BEGAN TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD AGAIN, AND THE SITUATION REPEATED. THE CAR SEEMED TO SHIFT VERY HARD, AND THE WRENCH ILLUMINATED AND "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE" WAS DISPLAYED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF AGAIN. ONCE I TURNED IT BACK ON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON. TWO DAYS LATER, I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND WHEN THE CAR WAS RECONNECTED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD TURNED OFF. ATLEAST ONE MONTH PASSED WITH NO PROBLEMS OR RE-OCCURRENCES. HOWEVER, THIS MORNING, THERE WAS ANOTHER SNOW STORM. WHILE I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR LURCHED AGAIN, THE "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE" DISPLAYED, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AGAIN. BOTH OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY THE INABILITY OF MY CAR TO DRIVE WELL IN THE SNOW. BOTH TIMES MY CAR HAS FISHTAILED HORRIBLY, AND BEEN DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN. THIS PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL THIS WINTER, AND I HAVE HAD IT SINCE AUGUST OF 2008. *TR

APPARENTLY, I AM NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE NHTSA'S ATTENTION. I LIKE SO MANY OTHER, HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY FORD FIVE HUNDRED. I WOULD LIKE FOR A RECALL TO BE ISSUED AS IT HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME AN ACCIDENT TODAY, AND CAN LEAD TO OTHER HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR OTHERS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY CAR HAS FAILED COMPLETELY, AND MY SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, AND ALL OTHER GAUGES SHUT OFF. WHENEVER I DRIVE MY CAR, THE REVERSE (OR WHITE) LIGHT TURNS ON DESPITE THE FACT THAT I MIGHT BE DRIVING FORWARD AT 55MPH ON A HIGHWAY. I THINK CORRECTIVE ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TOWARDS A RESOLUTION. THERE ARE COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS REGARDING THIS VERY ISSUE.

WHILE DRIVING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BLACKED OUT AND WHEN IT CAME BACK ON THE INSTRUMENTS ALL REGISTERED 0. AFTER THE INITIAL INCIDENT IT HAS CONTINUED TO ESCALATE. ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 26, 2010 THE PANEL BLACKED OUT AND THE CAR BOGGED DOWN AND I HAD TO PULL OFF OF THE ROAD, TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART TO GET IT TO RUN NORMALLY. THERE IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE CAR AND I FEEL THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE.

TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO HAD THE PANEL RESTORED. THE DEALER COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE FAILURE WOULD NOT OCCUR AGAIN AS THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

AS I WAS SLOWING TO TURN OFF OF A STATE HIGHWAY, MY CAR SHUT OFF AND DISPLAYED A MESSAGE THAT SAID "FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE." I WAS SOMEWHAT ABLE TO STEER, SO I COMPLETED MY TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET, WHERE THE CAR DRIFTED TO A STOP. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND DRIVE HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, THE CAR WOULD START BUT IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF, DISPLAYING THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST REVEALED A FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. THEY ORDERED A REPLACEMENT PART, WHICH WAS THEN INSTALLED. INCIDENTALLY, THE PART HAD SINCE BEEN REDESIGNED BY FORD. ONCE THAT PART WAS REINSTALLED, THE COMPUTER WAS REFLASHED TO "LEARN" THAT A NEW THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED. THE COMPUTER WOULD NOT LEARN THE NEW PART, THOUGH, SO A NEW COMPUTER HAD TO BE ORDERED AND INSTALLED. OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THIS SAME PROBLEM (SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING) HAD OCCURRED, BUT IN EACH CASE I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PROBLEM. THIS WAS DANGEROUS IN THAT MY CAR SIMPLY SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING,MAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY NOBODY WAS COMING THE OTHER DIRECTION, SO I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIFT THROUGH THE ONCOMING LANE TO ANOTHER SIDE STREET. ALSO, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHILE MY CAR WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP HAVING THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY FIVE OTHER FORD FIVE HUNDRED VEHICLES IN THE SHOP AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR ELECTRONIC THROTTLES AS WELL.