2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED Complaints

ON THE TWO OCCASIONS THAT WE HAD SNOW THIS PAST WINTER, MY FORD 500 BEGAN TO SURGE UNCONTROLLABLY AND THE ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN ACCELERATING. IT BECAME NECESSARY TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN THE VEHICLE IGNITION OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED, THE TROUBLE LIGHT WAS OFF AND I CONTINUED MY JOURNEY HOME. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED, ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT AND THE SURGING. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT TOOK QUITE AWHILE TO GET HOME. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER THE FIST TIME AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AFTER THE SECOND SNOW STORM, AND THE SAME SYMPTOMS, THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM OCCURRED BECAUSE THE FILTER WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS. SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL, I ACCEPTED THEIR EXPLANATION BECAUSE OF MY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEALER OWNER AND SERVICE MANAGER. WHILE AT WORK THE OTHER DAY, I NOTICED A CO-WORKER WITH A SIMILAR TYPE VEHICLE AND INQUIRED AS TO HOW SHE LIKED THE FORD 500. HER RESPONSE SHOCKED ME WHEN SHE STATED THAT SHE LIKED THE VEHICLE, BUT HAD TROUBLE THIS PAST WINTER IN THE SNOW. SHE DESCRIBED THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED AND NOW I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER 2005 FORD 500 OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS. I AM HOPING THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST ME IN DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

I HAVE A 2005 FORD FIVEHUNDRED THAT IS EQUIPED WITH CONTINENTAL CONTACT TOURING TIRES. ACCORDING TO CONTINENTAL'S WEBSITE, THESE TIRES SHOULD LAST FOR SIXTY THOUSAND MILES. CURRENTLY MY VEHICLE HAS 15,000 MILES ON IT AND TWO OF THE TIRES ARE COMPLETELY WORN OUT. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY MY DEALER THAT IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. CONTINENTAL STATES THAT FORD SHOULD WARRANTY THE TIRES. FORD STATES CONTINENTAL SHOULD WARRANTY THE TIRES. TIRES THAT WEAR OUT THIS QUICKLY MUST BE DEFECTIVE. THIS TYPE TIRE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER TO PREVENT SOMEONE FROM BEING IN AN ACCIDENT AND/OR BEING KILLED.

DASH GAUGES DROP TO ZERO WHILE CAR IS RUNNING USUALLY FOR A FEW SECONDS, SOMETIMES FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. OCCASIONALLY THE LED DISPLAY ALSO GOES OUT WITH HEADLIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS FOR 10 SECONDS TO 10 MINUTES WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING PERFECT. *JB

2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT FAILED TO RESTRAIN PASSENGER WHEN IN AN ACCIDENT. *KB *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON WET PAVEMENT AND BLACK ICE, THE VEHICLE SPUN AND COLLIDED WITH A GUARDRAIL. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD THE PASSENGER TIGHTLY IN THE SEAT, RESULTING IN LEG AND BACK NEUROLOGICAL INJURIES. THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT WAS ALSO INJURED DURING THE COLLISION, HOWEVER THE REAR SEAT BELT HELD TIGHTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

2005 FORD 500 REAR RIGHT FEMALE HALF SEAT BELT IS DIFFICULT TO BUCKLE DUE TO POOR DESIGN. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO FORD AND WAS REFERRED TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO AFTER MONTHS OF DELAY REFERRED BACK TO FORD WHO STATED THAT IT MEETS THEIR STANDARDS. THE BELT IS TOO SHORT AND FLEXIBLE. IT RETRACTS BACK INTO THE SEAT CUSHION MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO BUCKLE. THIS CONDITION CAN AND WILL LEAD TO NON USE OF THE BELT AND CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING FROM A STOP SIGN, GOING LESS THAN 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED SUDDENLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE FUEL CUTOFF INERTIA SWITCH WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ON 6-14-06 THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD GOING 5 MPH. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME ALLOWING THE CONTACT TO GET OUT OF THE ROAD. ONCE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, IT STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE INERTIA SWITCH; WHICH WAS PARTIALLY DETACHED. THE DEALERSHIP PUT A STRAP AROUND THE SWITCH. ON 6-16-06 THE DEALERSHIP WAS ASKED TO START THE VEHICLE AND TAP THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOORBOARD WHERE THE INERTIA SWITCH WAS LOCATED. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AGAIN. THE SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER TESTED OTHER FORD 500S ON THE LOT TO SEE IF THE SAME THING OCCURRED AND IT DID. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THE SAME THING WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

MY 2005 FORD FIVE-HUNDRED. IT DOES HAVE 56,000 MILES BUT ALMOST ALL ARE INTERSTATE MILES. REAR PASSENGER BRAKE IS SCRAPING BADLY AND EVEN MAKING NOISE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. I SUSPECT A FAILED SYSTEM AND THE PAD'S ON THE ROTOR ALL THE TIME. KAYSER FORD IN MADISON TRIED TO SELL ME ENTIRELY NEW REAR BRAKES FOR $400. THAT'S RIDICULOUS. I DON'T RIDE THE BRAKE. WHY ARE THE FRONT BRAKES OKAY AND THE REARS GONE ALREADY ON A 2005??? I SUSPECT A DEFECT. I WANT IT FIXED WITHOUT BEING GOUGED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL THE INDICATORS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 FORD 500 IN MID 2005. I ONLY HAVE 3600 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. REAR WHEELS OF MY VEHICLE ARE COMPLETELY BLACKENED BY BRAKE DUST THAT HE HAD . REAR ROTORS WERE ARE DEEPLY GROOVED AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. SHOP FOREMAN AT DEALERSHIP SHOWED A RELEASE FROM THE FORD ENGINEER DIVISION THAT NOTIFIED FORD DEALERS THAT FORD WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM AND WILL USE DIFFERENT BRAKE PADS IN THE ....4TH QUARTER OF 2006, BUT WERE PRESENTLY CONSIDERING THE PROBLEM TO BE NORMAL AND WILL NOT ALLOW ANY WARRANTY WORK. THE SHOP FOREMAN ADMITTED THAT HE CONSIDERED THE PROBLEM TO BE AN ENGINEERING ISSUE, WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OTHER NEW FORD VEHICLES, AND WAS GOING TO CALL FORD ENGINEERING ABOUT THE ISSUE. SHOP FOREMAN CALLED JUNE 22, 2006 AND ADVISED THAT FORD WAS NOT CONSIDERING THE PROBLEM TO BE A PROBLEM AND WERE NOT GOING TO BACK ANY WARRANTY WORK. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE ''OWNER''S MANUAL" RECOMMENDS THAT THE WHEELS BE WASHED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND THE ANSWER IS TO WASH THE WHEELS ONCE A WEEK? SON-IN-LAW ALSO DETERMINED THAT AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL BLOCKS, THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKE ROTORS WERE BE INCREDIBLY HOT. HE ADVISED ME THAT THE EXCESSIVE HEAT COULD CAUSE MY BRAKES TO BRAKES TO FAIL AND ME OR OTHERS COULD BE INJURED, OR WORSE. ** REAR BRAKE PADS DEGRADING AND REAR BRAKE ROTORS NEED REPLACED. EXCESSIVE HEAT IN REAR ROTORS. *NM