Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Five Hundred, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train136
- Vehicle speed control104
- Electrical system95
- Engine58
- Engine and engine cooling49
- Service brakes, hydraulic41
- Structure33
- Fuel/propulsion system24
- Latches/locks/linkages22
- Unknown or other20
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 14 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 45 2005 Five Hundred vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 33 people died inside them, and 9 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2005 Ford Five Hundred failed the safety check 3.16% of the time — 37% more often than the average 2005 passenger car (2.30%). Median odometer at inspection: 119,189 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 11.0–12.2 L/100 km (about 19–21 mpg US), CO₂ 253–281 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Hundred · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 12.7 | 8.9 | 11.0 |
| Five Hundred · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 13.4 | 9.4 | 11.6 |
| Five Hundred AWD · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 13.9 | 10.1 | 12.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2005 Ford Five Hundred.
| 2006273 19 Oct 2006 | Other On certain vehicles, the door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion that, over time, may wash out grease applied during the manufacturing process. Th… |
| 2005354 10 Nov 2005 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the fuel tank straps may break, potentially resulting in the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield dropping on the exhaust system (FWD vehicl… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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).
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2005 Ford Five Hundred: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11000557 | Motorcraft Continuously Variable Chain-Type Transmission Fluid (XT-7-QCFT in non-Canadian markets, CXT-7-LCF12 in Canada) is no longer manufactured and will only be available until inventory depletes. The recommended replacement fluids are Phillips 66 VersaTrans CVT Plus Fluid or Kendall VersaTrans CVT Plus Fluid. Mixing Motorcraft CVT fluid (blue-green color) with these replacement fluids (red color) in the same transmission is acceptable. |
| 10250305 | When performing any transmission fluid change or topoff involving Motorcraft Premium ATF, MERCON V has replaced all versions of Motorcraft Premium ATF and can be used going forward. Mixing Motorcraft Premium ATF and MERCON V in the same transmission is acceptable. After 31-Jan-2024, Motorcraft Premium ATF will no longer be manufactured and will only be available until inventory depletes. |
| 10109070 | The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer |
| 10024829 | TRACTION CONTROL LAMP ON--NO DTC'S PRESENT, OR DTC P1889 IN DIFFERENTIAL ELECTRONIC MODULE (DEM). *NJ |
| 10023294 | FORD\MERCURY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. CERTAIN 2005 THROUGH 2007 FWD AND AWD FORD FIVE HUNDRED, FREESTYLE AND MERCURY MONTEGO VEHICLES - REAR BRAKE WEAR. ALSO HAVE AN OWNER'S LETTER. *NJ UPDATED 1/25/08. *NJ |
| 10022294 | TRANSMISSION HARSH SHIFTING - NO DTC'S - MILEAGE OVER 20,000 MILES. *KB |
| 10022241 | MIL WITH DTC P0106 AND/OR P0109. *KB |
| 10021463 | REAR BRAKE DRAG, NOISE, DUST, AND/OR PREMATURE PAD WEAR. *KB |
| 10021444 | MIL ON WITH DTC P0191 - FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR CIRCUIT PERFORMANCE. *KB |
| 10021220 | TRANSMISSION SHIFTER BINDING / HIGH EFFORT BEZEL REPLACEMENT. *KB |
| 10021061 | BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *KB |
| 10021037 | INTERMITTENT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OPERATION - INCLUDING GAUGES SWEEP/RESET - MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND/OR REVERSE LIGHTS STAY ON. THIS APPLIES TO VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 02-17-06. *KB |
| 10021036 | FUEL GAUGE ERRATIC/INACCURATE AND/OR MIL ON WITH DTC P0463, B1202, B2627, B2879, AND/OR P2068. *KB |
| 10020134 | CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSAXLE (CVT) NOISE DIAGNOSIS. *TT |
| 10019951 | INTERMITTENT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGE SWEEP/RESET - MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ON - REVERSE LIGHTS ON - VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 2/17/2006. *TT |
| 10019914 | OIL LEAK FROM POWER TRANSFER UNIT. *TT |
| 10019811 | INTERMITTENT BOUNCE-BACK OF THE DRIVER'S WINDOW DURING ONE TOUCH UP OPERATION. *TT |
| 10019807 | TENTHS DIGIT NOT DISPLAYED ON ODOMETER AFTER 10,000 MILES/KILOMETERS. *TT |
| 10019793 | NOISE IN RIGHT FRONT OF PASSENGER COMPARTMENT - AIR INLET DOOR ACTUATOR INOPERATIVE (RECIRCULATION). *TT |
| 10019377 | HEATED SEATS INOPERATIVE. *TT |
| 10019068 | GRUNT OR SQUEAK FROM FRONT SUSPENSION DURING FULL LOCK TURNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT |
| 10019027 | NOISE FROM REAR SUSPENSION - COLD ONLY. *TT |
| 10018933 | HARSH/ERRATIC/SLOW DOWNSHIFTS OR TIP-IN HESITATION -- 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE -- VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE 10/17/2005. *TT |
| 10018745 | WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT |
| 10018737 | NOISE FROM FRONT WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Idle instability
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation