2005 Ford Five Hundred

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

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.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, where the flywheel was replaced twice with used parts because the part had been discontinued. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check transmission warning light, the check engine warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart but was undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11681667

Incident

Feb 19, 2025

Mileage

80,000 mi

I am having problem with the reset button in my 2005 five hundred ford, the oil light stays on after oil changes, no one does not know how to reset, the reset button does not work, several mechanic told me not to worry about it , but the car can't pass the smog, it reads not ready, they told my to take a ride for about 50 miles and drive up to sixty miles per hour. . On going problem and I am running out of money, can you help, please

NHTSA ID

11576414

Incident

Feb 24, 2024

I have 2 very serious and dangerous issues. The 1st issue, the car will shut off while driving and without warning. I'll be cruzing down the highway and out of no where it shuts off. I then do not have breaks or power stearing. This last Winter my daughter was driving it and it shut off while she was on black ice. The car flew into the ditch and the snow was so deep it was compacted in the entire engine so it was impossible to restart the car. It was akso -37 below temperature. It took me almost a half hour to get to her and she almost froze to death. She sustained frost bite on her hands, toes, ears, and cheeks. She almost died. Issue 2, my daughter was driving and all of the sudden a loud noise and she couldn't steer. The rear control arm bracket that is part of the subframe busted causing the control arm to no longer be attached to the frame. She almost flipped the car when that happened. I looked into it and many cars this year make and model had the exact same thing happen in the exact same spot. So that tells me that it is a manufacturer defect. I had this looked at and inspected by Trusted Tires & Auto. Neither of these issues had any warning at all. So now the car sits unable to be driven. Even if it was fixed I won't drive it or let my daughter drive it and I can't sell it because I don't want anyone else to drive it period. It is a death trap literally and puts everyone's life in dangernear that come near the car. It needs to be recalled immediately. This is absolutely unacceptable and Ford needs to stand behind their product. If this car continues to stay on the roads Many people will die because of all the defects on the car.

NHTSA ID

11540215

Incident

Nov 10, 2022

While driving the front end suspension slips, bounces up and down very harshly, tires slip, squeak, and slide in an hard to control way, sometimes into oncoming traffic when in slightly damp conditions an on roads with any amount of bumps, to the point that I need to drive extremely slow to avoid danger which in turn puts my and my passengers and my kids in danger by goin to slow in regards to the traffic around us. When hitting relatively small bumps the suspension bounces the car severely up and down and across the road into harms way.

NHTSA ID

11531095

Incident

Jul 8, 2023

The engine keep going into limp mode. The car stalls out while at lights an stop signs, power steering goes out on highway an other roads making it impossible to steer or steer out of others ways, limp mode causes car to not be able to keep up with traffic on highway and other roads. Engine jerks forward an shifts irractically an shifts an downshifts hard.

NHTSA ID

11531091

Incident

Jul 8, 2023

While waiting at the light in traffic, my car all of a sudden Accelerated, and decelerates, I have to push hard on the breaks in order for it to not slam into the cars infront of me.. this is really dangerous, from what I have been reading this is a wide spread issue that ford has ignored for years..

NHTSA ID

11473538

Incident

Jul 12, 2022

while we are in idel for a period of time the car wants to surge forward without pushing on the gas. it wants to rev withough the has pedal being pushed. It does it at red lights, stop signs, and if Im in a drive through.

NHTSA ID

11470129

Incident

Jun 20, 2022

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the "fail safe engine mode" and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled with the RPM revved up. The vehicle jerked while driving at an undisclosed speed. The dealer nor the independent mechanic was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to a dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 122,832.

NHTSA ID

11429929

Incident

Aug 20, 2021

Mileage

122,832 mi

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.

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.

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 to historical DTCs and the PC/ED, Section 3 No DTCs Present Index chart for further information.

TRACTION CONTROL LAMP ON--NO DTC'S PRESENT, OR DTC P1889 IN DIFFERENTIAL ELECTRONIC MODULE (DEM). *NJ

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

MIL WITH DTC P0106 AND/OR P0109. *KB