Problems with 2005 Ford Five Hundred ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We own a 2005 ford 500 and my wife has taken it to 3 different ford dealers to have an issue looked at. the vehicle has stalled on her over a dozen times while driving down the highway and it has gone into fail safe mode. the vehicle seems to lurch when in gear either drive or reverse. i've looked up the issue on line and it appears to be very common with this model of vehicle. throttle body and reprogramming of the pcm. i believe this to be a very big safety issue and there needs to be a recall on these before someone gets severely hurt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. while the contact was parking the vehicle, all of the gauges on the instrument panel failed to function. the failure also recurred intermittently while driving at various speeds. the contact also stated that when the failure occurred she was not able to use the turn signals. all of the warning lights on the instrument panel began to shut on and off intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that they could not duplicate or diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 75,200.

I purchased a 2005 ford 500 4-door sedan 2-1/2 years ago from a ford dealership. it was described as a "program" car. i soon noticed that the dashboard display lights would not light up during daylight hours, even though the rheostat was set on maximum brilliance. i proved this by driving into a dark parking garage and saw that the said lights turned on at maximum. i asked the service manager about this and he said ford had wired the lights through the solar switch via the electronic control unit and could not be changed. this is a dangerous distraction when driving in daylight hours and to see the information o the dashboard the running lights must be turned off. in my opinion this defect needs to be remedied with a recall. thank you. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact noticed that the instrument cluster would become dark intermittently which made it impossible to see the instrument display. when the vehicle accelerated forward the back up lights would illuminate without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who informed the contact that the instrument cluster was faulty and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was aware of the failure. none of the repairs were performed. the current mileage was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. while driving 50 mph, the vehicle lost power and jerked. all the lights on the instrument panel illuminated. the vehicle had to be turned off and restarted. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the computer needed to be replaced. the computer was replaced, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact stated the vehicle would intermittently and abnormally accelerate without driver intent. the failure would occur whether the vehicle was in drive or reverse. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was scheduled for further diagnostic testing by the dealer. the failure mileage was 106,000 and the current mileage was 108,000. updated 08/24/10*lj the consumer stated the vehicle randomly accelerates at a rate of 65 mph when her foot is not on the gas pedal. the vehicle also has wiring problems that leads to the headlights causing them to fail. the wires overheat and sometimes flickers. the casing melt as well and then the lights begin to smoke. updated 08/25/10 *jb

My needles and controls fail on my 2005 ford five hundred awd. i have had the cluster replaced twice (out of pocket) when it fails, my reverse lights come on, turn signals fail and sometimes my radio fails (not really a safety issue but is annoying) my airbags are deactive when the event occurs. i know ford knows about the issue and should do a recall as i have noticed (more than i should for there not to be a recall) alot of other five hundred/monteigo drivers with the exact same problem. *tr

It started with my instrument cluster going out (no lights, gauges, anything) and it can last anywhere from 15 minutes to hours. the other night my boyfriend and i hit a deer and we went from 70 to 50 on impact (which was head on) and our airbags did not deploy. however a few minutes after the impact, the light came on saying something was wrong with the airbags. *tr

My wife called me outside and said the passenger side headlight was out, i said no problem i'll have it replaced in the morning, go ahead with one head-light, she only went around the block and came back screaming that the car was on fire, and the fire was right behind the headlight that just went out. i extinguished the flame and disconnected the battery. the car has been towed to the shop for an estimate. i contacted my ford dealer, the car is not under warranty, 2005 ford five-hundred with 58,150 miles in excellent condition. he said " they have never heard of that happening before, and to contact ford customer relations on monday. *tr

We are having a problem with the instrument cluster of our 2005 ford five hundred. all the lights on the dashboard go out. all the gauges drop down to zero. sometimes this lasts for a second. sometimes it will go out for hours. this is dangerous because you do not have a speedometer reading. *tr

I am driving a 2005 ford five hundred with the characteristics of tsb 06-17-9 where the instrumentation quits working and then comes back. this has happened several times. however, in addition to that, sometimes the turn signals quit working and when that happens the air bag light comes on and the back up light comes on even though the car is not in reverse. after the car sits a while, this clears up, but the check engine light will be on. it is going in the shop in two days and hopefully can be fixed, hopefully no charge. the turn signal issue is obviously a safety issue. *tr

Sporadically, the instrument cluster on my car fails. sometimes the dashboard lights go off, sometimes all the needles got to "0" and just twitch for a few seconds. then they come back up. this happens day and night, warm and cold. it started happening around 60,000 miles. *tr

I purchased a used 2005 ford 500 ltd awd in may 2008. i was told it was a lease turn in. the mileage was very low, under 30,000 miles. the factory warranty expired in july 2008. in october 2008, my dash began malfunctioning. the gauges would go completely dead. i could not tell how fast i was going, how much gas i had left or the temperature of the engine. nothing on my dash would work. it varied from lasting seconds to appx a half an hour. i drove home one night (it took me appx 25 minutes) not knowing how fast i was going or how much gas i had left. also, the reverse lights were on when my car was in both drive and park. i stopped at a red light (my car was in drive) and the reverse sensor alarm went off when a car pulled up behind me. we took it to the dealership we bought it from & were told it was a cluster in the dash that was a "known problem with this vehicle" but because it was not a "safety issue" ford did not have to recall this. i feel that not being able to know what speed you are driving down the highway to be a huge safety issue. also having your reverse lights on while the car is in park or drive seems a bit dangerous as well. we had it repaired and it cost us over 400.00. about 2 weeks ago, we had to have another "cluster" repaired that was making my transmission shake & the check engine light as well another warning light appear. it was a sensor that went bad and was making my car think it was out of gas. this cost us almost 350.00 to repair. not sure what's going on with the sensors/clusters on these cars but it seems to be a safety issue to me. *tr

I would like to see the investigation reopened for nhtsa action number : pe07058 and a recall by the ford motor company due to the failure of the electrical system:instrument panel on the 2005 ford five hundred. while driving my 2005 ford five hundred the oil pressure light and brake light illuminated. at the same time this occurred the radio volume would decrease as if i was coming to a stop, the turn signals would fail (just the indication on the instrument cluster), and most importantly the reverse lights would illuminate. this would last from a few seconds to several minutes at a time. on the way to the dealership, i was pulled over by the police and given a verbal warning in regards to my reverse lights being illuminated while driving. the police assumed my brake lights were inoperative(blown bulb/broke lenses) as my reverse lights were illuminated causing an unsafe condition. the vehicle is at the ford dealer now, the dealer did supply me with another car until mine was repaired as they deemed the car unsafe to drive in this condition. the dealer has ordered the entire instrument cluster for replacement. the dealer also stated that i will be looking at a $100-200 dollar deductible as this is not directly covered on the warranty. this needs to be addressed before an accident/death occurs as a result of this known existing problem. *tr

Started driving my 2005 ford five hundred sel front wheel drive as i normally do, except the instrument cluster and lights started flickering, my a/c turned off and check engine light came on. after stopping on the side of the road everything returned to normal. about 40 minutes later a similar situation occurred, only this time just the instrument panel failed. my cruise control still worked but my tach, speed, battery and power gauge all dropped to zero, however the lights remained on. i am writing today because i saw online that other owners of the same make and model are having identical problems. this is a major safety issue and could cause an accident, especially if the lights cut off at random. i'm surprised there hasn't been a recall issued or an accident yet as a result of this. *tr

I have a ford five hundred limited. the car has stop running while the car is in gear and moving. it also stopped when i started to drive from a stop light. while it was being fixed at the car dealership it stop (died) on them several times. the ford dealer company thought it was the power steering pump because the power steering pump was making a knocking sound. they also noticed that if they was to turn the wheel it would usually die on them. the dealership has replaced the battery, powersteering pump, belt and the throttle and the car still dies. my understanding from them is that they have never come across this problem before. what made me take the car in to begin with was that i went to start the car after playing tennis for about 45 minutes and it wouldn't start. the battery was somewhat dead and the security light was flashing rapidly. *tr

My instrument panel lights will blink off and on. started about 6/1/2008. does it randomly in all weather conditions. mostly on initital start up. *tr

I would like a safety recall issued for the ford 500, the instrument panel has a defect causing all of the needles and controls to malfunction leaving the driver with no speedometer, gas gauge or temperature gauge, ford is aware there is a problem and has issued a technical service bulletin to the dealers, however, with no recall you will be charged for the replacement of the panel and this may keep some people from having them replaced, i was charged a $100 deductible for this repair and in all fairness it should have been covered by a ford recall since they are aware of the problem and has the potential to be a serious safety issue!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact parked the vehicle, turned off and removed the key from the ignition. he walked into the house with his keys and the vehicle turned itself on. the contact originally thought that the vehicle had an automatic start system, but it does not. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. the current and failure mileages were 23,820.

I purchased a 2005 ford five hundred used last 2/07; on 3/4/08 my instrument panel went out completely while driving. no gauges, lights, nothing. i took it to my ford dealer 3/5/08 who looked at it, after 3 hours returned it to me saying i needed a new instrument panel, but they had to order one and said to come back when they had it. the panel worked, so i wondered what was up; however after a few days, the gauges would quit momentarily before working again periodically. i have yet to hear from ford about my part, also, they say i have to pay for it. this is not normal wear and tear and obviously a defect, i've owned 5 cars in my life and never had an instrument panel replaced ever. i've owned vehicles for 10 years. i shouldn't have to pay for a factory defect which is a safety hazard. i have yet to get the part replaced, as they don't seem to have one yet. so i risk my safety every time i drive. *tr

2005 ford five hundred, intermittent instrument cluster, vehicle odo 20k miles, multiple failures, panel goes dark, then all lights illuminate. drivability not affected. new defect on car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the instrument panel would flicker on and off when the headlights were activated. a few days later, the instrument panel failed completely. the dealer stated that the instrument cluster needed to be repaired. the current and failure mileages were 48,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. when the vehicle was started, only the wrench and air bag indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the failure occurred while it was dark outside and the fuel gauge and speedometer were not visible. the radio was still operating. after 15 minutes, there was a power surge and the instrument panel illuminated. the vehicle was still at the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 45,200. updated 01-30-08. *kb the consumer stated took the vehicle to the dealer on january 11, 2008 and stated there is a service bulletin to problem and reset the system. updated 01/30/08 *tr

2005 ford five hundred instrument panel temporarily stops working and all gauges go to zero. i was told i needed a new nodule, but it was not immediate. this happens almost daily for a few minutes. *tr

Instrument cluster failure. all gauges drop to zero. multiple dash warning lights come on, dashboard lights go black, turn signal lights will not operate. problem is intermittent. problem began 8/3/07. off and on since. dealer can not find problem. *jb

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. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled on the highway. the contact was able to pull off the road. on july 11, 2007, the dealer performed a diagnostic test. the vehicle was returned one week later. the failure recurred on july 17, august 31, september 25, october 3, november 2, and december 18. the dealer did not return the vehicle until february 23,2008. the dealer was able to duplicate the failure once the vehicle was returned. the contact experienced the failure again and the dealer picked up the vehicle on march 20, 2008. the dealer replaced the instrument panel. the failure and current mileages were approximately 31,058.

I purchased a 2005 ford 500 ltd. the first incident occurred while driving home from atlantic city. the dashboard lit up like i was starting the car and went into failsafe engine mode. after pulling over, the car ran normal. the next occurrence was when the car started shutting off while driving. it has done this on numerous occastions. then the dashboard lit up again and the reverse lights stayed on. this winter season the door latches would not catch to keep the doors shut. after it rains the rear doors have water sitting inside of them. upon doing some research, i found that these problems were on ford's technical service bulliten (tsb). i called ford and they said there were no recalls according to the vehicle identification number. they also stated that there was work done prior to me purchasing the vehicle. i also had the car worked on for the electrical problem and was told the car was fixed. the car is still experiencing these problems. i don't have the finances to continue to have work done and the problems not be fixed. *tr

Upon starting car and a few minutes after driving the car, the car starts to spit and sputter and totally shuts down. this has happened at least 8 times in the past 4 months and has left me to swerve on the highway before it shuts completely down so i am not in a dangerous situation (completely stopped in the middle of flowing traffic). the message "engine fail safe mode" comes on. we have had car to the dealer numerous times and they cannot find anything wrong. problem has not been fixed and car continues to stop. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact stated that the gauges on the instrument panel would become inoperative and all of the warning lights would illuminate on the instrument panel. the contact also stated that the rear reverse sensor would only operate while the vehicle was in drive and the reverse lights would continuously illuminate while in drive. the dealer performed a hard reset on the vehicle, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 30,000 and the approximate current mileage was 80,000.

The electrical system through out the car is being heard in the speakers. if the seats, window, etc., etc. are touched you can hear them through the back end with a loud roaring noise. it is so loud that you can not keep the radio on. it only reacts when it is extremely hot, extremely cold or after the car has been washed or it rains. we have taken this to the dealer where the amp, radio, cd player and speakers have all been replaced 3 times. they have even eliminated water leak which only leaves wiring issues in which they refuse to replace. our fear is that it could cause fire. we have arbitrated and contacted corporate and they refuse to do anything about it. we even took this to another ford dealer in which they told us after showing them all the work orders that they will not get involved since it is a pre-existing issue that another dealer has tried to resolve many, many times. just be cautious and place your vehicle inside away from these conditions so it doesn't act up and cause more issues. *nm

While driving my 2005 ford five hundred with 18000 miles on it all gauges dropped to zero. the lights went out and air bag failure light came on. i took the vehicle to the dealer who said they needed to order a new dash cluster panel ,after 2 weeks called dealer and was told it would take a month to get part i was told by another mechanic that car was unsafe to drive because of air bag was in failure mode. not once was i told this by dealer. has not been repaired. *jb

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. while driving 30 mph the vehicle began shaking and then idling as if it wanted to shut off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and inspected where it was determined that the valve body box was failing and the cost for repair would be $1800.00. the vehicle has not been repaired and the contact is trying to get the manufacturer to cover the cost of the repair. the contact called the manufacturer and a complaint was filed and the contact was advised that her claim would be reviewed. the failure mileage was 25,281 and the current mileage was 74,000. updated 11/10/09 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle shut off several times, the gauge act erratically. updated 11/18/09

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.

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

The 2005 ford five hundred had just under 30000 miles on it and for the last 5000 miles the dashboard had been acting up to the point that it did it almost every time we used it. symptoms: aib ag light went on and dash lights went off, the 4 gauges in the instrument cluster went to zero, digital display went out and some times reset gals used & miles traveled, directionals went out when dash lightswent out.*ak

Starting in december we have had numerous starting problems with this car. we have had it back to the dealership five times for this problem and three other times for other warranty problems. when you go to start the car is turns over but will not start or it will start then die. when it acted up we also had a loss of power once it would start the second time it went to dealer for the problem we could not get it stated at all and it had to be towed. after the last repair it now is getting only about 19 miles to the gallon in combined driving. we have asked ford to buy the vehicle back and three times we were told a ford regional rep would call us back to work with us and they never would call us back. we are currently trying to have ford buy the vehicle back or replace it through the bbb dispute replacement but they will not. we have also had problems with the doors and moldings not being aligned correctly and this caused damage when the rear door opened and damaged the doors. also the power windows have malfunctioned twice and needed repair or replacement of the window regulator. we are very disappointed in this vehicle and ford. *nm

Oil life diagnostic message continues to report zero percentage life remaining. *jb

Battery acid eats away plastic transmission cable linkage. *nm