Problems with 2005 Ford Five Hundred POWER TRAIN

The car entered engine "failsafe mode" and shut down while trying to merge into traffic on a busy rush-hour highway. after pulling over and restarting the engine, operation was normal. this was the 3rd time in a 2.5 week period this occurred. the car experienced the same issues in july 2010 frequently (it had existed for 2-3 year on and off before then). ford applied the service alert fix by replacing the throttle body and refreshing the pcm. this fix has not worked. the car will sporadically enter failsafe mode on warm days when trying to accelerate/shift gears. the original fix in july 2010 was covered under warranty. in october 2010 there was a transmission control failure and the computer had to be replaced. the warranty had expired and the fix cost $2000. operation was normal during the winter months, however, when the warm weather returned so did the problem. an independent mechanic believes the failsafe mode issue was the beginning of the transmission failure and ford should not have charged $2000 for a new computer. the problem has not been resolved and continues to occur. the dealership's suggestion is to pull over and restart the car to clear the computer. the car is unsafe to drive, especially on multiple lane highways. once the failsafe mode engages, there is little power to get the car off the road. if you are on an incline it will stop altogether. this is a dangerous situation and the possibility of a rear end collision is great. ford has not issued a recall, only a service alert for a fix that does not work. *tr

The vehicle lunges while holding the brake when putting into reverse or drive and continues to do so while waiting to pull into traffic making it very dangerous! it also does this while trying to park making it dangerous to park near anything! i have seen several complaints regarding this very same problem stating it is a throttle body defect that costs at lowest $700.00 to repair. front suspension is shot already with loud clunking noises, very rough ride! rear doors fill with water which will result in rust holes! all of these problems have been reported several times by other owners of this same year and make of vehicle. ford should be responsible for the repairs needed to fix these problems. *tr

2005 ford five hundred. vehicle accelerates without the gas pedal being depressed. vehicle enters into failsafe mode. occurrences are intermittent. diagnostic checks show something other than the real culprit which is a faulty throttle body. has not been repaired yet. dealer is asking for 800.00. *tr

The car started to accelerate by itself. and nearly plowed into the car in front of me. then on the hwy has lose of power nearly rear-ended @60mph check engine light now w/wrench. diagnosed code p2106 and p2135 throttle body . occurs more when a/c is on. had air flow sensor replaced, but problem still exist. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred sel. the contact stated that the transmission was replaced and within a couple of days she drove the vehicle again and it stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they diagnosed that the throttle bottle needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 102, 000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred sel. while driving approximately 40-60 mph, the transmission began to jerk. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised that the transmission valve body internal bore would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the defect and was unable to provide assistance. the approximate failure mileage was 47,000.

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. all of the lights on the instrument panel failed and the reverse lights illuminated erroneously. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they advised the contact that the pcm module failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 125,000.

I purchased this 2005 ford five hundred as a gift for my wife,11/26/11 within a week after owning it the awd malfunction light came on. in looking over the internet i'm finding other ford owners are experiencing the same problem and that ford does not want to do anything about it or take responsibility for a defective product that potentially could be very costly over and above the high cost of the vehicle itself. it seems the consumer should have ''some'' recourse or help with this recurring problem and make ford own up and repair the defect and problems many of us are dealing with... out of pocket!!! *tr

Not long after purchasing my vehicle my husband and i were driving on the interstate with the cruise control on and the transmission stopped working. we were able to pull off safely onto the shoulder and shut the car off and once restarted was fine. we have since stopped using cruise control in fear of an accident. the problem is still there and seems to be getting worse. the dash will light check transmission, traction control and sometimes check engine. once the car is turned off and back on it is fine for a while, the check engine light takes some time to go off. it is getting so we are afraid to drive it, sometimes it drives fine and others the transmission quits. the other day i went to pass a car and the lights came on as i had moved into the lane to pass on the interstate. once i was in my lane again a few minutes later it does it again and this time a big mac truck is coming up on me. i have read of several problems of this with this same car and it has been said there is a problem with the throttle body and/or electrical system. this is very dangerous and ford should be issuing a recall to fix the problem before someone is injured or killed. *tr

The car accelerates by itself and transmission is not performing correctly as it does not accelerate after braking after the transmission warms up , they said it was throttlebody but replaced that and trans fluid but still have same trouble after about 30 miles of driving . this could get people killed and it should be recalled no ifs ands or buts about it !!!!!! ford take care of your customers. *tr

Traveling on mountain highway and attempting to pass tractor trailer depressed throttle and transmission downshifted to next lower gear than slammed into the next lower gear. loss of all acceleration transmission illuminated. than transmission appears to have electronically disengaged from engine (no forward movement at all, mind you i was trying to pass) engine revolutions increased to over 7,000 rpm. both transmission light and check engine light illuminated. after a brief rest at side of rode vehicle restarted and could be moved both lights remained illuminated. after 5 or 10 restarts both error lights extinguished. *tr

Our car stalls while driving. it often happens on the highway, but also on residential streets and at all speeds. the car will lurch forward, the lights on the dashboard will all light up, and then the engine will shut down causing us to have to shift into neutral and try to pull over to safety. when we try to restart the car it will sputter and die again. occasionally we will be able to get it to a parking lot, we have had to be towed home. we have replaced the fuel pump and spark plugs. the ford dealership drove it and ran diagnostics on it for weeks at a time and found nothing to tell them anything. this has been happening every week or so for nearly a year, and no one can tell us what's wrong. there are times when it happens every day, and there are times when it doesn't happen for a month. many people's description of a defective transmission body matches our description, but that part is, apparently, on backorder. the car is essentially un-drivable, because we cannot count on it to get to us work on time or safely. *tr

I had my vehicle at the service department three timed for transmission problems. the car would jump and sputter but every time the dealership came to the same conclusion, nothing wrong with the vehicle. went to get a third opinion at another dealership was told i need new valve body. everytime i took the car to the dealership the car was under extended warranty. now it is no longer under warranty and the cost will rise above $2100.00 this should have been a recall issue. transmission problems should be taken more seriously. *tr

Not sure the exact time but within the past year or so my 2005 ford five hundred ( purchased new) is going into failsafe mode limited throttle power, very sporadic at first but now happening quite often. if you pull over and shut the car off and restart it clears and drives normal. my daughter was driving it yesterday and it happened 7 times from mall to the house (about 20 miles). once while she was in heavy traffic driving about 55 mph. car jerked then started slowing down. this is a safety issue that needs to be looked at. very dangerous. my mechanic is trouble shooting problem, looking like throttle body or gas pedal. i believe ford came out with a new throttle body in 2010 to correct the problem (tsb 05-25-13)but will only replace it at their cost if still under warranty, otherwise the cost is on us the consumer. (about a thousand dollars). *tr

I was driving my ford 500 on the highway, when i lost power to the transmission. i could rev the engine, but no power would go to the transmission. i was lucky able to pull over to the side of the road. the car now has a little lurch when first starting out. *tr

Electronic throttle control is bad. the car lunges forward and back. it also goes into engine fail safe mode. it also caused me a little accident, i went in reverse and the car lunged into the garage wall, broke the frame of garage and car has scratches and marks at the rear. very scared to drive, wife wont drive. part is on back-order, and its my only car. have wife and two kids and i do not want them to drive in the car. this is a serious safety issue and i can not believe how lightly it is getting taken care of. ford needs to force a recall fast. *tr

My 2005 ford 500 began to surge when changing from park to reverse and also when changing from park to drive . at time it would change from 800 rpm to 1500 to 2500 rpm . very scary in tight quarters and in a parking lot . other times it thought it was a toyota and just take off.fault codes did appear and the dealers first try did nothing to fix the problem . the last time was on the interstate. it terrified my wife. we dropped it off again at the dealer and was told that the repair part would take 14 days . does ford have that many problems ? i checked the internet and many ford products are having throttle body problems . the replacement part was completely different from the original. *tr

2005 ford 500 awd malfunction, fords refusal to offer any compensation for a faulty transmission. *tr

2005 ford 500. car began bucking/surging/accelerating on own when starting to pull out into heavy traffic from shopping center to main road. strong braking required to control car. continued to happen, pulled back into shopping center lot. would happen in drive or reverse with car taking off on own if no brake applied. car stalled times two. was able to get car to ford dealership in very near vicinity. continued to happen for service rep while at dealership. dealership found electronic throttle body to be at fault. a known problem to exist, so stated. tsb exists for this. must replace throttle body with updated model. unit on backorder. car undrivable till part arrives. greater than 1 month backorder on part! very dangerous situation occurred. could have been serious accident. *tr

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

I am buying a 2005 ford 500 limited with an 6 spd transmission it now has 136k miles on it. it has been a problem ever since i purchased the vehicle used from crossroads ford in memphis. i had to have the engine replaced at 54k miles. now the transmission/transaxle is starting to slip and stall in traffic. you start to move from a traffic light and it will go slowly then jump to about 4k to 6k on the tachometer and at that point the car stalls and you are about to be rear ended by other drivers due to the car stalling. according to ford they have known of this problem but only offer selling you a new transmission which they should be responsible for since they built the product even if the factory warranty is gone. cant afford to buy another car or trade this one in or get the transmission fixed according to ford the replacement is around $4600. don't have that kind of money lying around. *tr

Shifting concerns are generally noticed during passing maneuvers with transmission at temperatures greater than 212 f (100 c) operating temperatures. symptoms may be present during downshift 5-3 at 35 mph (56 km/h) and/or 4-3 at 20 mph (32 km/h) with throttle opening at approximately 50% or greater and include: harsh shift and/or clunk noise delayed shift and/or perceived slip/engine flare. *tr

Ford 500 se 2005 . put the car drive or reverse and the car lunges. push down on accelerator and car lags . throttle body defective. happens every time i drive the car. part needs to be replaced back ordered until december. *tr

For approximately the past year our 2005 ford 500 has been lurching when shifting into reverse with the "wrench" symbol on the dash lighting up. i have had the codes run and nothing comes up. i have been doing internet research on this problem and it seems that many people have reported this issue in online forums with many having to have the throttle body replaced, computer reprogrammed and accelerator replaced. this issue has not shown up on for a recall but i do believe it should as my wife drives the vehicle and almost got into an accident with our three young children. *tr

In 2009 i took my ford 500 to sutton ford in the auto mall in matteson, il because i was having an acceleration issue. the ac light and board light was on. they call me and i paid the bill for almost $800.00, they told me that they had repaired the problem and gave me the car back. i returned the car to them the next day because the ac light came back on and the acceleration problem still existed. they replaced a few parts and returned the car to me after a few day. well the problem was not corrected and they insisted that there was not an acceleration issue with my car and would not work on it any more. well we have deal with this issue for almost a year later when on last night, may 25, 2010, my husband and i along with my grandson was sitting in the drive through at mcdonalds when we proceeded to have an extreme sudden acceleration. it really scared me and my husband. to our surprise the problem exist. it wanted to jet off at the stop sign and while shifting from park to drive and while backing up. i'm returning the car on tomorrow to sutton ford who was to do the first repair. there is a serious problem with my car and i need to get to the bottom of it before a serious incident occur. *tr

2005 ford five hundred erratic transmission behavior. unsafe shifting causes car to lunge sideways and vibrate at higher speeds. the downshift delay lunges the car forward making quick stops unsafe and nearly creates a wreck everyday. *tr

Transmission bucked when trying to pass at highway speeds. vehicle has 73,000 miles and now transmission has to be replaced. entire transmission replaced due to seal failure inside transmission. *tr

Car fails to down shift when accelerating hard. transmission slips and becomes disengaged. this prevents me from safely accelerating to pass or avoid other vehicles. transmission problem are chronic on this 2005 ford five hundred 6 speed transmission. *tr

I own a 2005 ford 500 (purchased 9/08 with 32k) currently has 58k; took to dealership last week due to transmission slipping at various speeds on city streets as well as interstate speeds (car jerks erratically); was advised it was a "computer glitch" & dealer charged $80 for diagnostics. tonight i was driving down a city street when suddenly the car began to jerk erratically again only this time the display panel read "failsafe engine mode" and the check engine light (yellow wrench light) came on; once i got home i shut the car off; restarted it and the display panel cleared but from what i'm reading on different forums is that this could be a multitude of issues; car is under extended warranty; will be taking to dealership tomorrow. *tr

Car hesitates then lunges forward, and even feels like throttle gets stuck.. *tr

Just purchased a 2005 five hundred with 32000 miles and had to bring back to dealer for transmission up-down hard shifting. they said they had to flash w/new software. picked up and did not notice any difference, still hard shifting. have 10 days left on my 60 day warranty. will bring back to dealer for diagnostics. sounds to me that a huge amount of loyal ford customers are having a huge problem with the this transmission. i suppose i will have an transmission failure soon to come. why in gods name is nobody doing something about this problem. i also had to have my driver heated seat pads replaced because of failure. *tr

My wife has a 2005 ford 500 and we witness a sudden lurch when shifting the vehicle out of park, andeven at times where we are at a standstill. this has been happening off and on for at least 2 years. we have contacted our local ford dealership and we keep getting told its the air filter being dirty. i cleaned the filter(k&n) and reinserted it in the vehicle. we have not had any injuries or accidents as of yet, but we are afraid of the time where it does do it and cause an accident. have there been other complaints about this problem? *cn

I own a ford 500, i am now on my third replacement of a throttle body. i have found out that this is a common problem on that vehicle. this happens out of no where and is dangerous because when driving the vehicle it jumps forward and could cause an accident. not only am i in danger but those in the vehicle are as well as those around me. the part is on back order for months but i have been able to get used throttle bodies but they keep going out and none have been successful. i just picked my vehicle up from ford 3 days ago and its now back at the dealership yet again. the first time this happened i got stranded out of town for 4 days and had to drive half way back to my home town in a rental to get a used part and drive all the way back. this a huge inconvenience that has cost time and money. there is no telling how long this repair is going to take once again and how much money i will have to give away again. *tr

I was driving my vehicle on a city road doing 30mph when the car made a horrible exploding sound. after that point the car was making numerous grinding noises and would not accelerate. i stopped and had the car towed. the dealer told me it was electronic and wanted $1800 to fix it, but would not guarantee that it would fix the car. i got a second opinion and they showed me the inside of the transmission which was in shrapnel sized pieces. the damage was obviously not electronic. the vehicle is out of warranty by time but only has 33k miles on it. i am 70+ years old and have never driven the vehicle in any way that could cause this type of damage. i have spoken to several dealers and to ford customer service and no one will help me. the repair is over $6000 and i have no guarantees that it will not happen again. there is an obvious massive mechanical defect in the vehicle that needs to be investigated. i have seen numerous complaints on this transmission yet ford does not seem to acknowledge the problem even after saturn had the same problems on a similar transmission. *tr

2005 ford freestyle...throttle body issues, when the car is put into drive it jumps forward. rpm's run high on the car at all times. the car will also jump in reverse it also sounds like it is going to drop the transmission at times. this vehicle does this all of the time. it also wants to shut down when you attempt to accelerate, like to get onto freeway for example. i have searched the internet and know this is not an isolated incident! this is clearly a huge accident waiting to happen, not to mention 800.00 dollars in repairs. i was almost killed in my 1995 ford f-250 power stroke due to cam sensor issues, which was recalled right after i paid for a tow truck and repairs. this issue needs serious attention before someone gets killed, if they haven't already! ford needs to be held accountable. please pay attention to this! i will be replacing this part as soon as i can find one. i have taken this vehicle to a mechanic but not to ford dealership yet. i no longer trust ford! not to mention, i cannot afford them... *tr

I own a 2005 ford 500 (se model) car. it just passed 52k miles and the transmission just broken when i drove at normal speed on highway. i was luck that i can still survive. the dealer inspected it and told me to replace whole transmission. from the similar reports from a lot of customers, this is obviously a manufacturing issue. please investigate ford company on their common transmission problem. *tr

Vehicle slipped out of drive into neutral while ascending hill. i had to pull over completely and stop, shift into low and slowly back into drive. the car behind me almost rear ended me as i had lost power with no warning. car once warmed starts to buck violently while driving at an even speed, bucks violently when coming to a stop and randomly slips out of gear with no warning. i have had this car since 2009 and have pot less then 20000 miles on it. the dealer tells me the computer does not read any problems. *tr

I'm driving a 2005 ford 500 that i have found to be a crash waiting to happen. car only has 55k miles on it and i'm getting nothing but trouble from the transmission. this is a common problem with fords cvt transmission. http://www.fordforums.com/f632/merged-transmission-problems-please-post-them-here-160576/ the transmission bucks, skips and shakes when decelerating/accelerating around 25mph. it does the same thing when trying to accelerate fast to pass someone. or driving on a incline/decline. ford has a serious problem here and they are not owning up to it! *tr

05 ford five hundred fwd. transmission shudder down shifting around 1500 rpm feels almost like a brake problem. happens more and more often especially on hot days. dealer serviced transmission 55,000 miles changing fluid and communicating no apparent problems. total failure 58,000 miles no reverse at all ,could drive it on the trailer in low. will require a new transmission for sure, this is the last ford. *tr

I bought my 2005 ford 500 in missouri now live in new jersey the transmission started acting up at 42, 000 miles it has hard shirts with a clunking noise which was diagnosed as a valve body in the transmission i was reading in the ford forums their is quite of few cars with the same problem with ford 500.. i had to pull off the road once the transmission almost got me in a accident. i know ford knows of the problems but doesn't care . *tr

While driving for over 45 minutes or a really hot day car will buck and shake when slowing down. after that it has happened twice car slips out of gear then kick back in 30 seconds later while going 65mph on highway trying to pass someone.brought into dealer said never heard of this and could not repeat occurrence. so upgraded computer for $ 250.00 did not fix anything ,then had to wait 3 weeks for another appointment going on thursday wish me luck. *tr

I have a ford five hundred 2005 sel.with only 50,000 miles on it. when the car gets warm the transmission will shift in to a lower gear while driving on the road. i was almost hit from behind because of this. i noticed on the internet that this is a common problem with fords. *tr

Transmission in ford five hundred is going bad at 65,000. *tr

The awf21 transmission on my 2005 ford five hundred is "bucking" on downshifting and up shifting after it is warmed up and driven for about 35-45 minutes. this is dangerous and causes confusion to the other drivers in my family. this has been occurring on and off for about 30 days. *tr

When the car is very warm (start after a short time of being parked or 100+ degree day), when the transmission is shifted into drive or reverse, the engine revs to 1,500 rpm and the transmission engages making the car lurch forward, then stalls occasionally. the service indicator (wrench) light comes on and the engine operates in fail-safe mode. if this happens, then the car lurches when you let of the throttle (transmission "clunks"). turn the car off and let it sit until it cools and the service light turns off and the car drives normal again. it's a cvt transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. while placing the vehicle into park, the contact noticed a loud whining noise coming from the engine. when placing the vehicle into reverse, she heard a loud noise coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they determined that the transmission was failing. the repair could cost up to $5,100. the contact called the manufacturer and was informed that no compensation would be provided because her vehicle was not under warranty. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 44,000 and current mileage was 48,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford five hundred. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph on april 15, 2009, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and lost power. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then taken to a repair shop where the contact was informed that the motor mount was broken and it was replaced. the failure mileage was approximately 30,000. the current mileage was approximately 41,000.

2005 ford 500 - limited received a awd malfunction with in the dashboard warning system. the malfunction has been off and on for the last two weeks. no apparent drivabilty when the malfunction comes on. would reset it self after the ignition is turned off and the warning would come on back on after approximately 25 mins of driving. brought the car to auto mechanic and had the computer connected and got a p1889 code, which is to replace the oil pump pressure sensor. after replacing the sensor with a kit supplied by ford the warning still came up the next day after 25 mins of driving. that is were i am today. *tr

I purchased a used 2005 ford five hundred in july 2008. at the time the car had 68k miles, and no warranty. in january, my car started down-shifting very rough around 1000 rpm. this happens at every down-shift after the engine reaches a certain temperature. it also shifts hard when i accelerate as if to pass someone on the interstate. ford has flashed the computer and found no problems. they suggested that i replace the valve body and fluid. i have been checking message boards and have noticed many other consumers are having the same exact issue with their five hundreds, tauruses, and montegos with the cvt transmission. however, no one seems to have found a solution at this time, and ford has not made any recalls. i refuse to shell out ridiculous amounts of money to "maybe" fix this serious transmission issue. also, i am unable to trade my car for something else because it is now completely devalued. please help the hundreds of ford consumers who share in this issue. *tr