The Lemon Index
Ford Five Hundred reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 1,074 complaints about the 2004 to 2007 Ford Five Hundred with the government, most about transmission & drivetrain.
No Lemon Index score yet: we don't have reliable sales numbers for this car, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
YouTube rank: we read 198 YouTube videos about the Ford Five Hundred and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
2005–2007 Five Hundred · 199 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 510 | 3 |
| 2006 | 364 | 1 |
| 2007 | 199 | 2 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Transmission & drivetrain | 21% |
| Speed control | 20% |
| Electrical | 11% |
| Engine | 8% |
| Engine | 6% |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 6% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 41,124 and 100,000 miles. The middle report was at 70,000 miles, from 948 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 15 | 18 | 0 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
2005 Ford Five Hundred customer states that the vehicle is a lemon and that the brakes needs to be recalled*
2005 Ford Five Hundred owner · NHTSA complaint 10186854
2006 Ford Five Hundred customer states that the vehicle accelerates on its own*
2006 Ford Five Hundred owner · NHTSA complaint 10193161
2007 Ford Five Hundred lunges when put in drive or reverse. Happens all the time. Car has 130k miles.
2007 Ford Five Hundred owner · NHTSA complaint 10352217
Recalls 4
11V355000 Jul 2011 Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Filler Pipe And Cap
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007 FORD FIVE HUNDRED AND MERCURY MONTEGO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 11, 2006. THE FUEL TANKS MAY NOT HAVE CONSISTENT WELDS BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL FILLER NECK SPUD WHICH CAN AFFECT THE STRENGTH OF THE JOINT. SOME FUEL TANK SPUD WELDS MAY NOT PROVIDE THE EXPECTED STRENGTH IN THE EVENT OF A SEVERE REAR IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE. AN IMPROPER WELD CAN RESULT IN A CRACK IN THE JOINT WHICH COULD ILLUMINATE THE EMISSIONS MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT, CAUSE A FUEL ODOR, OR ALLOW FUEL TO LEAK OUT.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 16, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
06V383000 Oct 2006 Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
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.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SHIELD OVER THE FRONT LATCHES; SEAL A DRAIN HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW TRIM MOLDING ON THE FREESTYLE REAR SIDE DOORS; AND APPLY GREASE TO ALL FRONT AND REAR SIDE-DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 8, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
06E056000 Jun 2006 Fuel System, Gasoline
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.
Fix. UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
05V515000 Nov 2005 Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
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).
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FUEL TANK STRAPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 1, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Ford Five Hundred problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are transmission & drivetrain, speed control, electrical.
How many recalls does the Ford Five Hundred have?
4 safety recalls on record for the 2004 to 2007 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index because we don't have its sales by year yet. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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