2005 Ford Five Hundred Problems, Recalls & Reliability
863 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Ford Five Hundred, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 78,500 miles.
Below average
Where 2005 sits among all Five Hundred years
What owners report
“Harsh and delayed shifting. Lunges forward when in drive at stop even with foot on brake, same in reverse. Car shifts fine for first 20-30 minutes then starts to shift hard up and down... Seems to get worse as car gets warmer”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
“Started my vehicle as regular, as i shifted into drive my car jerked and my message screen read "failsafe engine mode". I cut the car off and restarted it. The same outcome of it jerking and accelerating on it own.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
“At first our 2005 ford five hundred had issues with instrument cluster failures (blacking out and needles zeroing etc. But now rear back up lights come on going down the highway because of this electrical problem. I believe this has to be considered a safety issue and should warrant a recall .thank…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
“The car wants to accelerate on its own whenever i go from park to drive. This also happens while putting car in reverse. This is very dangerous and makes me very nervous.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
“I dont feel safe driving my car i put 2000 dollars of work and still do not feel save.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
“Takata recall door latches and links. As like all the other complaints when it gets cold my door will open but it will not close. When it first occurred my door flew open while i was driving. I looked up the recall but my vin number was not included this does not make any sense to me.on a city…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Five Hundred
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 732 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 83,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 50,000 and 131,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
51 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and electrical — are on file for the 2005 Ford Five Hundred. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 Five Hundred TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Ford Five Hundred reliable?
The 2005 Ford Five Hundred drew 863 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2005).
What are the most common 2005 Ford Five Hundred problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Ford Five Hundred are transmission & drivetrain (167 complaints), engine (140), and electrical (136).
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Five Hundred problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Ford Five Hundred problems around 83,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 50,000 and 131,000 miles.
Does the 2005 Ford Five Hundred have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Ford Five Hundred. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.