What breaks most · 2005 to 2007 model years
Ford 500 problems by year
Owners have filed 204 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford 500 across model years 2005 to 2007. Three years stand out: 2005 for engine complaints, 2006 for speed control and throttle complaints and 2007 for powertrain and transmission complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2005, 2006, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 2042005 to 2007, all trims
- Worst year
- 200599 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 105 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 109kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 4 | 0 | Engine (31) | |
| 68 | 4 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (24) | |
| 37 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (11) |
What fails on the 2005 Ford 500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 31% |
31 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 28% |
28 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 20% |
20 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 18% |
18 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
7 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
7 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Air bags | 5% |
5 | 3 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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While the car is started but at a stop, the car is fine. When the car has the gas petal pushed down, it will not move. The car stalls out while driving.
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The throttle body was replaced once due to random car surging. Problem resurfaced a year later. This time FORD said it was the alternator ($570). I don't think FORD knows what's wrong with this car, but there is a safety issue. The car surges randomly.
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We experience the doors opening light coming on saying doors are a jar. Rpms rev up in the car will pull forward at a stop. Passenger seat belt will open. Transmission will show slowing in shifting gears. The ac will experience shutting off during hot temperature no cool air will flow through vents.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford 500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005, 2006, 2007 carry the most filings on the Ford 500. The 2005 alone has 99 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Ford 500 problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 31 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford 500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford 500 complaints that include mileage is about 109,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.