This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed that the vehicle would violently jerk and surge intermittently. Also, the throttle body assembly would intermittently become stuck in the open throttle position. The dealer was notified of the failure who informed the contact that there were no related recalls. The contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed which concluded that the throttle bottle module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
As I was slowing to turn off of a state highway, my car shut off and displayed a message that said "failsafe engine mode." I was somewhat able to steer, so I completed my turn onto a side street, where the car drifted to a stop. I was able to restart the car and drive home. The next morning, the car would start but immediately shut off, displaying the same error message. I had it towed to a garage, which indicated that the diagnostic test revealed a failed electronic throttle body. They ordered a replacement part, which was then installed. Incidentally, the part had since been redesigned by Ford. Once that part was reinstalled, the computer was reflashed to "learn" that a new throttle body assembly was installed. The computer would not learn the new part, though, so a new computer had to be ordered and installed. Over the last five years, this same problem (shutting off while driving) had occurred, but in each case I was able to restart the car without any further problem. This was dangerous in that my car simply shut off while I was driving, making a left turn across oncoming traffic. Fortunately nobody was coming the other direction, so I was able to safely drift through the oncoming lane to another side street. Also, it is important to note that while my car was at the dealership having the throttle body replaced, I was told that there were approximately five other Ford Five hundred vehicles in the shop at the same time for the same problem with their electronic throttles as well.
My 2005 Ford 500 has a fail safe mode that comes on with a wrench symbol on the dash. When this occurs the car accelerates quickly and jumps while my foot is on the brake. The car still goes while hold the brakes down. This occurs to my vehicle every year. It is happening to my car again and I have to pay for the repairs. I feel this is a safety issue and the consumer should not have continue to have to pay for this problem. It is very alarming when this occurs and you feel as if you have no control over your vehicle. This has occurred with my vehicle every year since I purchased it new and I am very lucky that when it happened I did not have a vehicle in front of me. I love the Ford 500 but this is a scary thing when it happens.
2005 Ford Five hundred. Consumer states problem regarding dangerous and potentially lethal failure mode the consumer stated he experienced sudden acceleration while in reverse gear. While backing out slowly, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. A considerable amount of force had to be applied to the brake in order to stop the vehicle. The incident occurred on four other occasions. A computer diagnostics revealed no anomalies except for an inlet airflow disturbance attributed to a distorted filter. The filter was replaced and normal airflow was restored.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving 40 to 45 mph the throttle body failed. The vehicle began to hesitate, lunge forward and would not move normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced, but the parts were on back order and would also cost $400 to repair. The Ford manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 65,000.
- Pembrooke Pines, FL, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. The contact was reversing at an unknown low speed when the vehicle abnormally accelerated backward until pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The failure became an intermittent failure and the vehicle was never taken to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 63,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.
When driving at slow speeds or accelerating from a stopped position, car will lurch forward, then stall. Check engine light, "fail safe engine mode", and lighted yellow wrench indicator light appears in dashboard. Turning off the car and restarting will help sometimes.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. When the gear shift was placed in reverse the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the rpms increased. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for diagnostic testing who stated that the throttle body was defective. The manufacturer will be contacted. Updated 01/13/11 the consumer stated when she released the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not decease in speed without applying the brake. The throttle body was replaced. Updated 04/19/11
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving approximately 3 mph in reverse the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a fence. He turned the vehicle off when the engine fail safe light came on. When he restarted the vehicle the check engine light came on. He shifted the vehicle into drive gear and it accelerated without him engaging the accelerator pedal. The failure occurred intermittently and had become progressively worse over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not been repaired since the contact would be responsible for paying $695.86 to repair the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 59,240.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving approximately 15 mph she engaged the accelerator pedal and the rpms increased excessively. She stated that when the speed increased to 30 mph the vehicle no longer accelerated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the fuel injection body throttle needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the parts were on back order for a least two to three weeks. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was unable to provide a VIN. The failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage was 71,200.
Monday, June 28th my vehicle seemed to slightly accelerate when I was backing it into a parking spot. Then about a week later (July 06th), I was stopped in a line of other vehicles, and the same thing happened where it would accelerate, only this time, it happened approximately 5 times consistently. My vehicle's check engine light appeared with a message that read, "fail safe engine mode". the next day, I immediately took it in to a Ford dealer to have it inspected. They said that this is frequent issue with the throttle body and it's unsafe to drive with these conditions. They also mentioned that they have seen a case where a customer's throttle was wide open and accelerated uncontrollably and is shocked that it hasn't been recalled yet. He suggested it not leave the lot until the repairs were done. We left it at the dealership to get repaired, but took his advice. We believe this a default in the manufacturing of the throttle body, and causing unsafe driving conditions. We hope this will get investigated, so no one is injured.
Ford Five hundred lunged dramatically as I attempted to make a right turn from a stopped position. I immediately attempted to brake in order to slow the car down and yield to a pedestrian that had begun to cross the street. It took an extreme amount of pressure on the brake pedal in order to fight engine's acceleration and stop the car. Upon removing my foot from the brake, the car attempted to re-accelerate hard again, scaring the pedestrian enough that they waved me through and refused to cross until I passed by. The next day, while parking the car in a public garage, the car suddenly lurched forward very hard, again requiring maximum effort to prevent accelerating. This time I was headed into a concrete wall and stopped 2 inches short. For the first time, car entered failsafe mode and presented a check engine light (this light had not been previously presented). Dealer informs me computer reports codes of P610B and P2106. They want to replace the throttle body assembly and reprogram the PCM. While I had experienced the sudden acceleration issue intermittently over the years; I never got resolution (unable to recreate the problem) and had never received a check engine light with this code before. Investigating this very expensive repair has led me to discover that my experience is not unique and is a recurring issue for this vehicle. Further, the costly repair being recommended appears to be a stop-gap fix at best with no certainty of actually fixing the problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred ltd AWD. The contact stated that he experienced a sudden acceleration twice. The failure occurred when he attempted to park the vehicle and again when he made a left turn, with his foot depressing the brake pedal. The contact continued to apply pressure to the brake until the vehicle came to a stop. The manufacturer was contacted; however, a report was not taken. The manufacturer stated they were not aware of the failure and to have the failure diagnosed by the dealer. The failure and the current mileages were 131,000.
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 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
In parking spot. Just started car. Foot on brake. Shifted car to reverse gear. After a couple or more seconds, the car lurched, with my foot on the break, and nearly hit a pedestrian walking behind my car. Upon researching this symptom, I discovered other owners of the Five hundred, freestyle and Taurus reporting the same symptoms. The culprit appears to be a malfunctioning throttle body, which is or was in short supply for replacement. This particular incident is not the first time I experienced this event. This is just the first time a pedestrian was at risk. The pedestrian can be contacted for verification.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving between 55-60 mph the vehicle went into safety mode. This conditions causes the vehicle to down-shift. Prior to the failure the engine warning light would illuminate on the instrument control panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the throttle body was damaged. Another technician stated that the failure of throttle body caused damages to the transmission. The transmission was repaired, but the throttle body was on backorder. A representative of the manufacturer speculated that the parts would be available in December of 2009. The current and failure mileages were 52,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. The throttle body in his engine failed. When minimal pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal it failed to move and suddenly it rapidly accelerated without warning. Part# 5F9Z9E926B has been on back order since November 2009 which has made it impossible to drive his vehicle for over a month. The manufacturer also stated that since there was no warranty he would be responsible for the repair cost. The failure mileage was 24,812.
The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. The contact stated that her vehicle shut off while driving various speeds; however, within a few minutes she was able to restart it. The dealer confirmed that the throttle body failed and that the parts are on a national back order. The dealer advised the contact to purchase the parts from a local junk yard. The manufacturer stated that over 1,000 parts are on back order and that they are unsure of when the parts would be available. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.
The contact's client owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While the client was driving 35 mph, she removed her foot from the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle continued to accelerate. She attempted to apply the brakes, but the speed continued to increase. The client also applied the emergency brake and encountered a pickup truck traveling in the same direction. She crossed over the double-yellow line on a 2-lane road and passed the pickup truck. The driver of the pickup informed police that he noticed brakes being applied, smelled, and saw blue smoke coming from the vehicle. The vehicle continued accelerating. The air bags deployed. The client then side swiped a guardrail for approximately 40 feet. The front tire blew out and the vehicle was pushed across the roadway. A police report was filed. Two passengers sustained injuries. The front end of the vehicle struck an embankment on the other side of the road. The vehicle became airborne for approximately 70 feet and landed on its side. At that time, only the driver's side air bag deployed. The vehicle rolled over twice and landed at a recently planted flower bed. The driver seat belt disengaged as well. Part of the crash was caught on tape by a Pennsylvania dot surveillance camera. The current and failure mileages were 22,000. Updated 04/29/08.
The contact stated when applying brake pressure the engine revved at an elevated level. He shifted the vehicle into neutral. When this occurred and the rpms subsided. He took the vehicle to the dealer, who performed a diagnostic test, but this did not produce any codes indicating the source of the problem. Therefore, no repairs were made. He contacted the manufacturer and they referred him back to the local dealer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Port Washington, WI, USA