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.
There is a chronic recurrence of the engine stalling, jerking, idle speed loping, in low gear for this vehicle. At start up and the engine is cold there is little to no problem. However, once the normal operating temperature is reached (per the readout gauge), and upon applying the brakes to come to a stop, and as the transmission downshifts the engine goes dead or stalls, after re-starting and at idle, the idle speed, per the indicator, fluctuates back and forth from about 500 RPM's to 900 rpms. Placing the gear shift in the drive position causes the car to jump prior to acceleration. At this point when taking off the car jerks forward. It smoothes out after increasing the speed, but prior to each stop the fluctuating begins again.
Throttle body caused surging and then after couple months just started stalling out and dying everytime the car would slow down for a stop or coming to a stop.
At a stoplight with the brake on the engine revved up and the car jumped forward about 20 feet before I could stop it. At the next light the same thing happened. At my final destination approximately 2 miles away my son (who was with me the whole time = I was taking him back to college) told me to let the car run to see if it would do it again. With the car in drive and my foot on the brake (hard) it revved up 2 more times in less than 2 minutes to at least 1500 RPM and was very difficult to hold back. I took it in to the dealer the next day and they replaced the throttle body at a cost of $800. After calling Ford and reporting the situation they refused to document this or make a case number until I told them I knew there was a technical bulletin on this according to the dealer. They gave me a case number [xxx] but were rude to me and could not answer if the replacement part addressed the issue and has been fixed. I do not know if it will happen in the next mile, next 100,000 miles, or never again if they will not say if replacement parts have corrected a problem. If a car or pedestrian were in front of me when this happened I would have had an accident without doubt. This car has a safety problem and the incident happened on Nov. 27, 2011. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
When I shift from a stopped position, either into drive or reverse, the car lunges or jumps forward. It makes it very difficult to control. The dealer knows about the problem and says that Ford knows about the problem, but refuses to fix it unless a god awful amount of money is paid in repair costs. Then he says it may happen again!
Ford Five hundred started lurching or lunging when placed in gear. From a parked position.. the car lurched back into the wall of the carport crushing the back bumper. On another occasion the car lurched when the door was open and knocked into the carport post. Very dangerous.
- Chuluota, FL, USA
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This car has lunged forward and backward almost causing several accidents. Dealership say they don't know what is causing it. Warranty is worthless. Air conditioner went out when temp's were over 105 degrees. Over $1000 to repair.
When backing out of a parking space, car will lunge back a few feet. Just last week, I was backing out of a parking space at a store and it lunged five times before I took it out of reverse and put it into drive. It lunged again forward and then I was able to drive it home. If my foot is not on the brake, the car will continue to lunge unless it is stopped either by braking or hitting something. When in a drive-thru, with foot on the brake, when I release the brake the car will lunge forward. After researching the problem, people have stated it is a problem with the throttle and it could cost $500 + dollars to repair. It is a factory mistake that Ford is not taking responsibility for. I was advised to file a complaint with NHTSA just in case an accident occurs because of this problem. We are taking the car in to see if we can afford the repair on our own next week. If it is the throttle and does cost as much as others have claimed, we will not be able to afford the repair.
Air conditioner has gone out at 27,465 miles, warranty has expired and they tell me it will cost $1700 dollars to fix! not fixed at this point, will be talking to Ford dealership about this one.
I just bought my 2007 Ford Five hundred 3 weeks ago and I was driving and all of a sudden the RPM starting going up really high the throttle light(wrench) came on and my car started slowing down. I pulled over, just avoided getting smashed in the rear from a truck and my car stopped moving. I cut the car off then tried to crank it back up at first it didn't start then it cranked 2nd time but then the check engine light was on and stayed on. I took it to a mechanic he said something about a throttle code he said he wanted to give it a second chance. He reset the codes and all lights were off. Well, about 2 days later while driving to work the same thing happened which he said shouldn't happen anymore. I called he said something about Ford having to order the part and fix the car. I went on several online forums and found that many other Ford 500 hundred customers were/are having the same problem and when they tried to get it fixed it only re-appeared again later. Something is not right with this. This should be a recall.. sincerely, very very unsatisfied first time Ford customer.......
I purchased a Ford 500 07 in March of 2010. Prior to the 60,000 mile warranty ending, I took the car back twice for a surging problem going from drive/reverse. The first time the shop could not find a problem. The second time the service mgr. And daughter did a test drive. Right off the bat the car surged. He called me and told me to bring the car back one morning so he could keep it all day. I could not do this at the time, this is my only means of transportation. On 10/2/10 while backing up in the emergency lane on the interstate. My car accelerated on it own, while moving backwards. I hit the brake the accelerator went to the floor. I lifted my foot off the brake it took off again. The RPM hand was going crazy. I had no control. The car went into a spin, I ended up in the ditch while hitting another car. Luckily we are still alive.....updated 08/08/16
At low speeds, usually while easing into my garage, or while backing out, the engine of my 2007 Ford 500 surges causing the vehicle to lurch. I took the car to my dealer who diagnosed the problem as "internal failure with throttle body assembly" and recommended replacement for an estimated cost of more than $800. I paid $97.20 to have the problem identified. It seems this is a basic safety issue that the manufacturer should fix if it is happening regularly. I am looking for information to go back to the dealer and ask that they fix it without charge.
I had just driven to my brother's house in wv. My wife and I got out of the car and went inside. About 15 minutes later my brother saw smoke in the window and saw that my car was on fire. We all went outside and while they called the fire department I tried to put the fire out with a hose. I could only knock it down some to keep it from spreading but when the fire dept got they put it out.
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Five hundred. The vehicle sustained damage during a tornado. After having the vehicle repaired the battery and the oil light illuminated. The oil levels in the vehicle were normal. The vehicle was currently being diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileage was 11,090.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Los Angeles, CA, USA