Problems · by component
2005 Ford Five Hundred vehicle speed control problems
104 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Five Hundred cite vehicle speed control, 20% of all 510 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
104
20% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“while we are in idel for a period of time the car wants to surge forward without pushing on the gas. it wants to rev withough the has pedal being pushed. It does it at red lights, stop signs, and if Im in a drive through.”
“I WAS AT RED LIGHT PERSON CROSSING ROAD I WAS I. DRIVE FOOT ON BRAKE, RPMS SHOT UP ENGINE REEVES CAT LUNGED FORWARD I PRESSED HARDER IN BRAKE ALMOST HIT PERSON. AT THE TIME NO WARNING LIGHTS. THEN AT PHARMACY DRIVE THRU W CAR I. FROM AND I. BACK OF ME CAR DID SAME THING. I HAD TO PRESS BRAKE HARD TO PREVENT MOVING HITTING CAR IN FROM OF ME. I WAS IN DRIVE BUT FOOT ON BRAKE! NO WARNING LIGHTS AT TIME. HAD THROTTLE BODY REPLACED STILL HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS PROGRESSING LITTLE DID I KNOW WHEN THROTTLE BODY IS REPLACED HAS TO BE REPROGRAMMED BY FORD! SPENT SO MUCH MONEY AND TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT PROBLEM. THIS IS A FLAW W FORD 500 2005 THROTTLE BODY MANY COMPLAINTS AND TEST DOES NEVER ISSUES RECALL, UNSAFE. I COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE.”
“TRANSMISSION HAS VERY HARD AND DELAYED UPSHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL SPEED WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. RPM GETS STUCK AROUND 3000 AT LOWER SPEEDS AND UPON ENGAGING INTO GEAR HAS MADE MY TIRES SQUAWK WITH A SUDDEN LUNGE IN SPEED AND SAME PROBLEM WHEN TRYING TO STOP, THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD. IT ACTS AS THOUGH IT IS IN NEUTRAL BUT THEN WHEN IT ENGAGES INTO GEAR SUDDEN CHANGES IN SPEED OCCUR CAUSING RAPID ACCELERATION OR DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM GETS WORSE AFTER THE CAR IS UP TO NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IT DOESN'T OCCUR AS OFTEN AT COLDER OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THIS PROBLEM MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO GET BACK UP TO SAFE HIGHWAY SPEEDS AFTER HAVING TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC OR RED LIGHTS AS WELL AS HARD TO GET UP TO SPEED TO SAFELY MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FROM AN ON RAMP. AS FAR AS "WHEN" THIS HAPPENED IT IS EVERY DAY AS I DRIVE DAILY.”
“(ETB) ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY ON MY CAR CAUSES AN ACCELERATION THAT MAKES THE CAR JERK FORWARD. I'VE ALMOST HIT A WALL, AND GOD FORBID THIS HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY I COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. ITS UNSAFE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. POOR DESIGN I GUESS BUT IT'S NOT WORTH MY LIFE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE IDLING IN DRIVE THRU WHEN I TRIED TO GO FORWARD IT IDLED REALLY HIGH THEN DROPPED DOWN. WOULD BOT ACCELERATE AFTERWARDS.”
“I HAVE RESEARCHED ONLINE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH MY SAME CAR ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING MY WHOLE DASH BOARD GOES OUT . I CAN NO LONGER SEE HOW FAST I'M GOING. EVERYTHING GOES TO 0 THE GAS GOES TO E AND MY REVERSE LIGHTS STAY ON UNTIL THE DASH BOARD COMES BACK UP. IF AND WHEN IT COMES BACK ON MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL BE ON. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING EVERY SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR 3YEARS AGO ON AND OFF.”
“I TOOK MY BATTERY OUT MY 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED AND THE FAIL SAFE ENGINE MODE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND IT WONT GO OFF THIS NEED TO BE RECALL THEY SAY THE COMPTER SHUT DOWN AND I HAVE TO GET IT RESETED I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IT ALMOST HIT SOMEONE WHEN IT JURK TO THE FRONT AND I ALMOST HIT A VEHICLE BACKING UP”
Showing 6 of 104 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.