2005 Ford Five Hundred

THE GAUGES PERIODICALLY GO FLAT AND THE REVERSE LIGHTS COME ON. FORD KNOWS ABOUT THIS, THEY'VE ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB 06-17-9). THE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY SOLDER JOINT AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR FROM DRIVING BUT FROM POOR DESIGN AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. FORD SHOULD CORRECT THEIR MISTAKES.

I PURCHASED A USED 2005 FORD 500 LTD AWD IN MAY 2008. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A LEASE TURN IN. THE MILEAGE WAS VERY LOW, UNDER 30,000 MILES. THE FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED IN JULY 2008. IN OCTOBER 2008, MY DASH BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING. THE GAUGES WOULD GO COMPLETELY DEAD. I COULD NOT TELL HOW FAST I WAS GOING, HOW MUCH GAS I HAD LEFT OR THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ENGINE. NOTHING ON MY DASH WOULD WORK. IT VARIED FROM LASTING SECONDS TO APPX A HALF AN HOUR. I DROVE HOME ONE NIGHT (IT TOOK ME APPX 25 MINUTES) NOT KNOWING HOW FAST I WAS GOING OR HOW MUCH GAS I HAD LEFT. ALSO, THE REVERSE LIGHTS WERE ON WHEN MY CAR WAS IN BOTH DRIVE AND PARK. I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT (MY CAR WAS IN DRIVE) AND THE REVERSE SENSOR ALARM WENT OFF WHEN A CAR PULLED UP BEHIND ME. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WE BOUGHT IT FROM & WERE TOLD IT WAS A CLUSTER IN THE DASH THAT WAS A "KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE" BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A "SAFETY ISSUE" FORD DID NOT HAVE TO RECALL THIS. I FEEL THAT NOT BEING ABLE TO KNOW WHAT SPEED YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY TO BE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO HAVING YOUR REVERSE LIGHTS ON WHILE THE CAR IS IN PARK OR DRIVE SEEMS A BIT DANGEROUS AS WELL. WE HAD IT REPAIRED AND IT COST US OVER 400.00. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO, WE HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER "CLUSTER" REPAIRED THAT WAS MAKING MY TRANSMISSION SHAKE & THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL ANOTHER WARNING LIGHT APPEAR. IT WAS A SENSOR THAT WENT BAD AND WAS MAKING MY CAR THINK IT WAS OUT OF GAS. THIS COST US ALMOST 350.00 TO REPAIR. NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE SENSORS/CLUSTERS ON THESE CARS BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME. *TR

MY 05 FORD 500 HAS 58,000 MILES ON IT AND NOW THE DASH LIGHTS FLASH/GO OFF AND THE GAUGES READ 0. THE REVERSE LIGHTS COME ON TOO. IT WAS VERY SCARY WHEN IT HAPPENED. IT APPEARS TO BE AT RANDOM: NO PARTICULAR TIME OF DAY, NO CERTAIN WEATHER, AND AT NO PARTICULAR SPEED. I HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ALSO HAVE FORD 500S AND SAY THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THEM AS WELL. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED! *TR

DASH GAUGES, LIGHTS, INOPERABLE. STUCK IN VARIOUS POSITIONS. TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERABLE AND REVERSE LIGHTS ARE ON IN THE DRIVE POSITION. REVERSE WARNING INDICATORS BEEP WHEN IN TRAFFIC AT STOP LIGHTS OR WHEN OTHER VEHICLES GET CLOSE TO REAR OF VEHICLE. AIR BAG INOPERABLE WARNING LIGHT IS ON ALL THE TIME. EXISTING RESEARCH BY NHTSA INDICATES EXTERIOR LIGHTING WORKING ON PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS. INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES TURN SIGNALS AND REVERSE LIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE WHEN CLUSTER FAILS. POSSIBLE AIR BAG FAILURE COUPLED WITH INOPERABLE TURN SIGNALS AND INCREASED RISK OF ACCIDENT AS WELL AS REVERSE LIGHTS ON IN DRIVE ARE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERNS. *TR

APPARENTLY, I AM NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE NHTSA'S ATTENTION. I LIKE SO MANY OTHER, HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY FORD FIVE HUNDRED. I WOULD LIKE FOR A RECALL TO BE ISSUED AS IT HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME AN ACCIDENT TODAY, AND CAN LEAD TO OTHER HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR OTHERS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY CAR HAS FAILED COMPLETELY, AND MY SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, AND ALL OTHER GAUGES SHUT OFF. WHENEVER I DRIVE MY CAR, THE REVERSE (OR WHITE) LIGHT TURNS ON DESPITE THE FACT THAT I MIGHT BE DRIVING FORWARD AT 55MPH ON A HIGHWAY. I THINK CORRECTIVE ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TOWARDS A RESOLUTION. THERE ARE COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS REGARDING THIS VERY ISSUE.

WHILE DRIVING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BLACKED OUT AND WHEN IT CAME BACK ON THE INSTRUMENTS ALL REGISTERED 0. AFTER THE INITIAL INCIDENT IT HAS CONTINUED TO ESCALATE. ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 26, 2010 THE PANEL BLACKED OUT AND THE CAR BOGGED DOWN AND I HAD TO PULL OFF OF THE ROAD, TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART TO GET IT TO RUN NORMALLY. THERE IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE CAR AND I FEEL THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE.

TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO HAD THE PANEL RESTORED. THE DEALER COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE FAILURE WOULD NOT OCCUR AGAIN AS THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

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.

I PURCHASED A 2005 FORD 500 4-DOOR SEDAN 2-1/2 YEARS AGO FROM A FORD DEALERSHIP. IT WAS DESCRIBED AS A "PROGRAM" CAR. I SOON NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY LIGHTS WOULD NOT LIGHT UP DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS, EVEN THOUGH THE RHEOSTAT WAS SET ON MAXIMUM BRILLIANCE. I PROVED THIS BY DRIVING INTO A DARK PARKING GARAGE AND SAW THAT THE SAID LIGHTS TURNED ON AT MAXIMUM. I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER ABOUT THIS AND HE SAID FORD HAD WIRED THE LIGHTS THROUGH THE SOLAR SWITCH VIA THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT AND COULD NOT BE CHANGED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION WHEN DRIVING IN DAYLIGHT HOURS AND TO SEE THE INFORMATION O THE DASHBOARD THE RUNNING LIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF. IN MY OPINION THIS DEFECT NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED WITH A RECALL. THANK YOU. *TR