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I was just told they reprogrammed the board and the problem was back in a day now I am being told I need to replace the whole dash cluster. Which is 500.00 for a car that is 3 years old.
I got rid of the car.
Also, do you have any other details about the fix? If I was going to relay this info. to my transmission guy-which valve would I refer him to?
Thanks.
ase tech.
Often when I come out of park or neutral I feel and hear a "clunk". If the car was rear wheel drive I would swear it had bad u-joints.
Is there an adjustment that can be done or does the software need to be reflashed?
It was reflashed about a year ago under warranty for something else already.
Thanks.
I have been driving it since. By driving carefully, I can minimize the problem.
Also, are there any aftermarket replacements for the dorky stick antenna on the car? I noticed the '08 Taurus/Sable does not have a stick antenna.
Also have the dreaded bubble in the lid in the center of the dash.
Any ideas?
Lorrie :confuse:
1) Any idea what the truth is about the problem?
2) Anyone had the rear pads replaced and found the replacements to wear out just as fast as the originals OR did the replacements last longer ?
3) Any user history/comments on the life of the front pads ?
I just purchased a used 2006 Ford 500 SEL with 11,000 miles on it, and have already experienced two of the three issues that you mentioned. I also hear a grinding sound as I back out of my driveway, when I apply the brake. After reading a few other replies, I'm agreeing with the cheap-o rear brake pad response, and, I looked at my back wheel and did see way more brake dust than the front, so, hopefully this will go away when I replace the pads with better, ceramic ones. . I haven't heard the "passenger side annoying vibration" yet but will pay attention when driving around the city and on the highway. The "lunging forward" problem was pretty scary. I stopped at a light, put full pressure on the brakes, and the engine accelerated like it was trying to override the brakes. I put the car in neutral and back into drive, and it idled normally after that. I'm not mechanically minded, but I can't help but wonder if it's a case of not letting the car warm up for a couple minutes after just starting it. I have a habit of starting the engine and off I go, but now I'm taking a few minutes to let the car warm up and let the idle speed adjust, and, so far, the problem has not repeated. Honestly, I thought my big feet were somehow pressing on the brake and touching the accelerator at the same time. Pretty scary stuff, especially after everyone I talked to suggested that if I'm going to buy a used car, to buy a Japanese one. Also, I need to get used to parking this beast in crowded parking spots. I'm used to smaller cars, and the 500 is a vehicle that can't be "whipped right into a tight parking space". To each his or her own, I suppose. Beyond the initial problems, this is truly a beautiful, spacious, great riding car. I'll hope for the best.
We all purchased these cars with the belief that Ford would support and even promote our type of Car. Instead we see they change the name, then they completely leave the brand obscured and hidden, not ever and i me and EVER, even advertising it !!!
we have all spent a lot of money to purchase this, and within 12-15 months the car is not worth 30% of the purchase price.
I think that Ford has completely bungled this car in advertising and support, making our investment worthless.
if we work together we may be able to have Ford forgive some of the outstanding money we still may owe to Ford or any other lending institution that we owe the financing of our vehicles.
Ford mishandled the car--- we believed in it enough to buy it, Ford should stand behind the vehicle and not let us take such a bath in the value !!!
Hope you got a better value and car !!!
What are you smoking. You bought this car to drive -- not as an investment. Ford and or your lenders don't owe you anything. You - and only you made the decision to purchase the vehicle. You have no contract with them when you purchased the vehicle regarding what they would do to maintain or guarantee value for you, advertising, etc. They made no claims. They did not promise a trade in value.
You should have done your homework. Drive the car! Enjoy the car. Drive it till the wheels fall off -- that is the only way to get "value" from any vehicle. It is a means and method of transportation - to get from one place to the next safely - not an investment.
Things only have value if someone wants them. You obviously wanted this car. Now no one wants it used. So be it.
It's like crying because the value of your stock went down.
Get over it.
What kind of support do you want from Ford. Can you bring it in to a dealer or a mechanic of your choice for repairs? Are parts available for repairs? Is the car a lemon? Does it not do what you expect it to - get in - turn the key - it starts - and you drive. Do the accessories work?
Jeeze -- you are probably the sort of individual who blames everyone else for their bad decisions -- and takes all the credit if things work out. Grow up!
What we do have is a reliable, roomy, comfortable car with very good visibility that has decent power and handling.
I bought my Five Hundred and Freestyle (both '05's) to DRIVE them . . . . not as investments.
94K is a lot of miles, but still, this car had to have been close to $25K new. It is in very good shape, with new tires and brakes, the interior is in super condition, and it runs like a champ. It has a few issues, like the front valance being curb cracked, but honestly it drives like new. Not a rattle or squeak anywhere.
The only problem is that I have absolutely no maintenance records. I don't know if the CVT fluid was changed at 60K or not. Since that is a $400(!) job, I'll take the chance that the previous owner kept up on maintenance.
There was a 2WD 2005 Five Hundred in similar shape that came in with a $4200 minimum bid, and no one bid on it . No one.
The good news for the used buyer is that these are great values. The car is built like a vault. This is going to be the car my 15 year old daughter learns to drive on.
Hi all. I have a couple of questions regarding solutions that you've found to your problems. I will also list the problems I've encountered.
I bought a used '05 Montego 35 days. In that time, I've experienced the following problems:
Trunk doesn't really release:I have to press the release button (on the dash or on my remote) at least twice to get it to let go, and by let go, I don't mean that the lid will pop up - I mean that I physically have to lift the trunk lid, sometimes forcibly, but it actually lifts. Otherwise, it's like I never hit the button to release it.
Gas cap/evap valve:My check engine light came on, and after reading the code, they changed my gas cap. Three days later, the check engine light came back on, and they changed the evap valve. I have not experienced another problem with this yet, but then again, since fixing that (2.5 weeks ago), I've actually only been in possession of my car for 5 days...
Jerking/Bucking when accelerating and decelerating:This is the really bad one, as it scared the hell out of me and I almost had an accident today...Initially (and by initially, I mean about 3 weeks ago), I noticed a little jerking when I was coming to a stop. However, this did not happen each time I came to a stop, only occasionally. (Also, one time, I noticed a hard shift when I was accelerating on the highway, but I assumed that was just a horrible combination of hill, acceleration, and timing of the car downshifting when I hit the gas, so I didn't put any thought into this.) However, over the next week, the jerking became more frequent. During this time, I started to notice a bit of jerking when I accelerate - hard shifting, but not overly strong...
I took it to CarMax, and they initially said it had to do with the gas cap/evap valve problem, and when they fixed it, it would be fine. WRONG.
I took it back, and they said it was a transmission problem and sent it to a transmission shop. The shop ran full diagnostics on the transmission and said there was nothing wrong with it at all, so they said it was a computer problem. So they had Ford "flash" the computer.
Well, I got the car back yesterday, and again, WRONG. It drove amazingly last night and this morning!! However, I was driving during 5 o'clock traffic, and all of a sudden, the car jerked with amazing intensity (I had been driving on cruise control, and I was approaching a lot of traffic, so I tapped my brake to release cruise and to prepare to slow down). The jerk scared me, and I slammed my knee into the steering column/dash area (a very ugly bruise on my kneecap forming, btw). So, I applied the brakes, and it started doing the jerking again like it had before, but at a much stronger intensity than before I had taken it into the shop. Due to this, I had an immense fear that I was about to eat the car in front of me, but luckily I managed to get the car stopped before plowing into them. (I mention this somewhat irrelevant information about my pain and fear to emphasize why I find this to more of an immediate problem rather than an annoying occurrence.) For the remaining 5 minutes of drive-time to get home, it was intensely jerking during both acceleration and deceleration.
I've been reading the forums, and I've seen people mention that their shops had suggested fuel filter, fuel pump, new transmission, etc. I spoke with an out-of-state mechanic friend, and he suggested that it may be the torque converter (which is not diagnosed by the computer).
If you've had this problem with your Five Hundred or Montego and the problem has been resolved, please reply and let me know what your solution was and the cost of repair. Just so you know, in case it matters for warranty or anything like that, my car has 56,700 miles on it. I need this fixed ASAP, as I need a reliable car (where I don't fear having an accident each time I drive). However, I am a full-time graduate student, so my finances are extremely limited, so if your repairs were covered under warranty or anything like that, please mention what your mileage was so I can realistically consider costs. (My financial situation is one of the reasons I bought this car to begin with - it had the options and space I wanted at a price I could afford assuming I was not going to be having so many problems...)
Those problems aside, I do want to make something clear - usually, in a case like this, I would hate the car immensely and not want to deal with it at all, and with my financial situation, it very well may get to that point; however, at this point, I do not hate my car. I still really really like it. When it's not doing the jerking, the ride is extremely smooth and comfortable. The space in the car is amazing!!! (I can easily fit 4 50-pound bags of dog food in the trunk with no problem. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure I can get 6 in there, maybe 7...) And the interior is extremely comfortable!
I want to keep this car, but in order to get it fixed as quickly as possible and at a reasonable price, I'd appreciate your advice on what was done to finally solve this problem with your vehicle. Thank you so much, and I look forward to your replies!
Take that with a grain of salt though, as this is the 4th time they've "fixed" it. I won't get it back until the middle of next week, but once I've driven it for a few days feeling for any bucking, I'll definitely update my thread to let everybody know if the valve body was the ticket or not...
I've had a lot of frustration with this, especially considering that the shop has now had my car twice as long as I had it in my possession during the time I've owned it (44 days)... I completely understand... Lots of luck!!
Did you ever get this resolved? I have a 2005 FiveHundred that does exactly the same thing, I noticed on the new Taurus they have a springloaded pusher that actually pushes the latch mechanism up off the latch hook. As soon as I can confirm that this one will fit I might just go ahead and buy it and install it myself.
Please, keep me informed if you decide to install that on your car. If it works, definitely let me know, as I'd probably have it installed in the future.
I got it back almost a week ago, and so far, it's doing great!! After I've had it with no issues for a couple of weeks, I'll call the transmission shop that it was sent to and find out exactly what all they changed to stop the bucking, and then I'll post it so that everyone can use that as a reference.
As for the gas tank pressure issue, they changed my gas cap and an evap valve, and that didn't fix the issue. They finally sent it to Ford, and I believe the issue has been fixed, as I've had no problems and I've refilled my tank twice. Usually, within about 25 miles of refilling my tank, my check-engine light would come on, so this is why I think it's fixed. I spoke with them, and they said that they replaced the evaporative solenoid control valve (which is different from the evap valve they'd changed before).
Well, I'll be in touch in a week or two to let you know about the bucking issue and what the shop did to resolve it (if it remains fixed).
Nasandtrap