Most common 2006 Ford 500 problems
Share of the 68 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford 500 complaints by model year
Best 500 years: 2007. Compare all years →
What 2006 Ford 500 owners say
Speed control & acceleration all 24 →
It has check engine light on, momentary engine idle, RPM surge when stopped or during low speed driving, such as turning into a parking or backing out of a parking spot. Pulling in or backing out of the garage. Stoping at a stop light, lunges forward: came close to causing property damage by running into another vehicle in parking lot or at stop light. Safety issue, what if the car lunges forward at a stop light into incoming traffic, causing bodily injury and property damage. Ford should have recalled this safety issue. I purchased this cause after the 10 year warranty extension was issued. The previous owner did not fix this, I just found out about it, now I will have to fight to get Ford to cover a known safety issue, that puts my children at risk. .
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford 500. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH during inclement weather, the vehicle lost power as the headlights dimmed. In addition, the vehicle jerked and the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact also stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to another dealer, who diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 04/07/16
Transmission & drivetrain all 20 →
The local Ford dealership, interstate Ford, states our car's entire rear differential assembly is bad, is non serviceable, and is obsolete. We purchased the car new, it is accident free, and the dealership verifies the situation is not due to excessive wear and tear (only 101,000 miles on odometer and well maintained). We cannot fix the car, trade in the car, or sell the car. I've contacted Ford twice to no avail. Our car is paid off, has low mileage for a 2006, and we planned on driving it many more years. Now it is defunct. Another car like ours is for sale in the area with over 244,000 miles on it; yet Ford is telling me that the 101,000 miles on our car is all we are going to get. We filed a lemon law claim in 2008 on this car but subsequently worked with Ford to fix some very serious problems. We have asked them to work with us and we have been refused. …
First off I couldn't get the date to populate the correct date this problem has been happening for years but the year on the date section wouldn't change for me. So whenever iam pulling into a parking space like at the grocery store its like the car gives gas and lunges forward while as iam only doing maybe 3 MPH I have to hit the brake harder because my foot is already on the brake from pulling into a parking space with a car on left and right of me in order to not hit the car that is parked in front. When putting the car into gear from park its like it lunges once I get into gear. When in park and I turn the steering wheel from left to right the car like lunges as if im giving it gas with it in gear with foot on gas. Im not sure what is wrong I've looked up my VIN for recalls and nothing is recalled. …
Engine & cooling
First off I couldn't get the date to populate the correct date this problem has been happening for years but the year on the date section wouldn't change for me. So whenever iam pulling into a parking space like at the grocery store its like the car gives gas and lunges forward while as iam only doing maybe 3 MPH I have to hit the brake harder because my foot is already on the brake from pulling into a parking space with a car on left and right of me in order to not hit the car that is parked in front. When putting the car into gear from park its like it lunges once I get into gear. When in park and I turn the steering wheel from left to right the car like lunges as if im giving it gas with it in gear with foot on gas. Im not sure what is wrong I've looked up my VIN for recalls and nothing is recalled. …
It has check engine light on, momentary engine idle, RPM surge when stopped or during low speed driving, such as turning into a parking or backing out of a parking spot. Pulling in or backing out of the garage. Stoping at a stop light, lunges forward: came close to causing property damage by running into another vehicle in parking lot or at stop light. Safety issue, what if the car lunges forward at a stop light into incoming traffic, causing bodily injury and property damage. Ford should have recalled this safety issue. I purchased this cause after the 10 year warranty extension was issued. The previous owner did not fix this, I just found out about it, now I will have to fight to get Ford to cover a known safety issue, that puts my children at risk. .
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Ford 500 a good car?
Based on 68 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 500 rates average: 1.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the 500 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Ford 500?
The speed control & acceleration — 24 complaints, 35% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (20) and engine & cooling (17).
How many recalls does the 2006 Ford 500 have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2006 Ford 500. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford 500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2007. See the full Ford 500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 Ford 500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 3% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.