Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford Five Hundred owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Continuation of suspension and brake problems after last filing with NHTSA. Braking in wet weather, descending steep grade, car pulls and fades. 2 days after longmont Ford had car for 6 days and returned it with clean bill of health. Omera Ford diagnosed brake and transmission programming problems and once again turned down rear rotors to very close to minimum specifications. Consumer report jan 2005 reports similar issues with braking, auto-week May-16-2005 reports brake fade and stability problems in their test track report. This is a first model year car for Ford which is based off of a modified Volvo design of under-carriage. The vehicle is now parked with an affidavit of non use on it because of the number of incidents and repairs that have occurred on rear suspension and brakes. …
I purchased a new 2005 Ford 500 in mid 2005. I only have 3600 miles on the vehicle. Rear wheels of my vehicle are completely blackened by brake dust that he had . Rear rotors were are deeply grooved and should be repaired or replaced. Shop foreman at dealership showed a release from the Ford engineer division that notified Ford dealers that Ford was aware of the problem. They are investigating the problem and will use different brake pads in the ....4th quarter of 2006, but were presently considering the problem to be normal and will not allow any warranty work. The shop foreman admitted that he considered the problem to be an engineering issue, was having problems with other new Ford vehicles, and was going to call Ford engineering about the issue. …
2005 Ford 500 robin marshall Ford motor company executive offices form letter states that fords "review indicates that the previous decision provided by Ford motor company is appropriate" dated oct 3 2006 as I was watching cnn news about recall 06V383000 and Ford # 06s45 of sept 28 2006. Purchased March 28 2005 and as previously reported numerous suspension and braking problems. Odi id number : 10123895 - odi id number : 10135289 and numerous communications with Ford they finally had dave munn Ford rep have the car towed to omeara Ford for an inspection. The vehicle has been sitting for 15 months with a colorado affidavit of non use for safety related issues, after omeara Ford ground down the rear rotors to within 1/1000 of minimum and braking issues continued . I had a heart attack and 5 way bypass and cannot take the stress this vehicle has put me under. …
I purchased a 2005 Ford 500 new in July 2005. I had it serviced by the book at my dealership. On nov 14,2006 I took it in for a routine oil change and the 22,000 mile check up. I was told it needed new rear brakes and "rotors". Since 75% of these miles are all highway miles (very little braking), there is absolutely no reason why rear brakes should be required....and certainly no excuse for the rotors needing replaced. Since I take extremely good car of my vehicles, including washing it by hand, I have noticed since I bought it that the rear wheels are always black with brake dust. The front wheels are typically clean. That must mean the rear wheels are doing most of the work. This is without a doubt an engineering issue. Also, having visited the NHTSA website, it is littered with complaints from other Ford 500 owners experiencing the exact same problem. …
We bought my car in July 2011, its was garaged by the 1st owner so it was like brand new!! Low miles just 12,850 , start what now seems to be the endless drives in a rental car and with empty wallets totaling now approx; close to an additional $3,500 now in repairs from the battery in aug 2011 to now to having the throttle being replace along with a set if tires and the 2nd set of both rear and front brakes in less then a year , all due to the consent stopping and going of the car by hitting the brakes too much and having to accelerate, because the car would while tempting to pull out of my garage at what should of been a mere 3miles per hour; resulted in flying backwards suddenly while foot was applying pressure on the brakes to keep from mowing down my teenage son at 15 miles a hour on its own with the mp rising rapidly , was the scare of my life!!!! …
Brand new 2005 Ford 500 purchased on September 24 2005 began at 15000 miles with brake problems. Same problem occurred at 30,000 miles. My job is 100% sales and my car is my only revenue provider. At 35,000 car showing problems when hitting the gas, it would not run. At 39,000 miles an electric short circuit. At 39,000 I asked the dealer to recheck the whole car that it was showing transmission and brake problems. At 43,000 miles now is sitting in the Ford dealer where I purchased at since last Friday sept 22,2006. The Ford dealer mechanical director was inside the car and me test driving it, and could not believe the problems with the transmission. His words were' if this was my car I would not be sitting in it, it's a risk to anyone's life" today, Ford informed me that they have to bring the transmission down and open it. …
Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated when the vehicle was parked for an extended period the brake pads fail when restarting the vehicle. The vehicle had been parked for eleven days when the incident occurred. The contact was driving 65 MPH and could hear the sound of metal grinding on metal when attempting to apply the brakes, it was also very difficult to stop the vehicle. Ford agrees that the incident occurred due to premature wear on the vehicle. The dealer stated the contact was liable for the repair cost. The contact maintained thiswas not a wear issue instead itwas a safety/failure issue. Ford refused to reimburse the contact, but advised the contact it was unsafe to drive the vehicle. Ford redesigned the brake pads due to this incident. Ford stated rust appears on the brake pads after being parked for an extended time. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred. On March 26, 2007, the contact had the rear brakes on his vehicle checked and was told by the mechanic that the brakes were in good condition. On May 10, 2007, the brakes began to fail. While driving 35 MPH under normal conditions, the contact heard the rear brakes grinding metal to metal. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who replaced the rear rotors and brake pads. The contact has the rear rotors to show the unusual wear. The contact also has the repair orders from both repairs. The engine size was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 38,585. The dealer stated that the recall for this car was performed on the latch of the door for this vehicle. Updated 06/06/07
Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 Ford Five Hundred with a current mileage of 29,345 miles. After driving the vehicle for 191 miles the contact heard a thumping noise coming from the rear brakes. She took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that there was corrosion between the brake pads and rotors. Both rear brakes were replaced. The contact drove the vehicle for another 9,319 miles. When the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance she was told that the rear brakes were 90% corroded. The contact replaced the brakes. The contact called Ford, and was told not to use the brakes as frequently. The consumer states door latch freezes at times, dealer performed recall on vehicle. Update 05/04/07
Tl* - the contact has a 2005 Ford 500 with an odometer reading of 34900 miles and his rear break pads have worn out. The contact heard a grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle and found that his rear break pads are grinding into the rotors, but his front break pads are less than half way warn. The contact stated that there is service bulletin (06-22-17) from Ford which states that defective materials used on the rear break pads. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (webster dudley Lincoln Mercury) and they stated that he was not covered by Ford and he would have to pay for the repair. The contact also called Ford and stated that it is a wear item and is no longer covered.
Brake complaints in other Five Hundred years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Ford Five Hundred?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Ford Five Hundred, 9% of the model year's 510 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Ford Five Hundred brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2005 Ford Five Hundred, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Five Hundred brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 34,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 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.