Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Ford Five Hundred owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I had this car repaired twice at a professional mechanic shop that cost me thousands of dollars. Every time, the car comes to stop or dies on me. I replaced the fuel filter one time that is underneath the car. Now the car is sitting in my garage because of the fuel pump not functioning and does not make that sound anymore when you turn the key on.
I purchased a Ford 500 07 in March of 2010. Prior to the 60,000 mile warranty ending, I took the car back twice for a surging problem going from drive/reverse. The first time the shop could not find a problem. The second time the service mgr. And daughter did a test drive. Right off the bat the car surged. He called me and told me to bring the car back one morning so he could keep it all day. I could not do this at the time, this is my only means of transportation. On 10/2/10 while backing up in the emergency lane on the interstate. My car accelerated on it own, while moving backwards. I hit the brake the accelerator went to the floor. I lifted my foot off the brake it took off again. The RPM hand was going crazy. I had no control. The car went into a spin, I ended up in the ditch while hitting another car. Luckily we are still alive....updated 08/08/16
Purchased a new Ford Five Hundred in 2007. Have kept up with all regular maintenance. After putting about 20,000 miles on the vehicle, I started having a problem with sudden acceleration. I would come to a stop at an intersection, mailbox, or drive-thru and let my foot off the brakes and the car would "jump" -- accelerate on its own. My foot would not even be on the gas pedal. I took it to the Ford dealership and was told that the transmission had to be "reprogrammed". I specifically asked could it be a problem with fuel system and was told no. I had the work completed but the problem persists to this day. I have had several near misses with rear end collisions. Finally as I was entering a parking space, the car accelerated on its own and hit a post in front of the parking space.
The vehicle has unintended acceleration issues. There was an investigation by the nhsta but nothing came of it. The car still accelerates on its own when I pull into parking spaces or leaving parking spaces. I have to keep my foot on or by the brake pedal as to not hit other cars or people. Having the air conditioning on seems to worsen this problem substantially. It is completely random and I know I'm not the only person that has experienced this issue. Please reopen your investigation and make sure you have both the ac on and off. It's mainly when it is on, but still completely random. I don't know how people and property haven't been injured or damaged as a direct result of this well known issue.
Periodically but occuring more often. Once the car is placed in drive or reverse but foot still on the brake, once the brake is released the car quickly and aggressively accelerates on it's own without pressing the gas pedal and with very little reaction time you have to slam the brake pedal to make the car stop and then the car cuts off. This has happened at least 4 times within the last month. Very dangerous! I have researched recall information for this model as well as my direct VIN number associated with my vehicle but I have yet to find a recall. However I have read many reviews of the same issues with other Ford 500 owners.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle suddenly surged backward and crashed into a wall. The contact also stated that the vehicle and the wall did not suffer much damage from the crash. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where the contact was informed that the throttle body was defective and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the throttle body. The contact also stated that defective throttle bodies were a known issue among this year, make, and model vehicle. The failure mileage was 83,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Vehicle surges when you let off the brake. This started shortly after we purchased the car a couple years ago. They either serviced or replaced the throttle body and that worked for about 6 months or so. Now the car shakes really bad anytime we have to stop and have to keep foot on the brake really hard, sometimes the car dies during this too as well as going from reverse to drive. As soon as you let off the brake the car accelerates, can make it up to almost 40 MPH without even touching the gas. It runs horribly in the heat too. Any temp over 70 it jerks into 2 or 3rd gear hard when stopping and going.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle would also jerk abnormally when in drive. The dealer was notified of the failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage was about 150,000. Updated 10/16/12 the consumer stated the vehicle went over a curb and eventually hit a metal where a sign once was. The vehicle was jerking before the accident. Updated 10/24/2012
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated that while shifting from neutral to drive, the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a pole. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis but the contact was not given a diagnosis as to why the failure occurred. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they would investigate the cause of the crash. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 93,840. Updated 4/24/13 updated 06/04/2013
For several months car has been lunging forward without my foot on the gas. A couple weeks ago while pulling into my driving way it lunged and the car ran into my concrete steps causing 3,500 worth of damage. This is very dangerous and could have been one of my daughters. I really hope you take this seriously because once lives are lost you can't get them back. I just want Ford to fess up and to take responsibility for this problem, so I May get it fixed and not kill or injure anyone.
NHTSA investigations
Idle instability
On November 29, 2012, Ford Motor Company (Ford) initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 12N03 to extend warranty coverage terms for repair of engine idle RPM surge caused by throttle body deposits in all model year (MY) 2005 through 2007 Ford Freestyle, Five Hundred and Mercury Montego vehicles.The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle…
Acceleration complaints in other Five Hundred years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2007 Ford Five Hundred?
NHTSA has 70 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2007 Ford Five Hundred, 35% of the model year's 199 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 Ford Five Hundred acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2007 Ford Five Hundred, though it has 1 recall 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 2007 Ford Five Hundred acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.