Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
After driving half-hour in high-way southward on I-45 in the morning. The car cannot be accelerate at around 40mph when I ramp up to 288, and the auto-lock light turned red. Seconds later, it recovered back. 2 minutes later, it happened again . And again . So I parked it . ~8-hours later, I started it and the auto-lock light red again. Seconds later, the engine stopped when I back the car. I stepped on gas-pedal when I tried 3rd time, and the car moved and the auto-lock light kept red. 10-minuts later, when I drive on 288-south at ~60mph, both of the repair light and engine light turned yellow and the auto-lock light off, seconds later, the repair light off. The engine light kept on. So I get down the highway, cannot accelerate car with gas-pedal on and cannot turn sterring wheel, the car slow down and stopped by itself. …
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
My husband had an accident in a store parking lot. He miscalculated the length of an narrow island that had a curbing around it. He cut the corner and drove over the curb and down the other side of the other curb. Besides the rear fender damage, more damage was discovered at the state inspection. The roll restrictor was torn. I was told that this part keeps the engine from "rolling" forward or backward. It is part of the engine mount system and is a safety issue. It must be replaced or the car fails the pa state inspection. This repair and inspections cost me over $500. I believe the roll restrictor was damaged in the sudden impact of the curb. I would like to take that issue to the insurance company but I have no proof. How common is the failure of this part? Is it part of the pa state inspection requirements?
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.
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.
I had just driven to my brother's house in wv. My wife and I got out of the car and went inside. About 15 minutes later my brother saw smoke in the window and saw that my car was on fire. We all went outside and while they called the fire department I tried to put the fire out with a hose. I could only knock it down some to keep it from spreading but when the fire dept got they put it out.
Ford Five Hundred started lurching or lunging when placed in gear. From a parked position.. The car lurched back into the wall of the carport crushing the back bumper. On another occasion the car lurched when the door was open and knocked into the carport post. Very dangerous.
At a stoplight with the brake on the engine revved up and the car jumped forward about 20 feet before I could stop it. At the next light the same thing happened. At my final destination approximately 2 miles away my son (who was with me the whole time = I was taking him back to college) told me to let the car run to see if it would do it again. With the car in drive and my foot on the brake (hard) it revved up 2 more times in less than 2 minutes to at least 1500 RPM and was very difficult to hold back. I took it in to the dealer the next day and they replaced the throttle body at a cost of $800. After calling Ford and reporting the situation they refused to document this or make a case number until I told them I knew there was a technical bulletin on this according to the dealer. …
There has been a continuing issue with the CVT transmissions in 2005, 2006, and 2007 my Ford 500/freestyle and Mercury montego. There was a recall regarding the throttle body & maf sensor. What is now happening is the cars equipped with the CVT transmission continually break down and completely goes down. It happens in idle and all other gears. The car loses all power and the transmission will not engage. It is very dangerous. It has happened in parking lots, in the driveway, but it happens while in motion on streets/interstates. If you search google with the car makes and models/siblings, there are thousands upon thousands of owners experiencing the same problems. Cars with as few as 8,000 miles drive on up to ours, which only has 124,000 miles driven, and beyond. A friend of ours has a 2007 freestyle and she has already had to fully replace her transmission. …
I just bought my 2007 Ford Five Hundred 3 weeks ago and I was driving and all of a sudden the RPM starting going up really high the throttle light(wrench) came on and my car started slowing down. I pulled over, just avoided getting smashed in the rear from a truck and my car stopped moving. I cut the car off then tried to crank it back up at first it didn't start then it cranked 2nd time but then the check engine light was on and stayed on. I took it to a mechanic he said something about a throttle code he said he wanted to give it a second chance. He reset the codes and all lights were off. Well, about 2 days later while driving to work the same thing happened which he said shouldn't happen anymore. I called he said something about Ford having to order the part and fix the car. …
Engine complaints in other Five Hundred years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2007 Ford Five Hundred?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2007 Ford Five Hundred, 20% of the model year's 199 complaints. The component named most often is engine (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Ford Five Hundred engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.