Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
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.
While driving one day, my cluster panel went dark. At first I thought it May be the battery, which would also cause the car to die. However, the car was still running. When I drove it to my mechanic, it did the same thing but began flickering on and off the whole way there. Not only was it annoying, but I could not see my speed nor my gas gauge. Additionally, when I tried to use my emergency lights, they would also go off whenever the panel went out. The repair of the whole cluster panel is not cheap. An estimate for me was $900 from my mechanic. Since it will have to be programmed however, I will have to take it to Ford which is a pain in itself. There are countless reviews on this problem, it should not be left up to the consumer to take on such a significant expense. My car has roughly 62,000 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Five Hundred. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the instrument cluster lights turned became inoperable. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that the instrument cluster lights illuminated after 5 minutes. The contact was able to continue driving. However, the failure reoccurred on four different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
when I'm The vehicle and the temperature reaches middle temp ,the car starts to beep and all the dashboard lights go completely out and the head lights and tail lights be blinking as if they are about to go off . Even when I have the heater or a/c on they turns off and I'm a afraid that if or when I'm on the highway all my lights will just stop working on the middle of the highway at night and no one will be able to see me. And that will cause a big wreck and maybe kill myself or worst someone else. I have looked my car up to see if it has a recall but none are given. I'm afraid for the safety of my fellow drivers on the at night . And I don't know what to do about this problem.
I am having problem with the reset button in my 2005 five hundred ford, the oil light stays on after oil changes, no one does not know how to reset, the reset button does not work, several mechanic told me not to worry about it , but the car can't pass the smog, it reads not ready, they told my to take a ride for about 50 miles and drive up to sixty miles per hour. . On going problem and I am running out of money, can you help, please
The engine keep going into limp mode. The car stalls out while at lights an stop signs, power steering goes out on highway an other roads making it impossible to steer or steer out of others ways, limp mode causes car to not be able to keep up with traffic on highway and other roads. Engine jerks forward an shifts irractically an shifts an downshifts hard.
NHTSA investigations
Instrument cluster failure
The subject vehicles experience a loss of proper instrument cluster operation.typically, the problem appears as the needle on the gauge (speedometer, tachometer, fuel, and/or temperature) sweeps and resets intermittently.Ford reports the problem as momentary power interruption causes the gauges to sweep and then recover to normal function.in August 2006, Ford issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 06-17-9) to…
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Five Hundred years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (95), 2006 (51) and 2007 (22) model years. Electrical complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Ford Five Hundred electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Ford Five Hundred model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Ford Five Hundred electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles; 28% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the instrument cluster/panel (22 mentions), followed by the wiring (3).
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.