2006 Ford Five Hundred problems & reliability
364 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 Ford Five Hundred. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2006 Ford Five Hundred vehicles were involved in 32 fatal crashes with 31 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 118 | 32% |
| Power Train | 104 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 51 | 14% |
| Engine | 36 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 31 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 23 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 19 | 5% |
| Structure | 17 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 17 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 73,000 miles (middle 50% between 45,400 and 101,500 miles), based on 319 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I would be driving on highway my wrench light would come on and my car would come to a crawl I always have kids in my car I could easily be rear ended and maybe hurt or killed I have to find a place to pull off where people behind me is cussing me out they think I did on purpose I then shut car off and tirn back on…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 27, 2022
“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…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 24, 2022
“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…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Dec 25, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Idle instability
Preliminary Evaluation PE11018 · opened May 11, 2011 · closed Feb 7, 2013
Technical service bulletins
25 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 Ford Five Hundred. The 10 most recent:
Motorcraft® Continuously Variable Chain-Type Transmission Fluid (XT-7-QCFT in non-Canadian markets, CXT-7-LCF12 in Canada) is no longer manufactured and will only be available until inventory depletes. The recommended…
SSM 52567 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2024
When performing any transmission fluid change or topoff involving Motorcraft® Premium ATF, MERCON® V has replaced all versions of Motorcraft® Premium ATF and can be used going forward. Mixing Motorcraft® Premium ATF…
SSM 52243 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2024
The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a…
SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2016
Traction control lamp on--no dtc's present, or dtc p1889 in differential electronic module (dem). *nj
08-4-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2008
Ford mercury service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Certain 2005 through 2007 fwd and awd ford five hundred, freestyle and mercury montego vehicles - rear brake wear. Also have an owner's letter…
0710 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 28, 2007
MIL WITH DTC P0106 AND/OR P0109. *KB
19722 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2007
Battery light illuminated. *kb
19312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2006
Continuously variable transaxle (cvt) noise diagnosis. *tt
06114 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Intermittent instrument cluster gauge sweep/reset - multiple warning lights on - reverse lights on - vehicles built before 2/17/2006. *tt
0662 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Heated seats inoperative. *tt
06211 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2006 Ford Five Hundred in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2006 Ford Five Hundred?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 73,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.