Dashboard has been erratic, completely blank.

- Vestal, NY, USA

We have a 2005 Ford Five hundred. Two days ago, the car failed to respond when the accelerator was pressed, even as it was pressed to the floor. The wrench light came on and the car started lunging and hesitating in addition to not accelerating properly. This occurred while driving through a very busy intersection; thankfully, I was able to move the car with my two small children out of traffic. A diagnostic computer provided two codes - P2106 and P061B. This is not the first time the car has lunged; it has been doing this for approximately 1.5 years. It has repeated this several times in both drive and reverse. In most instances, the air conditioner was running at the same time; however, the car has lunged when the A/C was not on. The lunging occurs when the car is being driven or sitting idle (I.e., stop lights, preparing to merge into traffic). I have been able to avoid accidents by keeping my foot firmly on the brake and by creating a large stopping distance cushion. We contacted the dealer and were told the entire throttle body would need replaced, at a cost of over $530. We are now reviewing our options.

- Red House, WV, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. The contact noticed that the instrument cluster would become dark intermittently which made it impossible to see the instrument display. When the vehicle accelerated forward the back up lights would illuminate without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who informed the contact that the instrument cluster was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. None of the repairs were performed. The current mileage was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Freeport, NY, USA

This is the second time the dash cluster has failed in my Ford Five hundred. It was replaced the first time. While under the part warranty of 12mo/12K miles, the cluster failed again. I took it to the dealer and they pulled the identical codes as the first time they replaced the cluster, but would not replace it this time because none of the indicator lamps where on at the time they looked at it. Now the wrench, traction control, check engine are lit, and the display reads check engine, check transmission, and transmission data error. These are the same as the last time when it was replaced. The car will not accelerate properly, and this time after parking the car it would not restart. I came back in about 20min. And the car started. I took it to the dealer, now out of the part warranty and now they immediately want to replace the cluster. Seems Ford just wanted me to pay for the repair, again.

- Ramsey, IL, USA

During normal operation the instrument cluster gauges (speedometer, tachometer, etc..) swing from 0 to max and then down to 0. the gauges stay like that for awhile then return to operation. During the gauge outage the reverse lights on the car come on. This could lead to an accident if the driver behind you is not paying attention as well as possible equipment violation tickets from the local police. There is a technical service bulletin about the problem but Ford doesn't seem to think this is a safety issue. The car in question is a 2005 Ford 500 with less than 50K miles on it. The car is pristine in all other areas, we baby the car.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

Dash cluster displays check engine, check transmission, and traction control lights. The trouble indicators illuminate, and the vehicle will not accelerate normally. After turning off and restarting vehicle may or may not drive normal with trouble indicators still lit. After shutting off and restarting sometimes the indicators are off and the vehicle drives normally for some time and then the problem returns. This happens while driving and does not allow the driver to accelerate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dash cluster was replaced and I was informed they knew of the problem with the cluster. The problem has reoccurred a few months later.

- Ramsey, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. While driving approximately 70 mph, all of the gauges on the instrument cluster stopped functioning and displayed readings of zero. The contact continued to drive and the instrument cluster began working a few moments later. The failure occurred intermittently while driving at any speed. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The failure and current mileages were 70,000.

- Canton, MS, USA

The gauges periodically go flat and the reverse lights come on. Ford knows about this, they've issued a technical service bulletin (tsb 06-17-9). The problem is a faulty solder joint and the instrument cluster needs to be replaced. This is not due to normal wear from driving but from poor design and should be recalled. Ford should correct their mistakes.

- Pinckney, MI, USA

I purchased a used 2005 Ford 500 ltd AWD in May 2008. I was told it was a lease turn in. The mileage was very low, under 30,000 miles. The factory warranty expired in July 2008. In October 2008, my dash began malfunctioning. The gauges would go completely dead. I could not tell how fast I was going, how much gas I had left or the temperature of the engine. Nothing on my dash would work. It varied from lasting seconds to appx a half an hour. I drove home one night (it took me appx 25 minutes) not knowing how fast I was going or how much gas I had left. Also, the reverse lights were on when my car was in both drive and park. I stopped at a red light (my car was in drive) and the reverse sensor alarm went off when a car pulled up behind me. We took it to the dealership we bought it from & were told it was a cluster in the dash that was a "known problem with this vehicle" but because it was not a "safety issue" Ford did not have to recall this. I feel that not being able to know what speed you are driving down the highway to be a huge safety issue. Also having your reverse lights on while the car is in park or drive seems a bit dangerous as well. We had it repaired and it cost us over $400. About 2 weeks ago, we had to have another "cluster" repaired that was making my transmission shake & the check engine light as well another warning light appear. It was a sensor that went bad and was making my car think it was out of gas. This cost us almost $350 to repair. Not sure what's going on with the sensors/clusters on these cars but it seems to be a safety issue to me.

- Walkerton, IN, USA

My 05 Ford 500 has 58,000 miles on it and now the dash lights flash/go off and the gauges read 0. the reverse lights come on too. It was very scary when it happened. It appears to be at random: No particular time of day, no certain weather, and at no particular speed. I have family members who also have Ford 500S and say this has happened to them as well. This issue needs to be addressed!

- Batesville, IN, USA

Dash gauges, lights, inoperable. Stuck in various positions. Turn signals are inoperable and reverse lights are on in the drive position. Reverse warning indicators beep when in traffic at stop lights or when other vehicles get close to rear of vehicle. Air bag inoperable warning light is on all the time. Existing research by NHTSA indicates exterior lighting working on previous complaints. Internet research indicates turn signals and reverse lights do not operate when cluster fails. Possible air bag failure coupled with inoperable turn signals and increased risk of accident as well as reverse lights on in drive are major safety concerns.

- Idaho Falls, ID, USA

While driving the instrument panel blacked out and when it came back on the instruments all registered 0. after the initial incident it has continued to escalate. On or about December 26, 2010 the panel blacked out and the car bogged down and I had to pull off of the road, turn the car off and restart to get it to run normally. There is a real safety issue with the car and I feel that there should be a recall on this vehicle.

- Tamaroa, IL, USA

Apparently, I am not the first person to bring this issue to the NHTSA's attention. I like so many other, have also had a problem with my instrument panel on my Ford Five hundred. I would like for a recall to be issued as it has nearly caused me an accident today, and can lead to other hazardous driving conditions for others. The instrument panel on my car has failed completely, and my speedometer, odometer, and all other gauges shut off. Whenever I drive my car, the reverse (or white) light turns on despite the fact that I might be driving forward at 55mph on a highway. I think corrective action should be taken towards a resolution. There are countless others who have filed complaints and concerns regarding this very issue.

- Bronx, NY, USA

-the contact owns a 2005 Ford Five hundred. The contact stated that the instrument panel stopped functioning. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who had the panel restored. The dealer could not guarantee that the failure would not occur again as the entire instrument panel needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were approximately 120,000.

- Pacifica, CA, USA

As I was slowing to turn off of a state highway, my car shut off and displayed a message that said "failsafe engine mode." I was somewhat able to steer, so I completed my turn onto a side street, where the car drifted to a stop. I was able to restart the car and drive home. The next morning, the car would start but immediately shut off, displaying the same error message. I had it towed to a garage, which indicated that the diagnostic test revealed a failed electronic throttle body. They ordered a replacement part, which was then installed. Incidentally, the part had since been redesigned by Ford. Once that part was reinstalled, the computer was reflashed to "learn" that a new throttle body assembly was installed. The computer would not learn the new part, though, so a new computer had to be ordered and installed. Over the last five years, this same problem (shutting off while driving) had occurred, but in each case I was able to restart the car without any further problem. This was dangerous in that my car simply shut off while I was driving, making a left turn across oncoming traffic. Fortunately nobody was coming the other direction, so I was able to safely drift through the oncoming lane to another side street. Also, it is important to note that while my car was at the dealership having the throttle body replaced, I was told that there were approximately five other Ford Five hundred vehicles in the shop at the same time for the same problem with their electronic throttles as well.

- Altoona, PA, USA

I purchased a 2005 Ford 500 4-door sedan 2-1/2 years ago from a Ford dealership. It was described as a "program" car. I soon noticed that the dashboard display lights would not light up during daylight hours, even though the rheostat was set on maximum brilliance. I proved this by driving into a dark parking garage and saw that the said lights turned on at maximum. I asked the service manager about this and he said Ford had wired the lights through the solar switch via the electronic control unit and could not be changed. This is a dangerous distraction when driving in daylight hours and to see the information O the dashboard the running lights must be turned off. In my opinion this defect needs to be remedied with a recall. Thank you.

- Hewitt, TX, USA

At first our 2005 Ford Five hundred had issues with instrument cluster failures (blacking out and needles zeroing etc. But now rear back up lights come on going down the highway because of this electrical problem. I believe this has to be considered a safety issue and should warrant a recall.thank you

- Manson, IA, USA

Instrument cluster failure. All gauges drop to zero. Multiple dash warning lights come on them go back off leaving the check engine light on. Turn signal lights will not operate. Problem is intermittent. The reverse lights come on when the car is not in reverse. Problem started this morning 9/20/2010 I can not believe that the NHTSA has not made Ford issue a recall!

- Mcclure, IL, USA

We own a 2005 Ford 500 and my wife has taken it to 3 different Ford dealers to have an issue looked at. The vehicle has stalled on her over a dozen times while driving down the highway and it has gone into fail safe mode. The vehicle seems to lurch when in gear either drive or reverse. I've looked up the issue on line and it appears to be very common with this model of vehicle. Throttle body and reprogramming of the PCM. I believe this to be a very big safety issue and there needs to be a recall on these before someone gets severely hurt.

- Springboro, OH, USA

Ford 500 2005 - 74K miles....car started jerking forward as soon as I lift my foot off the brake, which has almost caused me to run into things in a parking lot full of cars. The sensors went out, which I wasn't aware of until I backed into a tree without warning. Now the air conditioning has gone out and it seems my car is not the only one with these problems.

- Murphy, NC, USA