Overview & Reviews

After years of focusing most of its attention on light trucks, Ford realized it needed a stronger lineup of passenger cars. In particular, the company needed a car that would appeal to families of four and five. The Ford Five Hundred was the result, a large sedan designed to appeal both to ex-SUV owners and traditional full-size-car buyers.

The Ford Five Hundred's biggest advantage was space, as it offered more than 40 inches of legroom front and rear as well as a massive 21-cubic-foot trunk. In addition, the seating position up front was higher than normal to provide a commanding view of the road.

Sales were never particularly strong, however, and Ford decided to rename the Five Hundred as the Taurus starting with the 2008 model year.

Most Recent Ford Five Hundred

Introduced for 2005, the Ford Five Hundred received minimal changes during its brief three-year run. This sedan is based on the previous-generation Volvo S80 platform, and made use of that car's all-wheel drive and safety technology. The Five Hundred's Swedish origins were immediately apparent when you drove it, as it provided both a comfortable ride and competent handling, with nicely weighted steering. Braking performance was mediocre, though, and Volvo's stability control system wasn't included in the package.

Passive safety was excellent in this large sedan. Originally optional, front seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags became standard for 2007. Additionally, the Ford Five Hundred aced crash tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, earning the highest possible rating in every category.

Three trim levels -- SE, SEL and Limited -- were offered initially, though for its last year the SE was dropped. Front-wheel drive was standard on both trims, with all-wheel drive available as an option. Choosing a front-drive Five Hundred paired the 203-horsepower V6 engine with a six-speed automatic transmission, while opting for AWD mandated a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Key options included rear parking sensors, a navigation system and a rear DVD entertainment system, the latter a rarity in a mid-priced sedan.

Mediocre acceleration was the main drawback to the Five Hundred. Its standard 3.0-liter Duratec V6 was not as powerful or refined as most competitors' engines. Still, the Five Hundred's low pricing and top-notch crash test scores made it a reasonable family car pick. Consumers should know that the Ford Five Hundred was revamped and renamed the Taurus for 2008, and boasted a number of key improvements. The latter included much stronger performance courtesy of a potent new V6, upgraded cabin trim and available stability control.

User Reviews:

• 

  Poor Quality. Nothing but troubles - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By Paul - September 3 - 12:16 pm

  Buy a Toyota or Nissan or Honda. This car is the worst. I have had nothing but troubles with it. I have had it in the shop at least 6 times in 11 months. Bad rotors, replaced rotors, ground rotors, air conditioning problem, brake out at 30K, loudest car ever. Save your money and buy Japanese. I just bought a Maxima and love it. Soon I will get rid of Ford forever.

• 

  Lemon FORD 500 - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By DR-DALE - September 11 - 1:06 am

  Purchased NEW March 28 2005 and it is now April 12 2006. The car has 4000 miles on it and is sitting unlicensed and unsafe to drive. Entire back end suspension and brakes have been replaced. Some items more than once. Last brake fix turned rotors down to 1/1000 over minimum. Tried to invoke Colorado Lemon Law, but Ford has arbitration clauses which precludes using legal remedy. You must use their designated arbitration service run by Ford Autoline (BBB subsidiary in Washington DC). This process is a sham and I still have the new car sitting unused. Ford Corporate Office tells me they are done fixing this car, which has 4000 miles on it and a 3 year warranty. Ford stonewalls certified letters.

• 

  Brake Problems With Ford Five Hundred! - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By Dave - July 9 - 4:36 am

  We purchased our Five Hundred in July 06 with 6000 miles. On our first trip I noticed a bad vibration during braking going down hills. I contacted the dealer and they said that a factory brake kit was needed to fix the problem. The kit consisted of new discs and pads. Now after approximately 16,000 miles after the replacement, the rear brake pads were shot and needed to be replaced for $200. I contacted Ford and they will not admit that there is a problem with the brake design. Ive also had to have the gauge cluster replaced. I thought Ford finally had a "Better Idea". I guess I was wrong.

• 

  Wouldnt Buy One if I were you...... - 2007 Ford Five Hundred
  By jbrkmo - June 6 - 9:35 am

  We bought our Ford 500 used at 55,000 miles and have had problems with it ever since. It lopes when youre driving at low speeds (especially when the A/C is on). The transmission shifts hard, slips, and is now making loud "clunking" noises. We were told that this CVT transmission was supposed to shift smoothly like you couldnt even feel it.....yea right.....It might shift a little smoother than a dumptruck. We have an extended warranty, but now were having trouble even finding anyone who will work on these transmissions in the third-largest city of our state. The rubber around the gear shift is now bunching up making it hard to even put in drive, then it slips out of drive while moving.

• 

  A Piece of Junk! - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By BR - March 19 - 5:56 pm

  Brake rotors warped (dealer says normal), brakes grind (dealer says normal), cruise quit working, brake lights come on by themselves, sun roof leaks (dealer says normal). Rear end sounds like it is about to fall off everytime you hit a bump or rough pavement at low speeds (dealer says normal for this car). Absolutely no soundproofing materials in the trunk. This car is a poorly built piece of junk.

• 

  Ford 500 - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By Sue - September 16 - 1:20 am

  I regret buying this car. There is no pick up, the quality of the interior is very poor, the gas mileage is horrible. I could hear and feel the brakes each time I pressed them. I could feel the axles moving in my car when I turned the steering wheel. In the 2 years that I have had this car, I have had to have the power steering pump replaced and the air conditioner fixed twice.

• 

  Bad Experience - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By John Nichols - September 14 - 3:13 pm

  Even though I had very good service from my foreign cars, I wanted to give the American cars a chance. I purchased my Ford 500 based on good reviews and after a few weeks I noticed that I was losing several quarts of oil. I have the receipts for the oil. My dealer told me to bring in the vehicle. I did and after several days, a new engine was put in the car. After a few days this engine started giving me problems. I took it in and found that the engine was not put together in correctly. It was repaired in a day. In both cases I had to insist on work order that proved I had a problem with the car. The second time I was told I could not have a work order, so they typed a memo.

• 

  2007 Ford 500 - 2007 Ford Five Hundred
  By rhowar1 - April 19 - 2:10 am

  We got our 2007 Ford 500 3 yrs ago. The tranny went out 1000 miles from home. The seat heaters quit working, the rubber moulding is coming off, the engine control module is out, the battery wont hold a charge, the transmission pan needed replaced, the reverse sensors are out and the trunk wont open most of the time. Fremont Motors in Riverton, Wyoming sure saw me coming. They knew the car was a heap, but they spit and polished it until I got it off the lot. I wish I still had my 1967 Galaxy. It was a much better car. Why cant Ford make them like that anymore?

• 

  CVT Transmission = Worthless - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By Dee - February 11 - 1:20 am

  Our family has owned many ford products but this one is a great disappointment. This car has been at a Ford dealership since June. The transmission went and Ford wants $5500 -$6500.00 to put in a new transmission that comes from China. Ford will not help in anyway. The looks beautiful but is not drivable. My daughter and I could have been killed on the turnpike because the car slipped into neutral when you tried to get above 50mph. Greatly disappointed with Ford.

• 

  Not Reliable - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By len - December 24 - 11:46 pm

  We got our car Christmas of 2004 and ever since then, weve been fixing it bit by bit. Right off the bat we had to have the CD player and trunk mechanism replaced. Also, noticed a problem with accelerating from a rolling stop. That was a computer problem they didnt end up fixing until Christmas 2005. Also, got a dash bubble. That was replaced. Then the reverse sensing and memory seats went out. Now theyve been replaced. We have had enough however Ford will not replace our car. It doesnt quite fall under the lemon laws and they wont do what is ethically right and give us a replacement. We dont know what next will go wrong with the car.