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:

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  Pathetic! - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By tsblack - April 22 - 3:09 pm

  I bought this car an 06 SEL in 08. Had great miles on it and the car presented very well. Overall a great looking comfortable car. However its all the cosmetic things that are ticking me off and now as of today I am getting a skipping occurence where the car is trying to hiccup?? going down the road. The engine light has now come on and were going to be off to visit a mechanic soon. Im not happy. Moreover, the drivers door keeps setting off an alarm that its open when of course its not going down a highway! and the car just frankly rides like crap. Very noisy ride. Wont do this again. Another let down from Ford.

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  Dont waste your hard earned money - 2007 Ford Five Hundred
  By Michelle Younger - April 20 - 6:59 am

  Ford made a bad car and knew about it when they put this out on the market. Ford has a class-action lawsuit against them right now for the transmission going out before 80,000 miles, also can go out while driving it. This car was bought new off the lot in 2007,and has been in the family and taken good care of, the transmission started a "helicopter" noise at 79,000 miles drove it till just over 80,000 miles when we figured out it was the transmission. BTW (80,000 miles it when the warranty expires on it.) Now at 82,000 we take it in to the Ford dealership we purchased it from and they "never heard of this problem" yet Ford has a Class-action lawsuit on them for this problem. I have always been a Ford person, I now I have No trust in the name or the people that work for them. All that could store my trust in them is that they do the right thing and replace all the transmissions that are affected, and the other problems with the car. Over all the car was a nice ride, luxury car for Ford, but since I only got 80,000 miles out of and purchase price of $30,000 dollars I give it a low review.

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  A Mechanics Dream to make more money - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By Carl - October 5 - 2:50 pm

  This car is a piece of junk, mechanically speaking. 60,000 mile, with 3 brake jobs, 1 alternator, 1 front wheel bearing, 2 idler arm ball joints and Fidelity Extended Insurance wont cover it, considered normal wear. What a crock. I will never purchase another Ford product.

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  Very disappointed - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By JAKE - August 22 - 5:40 pm

  I purchased my Ford 500 limited because I liked the roomy interior and gas mileage. The safety features were a plus also. I have always bought Ford trucks and am a loyal customer. This was my 1st Ford car. I have had so many problems with this car I will never by a Ford again. The car has been in the shop 18 times. The dash bubbled the brakes the strut bushings the air cond. The rear bumper cover rust under the hood too many to list all. Strange noises that Ford cant fix or explain. I even tried sueing Ford under lemon law but Texas lemon law states too many miles on the car between repair intervals disqaulify my case. Im still having problems but cant trade because of to much neg. Equity $8,000

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  dont get me started - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By leofanti - June 4 - 6:16 am

  for starters i bought this car brand new, and instantly had issues till its demise. i experienced the wonderful brake drag issue, the so called auto up window game (which is awesome in negative temperatures), the battery constantly lost its charge, replace battery, and repeat, ford never figured it out. then one day the a/c stopped. which in arizona summers is not really that neccessary (haha) they threw parts at it until they replaced everything, and then viola, it worked, and they never knew what did it. running synthetic oil only i had the most beautiful tapping sound under the hood, which was a tsb, but for refused to address. out of all the tsbs for the car 2 got fixed.

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  what a disappointment! - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By hadlovedit - November 5 - 2:06 am

  Within the first 600 miles the transmission had to be replaced. In order to fix it they put on an additional 123 miles; said had to road test it ... the cd was replaced 3 times. The seats dont work (still), am driving much too far back. Loud noises in the undercarriage. Oil light keeps going on and Fords people are totally uncooperative. Car been at the dealer 3 weeks in the three months I owned it. As I wait for the parts to come in, I can only wonder what disaster will happen next!

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  Transmission - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By kimgross12 - August 18 - 6:06 am

  My car is a 2006... It has almost 180,000 miles on it. For the most part this has been a good car however, I still feel the transmission shouldnt not be going out. As I read other reviews and notice the same car and year has all these transmission issues is a sign of a test car. Is it fair now that my transmission has died and I have to get another car...NO! My expectation was to keep this car for along time.

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  Goodbye Ford - 2006 Ford Five Hundred
  By Jeevis - June 27 - 7:40 am

  Bought new...start of a nightmare! Motor has been ticking since 500 miles. Ford retorqued and adjusted arojund the camshaft twice-no improvement! Dealer is stumped! Constant brake problems (car has only 20000 miles now). Steering stops have to constantly be "re-set and re-greased" because of noises when steering. AC would not turn off at one point-fixed now. AC doors were striking something and made knocking noises whenever AC was turned on/off-now fixed. Still some odd sounds under dash (like water running) and A/C panel-again Ford is stumped! Dealer blames Ford; Ford blames dealer. This loyal customer will take his loyalty to Toyota/Honda-never to return to Ford again!

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  bad front transaxle - 2005 Ford Five Hundred
  By steve woodman - January 1 - 5:40 pm

  At 4400 miles the front transaxle seals failed. They have had my 500 in the shop for four days. I brought it home for one weekend and had to return on Monday as the seals were leaking again. I am extremely disappointed that I bought a new model in its first year of production. Ive been given every excuse possible as to why they cant fix it. If it happens again Im going to the Lemon Laws. Also 16 miles per gallon is terrible.

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  Air Compressor Out at 44k miles - 2007 Ford Five Hundred
  By PACU - November 18 - 11:36 pm

  Once again I have issues with a Ford at the untimely 45k mile marker. My compressor goes out in 100 degree weather and Ford wants to charge me $950 to fix it. I try to get Ford to work with me and they refused to come any lower than the $950. Last time it was my trans on my Explorer at 45k miles and they refused to work with me then too. 3 years and less than 45k miles is too early for a compressor and I think Ford should have worked with me. So with what I feel was less than acceptable customer service for a 30+ year Ford customer, Ive decided that this is my sixth and LAST FORD. Ive been a Ford man my entire life, but after two problems like this, no more.