2006 Ford Five Hundred Limited AWD CVT 3.0 V6

Summary:

I will definitely purchase another one when the time arrives, hopefully a High Performance model

Faults:

Mechanically, there have been zero problems with this car. When it was first purchased, the dealer installed a Ford remote start system in it and I had to return a couple of times to have them reprogram it. As far as the car, as delivered from the factory, I have had NO reliability issues. It has only needed scheduled oil changes and tire rotations.

General Comments:

My wife and I have voted this 500 the best car we have ever bought. This is our 15th brand new car.

We have doubled our fuel mileage in certain conditions to the V8 Explorer.

Everyone that sits in this car says that they feel safe riding in it. Rock Solid! Rated 5 Star in Safety.

We fit a full size Grandfather clock in the trunk and had the box never touched the dashboard. I like the way the front seat folds forward to achieve so much room.

CVT with AWD are the way to go up here in New England. they work together seamlessly and have never let me down in deep snow or on ice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2006

2nd Oct 2006, 13:44

Great reliability at 13,000 miles?

Give it a 40,000 miles before you declare it "greatest car ever!".

7th Nov 2006, 18:50

Give me a break! I've owned GM, Ford, Toyota and Honda and every one of them was returned for defects at least three or four times by 10,000 miles EXCEPT this Five Hundred!! It is now at 16,000 miles and still making a believer out of me. Say what you want, they ALL break sooner or later and the offshore models are much more expensive to repair. My Accord cost me $700.00 for a 60,000 mile checkup and it wasn't even broken!

24th Sep 2008, 07:53

My 2007 Five Hundred SEL/AWD/CVT has been in the dealer's service department more times than I like to recall. Early problems included an engine noise traced to (they thought) a loose part in the intake manifold (replaced, problem not solved), then the rear brakes needed to be replaced under warranty (the car now has 32K on the clock), then the car began "surging" when driving at about 20-40 mph, they thought that was the throttle body needing replacement (replaced, problem not solved),and NOW it has been in the shop for a complete CVT transmission replacement under warranty and it will take another ten plus days to get the replacement tranny from Ford... not good at all for a car with only 32K on the clock. Color me one dissatisfied Ford drivers!

5th Sep 2010, 20:18

I have a 2006 Ford 500 AWD, and today it had the wrench idiot light turn on as I was turning onto my block, and the tranny after I slowed up would not shift up, so I need to call Ford tomorrow, Labor Day, and hope they're open? Wonder what it will be, and I have a extended warranty on it, so hope that covers it also?

Rich.

1st Mar 2011, 18:50

I have 130k on my 500 now and it has run flawlessly. I have serviced it regularly and changed the oil every 5k. I am on my second set of factory tires still and second set of brake pads. Although some here find it hard to believe, I have had only one part fail since I purchased the car... left front bulb. Yes, indeed, this car is a sleeper and time will indeed reward 500 owners.

2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL 3.0L Duratec

Summary:

Great value

Faults:

A few fit an finish issues that required the body shop to do some painting. For example, there was "trash" in the paint on the driver's side rear door area that I did not see until a few days after picking up the vehicle. Scratches and small chips in the rear window that were not visible in sunlight. The door panels are not flush with one another when looking down the side of the car; this is an issue with all cars, just look. I should have done a better job looking over the car given how picky I tend to be.

There is a loud "ticking" or "tapping" in the engine that is not the camshaft tick that Ford issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) about. I can put my mechanic's stethoscope on the fuel injectors and get the same noise, so the noise appears to be coming from them. Dealer where I bought the car have been "ZERO" help; "We do not know what it is; just drive it until something malfunctions." Not readily noticeable when driving the car, unless you are going through a drive-thru with the window down and radio muted. I know it's there, so it bugs me. Loud fuel injector noise is found on a number of new cars, though; just visit some other car manufacturer forms (e.g., dodge charger, Nissan, Acura, BMW, etc.)

General Comments:

The car is comfortable and interior noise is very muted.

The roominess of the interior and trunk is unbelievable!

The interior looks and feels good. I think Ford did a great job on the interior; not cheap at all.

Be careful going over speed-bumps as the front splash guards will rub; too fast and you will break them or rip them off. Easy to replace at $5-6 each.

I particularly like the one-touch up and down driver side window button. Most cars have the one-touch down, but not up.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd September, 2006

9th Nov 2008, 00:43

I recently purchased a 2006 Ford Five Hundred. It's an SE with the CVT Transmission. I really do like the car, however I have noticed the ticking noise also.

I plan on taking my car to the dealer this week for them to tell me what the sound is.

On cold start-up, the engine will have a somewhat loud constant tick. After about 45 sec - 1 minute, the sound would become considerably quieter, although still present.

With that said, I have noticed no problems with the performance of the car. It runs and idles well, and is giving me great gas mileage.

It's just this annoying constant tick that I really hear when the car is cold that is bothering me.

I hope that they tell me that this is normal (as I have heard about loud injectors in some other cars), but with my luck, I'm preparing myself for the worst.

13th Nov 2008, 07:14

Took the car in, main bearing has failed and the crank has been warped.

Looking at a new motor for the car now.