NHTSA Complaint #10408650 — 2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED

THE CAR ENTERED ENGINE "FAILSAFE MODE" AND SHUT DOWN WHILE TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC ON A BUSY RUSH-HOUR HIGHWAY. AFTER PULLING OVER AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE, OPERATION WAS NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 3RD TIME IN A 2.5 WEEK PERIOD THIS OCCURRED. THE CAR EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUES IN JULY 2010 FREQUENTLY (IT HAD EXISTED FOR 2-3 YEAR ON AND OFF BEFORE THEN). FORD APPLIED THE SERVICE ALERT FIX BY REPLACING THE THROTTLE BODY AND REFRESHING THE PCM. THIS FIX HAS NOT WORKED. THE CAR WILL SPORADICALLY ENTER FAILSAFE MODE ON WARM DAYS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE/SHIFT GEARS. THE ORIGINAL FIX IN JULY 2010 WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. IN OCTOBER 2010 THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION CONTROL FAILURE AND THE COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THE FIX COST $2000. OPERATION WAS NORMAL DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, HOWEVER, WHEN THE WARM WEATHER RETURNED SO DID THE PROBLEM. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BELIEVES THE FAILSAFE MODE ISSUE WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND FORD SHOULD NOT HAVE CHARGED $2000 FOR A NEW COMPUTER. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED AND CONTINUES TO OCCUR. THE DEALERSHIP'S SUGGESTION IS TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE CAR TO CLEAR THE COMPUTER. THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, ESPECIALLY ON MULTIPLE LANE HIGHWAYS. ONCE THE FAILSAFE MODE ENGAGES, THERE IS LITTLE POWER TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. IF YOU ARE ON AN INCLINE IT WILL STOP ALTOGETHER. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A REAR END COLLISION IS GREAT. FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL, ONLY A SERVICE ALERT FOR A FIX THAT DOES NOT WORK. *TR