Ford Vehicle

WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said yesterday it has opened a preliminary investigation into Ford Motor Co.’s 2005-model Five Hundred sedans and 2005-2007 models of F-250 and F-350 trucks. The agency said the action covers 173,827 Five Hundreds, but it didn’t estimate the number of pickups affected. Nine motorists complained that the Five Hundred’s instrument cluster temporarily stopped working while driving, the agency said.

Seventy-eight motorists complained that the F-250 and F-350 pickups experienced “severe suspension and steering-wheel oscillations” after going over uneven surfaces, the agency said.