FaultScore

Ford Taurus acceleration problems

2,128 of the 23,971 complaints filed about the Ford Taurus are about the throttle and cruise control — 9% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2005.

2,128

Complaints

9%

Share of all complaints

234

Crashes

20

Fires

Acceleration & Cruise Control complaints by model year

1986 Taurus 6 0.3%
1987 Taurus 15 0.7%

Median failure at 53,000 miles

1988 Taurus 16 0.8%
1989 Taurus 23 1.1%

Median failure at 96,000 miles

1990 Taurus 31 1.5%

Median failure at 110,000 miles

1991 Taurus 27 1.3%

Median failure at 57,321 miles

1992 Taurus 51 2.4%

Median failure at 37,000 miles

1993 Taurus 58 2.7%

Median failure at 86,000 miles

1994 Taurus 63 3.0%

Median failure at 114,000 miles

1995 Taurus 88 4.1%

Median failure at 71,000 miles

1996 Taurus 43 2.0%

Median failure at 99,181 miles

1997 Taurus 58 2.7%

Median failure at 96,200 miles

1998 Taurus 113 5.3%

Median failure at 90,000 miles

1999 Taurus 113 5.3%

Median failure at 59,000 miles

2000 Taurus 90 4.2%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

2001 Taurus 100 4.7%

Median failure at 120,000 miles

2002 Taurus 77 3.6%

Median failure at 101,000 miles

2003 Taurus 90 4.2%

Median failure at 103,716 miles

2004 Taurus 166 7.8%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

2005 Taurus 541 25.4%

Median failure at 93,454 miles

2006 Taurus 181 8.5%

Median failure at 91,000 miles

2007 Taurus 55 2.6%

Median failure at 98,783 miles

2008 Taurus 32 1.5%

Median failure at 58,000 miles

2009 Taurus 10 0.5%

Median failure at 80,500 miles

2010 Taurus 25 1.2%

Median failure at 29,000 miles

2011 Taurus 15 0.7%

Median failure at 30,800 miles

2012 Taurus 4 0.2%

Median failure at 50,000 miles

2013 Taurus 18 0.8%

Median failure at 62,214 miles

2014 Taurus 8 0.4%

Median failure at 35,100 miles

2015 Taurus 10 0.5%

Median failure at 12,630 miles

2017 Taurus 1 0.0%

Median failure at 25,800 miles

What owners said

2010 Ford Taurus Detroit, MI

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Unknown

NHTSA complaint #11749890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Ford Taurus Detroit, MI

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Unknown

NHTSA complaint #11749891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 Ford Taurus at 142,000 miles Wantagh, NY Crash 1 injured

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt had failed to unbuckle and was previously repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously rear-ended on several occasions, and the air bags did not deploy. The contact had sustained severe back injuries that had become permanent. The contact had received medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene on each occasion. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH, the vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle responded as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

NHTSA complaint #11714414 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Ford Taurus Washington, MI Crash 6 injured 2 killed

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Unknown. Car was going 100 mph. Driver, my son , was killed in this car accident. This year make AND model is known for throttle acceleration issues with brake afail override non existent until later models. Case number [XXX] sterling heights police department INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11666028 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Ford Taurus Fort Collins, CO

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Driving down CR 230 in Wyoming, the situation started if I have to estimate, 7 miles west of Woods Landing, I heard a metal on metal grinding noise from the engine bay, and a loss of power on the throttle. I look at my RPM gauge and notice it is a zero. No check engine light, all electronics working as normal along with the brakes, and I slow the vehicle down to 30 MPH. Shortly after noticing, I get a "Check Brake System" flash on my instrument panel cluster, also the light which illuminates for my parking brake turns on, and I lose power brakes, the brake pedal turned extremely stiff. I immediately look for a pull off zone, but because I had lost brakes I did not want to risk keeping the vehicle moving. I get the vehicle stopped on the side of the road, and instantly put it in park along with the parking brake and shut the vehicle off. The vehicle would not start or crank, just a flash across all of the electronics, the lights go dark, then illuminate again as if normal. This is an extremely dangerous situation, the vehicle had not notified me that the motor had stopped turning; not a check engine light or ring at all, and shortly after that the power brakes stop working. This is very dangerous for motorists because of the lack of notification from the vehicle, and the incredibly weak breaking ability. If the vehicle had been moving at highway speeds, any sort of traffic, I could've ended up injured or dead, and even worse, killed another driver. The vehicle was towed to the nearest town where it would be inspected by a dealership; they reported to have found coolant in the oil and that the vehicle needed a new motor. No other details have been confirmed, and the problem has not been reproduced by the dealership. It is unknown if the dealership inspected the braking system.

NHTSA complaint #11636388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Taurus at 103,940 miles Fort Worth, TX

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The gas pedal is sticking

NHTSA complaint #11583737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Ford Taurus Yakima, WA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I was on my way to work. When I came to the stop sign to turn on the main road. I felt my car jerk. I thought it was weird and kept driving anyways. Then I noticed the resistance was gone from the gas pedal and it went straight to the floor. So I came to the stop light and kept my foot on the brake. When the light turned green and I had let go of the brakes. My car was accelerating on its own. I had to keep pumping the brakes so I wouldn't crash or hurt anyone. I managed to pull into a mechanic's shop and asked for help. The mechanic told me that it was my cruise control and that it wasn't disengaging. So he had to disconnect it from my car.

NHTSA complaint #11547998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Ford Taurus at 121,997 miles Wylie, TX 1 injured

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

On 3/8/23 I was attempting to turn around on a residential street. I put my car in reverse and started turning steering wheel to the right when suddenly there was a loud pop and my steering wheel tighted up and I could barely turn it. IThen when I put in drive it stated rattling everywhere. I almost hit another car trying to turn in a drive cause couldn't turn. With in an hour the check engine power assist and traction control came lost blinkers and if I tried to gas it it would baulk I eventually got it home but every time I had to change gears drive to reverse it made a loud noise as if the bottom just fell out. My car has 5 recalls none have been fixed and Ford said my car had no recalls said mechanic but first lady agreed there was one. But they are refusing to fix it or even acknowledge that there is a recall. The mechanic was very short and rude with me. And then said to take it up with Ford Customer Service. I've only had my car for 6 months and now am out of car and in danger of loosing my two jobs. 64 of the 153 complaints all have to do with the exact problems I have with steering then the axel. This needs to be investigated cause had I lost power steering suddenly when making that turn someone could have been seriously injured if not killed. Thankfully I lost it while at a stoping point and was able to compensate for the lack of steering. However my back my shoulders and my hands have all been damaged due to trying to control my car. Who should I call to have recalls fixed since Ford is denying there's even a recall. I've emailed CarMax no response and emailed Ford CEO but mail came back

NHTSA complaint #11512101 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Ford Taurus Baldwyn, MS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Driving on the highway, when the car lights, radio, air conditioner, steering wheel, speed all goes out. The car wouldn’t crank back up and theft system keep coming on.

NHTSA complaint #11508801 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Ford Taurus at 64,000 miles Clearwater, FL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling for approximately 1 minute, then the vehicle started revving up with the RPM above 7,000. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal seemed to be stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a stop. The check engine warning light was displayed. There was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The following day the vehicle was driven to a certified mechanic who replaced the throttle body and accelerator pedal assembly. After returning to the residence and attempting to exit the vehicle with the vehicle idling, the failure recurred. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. The consumer stated the vehicle broke down and towed to dealer. The computer was updated by the dealer but the vehicle failed once again. The consumer needs a second throttle body replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11507273 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Ford Taurus at 64,000 miles Clearwater, FL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling for approximately 1 minute, then the vehicle started revving up with the RPM above 7,000. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal seemed to be stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a stop. The check engine warning light was displayed. There was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The following day the vehicle was driven to a certified mechanic who replaced the throttle body and accelerator pedal assembly. After returning to the residence and attempting to exit the vehicle with the vehicle idling, the failure recurred. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. The consumer stated the vehicle broke down and towed to dealer. The computer was updated by the dealer but the vehicle failed once again. The consumer needs a second throttle body replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11507273 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Ford Taurus Council Bluffs, IA Crash

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Purchased vehicle on 10/06/2022. Within a week noticed surging and /or loss of power. I also smelled buring of some sort. Contacted the dealership and tried to make arrangements for car to be diagnosed and repaired. Codes began to show on the dash. When I took it to be read it showed throttle issues. On 10/18/2022 I was at a complete stop at a stop sign. When I released the brake and touched the gas the car unexpectedly sured at high speed on its own. My vehicle hit another vehicle causing major damage to both cars. It was extremely terrifying having my car take off at a high rate of speed without me in control. This now has caused tremendous hardship financially, Emotionally and I now have legal issues due to this accident that was no fault of my own.

NHTSA complaint #11498795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Ford Taurus Springfield, MO

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The throttle body threw a code. My car lost "power' and stalled. It went into limp mode. Became inoperable. My four year old, his dad, and my safety was at risk due to this happening on a rural road on a hill. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere and an hour and a half away from home. The dealership replaced the throttle bottle, accelerator pedal, reprogrammed it, and it still will not function normally. I am out of a car and that is not okay. They only warning sign there was happened to be a wrench and that's it.

NHTSA complaint #11488254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Ford Taurus Fremont, CA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

For a while now I have noticed that intermittently when barely stepping on the accelerator pedal, the car will accelerate but continue to speed up even with my foot off of the accelerator. I have to step on the break extremely hard to come to a stop, and car will still be doing around 40mph when at a complete stop or light. The check engine light has been on, and I have taken it to a mechanic twice, one of the times he had it for a month trying to figure out what that light is about, checking everything possible, but I am not sure if that light has anything to do with the accelerator.

NHTSA complaint #11487791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Ford Taurus Palm Coast, FL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Pulling into my personal parking space I applied brake to slow down and come to a complete stop. Car accelerated to an uncontrollable speed, jumped the curb and continued flying whe I constantly applied brakes (approximately 40 yrds) missing the 100 yr old oaks and palm trees. This occurred beginning of July 2022. Happened again 1 week ago as I was pulling into parking space directly behind a parked car. As I approached parking space with my break slowing me down to enter spot the car accelerated as above. Thin time I was able to swerve left to avoid slamming into the car in the parking space which was in front of me. Thank God there were no cars at that the on the road.

NHTSA complaint #11479371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Ford Taurus Lincoln, NE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

At times the vehicle accelerates by itself albeit I am not touching the gas pedal. While driving the vehicle at 45 mph, I take my foot off of the accelerator and the vehicle maintains the 45 mph speed or increases speed if I am driving down a hill or any downward gradient regardless of the angle of decent. When I try to stop the vehicle using the foot brake it continues to maintain speed and if I put the shift lever in neutral, while trying to stop, the RPM's increase from approximately 1500 rpm's to 3200 rpm's until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and then, only after approximately five seconds do the RPM's begin to drop to 1000 rpm's. If I am driving the vehicle with cruise control and cancel the cruise control, the vehicle maintains the cruise control speed indefinitely, literally for miles thereafter. I wanted to give this vehicle to my daughter who has multiple sclerosis but it's too dangerous for her to drive with this acceleration problem. Do you have any recommendations for me???

NHTSA complaint #11475206 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Ford Taurus Yuma, AZ

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Throttle stuck and vehicle accelerated out of control. Had to brake hard and turn off engine to prevent crash. Speed Control Cable disconnected from cruise control. It has been repaired since the incident. Yes, was reproduced by the tow truck driver as well as at a service center. No warnings, only high engine revving noise as it happened, high RPMs and high speed noticeable on dashboard as my car's acceleration stuck. Case #FCAS37586176 reported to Ford company.

NHTSA complaint #11473623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Ford Taurus at 169,530 miles Greeneville, TN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to slow down as needed while depressing the brake to make a left turn. The contact stopped the vehicle and shifted the gear shifter to park; however, while parked the RPM rose to 5,000 RPM. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 169,530.

NHTSA complaint #11471132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Ford Taurus Dallas, GA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Car engine accelerate on own. Tac meter shows over 3,000 RPM when I put it in neutral. I have to tap the accelerator and it goes back to normal. This happens about once a week now. I was slowing down for a stoplight and it happened. Brakes were not enough. Almost hit a car. Only by throwing into neutral allowed me to gain control and stop. My mechanic couldn’t find anything. I cannot allow anyone else to drive this as I am the only one familiar to handle it. I’ll probably sell it on a trade. I’ve read dozens of reports of this but no recall. I am surprised. If I get into an accident I have a lawyer handle it Here are others https://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/taurus/cruise-control-problems.php

NHTSA complaint #11471204 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Taurus at 14,000 miles Decatur, GA Crash 1 injured

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact indicated that the vehicle erroneously accelerated and crashed into a nearby building. During the incident, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the airbags did not deploy. The front passenger sustained a back injury that required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failures were not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 14,000.

NHTSA complaint #11457683 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Ford Taurus problems