2010 Ford Taurus problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (37) · Power Train (23) · Vehicle Speed Control (22)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Taurus model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
177 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V247000 · 695 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
Structure:body:door 2015-01-28 · campaign 15V040000 · 194,889 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Ford Taurus vehicles manufactured December 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010, and 2011-2013 Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured June 1, 2011, to October 31, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Risk: If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S02.
Exterior Lighting 2014-05-29 · campaign 14V285000 · 183,425 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Taurus vehicles manufactured November 24, 2008, through February 28, 2014, originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. When used in areas that use road salt, the license plate lamp
Risk: This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the license plate lamp assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on July 26, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S08. Note: Under program 14R01, Ford will notify owners in non-corrosion states, and, at the customer's request, dealers will replace the license plate lamp assembly.
Service bulletins (38)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-09-25 · SSM 49210 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2009-2020 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with turbochargers may exhibit an oil leak from the turbocharger oil supply or return tubes, o-rings or 6.7l pedestal gasket. although oil may collect on the turbocharger, it is very rare for a turbocharger to leak oil. to isolate the source of the l
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-08-09 · SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. this is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. hydrofluoric acid can attack the glass and cause visual distortion and/or disc
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2019-07-02 · SSM 48070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2009-2017 expedition/navigator, 2009-2014 f-150/mustang, 2008-2009 sable, 2008-2019 taurus/flex/mkt, 2013-2019 police interceptor sedan/utility, and 2011-2019 explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or intermittent hvac blower motor function at various fan speed settings. this may be due to a
Power Train 2019-05-10 · SSM 47976 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with motorcraft multi-purpose grease spray xl-5-a even if grease was not applied from the factory. also verify that the engine/transmission alignment dowel pins are present as well as the eng
Showing the 6 most recent of 38 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-06-10 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“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)(…”
2024-09-12 · Steering · 31,000 mi“the contact owns a 2010 ford taurus. the contact stated while making a right turn, the steering wheel became stiff. the contact stated that the "power steering assist failure" message was displayed. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage wa…”
2024-02-25 · Seats“o2 system failed. system checked. the service light is still on. agents assisted with inspecting. dealership had the vehicle non-recall. seat belt light appeared and agent was contacted. system is collected for revisiting my claim. …”
2024-02-25 · Seats“o2 system failed. system checked. the service light is still on. agents assisted with inspecting. …”
2023-07-08 · Structure:body“while driving on the hwy my moonroof exploded. which cldve caused a accident due to the shock and fear it caused from the very loud gunshot like sound when exploding out of no where..for reason that was done by myself..…”
2022-12-20 · Power Train · 117,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2010 ford taurus. the contact stated while parking the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated on its own at high speed without any warning, causing the vehicle to airborne and struck his neighbor's home. the contact desperately pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. the contact's wife had severe injuries and sought me…”
2022-12-09 · Power Train · 167,254 mi“the contact owns a 2010 ford taurus. the contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle started shaking. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact was able to continue driving to her destination. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it …”
2022-06-14 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module · 22,000 mi“the contact owns a 2010 ford taurus. the contact stated that the brake pedal would depress the floorboard without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. the diagnostic test determined that the brake module was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the contac…”
2022-04-06 · Unknown Or Other“5 april 2022 my 2010 taurus sel 3.5l engine overheated unexpectedly and the temp warning light came on my way home. i let it cool down during a heavy rain before heading home. i left the vehicle at a gas station for a couple of hours and return to bring it home (3 miles). temp gage remain steady (3 miles) until it was parked on my driveway. the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.