2011 Ford Taurus problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (29) · Electrical System (23) · Steering (21)
🧭 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
142 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
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.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2015-06-02 · campaign 15V340000 · 393,623 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a ste
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
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 (49)
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 49 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-15 · Seat Belts · 💥 crash“i hit a dirt embankment the seatbelts did not lock and i ended up smashing my head off of my steering wheel and my passenger ended up smashing their head off of my dashboard.…”
2025-10-26 · Unknown Or Other“the rear view backup camera visual is located in my rearview mirror it is just a blue screen whenever i put the car in reverse it just one day stopped working i've been waiting for it to be on the recall list and for some reason this year a 2011 is not on the recall list but it should be…”
2025-09-26 · Tires:tread/Belt“last june i noticed the car constantly shaking. took it to goodyear plaza tire in alexandria mn and they said they didn't find anything wrong and it's normal to have tires feel like they are shaking while driving. the tires are 255/45r19 then in july of 2025, i wanted a tire rotation and wheels balanced. the mechanic says they can't because the tre…”
2025-09-22 · Engine“driving on access rd. car stalled in middle of traffic. glad i was not driving on highway. lucky several drivers helped push car into a gas station. saw water leak under car. there were no codes or indicators of over heating. let car cool off. noticed water in coolant reservoir. still was able to add 1 gal and half of water. car turned on, drove it…”
2025-09-14 · Electrical System“2011 ford taurus limited 37'000 miles original owner like new condition. engine and all systems working perfectly no check engine or other lights showing. i was driving on city street about 25mph and with no warning engine and dash all shut down i had no crank and no dash lights at all. while i waited for tow truck dash lights did come on and anti …”
2025-09-10 · Seats“the inside rear view mirror camera only works on occasion. …”
2025-09-09 · Engine“the water pump failed on my taurus, leaking coolant my into the engine, causing irrepairable damage…”
2025-07-21 · Steering · 199,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. a…”
2025-06-16 · Suspension“rear tow link nut in the frame rusted out and i can't get the bushing out of the frame. no way to install new tow link if the old one is cut out.…”
2025-06-10 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2011 ford taurus. the contact stated that while idling at a stop sign or stop light, the vehicle was shaking abnormally and slightly hesitated while attempting to accelerate. there was an unknown warning light illuminated. the contact stated that the failure occasionally occurred after driving approximately 500 miles. the failure…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.