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2009 Ford Taurus

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2009 Ford Taurus are lower than the model-year median of 318.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

53 reports with mileage · 11 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports7 injury reports

Power Train complaints

5 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2022
Power Train

On 4 separate occassions, my 2009 Ford Taurus limited automatic transmission dropped out of gear while I was accelerating slowly away from a stop The times they have occurred Is from a stop sign into traffic. It dropped out of gear at about 5 mph and made a growling noise. . I put my foot on the brake. When I started it aga…

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On 4 separate occassions, my 2009 Ford Taurus limited automatic transmission dropped out of gear while I was accelerating slowly away from a stop The times they have occurred Is from a stop sign into traffic. It dropped out of gear at about 5 mph and made a growling noise. . I put my foot on the brake. When I started it again everything worked fine. . I was leaving a parking lot and I had reached a speed of 5-15 mph when there was no longer any gear, then it slammed into gear for a moment, went a few feet, then dropped out again, then slammed into gear again. I was able to coast to the curb in a residential area and turn the engine off. Fortunately no traffic was coming.Another time I pulled into traffic and slipped out of gear Iwas able to back up only and parked it. Then several hours later I started the engine again and had no further trouble. so far. I was checking out recalls and service bulletins on it today and I found that other owners reported similar problems. If I had been pulling out into traffic and my transmission failed the way it did, there could easily have been an accident. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE !!!!!!!

NHTSA ODI #11461742

41,500 miles · Aug 2, 2019
Power Train

THE CAR HAS LOW MILES FOR THE YEAR 42K. THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ERRATIC, HARD SHIFTING, HOLDING GEARS FOR TOO LONG. A NEW PROBLEM THAT IS HAPPENING, IN THE MORNING CAR CLUNKS EXTREMELY HARD INTO SECOND GEAR. I WENT TO ACCELERATE ONTO A BUSY ROAD AND THE TRANSMISSION BANGED SO HARD IT STARTLED US AND LOST POWER. THERE…

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THE CAR HAS LOW MILES FOR THE YEAR 42K. THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ERRATIC, HARD SHIFTING, HOLDING GEARS FOR TOO LONG. A NEW PROBLEM THAT IS HAPPENING, IN THE MORNING CAR CLUNKS EXTREMELY HARD INTO SECOND GEAR. I WENT TO ACCELERATE ONTO A BUSY ROAD AND THE TRANSMISSION BANGED SO HARD IT STARTLED US AND LOST POWER. THERE'S A SAFETY CONCERN WITH THIS BECAUSE IT LOST ALL POWER AND WE WERE ALMOST HIT BY AN APPROCHING CAR. AFTER DOING SEARCHES ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF FORD TAURUS MODEL. THE FORD COMPANY IS APPARENTLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR TRANSMISSIONS AND WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I PURCHASED THE CAR WITH 23K MILES ON IT. AS OF TODAY, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY IN TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ODI #11241226

39,000 miles · Jun 5, 2012
Power TrainCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING OUT OF RESIDENTIAL GARAGE, HE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE BUT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PCM WAS NOT PROGRAMMED CORRECTLY. AS A RESULT, THE PCM NE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING OUT OF RESIDENTIAL GARAGE, HE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE BUT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PCM WAS NOT PROGRAMMED CORRECTLY. AS A RESULT, THE PCM NEEDED TO BE RESET. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

NHTSA ODI #10460661

3,100 miles · Feb 22, 2010
Power Train

MY 2009 TAURUS LMTD AWD 6 SPEED 3.5 V6 WOULD ROLL BACK ON A HILL QUITE A BIT AND IF YOU PRESS THE GAS, IT STALLS AND YOU HAVE NO BRAKES. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD "THIS IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC. THE LOWER IDLE SPEED ON THE CAR DOES NOT OVERCOME THE TC SLIP UNDER THAT CONDITION. RECOMMENDED NO REPAIR ATTEMPTS BE…

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MY 2009 TAURUS LMTD AWD 6 SPEED 3.5 V6 WOULD ROLL BACK ON A HILL QUITE A BIT AND IF YOU PRESS THE GAS, IT STALLS AND YOU HAVE NO BRAKES. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD "THIS IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC. THE LOWER IDLE SPEED ON THE CAR DOES NOT OVERCOME THE TC SLIP UNDER THAT CONDITION. RECOMMENDED NO REPAIR ATTEMPTS BE MADE" I HAVE DOCS ON THIS. ANOTHER DEALER HAD THE SAME CAR AND IT DID THE SAME THING, BUT A 3RD FORD DEALER WAS MORE CONCERNED WHY IT STALLED. I WAS TOLD SO IT DID NOT HURT THE TRANSMISSION, (VERBALLY TOLD THIS). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10312848

500 miles · Nov 11, 2009
Power Train

NEW 2010 FORD TAURUS SEL A FEW WEEKS OLD HAS A DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION OR CLUTCH MECHANISM. THE PROBLEM OCCURS AFTER STOPPING IN TRAFFIC ON AN INCLINED STREET, WHEN TRAFFIC STARTS AND YOU LET OFF THE BRAKE TO MOVE YOUR FOOT THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR FREELY ROLLS BACKWARDS TOWARD THE CAR BEHIND YOU BEFORE YOU CAN REA…

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NEW 2010 FORD TAURUS SEL A FEW WEEKS OLD HAS A DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION OR CLUTCH MECHANISM. THE PROBLEM OCCURS AFTER STOPPING IN TRAFFIC ON AN INCLINED STREET, WHEN TRAFFIC STARTS AND YOU LET OFF THE BRAKE TO MOVE YOUR FOOT THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR FREELY ROLLS BACKWARDS TOWARD THE CAR BEHIND YOU BEFORE YOU CAN REASONABLY APPLY POWER WITH THE ACCELERATOR TO STOP THE ROLLING. THE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHEN PARALLEL PARKING AT A CURB WHERE THE STREET IS NOT LEVEL. THIS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO SOMEONE WHO MIGHT WALK BEHIND THE CAR AT THE WRONG TIME. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS THAT AFTER THE CAR IS STOPPED ON AN UNLEVEL AREA AND PUT IN PARK, IT ROLLS FORWARD OR BACKWARD FOR ABOUT A FOOT OR SO BEFORE THE ENGINE TORQUE ENGAGES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THIS AGAIN PRESENTS A DANGER TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY. BO BOECKMAN FORD IS THE DEALER WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE TO ME. THE VEHICLE WAS TESTED BY THEM AND THEY AGREE THAT THE PROBLEMS DESCRIBED EXISTS, BUT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE INHERENT IN THE TRANSMISSION DESIGN, AND THEY HAVE JUST HAD ANOTHER CUSTOMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291839

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.