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2010 Ford Taurus

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2010 Ford Taurus do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 318.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

179 reports with mileage · 25 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.

  • Steering. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports5 fire reports9 injury reports

Power Train complaints

36 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2024
Air BagsEnginePower Train

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ODI #11591972

117,000 miles · Dec 20, 2022
Power TrainCrashInjury

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 in…

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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 medical attention. The vehicle was towed but the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ODI #11498232

167,254 miles · Dec 9, 2022
Power Train

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 loc…

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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 was diagnosed with needing the transmission intermediate clutch piston to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with Manufacturer Communications Number: 10B14, however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,254.

NHTSA ODI #11496769

70,000 miles · Jul 19, 2018
Power Train

POWER TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING CAUSING VEHICLE TO NOT STAY IN PARK.

NHTSA ODI #11112481

112,000 miles · May 23, 2018
EnginePower Train

WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH A RED LIGHT ON A STATE ROUTE, I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. ENGINE SOUNDED CHOKED. VEHICLE THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE TRAVELING UP HILL. FORCING ME TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY. AFTER BEING TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, WAS ADVISED THE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACED. DEALERSHIP SERVICE STAT…

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WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH A RED LIGHT ON A STATE ROUTE, I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. ENGINE SOUNDED CHOKED. VEHICLE THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE TRAVELING UP HILL. FORCING ME TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY. AFTER BEING TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, WAS ADVISED THE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACED. DEALERSHIP SERVICE STATED THE WATER PUMP FAILED RELEASING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE, DAMAGING THE ENGINE PERMANENTLY. TRAVELING THIS ROADWAY IS USUALLY A SEMI ROUTE TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND FACTORIES. SEMIS DO NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP AS QUICKLY AS A CAR AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT DO TO THE ABRUPT PULL OVER THAT WAS NECESSARY DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA ODI #11097547

Mileage unknown · Jan 13, 2017
Power Train

PTU- POWER TRAIN UNIT TRANSMISSION "CATCHES" WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED CAUSING THE CAR TO HESITATE. FEELS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND CAUSE A REAR END TYPE OF ACCIDENT. NOT ONLY COULD THIS CAUSE A BAD ACCIDENT , YET JEPORDIZE MANY LIVES. IT'S UNSAFE AND CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS. BURNING OIL FUMES SEEP INTO THE VEHICLE. …

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PTU- POWER TRAIN UNIT TRANSMISSION "CATCHES" WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED CAUSING THE CAR TO HESITATE. FEELS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND CAUSE A REAR END TYPE OF ACCIDENT. NOT ONLY COULD THIS CAUSE A BAD ACCIDENT , YET JEPORDIZE MANY LIVES. IT'S UNSAFE AND CAUSE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS. BURNING OIL FUMES SEEP INTO THE VEHICLE. ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN / PUT RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. ACTION IS NEED . THIS ISSUE ALSO ALLOWS THE CAR TO MALFUNCTION IN SO MANY WAYS . ALL 4 WHEELS CAN LOCK UP AT SAME TIME, STALLING, EVEN CAUSE CAR TO TAKE OFF WHILE SITTING STILL, THE VEHICLE JUMPS OUT OF GEARS. WHILE DRIVING. I WILL NOT ALLOW MY SON TO PUT HIS NEWBORN BABY IN THAT CAR!!! PLEASE TAKE ACTION. ASAP THANK YOU MILACA, MN

NHTSA ODI #10945180

46,500 miles · Dec 14, 2016
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

ON 4 OCCASIONS OVER A 2 MONTH PERIOD MY TAURUS FAILED TO ACCELERATE IMMEDIATELY DUE TO WHAT HAD APPEARED TO BE THE TRACTION CONTROL POWERING DOWN THE MOTOR, MINUS ANY FLASHING LIGHTS ETC. I WOULD PULL UP TO A STOP SIGN, AND ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE AND I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER FOR APPROX 2 SECONDS AND THEN MY CAR WOULD SLAM INTO GEAR…

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ON 4 OCCASIONS OVER A 2 MONTH PERIOD MY TAURUS FAILED TO ACCELERATE IMMEDIATELY DUE TO WHAT HAD APPEARED TO BE THE TRACTION CONTROL POWERING DOWN THE MOTOR, MINUS ANY FLASHING LIGHTS ETC. I WOULD PULL UP TO A STOP SIGN, AND ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE AND I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER FOR APPROX 2 SECONDS AND THEN MY CAR WOULD SLAM INTO GEAR AND TAKE OFF (ALWAYS ON DRY CLEAN PAVEMENT). I AT FIRST DISMISSED THIS ISSUE TO BEING A SENSOR GOING BAD FOR THE ABS SYSTEM. I LATER FOUND THAT DURING THAT TIME SAME PERIOD THE SPEED CONTROL WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING AT VARIOUS PLACES AND TIMES ON STRAIGHTAWAYS OR TURNS WITHOUT REGARD TO WHAT SPEED IT WAS SET AT, HOWEVER THIS DID NOT HAPPEN TO MYSELF BUT A RELATION WHO WAS BORROWING MY CAR ON OCCASION. THE LATEST ISSUE WAS WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PULL AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT 4 NIGHTS AGO AND IT FELT LIKE EITHER MY CAR WAS IN MUCH TOO HIGH OF A GEAR, OR IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION I WOULD HAVE SWORN THAT THE CLUTCH HAD GONE BAD AND WAS SLIPPING HORRIBLY. I RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR AND PLACED THE CAR INTO MANUAL SHIFT WHILE COASTING UNDER 5MPH. MY TAURUS LURCHED AND SLAMMED INTO FIRST AND THEN WHEN I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE I PLACED IT BACK INTO DRIVE AND IT SHIFTED FINE ON ITS OWN. I'M HEADED TO THE DEALER LATER THIS WEEK AND AM HOPING TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED QUICKLY AND EASILY AFTER HAVING FOUND THE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE ON HERE. I STILL DON'T GET WHY THIS ISN'T A RECALL WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD AN ISSUE, THANKFULLY I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I'M COVERED, OH AND MY TAURUS HAS UNDER 47,000 MILES ON IT SO IT'S NOT LIKE I'VE GOT A ZILLION MILES AND THIS ISSUE POPPED UP, UGH. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU TAURUS OWNERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10935176

51,000 miles · Nov 30, 2016
Power TrainVehicle Speed ControlCrash

MY 2010 HAS HAD SEVERAL DRIVE TRAIN ISSUES. THE TRANS HAS BEEN FIXED A FEW TIMES WHICH TOOK MANY RETURNS TO THE DEALER BEFORE FINDING THE ISSUE. AFTER THAT AT TIMES THE CAR ACCELERATES ON IT'S OWN FROM A STOP. IT'S DONE ABOUT 7-9 TIMES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT CAR AND THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. 3-4 T…

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MY 2010 HAS HAD SEVERAL DRIVE TRAIN ISSUES. THE TRANS HAS BEEN FIXED A FEW TIMES WHICH TOOK MANY RETURNS TO THE DEALER BEFORE FINDING THE ISSUE. AFTER THAT AT TIMES THE CAR ACCELERATES ON IT'S OWN FROM A STOP. IT'S DONE ABOUT 7-9 TIMES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT CAR AND THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. 3-4 TIMES IT TOOK ME IN TO AN INTERCHANGE LUCKILY NO ONE WAS COMING UNTIL YESTERDAY. I LEFT A RESTAURANT AND MOVED THE CAR ABOUT 20 YARDS CAME TO A STOP AND IMMEDIATELY IT STARTED TO ACCELERATE. I WAS ONLY LESS THAN 10 FEET FROM THE ROAD. I FELT IT STARTING TO ACCELERATE AND PUSHED DOWN HARDER ON THE BRAKES BUT CAR SURGED IN TO ROAD AND COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER CAR. I KNOW I'LL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH FORD ON THIS...PLUS MY INSURANCE COST WILL SKY ROCKET AS WELL. I NEED HELP!!

NHTSA ODI #10928764

71,200 miles · May 17, 2016
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 85 MPH, THE VEHICLE FORCE DOWNSHIFTED AND CAUSED THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO CONTACT THE GROUND. THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE LIFTED OFF THE GROUND. THE CONTACT COASTED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND PLACED THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 85 MPH, THE VEHICLE FORCE DOWNSHIFTED AND CAUSED THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE TO CONTACT THE GROUND. THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE LIFTED OFF THE GROUND. THE CONTACT COASTED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND PLACED THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,200.

NHTSA ODI #10865327

100,000 miles · Oct 14, 2015
Power Train

OIL IN PTU UNIT ON AWD 2010 FORD TAURUS SHO VEHICLE GETS OVERWORKED AND OVER EXPANDS AND LEAKS OUT OF THE TOP OF THE VENT CAP. THE OIL DRIPS DOWN ONTO THE EXHAUST AND BURNS OFF. THE BURNING OIL FUMES ARE THEN SUCKED INTO THE CABIN VIA THE HVAC SYSTEM. THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THE FUMES FROM ENTERING THE VEHICLE CABIN IS TO HAVE T…

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OIL IN PTU UNIT ON AWD 2010 FORD TAURUS SHO VEHICLE GETS OVERWORKED AND OVER EXPANDS AND LEAKS OUT OF THE TOP OF THE VENT CAP. THE OIL DRIPS DOWN ONTO THE EXHAUST AND BURNS OFF. THE BURNING OIL FUMES ARE THEN SUCKED INTO THE CABIN VIA THE HVAC SYSTEM. THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THE FUMES FROM ENTERING THE VEHICLE CABIN IS TO HAVE THE HVAC ON RECIRCULATE. FORD CLAIMS THAT THE PTU HAS A LIFETIME OIL IN IT AND THAT IT SHOULD ONLY BE REPLACED IF CONTAMINATED. MANY CONSUMERS ARE REPORTING THAT THEY ARE PUMPING THE OIL OUT AND REPLACING IT WITH FRESH OIL IN 25K TO 35K INTERVALS. MY VEHICLE HAS 100,000 MILES ON IT AND 1 PTU WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE AND THE REPLACEMENT PTU IS EXHIBITING THE SAME ISSUES AS BEFORE WHEN THE 1ST PTU FAILED. THE INHALATION HAZARD OF BURNING OIL FUMES NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER AS IT POSES A SERIOUS HEALTH RISK TO OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #10782172

Official recalls

3

16V247000 · Air Bags:frontal

Apr 26, 2016

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

15V040000 · Structure:body:door

Jan 28, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

14V285000 · Exterior Lighting

May 29, 2014

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 assembly may experience an electro-chemical reaction and corrosion as a result of water intrusion.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: 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.

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.