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2016 Ford Taurus

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Ford Taurus are lower than the model-year median of 318.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

46 reports with mileage · 34 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.

  • Back Over Prevention. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports

Steering complaints

9 reports
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56,000 miles · Jun 25, 2025
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was a loose steering bolt. The dealer performed an undisclosed repair, but t…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was a loose steering bolt. The dealer performed an undisclosed repair, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact's son diagnosed the vehicle using a code reader and retrieved a diagnostic trouble code for the power steering control module. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ODI #11669222

63,000 miles · Jun 5, 2025
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, and the battery was replaced by an independent mechanic. The contact stated that soon after the battery replacement, while attempting to make a U-turn, the steering wheel seized with the “Power Steering Assist" messag…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, and the battery was replaced by an independent mechanic. The contact stated that soon after the battery replacement, while attempting to make a U-turn, the steering wheel seized with the “Power Steering Assist" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle into a parking lot. The contact stated that a Mobile mechanic arrived at the scene and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be reset after the battery was replaced. The contact stated that five days after the vehicle was reset, the failure recurred. The contact called the same Mobile mechanic who had performed the reset and was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

NHTSA ODI #11665084

Mileage unknown · Mar 28, 2025
Seat BeltsService BrakesSteeringCrashInjury

Steering didn't work correctly which led to brakes not doing what I needed which led to slamming into a cement edge at a freeway exit or entrance. Seat belts locked up. Air bags did not deploy. Front passenger tire flat. Car towed next day. Ford dealership did NOTHING even when it was discovered Ford sold us a car with a FLAT sp…

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Steering didn't work correctly which led to brakes not doing what I needed which led to slamming into a cement edge at a freeway exit or entrance. Seat belts locked up. Air bags did not deploy. Front passenger tire flat. Car towed next day. Ford dealership did NOTHING even when it was discovered Ford sold us a car with a FLAT spare tire (donut). Dealership said no recalls, but coverup or fixed but not correctly previously? Car purchased used. Ford dealership said to go to body shop. Body shop couldn't do anything unless we paid $6,000.00 to get the seat belts replaced. That's 1/3 the price financed for the car!!!! Safety put at risk: flat spare tire & seat belts locked up. The dealership SAID nothing wrong with brakes & steering according to their electronic diagnosis. Didn't even LOOK at brakes & steering. 2 incidents total so far with brakes & steering. Didn't think anything significant the first time. seat belts locked up confirmed by certified body shop. No it has NOT been inspected by anybody else. No warning lights appeared. I unhooked wife's seat belt so she could exit the car as needed & it slammed into her left breast. See attached picture. It took a week for the bruise to go away. Bruise got worse before it disappeared. Hurt a lot.

NHTSA ODI #11651282

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2023
Steering

Rack and pinion malfunctioned causing vehicle steering to pull to one side, eventually causing steering wheel to lock up making it almost impossible to steer vehicle. Problem confirmed by dealer, happened under 60k miles, however vehicle was passed year for factory warranty. No warnings until failure

NHTSA ODI #11543517

Mileage unknown · Oct 10, 2022
Electrical SystemSteering

The future that failed on my vehicle was the epas or electronic power assisted steering. This feature failed while I was on the freeway at upwards of 65 mph the steering wheel locked and I was unable to turn the steering wheel. After pulling off of the freeway at slow speeds I was able to give a, very hard like pull to the steer…

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The future that failed on my vehicle was the epas or electronic power assisted steering. This feature failed while I was on the freeway at upwards of 65 mph the steering wheel locked and I was unable to turn the steering wheel. After pulling off of the freeway at slow speeds I was able to give a, very hard like pull to the steering wheel in the direction that I needed it to go. When this feature failed the notification on my dash showed "electronic power assisted steering failure. Service required." Definitely is a danger not only to myself but other drivers on the road who could have been innocently impacted by my car as a failure to be able to steer in the correct direction. This issue is known on 2010 to 2018 Ford vehicles and has been recalled on only certain vehicles not upwards of 2015. Now I'm unable to use my vehicle as I'm not able to steer it.

NHTSA ODI #11488701

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2022
Air BagsLane DepartureSteeringCrashInjury

I turned left after stopping at a four-way stop sign intersection. I crashed into a parked car waiting its turn but I did not see until I was upon it and it was too late to swerve away. My car's air bags inflated. My wrist was broken. My car was declared totaled by my insurer although I could not have been speeding since I had j…

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I turned left after stopping at a four-way stop sign intersection. I crashed into a parked car waiting its turn but I did not see until I was upon it and it was too late to swerve away. My car's air bags inflated. My wrist was broken. My car was declared totaled by my insurer although I could not have been speeding since I had just stopped at the four-way stop sign, waited my turn, and turned my car left onto a street that runs slightly downhill. I am still trying to comprehend how my wrist on my right hand was broken since both of my hands were on the steering wheel at the point of impact but a trip to the emergency room proved my suddenly limp and suddenly pain-filled arm meant I had broken my wrist. It is not the first time I have been in my 2016 Ford Taurus and not noticed a car until it was close upon me-- typically though a car(s) has approached me from my rear right and I noticed it in a split second and avoided an accident; but this is my first collision accident in decades. I need to point that fact out. I don't know if the car has a blind spot. I don't know if the air bag broke my wrist. I don't know why my wrist was broken because both of my hands were on the steering wheel during my collision on May 9, 2022. There were not any warning messages that I recall seeing or hearing. My insurer acquired right of attorney over my vehicle and towed it away. To my knowledge, no one has inspected the car but I suspect there are actually several blind spots in the 2016 Ford Taurus. I owned a 1998 Ford Taurus before I bought my 2016 Ford Taurus but never had a collision in my 1998 Ford Taurus or any of the problems I've just described.

NHTSA ODI #11476768

28,300 miles · Dec 6, 2020
SteeringUnknown Or Other

CAR ELECTRONIC STEERING STOPPED AND I COULD NOT TURN THE WHEELS.

NHTSA ODI #11378109

24,501 miles · Sep 27, 2018
Steering

THE POWER STEERING ON THIS UNIT FAILED MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THIS ISSUED OCCURRED AT LOW SPEEDS AND AS A RESULT NO ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. DO NOT HAVE THE INVOICE FOR THIS REPAIR AT THE TIME OF SENDING THIS COMPLAINT. IF YOU NEED IT…

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THE POWER STEERING ON THIS UNIT FAILED MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I WAS ADVISED THAT THIS ISSUED OCCURRED AT LOW SPEEDS AND AS A RESULT NO ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. DO NOT HAVE THE INVOICE FOR THIS REPAIR AT THE TIME OF SENDING THIS COMPLAINT. IF YOU NEED IT I WILL GET IT FOR YOU.

NHTSA ODI #11131885

19,766 miles · Sep 27, 2018
Steering

THE POWER STEERING ON THIS VEHICLE LOCKED UP MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT LOW SPEEDS BUT IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THEIR WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY TO STEER THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI #11131878

Official recalls

4

25V695000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Oct 13, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.

25V611000 · Structure:exterior Trim

Sep 12, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Taurus vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will repair or replace the B-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 20, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S91.

20V072000 · Suspension:rear

Feb 10, 2020

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.

16V925000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Dec 22, 2016

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. Improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes may leak oil on engine components.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the turbocharger oil supply tubes, free of charge. The recall began on January 31, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S46.

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.