2001 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,264 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Ford Taurus, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 68/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 71,500 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2001 Ford Taurus sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2006–2012, 2014–2018.
Avoid
Where 2001 sits among all Taurus years
What owners report
“Rear coil spring was broken in two. There is a recall on the front coil spring, why is there not one for the rear?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
“When driving at any speed and releasing the accelerator pedal the car continues at the same speed. It slows down very gradually and requires half a mile for each 5 mph decreasing in speed, the dealer said this was a characteristic of the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
“Consumer states that the brake pedal is to close to the accelerator pedal that when trying to apply the brakes the consumer has stepped on the accelerator pedal also. Contacted dealer. Mr”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
“Consumer states that vehicle's alternator wires become very hot causing vehicle to stall intermittenly while driving. Mr”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
“Consumer states while driving in center lane the vehicle stalled w/o warning. Consumer restarted vehicle, but it would only travel approx. 2mph. Once on the side of the road, consumer restarted vehicle again and rpms revved excessively. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
“While driving the vehicle the air bag light would illuminates on the dash and remain on. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Taurus
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 820 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 73,739 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,325 and 103,328 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop…
Fix: Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTIVE SPRING SHIELDS. IN ADDITION, FORD IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS IN ALL OTHER STATES, FOR FRACTURE ONLY, UP TO 10 YEARS OF SERVICE OR…
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ARE BEING RECALLED TO CORRECT A PROBLEM WITH A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS MALFUNCTIONING COULD RENDER THE STOP LAMPS INOPERABLE OR CAUSE THEM TO STAY ON ALL THE TIME. THIS COULD CAUSE CONFUSION…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH AND ASSOCIATED WIRING ASSEMBLY AND INSTALL A NEWLY DESIGNED STOP LAMP SWITCH AND WIRE ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 5, 2004.…
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ADJUSTABLE PADELS ARE BEING RECALLED IN ORDER TO ADJUST THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS TO A MINIMUM OF 50 MM OF LATERAL SEPARATION. SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF BOTH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS COULD RESULT IN…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED AS TO THE PROPER WAY TO SET THE POSITION OF THE PEDALS AND TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE SPACING BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS MEASURED. IF THE…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER CARS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND LIGHT AND MEDIUM DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. A SWITCH LOCATED IN THE PLASTIC COVER OF THE WIPER MOTOR GEAR CASE COULD MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF INTERMITTENT WIPER…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON THE WIPER MOTOR. MOTORS BUILT WITH THE SUSPECT TIME FRAME WILL HAVE THE WIPER MOTOR GEAR CASE COVER REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 20, 2001. OWNERS…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER CARS. THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE TONGUE MAY NOT FULLY EJECT FROM THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WHEN THE RELEASE BUTTON IS PUSHED SLOWLY. THIS CONDITION COULD ALSO RESULT IN A PARTIAL LATCH OF THE TONGUE IN THE BUCKLE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER AND RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 4, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ADJUSTABLE PEDALS. IF THE GREASE FROM THE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY ENTERS THE STOP LAMP SWITCH, IT CAN CONTAMINATE THE CONTACTS LEADING TO CARBON BUILD UP, AND POTENTIALLY, A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH AND WIPE DOWN THE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY TO REMOVE EXCESS GREASE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 22, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER SEDANS WITH FACTORY OR DEALER-INSTALLED DECK LID SPOILERS WITH LED CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOP LAMPS (CHMSL). VEHICLES PRODUCED WITH SPOILERS WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 1 THROUGH OCTOBER 31, 2000; AND VEHICLES WITH SPOILERS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A JUMPER/RESISTOR ASSEMBLY AT THE SPOILER THAT PROVIDES AN ELECTRICAL RESISTOR TO GROUND AND CORRECTS THE CHMSL AND BRAKE-SHIFT INTERLOCK CONDITIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE AFFECTED EXPEDITION/NAVIGATOR OWNER GUIDES DO NOT IDENTIFY THE LOCATIONS…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH OWNER GUIDE INSERTS REVISED TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR AFFIXING THESE INSERTS TO THEIR OWNER GUIDES. CUSTOMERS WILL ALSO BE ADVISED THAT…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT ANCHOR LATCH (ISO-FIX ANCHOR) FASTENERS DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE RESIDUAL TORQUE. THE ANCHORS ARE SECURED TO THE FLOOR PAN WITH A REINFORCEMENT PLATE THAT HAS TWO STUDS THAT EXTEND UPWARD THROUGH…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REMOVE AND RE-INSTALL THE BRACKET NUT USING A TORQUE RETENTION MATERIAL (RED LOCTITE). OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 11, 2000. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V106000.
Led to recall campaign 02V266000.
Technical service bulletins
110 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2001 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 Taurus TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2001 Ford Taurus reliable?
The 2001 Ford Taurus drew 1,264 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 68/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).
What are the most common 2001 Ford Taurus problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Ford Taurus are suspension (567 complaints), speed control (100), and brakes & stability (99).
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Taurus problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Ford Taurus problems around 73,739 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,325 and 103,328 miles.
Does the 2001 Ford Taurus have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Ford Taurus. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.