2002 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,759 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Ford Taurus, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 81/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 84,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2002 Ford Taurus sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2006–2012, 2014–2018.
Avoid
Where 2002 sits among all Taurus years
What owners report
“Front passenger coil spring broke causing a blowout on the tire in motion on a city street”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
“Windshield wipers failed intermittently on december 13, 2002 (well within first 500 miles of operation). Ford dealer could not identify problem. On december 14, wipers suffered catastrophic failure. Wipers were supposedly fixed by ford dealer on february 13, 2003. According to po, fuse 215 was not…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
“Since purchasing my taurus,v-6, 2002, i have experienced at least 4-5 " sudden, unexpected surges in acceleration; akin to a stuck accelerator pad. The acceleration was stopped only by putting the vehicle in neutral gear. The latest event occured 5-5-2005.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
“My 2002 ford taurus suddenly would not shift out of park. My back driver side brake light won't work. I look it up and saw a recall but when i called the dealership they said there wasn't a recall on my car. Please help”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
“Transmission not shifting into gear properly. Hard to shift from park into gear and makes clunk noise. Exhaust rattle/vibration/noise.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
“Lower body has sever rust. Rocker panels are completely rotted off despite taking care to wash the cars under body in the winter. Floors are soft. Upper body has no rust issues. Lower body i have had to treat with rust preventative every year for the past 8 years. I believe the car will be too…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Taurus
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,506 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 57,816 and 109,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
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.
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 FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, "WINDSHIELD MOUNTING." THE WINDSHIELDS MAY POTENTIALLY EXHIBIT INCREASED WIND NOISE, WATER LEAKAGE, AND SQUEAKS AND RATTLES.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE WINDSHIELDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE…
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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V106000.
Technical service bulletins
96 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2002 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2002 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 2002 Ford Taurus reliable?
The 2002 Ford Taurus drew 1,759 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 81/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).
What are the most common 2002 Ford Taurus problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Ford Taurus are suspension (1,090 complaints), visibility & wipers (104), and speed control (77).
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Taurus problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Ford Taurus problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 57,816 and 109,000 miles.
Does the 2002 Ford Taurus have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 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.