2010 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability

280 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Ford Taurus, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 15/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Engine leads the reports, typically around 58,350 miles.

One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2010 Ford Taurus has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.

280Complaints
15/100Trouble index
3Recalls
49,000Typical trouble mileage

Better year

Where 2010 sits among all Taurus years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Engine 48 complaints (17%) · typically ~58,350 miles
“O2 System failed. System checked. The service light is still on. Agents assisted with inspecting.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Taurus
Steering 41 complaints (15%) · typically ~102,500 miles
“Power steering assist fault came on and i lost power steering. The recall for this was for models 2011 and up. The same problem exists with the 2010.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Taurus
Transmission & drivetrain 36 complaints (13%) · typically ~14,564 miles
“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.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Taurus
Brakes & stability 34 complaints (12%) · typically ~28,825 miles
“With the car on when stopping the brakes are fading. When depressing the brakes they go all the way down to the bottom slowly.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Taurus
Speed control 25 complaints (9%) · typically ~42,250 miles
“Pushed on accelerator to pass.and the car kept accelerating stomp on brake and it still wouldn't slow down. Had to shift to neutral.engine rpm stayed at about 4500 rpm. Tapped gas pedal with foot a few times before engine rpm returned to normal.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Taurus
Other 21 complaints (8%) · typically ~51,000 miles

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 214 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 10,835 and 97,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS 16V247000 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…

Fix: 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…

STRUCTURE 15V040000 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…

Fix: 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…

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 14V285000 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,…

Fix: 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.…

Technical service bulletins

38 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2010 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2010 Taurus TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2010peak 37 in 20102026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2010 Ford Taurus reliable?

The 2010 Ford Taurus drew 280 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 15/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).

What are the most common 2010 Ford Taurus problems?

The top reported problems for the 2010 Ford Taurus are engine (48 complaints), steering (41), and transmission & drivetrain (36).

At what mileage do 2010 Ford Taurus problems show up?

Owners most often report 2010 Ford Taurus problems around 49,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 10,835 and 97,000 miles.

Does the 2010 Ford Taurus have recalls?

3 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 Ford Taurus. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.

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Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

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.