CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Ford · NHTSA safety record

2010 Ford Taurus

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

204

Complaints

17

Crashes

5

Fires

16

Injuries

2

Deaths

Owners of the 2010 Ford Taurus have filed 204 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2010 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 41 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 47,500 miles, the median across the 179 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

16V247000 · April 26, 2016

The defect
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."
The risk
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The 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.

Ford Motor Company · up to 695 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

15V040000 · January 28, 2015

The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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.

Ford Motor Company · up to 194,889 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

14V285000 · May 29, 2014

The defect
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.
The risk
This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
The 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.

Ford Motor Company · up to 183,425 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 204.

STEERING 41 20%
ENGINE 37 18%
POWER TRAIN 36 18%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 24 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 9%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 19 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 14 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 6%
AIR BAGS 11 5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 11 5%
STRUCTURE 11 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2010 at 27.

2010 2026
2010 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 deaths · 6 injured · crash · towed

Unknown. Car was going 100 mph. Driver, my son , was killed in this car accident. This year make AND model is known for throttle acceleration issues with brake afail override non existent until later models. Case number [XXX] sterling heights police department INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11666028. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2 injured · crash · 3,200 miles

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A HILL. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER WERE INJURED DURING THE CRASH. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AND THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 3200. UPDATED 5/3/10 *CN UPDATED 06/10/10.*JB

NHTSA complaint 10320684. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · 60,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A LIGHT POLE AND THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE. IN ADDITION, THE AIR BAGS EMITTED A WHITE SUBSTANCE, WHICH AFFECTED THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE RIGHT HAND, RIGHT ARM, BACK INJURIES, AND WHIPLASH. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH. THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER BOTH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF

NHTSA complaint 10714377, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed · 53,000 miles

2010 FORD TAURUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED VEHICLE ACCELERATION. CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT WORK. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND FLEW THROUGH 5 LANES OF TRAFFIC,HIT A HIGH CURB AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED CAR.*JS

NHTSA complaint 11111592. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Unknown

NHTSA complaint 11749890. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Unknown

NHTSA complaint 11749891. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
UNKNOWN

NHTSA complaint 11718868. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

towed · 31,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while making a right turn, the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that the "Power Steering Assist Failure" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000.

NHTSA complaint 11614204. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
UNKNOWN

NHTSA complaint 11591972. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford Taurus

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 12 2 —
2018 46 4 —
2017 44 4 —
2016 79 4 —
2015 265 6 —
2014 228 5 —
2013 581 9 —
2012 78 5 —
2011 187 4 1

Other 2010 Ford models

Fusion 5,126 Escape 2,068 F-150 842 Edge 673 Fusion Hybrid 507 Focus 287 Mustang 260 Ranger 156

Every Ford on this site — 348 vehicles, 1210 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst