CSR

Ford · NHTSA safety record

2017 Ford Taurus

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

Owners have filed 44 safety complaints about the 2017 Ford Taurus with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 11 complaints, 25% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 32,000 miles, the median across the 23 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2017 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

44 complaints on file

44

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 · 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 20%
STRUCTURE 7 · 16%
ENGINE 4 · 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 7%
STEERING 3 · 7%
SUSPENSION 3 · 7%
AIR BAGS 2 · 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 2%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 2%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 44.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 13.

16 12 8 4
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2017 Ford TAURUS, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR AWD 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.3% 11.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM

25V611000 · September 12, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Taurus vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
The risk
Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Ford Motor Company · up to 101,944 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR

20V072000 · February 10, 2020

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

Ford Motor Company · up to 211,207 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

18V141000 · March 1, 2018

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford Taurus vehicles equipped with mechanical key ignition systems. The keys for these vehicles may be able to be removed from the ignition when transmission is not in the PARK position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
The risk
If the key is removed from the ignition while the vehicle is not in the PARK position and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter assembly, free of charge. The recall began May 11, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C02.

Ford Motor Company · up to 2,100 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

17V530000 · August 28, 2017

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Explorer, Taurus and Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan vehicles. The steering gear heat shield fasteners may corrode, allowing the heat shield to detach.
The risk
If the heat shield detaches, the steering gear may overheat, increasing the steering effort required by the driver, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers to inspect and replace the heat shield fasteners as needed, free of charge. The recall began on September 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S23.

Ford Motor Company · up to 253 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 14,600 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,600.

NHTSA complaint 11181351. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

45,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Taurus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the B-pillar trims were slightly detaching from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA complaint 11753428. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

32,000 miles

The contact owns a Ford Taurus. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the B stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the driver's and passenger's side B-Pillar Applique trim was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. In addition, the contact was informed that the parts were on back order. The dontact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure) however the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was made awareof the failure and a case was filed.

NHTSA complaint 11739138, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
I have been attempting to get recall 25S91 resolved at Cavender Ford of OKC in [XXX] since early March 2026. On March 3, 2026, my contact at the dealership [XXX] ) told me the repair would be completed within a few weeks. The recall exists because 'a B-pillar trim applique that detaches while driving can create a road hazard for other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.' This is exactly what occurred. On April 24, 2026 at 7:01am CDT, 52 days after bringing my car in for inspection on March 3, 2026, the B-pillar trim detached, struck my window, and a piece hit the windshield of the vehicle behind me. I sent photographic evidence of this incident to my dealership contact that same

NHTSA complaint 11736664, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Without any Waring Lights the car goes into " Limp Mode " .ON turnpike roads with Speed Limits at 70 MPH and with some sections with no shoulder to get off the highway this is very dangerous .

NHTSA complaint 11727731. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

55,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Taurus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving in rainy weather at various speeds, there was water leaking into the vehicle from the front passenger’s side B-pillar trims. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA complaint 11717488. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's side B-pillar trim detached. The contact became aware that the front driver's side B-Pillar trim was loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure); however, the parts for the recall repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11715574. 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 16 2 —
2018 49 4 —
2016 81 4 —
2015 276 6 —
2014 229 5 —
2013 584 9 —
2012 79 5 —
2011 187 4 1
2010 204 3 2

Other 2017 Ford models

Every Ford on this site — 359 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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