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2001 Ford TaurusProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 1,037 owner complaints about the 2001 Ford Taurus, most often about the suspension. It is covered by 9 safety recalls.

2001 Ford Taurus
28
CarFlaw IndexYear to avoid2.6× the Taurus median · #6 of 34 years by complaints
Safety recalls9Free fix at dealersOwner complaints1,037166 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage71kSuspension, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 15, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2001 Ford Taurus has problems

1,037 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Suspension5159
Vehicle speed control9918
Service brakes, hydraulic8616
Air bags6648
Engine and engine cooling606
Power train584
Visibility391
Structure381
Electrical system376
21 other systems18732

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

9 recalls

2001 Ford Taurus recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

–no report yet

Springs: coil springs

Recall 04V-332 · Jul 15, 2004 · 899,060 vehicles

Risk. IF THIS OCCURS, THE TIRE MAY RUPTURE RESULTING IN A RAPID AIR LOSS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Brake lights: switch

Recall 04V-106 · Mar 2, 2004 · 938,789 vehicles

Risk. IN ADDITION, IF THE SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING FAIL IN THE OPEN POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ACTUATE AND THE DRIVER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages

Recall 02V-266 · Oct 2, 2002 · 369,614 vehicles

Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCING AN "UNINTENDED VEHICLE SPEED INCREASE" OR A PERCEIVED "UNABLE TO STOP" CONDITION.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 5 more recalls
–no report yet

Front: buckle assembly

Recall 01V-144 · Apr 27, 2001 · 4,567 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE VEHICLE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Tail lights: switch

Recall 01V-078 · Mar 12, 2001 · 157,000 vehicles

Risk. A SHORT CIRCUIT COULD LEAD TO EITHER THE BRAKE LAMPS STAYING ON, OR TO A LOSS OF BRAKE LAMP FUNCTION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Exterior lighting: back up lights

Recall 01V-048 · Feb 28, 2001 · 28,000 vehicles

Risk. UNDER THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD, THE CHMSL SHALL BE ACTIVATED ONLY UPON APPPLICATION OF THE SERVICE BRAKES.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Other: owners/service/other manual

Recall 00V-396 · Nov 28, 2000 · 495,000 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE CHILD SEAT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ATTACHED INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE CHILD.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Front: anchorage

Recall 00V-240 · Aug 24, 2000 · 5,961 vehicles

Risk. THE ANCHOR MAY NOT HOLD THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN POSITION DURING AN ACCIDENT, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT OF THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Mileage at failure

When do suspension problems start?

71kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 418 suspension complaints. 80% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
27under 30k miles333under 100k miles85100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Suspension

70 owners mentioned a cost

$600median

Middle half: $400 – $900

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2001 vs. every other Taurus year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Taurus median. How we score

'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2001 Ford Taurus safety ratings

2001 Ford Taurus 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2001 Ford Taurus frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
8 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2001 Ford Taurus, and the recalls they led to.

  1. FRONTAL AIR BAG NON-DEPLOYMENT IN CRASHEA03010 · closed Jun 23, 2004
    No recall
  2. REAR COIL SPRING FRACTUREEA06002 · closed Feb 5, 2007
    No recall
  3. BRAKE/ACCEL PEDAL SEPARATIONPE02035 · closed Oct 22, 2002
    Led to recall 02V-266
  4. FRONTAL AIR BAG NON-DEPLOYMENT IN CRASHPE03002 · closed Jul 2, 2003
    No recall
  5. REAR COIL SPRING FRACTUREPE05054 · closed Jan 24, 2006
    No recall
  6. Speed control cable damagePE12033 · closed Jun 26, 2013
    No recall
  7. BRAKE/ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPLICATIONRP03001 · closed Mar 23, 2004
    No recall
  8. BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURERQ03008 · closed Mar 5, 2004
    Led to recall 04V-106
In owners' words

What Taurus owners report

Recent suspension complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

SINCE I'VE OWNED THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION ON THE DASH HAS BEEN OFF MEANING... TO PUT IT IN DRIVE IT HAS TO SAY 1 ST. ON THE DASH REVERSE IS WHERE DRIVE IS OR D.... YESTERDAY I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND THERE WAS A HUGE THUNK AND I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR HAD FROZE THEN AFTER MESSING WITH THE SHIFT…
Complaint 11389681 · Jan 24, 2021 · 130,000 miles
MY HIGH BEAM LIGHT INDICATOR IS ON BUT THE LOW BEAMS ARE ON. WHEN I PUSH THE SWITCH TO TURN MY HIGH BEAMS ON THEY TURN ON BUT THE LIGHT INDICATOR TURNS OFF AND WHEN SWITCH MY HIGH BEAMS ON MY SPEEDOMETER STARTS KINDA WORKING, OTHERWISE IT DOESN'T WORK AT ALL.
Complaint 11278592 · Nov 7, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, A POPPING NOISE AND A FOUL ODOR EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COIL SPRINGS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT…
Complaint 10926655 · Nov 17, 2016 · 135,000 miles

Own a 2001 Taurus?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.