no report yet
Front assembly: power adjust
Risk. THE SEAT MAY NOT PERFORM AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY.
2004 Ford TaurusProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 375 owner complaints about the 2004 Ford Taurus, most often about the vehicle speed control. It is covered by 1 safety recall.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 13, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2004 Ford Taurus has problems
375 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
164Vehicle speed control15 crash/fire/injury
72Power train4 crash/fire/injury
26Electrical system
25Engine
21Air bags
19Engine and engine cooling
18Service brakes
17Structure
13Steering
8715 other systems8 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 164 | 15 |
| Power train | 72 | 4 |
| Electrical system | 26 | 5 |
| Engine | 25 | 3 |
| Air bags | 21 | 16 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 19 | 3 |
| Service brakes | 18 | 3 |
| Structure | 17 | 1 |
| Steering | 13 | 4 |
| 15 other systems | 87 | 8 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
1 recall
2004 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.
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 vehicle speed control problems start?
100kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 150 vehicle speed control complaints. 47% were reported before 100,000 miles.
12under 30k miles71under 100k miles79100k 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.
Power train
8 owners mentioned a cost$1,500median
Middle half: $1,300 – $1,725
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
2004 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
1012553335623816496811,5579231,2058257705458741,1951,0371,4261,223375774318149175642041877958523028689445218
'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
2 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2004 Ford Taurus, and the recalls they led to.
- ENGINE STALLING FFVNo recall
- Stuck throttleNo recall
In owners' words
What Taurus owners report
Recent vehicle speed control complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN A COUNTY ROAD GOING 50 MPH WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE THE CAR KEPT ACCELERATING AND THE RPMS WERE HIGH. I TRIED TO BRAKE BUT IT WAS AS IF MY BRAKES WERE OUT BUT I KNOW THEY WERE FINE. I KEPT SPEEDING UP SO I HIT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND PUSHED BRAKE PUT IT IN NEITRAL BUT THE RPMS…
WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND TRYING TO PULL INTO AN ALLEY THAT LEADS THE MAIN ROAD; MY VEHICLES RPM WENT FROM JUST ABOVE IDLE TO ALMOST 4000. IT CAUSED ME TO FLY THROUGH A STOP SIGN, AS MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING. AFTER SOME TUGGING I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT IT INTO NEUTRAL AND GET IT TO A FULL…
AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY, BRAKING TO STOP A RED LIGHT, THE CAR PROCEEDED TO SLOWLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. AFTER LETTING IT GO FOR A WHILE, IT TOPPED OUT AROUND 52MPH, AS IF THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS WORKING ON ITS OWN. I KEPT PRESSING OFF, BUT THAT WOULDN'T WORK. THE CAR STOPPED REVVING RPMS WHEN I…
Own a 2004 Taurus?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.