2002 Ford Taurus problems
Owners have filed 1,759 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Ford Taurus. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 62% of complaints. Next are wipers, windshield & visibility (6%) and cruise control (4%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,759 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 62% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 104 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 72 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 1,518 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 56 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 102 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 259 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 328 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 286 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 214 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 137 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 74 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 40 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 15 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Of the 1,518 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 84,000 miles (1,008 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 104 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 72 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Ford Taurus with enough data (659 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. While driving 20 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The contact's vehicle instantly caught fire and was destroyed. The air bags failed to deploy. His head slammed into the steering wheel and caused serious head injuries. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The VIN was unknown. There is no current mileage because the vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 57,000.
When traveling between 50 to 60 MPH, another driver made a u-turn directly in front of the consumers vehicle. The consumer had no choice but to hit the other vehicle. Upon impact, the driver's side airbag deployed, but the passenger's side air bag did not deploy. The point of impact was on the front passenger side. The mechanic stated that the air bag problem was due to the faulty seat belt. *scc
Took my car in for an oil change and they showed me that my front passenger coil spring was broken. Was told this is a very common issue and is a safety concern because many people have the spring go into their tires.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds and attempting a left turn, the vehicle surged forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 104,757.