2004 Ford Taurus problems
Owners have filed 482 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Ford Taurus. Cruise control is the most reported problem area, at 34% of complaints. Next are drivetrain & axles (9%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 482 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 48 and 17
- Injuries and deaths
- 36 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 95,000 miles 403 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 | 29 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 26 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 36 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 57 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 63 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 65 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 52 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 27 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 24 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 13 |
What the data shows
Of the 403 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 95,000 miles. For cruise control specifically, the median reported mileage is about 100,000 miles (152 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 48 complaints mention a crash; 17 complaints mention a fire; 36 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 21st most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Ford Taurus with enough data (123 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
While leaving a pva, gas pedal went to floor and stuck causing the engine to rev up, had no control over car, crossed road into another pva and hit 3 cars and hit 2 concrete pillars which caused injuries to the driver and caused a death to the passenger. Driver indicates he had no steering or brakes. Car did not stop until slamming into the concrete pillars....updated 03/28/12...updated 07-15-13 updated 07/19/2013
On June 23, 2024 this 2004 Ford Taurus was in a front end collision at freeway speeds of 60 mph or higher. The driver airbag did not deploy and the driver died as a result of severe trauma to head and chest.
The brakes are dangerous and the warning lights stay on all the time. The undercarriage is messed up, I've had to replace several front tires due to unbalancing issues and popping noises when driving straight and on even roads that have gotten worse. I had a bad head on wreck and the airbags did not deploy. I'm concerned they will deploy at any moment.
I have a 2004 taurus which without warning just coasted while on the interstate. Problem identified as transmission problem. After searching web noted a web site autobeef.com in which there were other similar complaints. I have also discussed with anyone who I note to have a taurus during the years 2003-2005 and all of them have had to have transmissions replaced because they suddenly went out. Driving down an interstate and transmission go or in atlanta downtown traffic at quitting time is quite a danger.
My car began accelerating on its own. It was traveling around 65 MPH without touching the gas pedal. I had to drive with the brakes depressed to keep the car from accelerating even more. When I turned the car off and then restarted it, the engine was going very fast and if I put it in drive, it accelerated on its own. ' however, today it seems okay.