2005 Ford Taurus problems
Owners have filed 1,005 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Taurus. Cruise control is the most reported problem area, at 54% of complaints. Next are engine (11%) and drivetrain & axles (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,005 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 54% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 62 and 13
- Injuries and deaths
- 40 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 907 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 | 32 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 23 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 106 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 186 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 184 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 178 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 86 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 56 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 27 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 15 |
| 200k+ miles | 14 |
What the data shows
Of the 907 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 90,000 miles. For cruise control specifically, the median reported mileage is about 93,000 miles (496 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 62 complaints mention a crash; 13 complaints mention a fire; 40 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 2005 ranks 15th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Ford Taurus with enough data (217 complaints in that window).
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 owned a 2005 ford taurus. While driving at 15 MPH, the driver accidentally depressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver and passenger both sustained injuries that required medical attention. The driver of the vehicle suffered fatal injuries. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 137,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford taurus. The contact stated that his wife was involved in an accident which resulted in her death. The vehicle was totaled. There was no one else in the vehicle. The police report stated that the driver ran a stop sign and was hit on the driver side by another vehicle which caused the fatality. The contact stated that before the incident, the accelerator pedal had occasionally stuck and the contact believed that to be the cause of the accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal depressed to the floor board, causing the vehicle to accelerate on its own. The contact applied the brake pedal with both feet, but the engine continued to rev. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle then crashed into the following vehicle. The drivers and passengers of the two other vehicles involved were injured.
Earlier in the week, the accelerator pedal on my 2005 ford taurus got stuck and would not function. Hitting the brakes slowed the car. When car was put in neutral, the engine raced. I immediately took it to a repair shop and they could not replicate the problem. It worked fine for a few more days, but happened again yesterday.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford taurus. After starting the engine, the rpms revved extremely high. On several occasions, the engine would not start and the check engine light illuminated. The cause of the failures was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 200,000.