2005 Ford Taurus: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 774 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is vehicle speed control (62% of complaints); the 2004 and 2006 and 2007 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2016
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 774 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was on my way to work. When I came to the stop sign to turn on the main road. I felt my car jerk. I thought it was weird and kept driving anyways. Then I noticed the resistance was gone from the gas pedal and it went straight to the floor. So I came to the stop light and kept my foot on the brake. When the light turned green and I had let go of the brakes. My car was accelerating on its own. I had to keep pumping the brakes so I wouldn't crash or hurt anyone. I managed to pull into a mechanic's shop and asked for help. The mechanic told me that it was my cruise control and that it wasn't disengaging. So he had to disconnect it from my car.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2022
“For a while now I have noticed that intermittently when barely stepping on the accelerator pedal, the car will accelerate but continue to speed up even with my foot off of the accelerator. I have to step on the break extremely hard to come to a stop, and car will still be doing around 40mph when at a complete stop or light. The check engine light has been on, and I have taken it to a mechanic twice, one of the times he had it for a month trying to figure out what that light is about, checking everything possible, but I am not sure if that light has anything to do with the accelerator.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Oct 2022
“The car was started then it was being shifted from park to drive, the driver side air bag went off, before getting it in to drive (made it to neutral).this happened in the driveway.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“My car will accelerate on its own without me pressing the gas. This happens at least 4 times a week while I am driving and happens when I am driving between 20 and 50 mph. I can make the engine rev/acceleration stop by quickly tapping on the gas pedal. I have had the cruise control disconnected because my mechanic thought this was part of the problem but the random sef-acceleration has continued and seems to be getting more frequent. This has been going on off and on for a few years but has increased in frequency over the past few months.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2020
“Started recently, when I start the car the rpms rev way up. Past 3000. While driving I constantly have to ride the break or put it in neutral. I literally can drive miles at 45 mph and never touch the accelerator pedal. It would shoot up past 3000 rpms . This car's going to kill someone. *tr”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2020
“2 times since sept. 2018 the cable under hood to accelerator came off while I was driving making it very difficult to stop. The first time I was driving on a state highway at 60 mph. The most recent I was driving in a subdivision at 10 mph.the rpm's increased drastically. I feel this is a major safety issue with this issue and ford needs to fix it. I got this from my elderly mother and I am just thankful it did not happen while she was driving.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Dec 2019
“Uncontrolled acceleration and cruise control stopped working the same day. Engine accelerates with rpm climbing without any pressure being applied to the gas pedal. The fix for me is to put into neutral and tap the gas pedal which gets the engine to bring the rpm's back down. This happens when driving and in gear usually at less than 50 mph. This has happened everyday for a few weeks. Going to bring it in to be repaired at a ford dealership.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Nov 2019
“I drove to a friends house and had no problems at all was there for about an hour or so and when I started the car and put it in drive it wouldn't move the car is on a side street in the city”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2019
“The accelerator is sticking. When you hit the pedal to speed up, it sticks sometimes. It will not disengage unless you hold the brakes at the same time you tap the gas pedal. It has to be put in park sometimes to disengage. This is the second 05 taurus I've had and the first one did the same exact thing. We just bought this car for a usps mail route. It is not safe to have this happen on the route. It has over 216000 miles on it. The first taurus had this problem well before the 200,000 mark. I will have to pay to get it fixed, but considering both of my tauruses did the same exact thing, it could be a problem.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Oct 2019
“As I was driving to work on the highway the car began to accelerate by itself the brakes were not able to slow the car down the brakes were grinding it against the accelerator the accelerator or the grpm was over 3000 I managed to get the car off of the highway was able to pull into a parking lot but the car would not stop and so I wound up having to hit a pole to stop the car”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Sep 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 40 of these complaints and injuries in 28 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop ULT598, UltraLife MX598 and MX765, BrakeBest MKD765, and Prostop Platinum PGD598. These brake pads, manufactured October 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015 are intended for use on 2001-2007 Ford Taurus, 2001-2005 Mercury Sable, 1995-1999 Ford Taurus SHO, 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental, and 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII vehicles. The brake pad shim may shift out of position causing the shim to contact the brake disc resulting in damage to the disc.
Remedy: Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Taurus by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Ford Taurus reliable?
NHTSA has 774 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2005 Ford Taurus. The most complained-about area is vehicle speed control (62% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Ford Taurus problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 90,000 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Ford Taurus have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:pads. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.