2009 Ford Taurus: problems, recalls and reliability
0 recalls and 64 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine and engine cooling (27% of complaints).
Data updated weekly
0
recalls
64
owner complaints
1
fire reports
38,000
typical failure mileage, mi
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Among the quietest Taurus years (#29 of 30 by complaints, age-adjusted)No recall campaignsWeak spot: engine and engine cooling (27%)1 fire reportProblems reported early (median 38,000 mi)
Common problems
Computed from 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
Engine And Engine Cooling (engine, radiator, overheating)27% · 16 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control (unintended acceleration, cruise control)15% · 9 complaints
Engine (engine mechanics)8% · 5 complaints
Power Train (transmission, axles, driveline)8% · 5 complaints
Air Bags (airbags and crash sensors)8% · 5 complaints
Electrical System (battery, wiring, electronics)7% · 4 complaints
“Every couple weeks when driving slowly around a corner, the brakes will all of a sudden come on & stop my car. If I had anyone behind me, I would have had several collisions, by now. My mechanic has looked at the brakes, wheels, etc., & cannot find the problem. I am VERY concerned about this defect. PLEASE HELP!”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2023
“This vehicle was struck in an accident and no airbag was deployed. It was traveling through an intersection, when a 2012 dodge ram 1500 turned in to the vehicle from the opposite direction left turn lane. The driver door had to be cut open to extract the driver. So the car was moving and the impact knocked this car in to another vehicle as well.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
“While driving my daughter's vehicle it will randomly stall out or shut off. Dash lights come on, and steering locks up. Both times she was able to get to the side of the road. She restarted the car and it ran and drove normal again. She took it to a mechanic and they can't find the problem. This has happened to her twice in the last two months. She has only owned the car for a little over two months. Both times she was driving approximately 45 miles per hour.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“The ac blows hot air on the driver side & cold air on the passenger side.the blend door actuator is bad. It's very hard to get to and very expensive to have replaced. I have seen over 100 complaints on multiple years and models of fords. Especially taurus models. Please force ford to fix their mistakes instead of the vehicle owners paying upwards of 600 bucks to have it done.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2019
“The brakes will activate by themselves with no foot on brake. With no notice it will turn into a full panic stop. Simply driving and all of a sudden the brakes go to full lock. A very very dangerous situation. Once the speed gets below a certain mile per hour it changes. If one stops and turns the engine off and restarts its fine. This started early this year and now has become more frequent. The last 2 times car was driven this has happened. When it is scanned its coming up with 2 u codes p0100-20 and p0121-20”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2017
“"takata recall" while driving my car this has happen twice driving making a turn left and all of a sudden the whell on the passenger just sticks for 10 second couldn't turn just had to wait until it could turn. This is scary. A car was coming and it could have hit me both times. In motion on a city street turning”Owner report · Wheels · Mar 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford taurus. The contact stated that the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic several times for diagnostic testing and the tc valve was replaced. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 164,000.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2017
“Traction control locks up my front passenger side tire. This happened on 12/27/16 and two other times in the past. Brakes were not applied at the time. The traction control system locked the brake. There a many complaint of this happening on the web in other ford models as well. This could be dangerous. I was pulled left and went off the road. Ford will not respond as they can't reproduce the issue. Someone will get hurt!!! I was doing 20mph when it happened all 3 times.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Dec 2016
“I have had this car for a few years. It had 32,000 mile when I got it. Since then every 6 month or so I am driving down the road at highway speed and for no reason the engine just dies and I have to coast of the highway to restart. It start fine and can't get it fail again. Next a few months happens again. This has happen about five or six time in the past 20,000 mile. This happens on open highway and city streets while going straight .the dealer says no information is ever in the engine computer about any failure. 2009 ford taurus [xxx]. Please advise any information. [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2016
“Car comes to a sudden stop on its own without warning no lights or any kind of warning we just bought this car in february of this year.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 9 of these complaints and injuries in 9 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
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Is the 2009 Ford Taurus reliable?
NHTSA has 64 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Ford Taurus. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling (27% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Ford Taurus problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 38,000 miles or less.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.