2012 Ford Taurus problems and recalls

Owners have filed 78 complaints on the 2012 Ford Taurus, and NHTSA has issued 5 recalls. The most cited component is the Steering (16 complaints).

78
Complaints
5
Recalls
1
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
0
Injuries
46.6
Severity index

Severity index 46.6 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 46.6p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 106 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 18% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

SteeringSteering: 16 complaints (20.5%)16 21%StructureStructure: 16 complaints (20.5%)16 21%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 15 complaints (19.2%)15 19%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 12 complaints (15.4%)12 15%EngineEngine: 11 complaints (14.1%)11 14%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 6 complaints (7.7%)6 8%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 4 complaints (5.1%)4 5%Service BrakesService Brakes: 4 complaints (5.1%)4 5%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
STEERING1620.5%
STRUCTURE1620.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1519.2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1215.4%
ENGINE1114.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER67.7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL45.1%
SERVICE BRAKES45.1%

Complaints filed per year

010192011: 12012: 62013: 72014: 42015: 192016: 82017: 72019: 62020: 72021: 12022: 52023: 42024: 12025: 2111213141519161719202122232425
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20111
20126
20137
20144
201519
20168
20177
20196
20207
20211
20225
20234
20241
20252
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (7 against 13).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
15V04000028/01/2015STRUCTURE:BODY:DOORFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Ford Taurus vehicles manufactured December 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010, and 2011-2013 Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured June 1, 2011, to October 31, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return s
14V28500029/05/2014EXTERIOR LIGHTINGFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Taurus vehicles manufactured November 24, 2008, through February 28, 2014, originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
15V34000002/06/2015STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI
16V24700026/04/2016AIR BAGS:FRONTALFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the
13V10900027/03/2013FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLYFord is recalling certain model year 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and model year 2013 Explorer vehicles manufactured July 19, 2011, through March 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed seam in the side of the tank. As a result, the fuel tan

Other Ford Taurus model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 8 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.