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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
109,046 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Ford Taurus brakes problems

brakes problem

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2004 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #18

Nov 082020

Taurus

  • 200,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving down a county road going 50 mph when I tried to brake the car kept accelerating and the rpms were high. I tried to brake but it was as if my brakes were out but I know they were fine. I kept speeding up so I hit the emergency brake and pushed brake put it in neitral but the rpms seemed to go higher. I quickly just put it in park while still moving N rpms high. Csar made a loud sound and jerked to a stop gave me whip lash there was no casrs on the road I was in the country. But as I stopped I just parked tryiung to figure out what to do. Was very shaken up so I had to park for awhile. After about 30 minutes of parking and calling everyone about my near death experience I started it up and drove 10 mph hoime. Had it looked at by a self employed mechanic I know.

- Wapato, WA, USA

problem #17

Aug 292019

Taurus

  • 204,500 miles
Reported earlier today under confirmation #11252283 about trying to move the gearshift from park into drive so car can be driven. Now gearshift still not working and remaining in park but also the brake lights and headlights refuse to shut off. The battery had to be disconnected so the brake lights wouldn't drain the battery dead. Now the mechanic is saying there's a recall on the brake stoplight switch on this 2004 Ford Taurus.

- Hyattsville, MD, USA

problem #16

Jan 012014

Taurus

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle's brake lights remained illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed causing the battery to fail at times. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift from park to drive when depressing the vehicle's brake pedal properly. The brake lights were no longer operable. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16E026000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- West Nyack, NY, USA

problem #15

May 012017

Taurus

  • 125,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake switch, no recall for 2004 model, but recall for 2001. My 2004 Taurus is doing the exact same thing as the 2001 brake switch, which causes the inability to move your car out of park and your brake lights do not work.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

problem #14

Jun 262016

Taurus

  • 74,000 miles
I entered the highway accelerating normally to blend in with traffic in the right travelling lane. Within seconds the car accelerated on its' own up to any alarming rate of speed. I slammed on brakes- nothing happened. Attempted to put car in neutral- nothing happened. I could not steer the car as it was going at least 100mph. I weaved between 3 lanes of traffic before hitting a car's bumper and flipping over 2-3 times and landed upright in the ditch in the medium. I was awake the entire time- in sheer terror. Had I not been wearing a seatbelt I likely would have been killed. The car was totaled. To my knowledge this 2004 Ford Taurus 24vt has had many other accidents and Ford Motor Co. Has not issued a recall. This is inexcusable!

- Franklin, MA, USA

problem #13

Jul 272016

Taurus

  • 116,383 miles
The Bosch brakes had a recall took to shop N it affected the routers need new brakes N routers I paid they said I would get a call never did to get reinbursed

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #12

Jun 062016

Taurus

  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The column shift does not move out of park. The problem has been traced to a faulty brake light switch. While there is a recall - 04V106000 - for this issue, it only goes up to the 2003 model year. My vehicle is a 2004 and has the same problem.

- San Ramon, CA, USA

problem #11

Feb 112016

Taurus

  • 134,272 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal became stuck to the floorboard. The vehicle continued to accelerate when the brake pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle was idling while in park. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cause of the failure was undetermined. The technician repaired the fuel injection, cabin air filter, idle control valve, and the butterfly valve. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,272.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #10

Aug 202015

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 52,728 miles
The contact owned a 2004 Ford Taurus. When the vehicle was shifted into reverse, it suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. Immediately after the crash, the vehicle independently shifted into drive. The contact attempted to engage the brakes; however, they failed to respond. The contact's vehicle sideswiped another vehicle on the passenger side before crashing into an embankment and tree stumps. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure the failure mileage was 52,728. Updated 03/24/17

- Clemsford , MA, USA

problem #9

Jul 172015

Taurus

  • 198,938 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. While driving 35 mph, the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V106000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 198,938.

- Jerome, ID, USA

problem #8

Aug 152014

Taurus

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This has happened to me a couple of times already. I was driving behind my boyfriend we where headed to his house, and my car started accelerating at a fast unusual pace. He stopped in front of me at a stop light, and as I was pressing on my brakes there was a couple of loud clunks coming from inside my engine. I was just riding my brakes, luckily the car was able to slow down and come to a stop. When the light turned green, it was behaving normally. I've looked this up, and noticed that this was a recurring problem with almost all models of Ford Taurus. Yet there is no recall? I hope you realize how dangerous this problem actually is, and I hope that something is done about it soon.

- New Albany, IN, USA

problem #7

Apr 072014

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
Driving down a side street going approximately 15 mph. The vehicle started racing and speeding up. I applied the brakes and could feel the jerking of the car fighting to speed up. I pulled over and put the car in neutral which caused the RPM meter to race. I pushed hard on the hard accelerator and let off and that stopped the RPM's from racing. This has been happening more and more over the past few months. One time, I had to turn the car off and when I started it up it was still racing. A combination of pressing hard on the accelerator (in N) and turning the car off seems to help. There is not always a place to pull over, this is an accident waiting to happen. My mechanic had no ideas why this is happening so I researching solutions myself.

- Oakland, ME, USA

problem #6

Apr 042014

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 131,000 miles
Car continues to accelerate at moderate rate when foot is not on the accelerator. I was still able to stop the car easily using foot brake, but when stopped the car was revving at a much higher rate than usual. Not clear yet whether the problem is getting worse.

- Enumclaw, WA, USA

problem #5

Mar 042014

Taurus

  • 160,000 miles
I was driving and coming to a complete stop, when the car began to accelerate itself. I brake, that didn't help much. It stopped the car, but did not stop the engine from abnormally revving itself up. I pushed the gas and it was okay, but still at a higher RPM than normal. Again, 5 mins later, while sitting in traffic it revved up again. It was at about 2500 RPM, coming from a dead stop. I freaked out and tried to put the car in park thinking that would help. When I put it in park, it revved itself to about 4000rpm. I turned it off. I turned it back on a short while later and drove to a parking lot and kept it parked.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #4

Jan 302014

Taurus

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to disengage. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #3

Mar 152013

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 20,500 miles
I took the vehicle to southgate Ford on March 15, 2013, to have them analyze the check engine light which came on during the week. I drive only a few miles per week but didn't want to take a chance with this warning. Southgate Ford turned me away on Friday afternoon to return on Monday, March 18th stating: "they are too busy and the check engine light is of little concern and to return on Monday". within 2 miles of leaving the dealership heading North on fort street, I was unable to bring the 2004 Ford Taurus to a stop at a red light. The Taurus engine raced and roared at over 4,000 rpms and reached speeds between 45 and 50 miles per hour. I tried to brake with one foot and then two feet. The brakes could not bring the Taurus to a stop and it felt like the brakes were pushing back toward me. I swerved to the left to avoid hitting the car in front of me and crossed over the median to southbound fort street. I attempted to reach a parking lot to avoid oncoming traffic as the engine continued to race and roar. The brakes could not control the car. I missed the entrance of the parking lot by a few feet and hit the curb. The impact of hitting the curb threw my body toward the passenger side of the car. The car continued to lunge forward until it hit the brick building in the lot at approximately 47 miles per hour. The air bags never deployed in this head-on collision with a brick building. I have sustained bruising from my left ear down to my knees and mulitple fractures in my right wrist. Please do something to not let this happen to anyone else. How many people have to die to have recall notices issued?

- Southgate, MI, USA

problem #2

Nov 232012

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 85,500 miles
I was driving and had turned into a store parking lot. I made a turn down a row to park and as I ran over a grate, going no more than 25 mph, the car began to accelerate. The RPM's went up to about 40 mph. I could feel it. My foot was not on the gas. My daughter and I were horrified. I pulled into a parking spot as far away from the other vehicles as possible. The car was roaring so hard. I called my mechanic because I had just had the vehicle inspected. The mechanic told me to quickly pat down on the gas (then release) while the car was safely in park. I did it and it and it stopped it. I could feel it immediately stop the acceleration.

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #1

Aug 242012

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 56,000 miles
We were driving into Aurora, il on hwy 88. Suddenly, the engine began speeding and we had to apply the brakes and ride the brakes to keep the speed at 45. We were in a work zone, there was a lot of traffic, and the car was hard to control. We pulled into an oasis/rest area where we turned off the car and restarted it. We would push down the accelerator and the revving would drop off some, but it continued to be a problem. When we returned home, we took the car to our mechanic, who did fuel injector cleaning and flushed the transmission; he also found that the accelerator line had disconnected the cruise control. We thought the problem was fixed. Today, it happened again. We googled it and discovered the NHTSA's investigation of sudden, unexplained acceleration in the Ford Taurus model. My wife is now afraid to drive this care or have me drive it. Please advise.

- Waterloo, IA, USA

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