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3.0

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,246 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.

2012 Ford Taurus electrical problems

electrical problem

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2012 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #15

Feb 282023

Taurus

  • 200,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several different warning lights were intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #14

Feb 232023

Taurus

  • miles
Driving on the highway, when the car lights, radio, air conditioner, steering wheel, speed all goes out. The car wouldn-€™t crank back up and theft system keep coming on.

- Baldwyn , MS, USA

problem #13

Sep 102022

Taurus

  • miles
The rear backup camera is showing upside down. It is very difficult to see the blind spot area just to the rear of the vehicle when backing without the camera on this 2012 Ford Taurus. I consider it a safety issue in which I have had several close calls backing since the camera shows pointing upward toward the sky more than it did and upside down. I decided to report this problem when I missed seeing a kid behind me at a Wal-mart parking lot. This problem started in mid September 2022. I have researched this issue on line and there are many complaints about this problem from other people about the 2012 Taurus and other types of Ford automobiles and trucks.

- Dahlonega, GA, USA

problem #12

Aug 202020

Taurus

  • 102,002 miles

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

2012 Ford Taurus. When you first start the car while its stationary, the fcim (front control interface module) malfunctioned which caused the defrost to have electrical issues. And the radio does not work.dealer stated that the defroster malfunctioned and blew hot air at 90 degrees. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing the fcim I was never giving a price for that part either and spent 250 dollars on a possable idea of what could be wrong. I need to get this fixed it my wife car and she drive my special needs daughter around in this. And there are over 5000 letters like this all over the internet it seems to be a flaw in that fcim module.

- Monroe, NC, USA

problem #11

Jul 012017

Taurus

  • 90,000 miles
The problem has occurred multiple times and with no luck of diagnosis. But my vehicle has lost all electrical function lights, dash cluster, heat, etc. Has done this on different occasions but seems to fix itself but then does it again. With that being said now on top of that my vehicle is stuck is now stuck in anti theft mode where the vehicle is no longer drivable. I can not start the vehicle, I have had keys reprogrammed and the car look over multiple times with absolutely no help diagnosing the issue. I have done some research on my own and found that there are a lot of other people who have been having the same problem with no success getting the problem fixed. The first time it occurred was 7/01/17 and has continued off and on up to date and has now like stated earlier has now manifested into the anti theft not allowing car to be started rendering in non drivable at this time

- Danville, IL, USA

problem #10

Aug 012019

Taurus

  • 24 miles
Takata recall.: the car power's down while driving, air condition, lights, signals shuts down, theft alert comes on also. All these things happening while driving on the highway, in the city, and while park!!!!!

- Baldwyn, MS, USA

problem #9

Oct 282017

Taurus

  • 23,963 miles

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

A complete failure of all dashboard controls occurred without warning. Controls such as radio, volumn, ac, heat, etc are all non responsive! however, the car continually blows hot air registered as 90 degrees through the vents and blower can not be shut off!. the car was parked on a lot in SC. The problem surfaced when I started the ignition to leave, after attending a meeting. I cautiously drove the car home and called a tow truck to take it to a dealer. It has been two months. Yet, the dealer can not get "back-ordered" parts from Ford Motor Company to fix it. I can not /will not drive the car in this condition. I wonder what other electrical problems exist. This is a safety issue -- on a car with less than 24,000 miles on it! I have no car to drive.

- Chesnee, SC, USA

problem #8

Sep 262016

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while stationary, the fcim (front control interface module) malfunctioned which caused the defrost to have electrical issues. The contact stated that the defroster malfunctioned and blew hot air at 90 degrees. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing the fcim (front control interface module) replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 01/31/17

- Malvern, OH, USA

problem #7

Jun 022016

Taurus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. While driving 30 mph, all the electrical systems failed. The contact had to coast the vehicle to the side of the road, wait ten minutes, and resume driving. In addition, while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes failed. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Mccomb, MS, USA

problem #6

Mar 082016

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. While driving 75 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was pulled over, placed in park, and restarted on the initial attempt. The failure recurred after approximately seven miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000. On May 16, 2016 after driving a very short distance, the vehicle stalled again without any type of warning. It started immediately after the consumer put the vehicle in park. The consumer had no power brakes or power steering. However, the turn signals and horn worked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. However, they were unable to find the problem. Updated 06/08/16. Status update 07/06/16. Updated 08/04/16.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #5

Nov 162015

Taurus

  • 86,250 miles

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

My 2012 Ford Taurus sho was brought into jones West Ford in reno, Nevada. It was at jones West for a power steering recall. While on the interstate back home the adaptive cruise control, faulted and caused a warning to appear, as well as a collision avoidance fault. At the dealership in fallon, the service advisor informed me that the acc module was faulty and needed to be replaced. Fallon completed the work but on a quality assurance ride to ensure the module was working correctly, the technicians found that the vehicle was making steering inputs without the driver turning the steering wheel. The technicians returned to the dealer to diagnose what had caused the steering inputs. They traced the problem back to the ABS control module and pump, and ordered a brand new one. They ordered the ABS module around the 23rd of November 2015, but due to stocking problems the part did not arrive until around the 24th of December. I was not offered a rental vehicle by the dealership, an apology from Ford for the inconvenience. After the dealership finally received the part and installed it, the technicians ran into a problem with the PCM accepting the new module, a new problem arose; the instrument panel cluster would operate normally for a time and then the lights would dim, and then completely turn off. When the vehicle was hooked up to the obdii system, it even shut the diagnostic equipment down as well. The technicians at fallon auto mall realized they did not know how to fix the problem and called a field office technician in denver for advice. He advised the technicians and service manager to check a few different components on the vehicle but, as of today the vehicle is still not drivable and the technicians still do not understand what is happening with the vehicle and even mentioned that the acc module is still not working properly.

- Fallon, NV, USA

problem #4

Nov 112015

Taurus

  • miles
The controls for my heating and cooling system failed. The center console with the radio and climate controls are inoperable however, the heat is stuck on 90 degrees full blower. I delivered vehicle to Ford autonation for service. Ford advises that the front control interface module (fcim) on my vehicle was bad and that the part was on national backorder. I requested the blower be disconnected in order to make the interior cabin of the vehicle tolerable. Ford advised that would do this, but there was no resultant change in the interior of the compartment. While driving my vehicle, in order to deal with the extreme amount of heat pouring into the vehicle, I have to drive with the sunroof open and the windows down to draft heat from the vehicle. Adverse driving condition include: Steering wheel heating up (it's not a heated steering wheel), the smell of melting plastic, extreme heat in the footbox or floorboard of the car making it difficult to keep my feet in their normal position close to the brake, extreme heat on my face causing my skin to breakout, overheating glovebox, extreme physical discomfort due to high heat in the interior of the vehicle, and driving with the sunroof and windows open in the rain while driving on the interstate. The failure of this part has created a safety issue and the lack of availability of the part causes me great concern. The junkyard dealer indicated that he has had "a run on this part" and that supports my impression that demand for this part is unreasonably high. I have not yet had the opportunity to fully research Ford's obligations to me and the other drivers on the road as it pertains to vehicle safety, but I will be looking into Ford's obligations to me as a consumer and under the federal law while I await your response. I have requested assistance in resolving this matter and they have not yet offered any solutions.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #3

Sep 202014

Taurus

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus sel. The contact stated that the radio became inoperable. Additionally, the heater setting could not be adjusted on the driver' side and there was no air blowing through the passenger's side vents. The air conditioner and window defrosters had also failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the circuit board and an unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #2

Sep 042013

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
The keyless start/stop button is obscured by the steering wheel and can be inadvertently touched while keeping attention to road and traffic.the button in our car is extremely sensitive and does not require a deliberate push to turn the engine off. While driving I was trying to adjust the air discharge vent control, that is located directly above the start/stop button.when I pressed down on the vent control my hand slipped and the heel of my hand must have contacted the start/stop button. I was unaware the engine was off until I realized the car was slowing and I had no power. No power steering and no turn signals to let traffic know I needed to move over.fortunately, I was able to coast to the shoulder of the road. Had I have been 50 ft. Further, there would have been no shoulder to move onto. I had no idea what had caused this event until a few days later.while traveling on I-90 in a 3 lane area at 65 mph, in the center lane, my husband inadvertently hit the start/stop button while trying to turn on the radio.there is only a 3 1/2 inch gap, center to center of these two buttons.he was not aware he had turned off the engine until he realized the car was slowing down.please realize ti takes more than a few seconds to gather your thoughts, to figure out how to recover from this. Again, you have no power steering, no power brakes, no turn signals. He turned on the emergency flashers and managed to get us into the right lane and then off the highway. All the time the car is slowing more and more, and you have semi trucks in your lane and the adjacent right lane.we took the vehicle to the Ford dealer where purchased, the service manager test drove it and could duplicate all our concerns and more. #338992. We asked Ford Motor Co. To repurchase, they refused, and have made no offer to do any repair. Why would a car be designed that you can so easily stop the engine?

- Allyn, WA, USA

problem #1

Mar 242012

Taurus

  • 1,450 miles
03/24/2012. 1st failure mileage approx.1,450: Driving on I-95S at approx. 70 mph, raining condition, wipers in use, headlights on. Suddenly the instrument panel lights went dark, wipers stopped in the middle of windshield, engine cut off. Was able to steer car from middle lane to road side and braked. Put car in park, lights still out, engine would not start. In less a minute, on the middle instrument gauge a green lighted message displayed: "power accessories..." for a very short time. Then car restarted. Ford services could not find any problem or error code. 08/04/2012. 2nd failure mileage approx. 5,360: Nice hot day of summer. After stopping at a travel center parking lot, drove about 25 yards in the parking lot at approx. 10 mph, the instrument panel lights went out and the engine cut off. Car would not start in "neutral" but started in "park" position right away. Ford services could not find any problem or error code. In both incidents, the passenger was accessing the "multi-media console" for radio station or gps.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

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