Ford Taurus reliability by year
52 recalls and 3,207 owner complaints across 15 model years. Best year to buy: 2009. Year to avoid: 2013.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 3 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 15 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Taurus aggregated across 15 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Ford Taurus?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2009 Ford Taurus scores 8.0/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2019 range. 64 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Ford Taurus year should I avoid?
The 2013 Ford Taurus scores 5.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 587 owner complaints with NHTSA, 9 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2013 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Ford Taurus should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2005 (avoid — the cruise-control — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the cruise-control); 2013 (high-risk ownership — steering: 294 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 70,250–125,000 mi); 2010 (high-risk ownership — steering: 41 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 76,500–110,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2019, 2009, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Ford Taurus are tracked?
15 model years (2005 through 2019) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 52 recalls and 3,207 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Ford Taurus?
cruise control is the most-reported category — 740 complaints across 10 model years. Average shop repair runs about $600.