10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 71,342 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Ford Motor Company sold my vehicle with a life-threatening design defect in the braking system. This design defect comprises a plastic cover over the stainless steel hydraulic brake lines where those lines pass from the front of the car to its rear beneath the driver side door. The ostensible purpose of the plastic cover is unknown to me, but its actual function is twofold. First, it traps moisture and road salt to cause rapid corrosion of the stainless steel brake lines, which corrosion eventually causes the lines to rust completely through, causing one or both lines to burst upon application of the brakes, resulting in sudden and complete brake failure. Second, the plastic cover hides that corrosion from view so that careful visual inspection does not reveal the corrosion problem. According to the knowledgeable mechanic who repaired my brakes and who has experience with this problem, the design defect applies to both Ford Taurus and Ford Focus models. That mechanic has in the past urged Ford to recall these cars but Ford has to date refused to do so. Presumably the design defect occurs also in the Mercury Sable which is Mercury's twin to the Ford Taurus. This design defect cause my brakes to fail suddenly and completely, causing me to hit another car. Fortunately the damage resulted in no personal injuries, but it cause thousands of dollars in damage to my car and presumably comparable damage to the other car. But if the brake failure had occurred as I was approaching a stop sign or stop light, or if I had been braking for a pedestrian, it could have resulted in personal injury or death. I am attaching three photo files, one taken at the repair shop where I had the brake repair done, the second a marked-up copy of the same photo, the third a zoomed-in portion of the first photo showing the site of the brake line rupture.
- Portola Valley, CA, USA
I was driving eastbound, on a city street, approaching the intersection with a stop sign. When I pressed on the brakes, it didn't slow down. In fact, the car was going faster. So I put the car in park, hoping to slow it down, but it didn't work. Then I jumped the curb, hoping that would slow the car down, but it didn't work. I tried to avoid hitting a truck that was going northbound on the cross road, but I couldn't avoid is so I hit the truck.
- Plymouth, MI, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. While driving 40 mph, the brake pedal was applied but failed to respond and the vehicle accelerated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Walton, KY, USA
Brake line to rear brakes failed due to rust. All (all) brake fluid leaked out. The service brakes were totally inoperable. A large oil spot on the concrete driveway was the only warning.. no low fluid light is installed. This vehicle is non-ABS. Much to my surprise, this is a single reservoir system. Is this a safety issue? mileage 103,000. It picked the best possible time to fail. Reported to Ford.
- Florissant, MO, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The brakes failed to respond when the pedal was depressed. The vehicle stopped upon turning off the ignition. The contact notified the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 06/14/16
- Longmont, CO, USA
I suddenly found that my brakes were not working properly when I was going around 50 mph. Took it to the mechanic and he told me that I needed to replace the brake master cylinder and the brake booster. He told me that he sees this problem more with Ford. When I googled a review of the Ford Taurus 2006, the very first consumer feedback that showed up stated that he needed the replace the brake master cylinder right after he got it. I bet Ford knows about this problem. It is so scary to find yourself on the highway without proper working brakes.
- West Hempstead, NY, USA
Car has unintended acceleration. Car is very dangerous to drive. Have had to take car away from my daughter. Local Ford dealers know nothing about this issue. There are article online regarding this issue. I am at a loss of what to do with this car. Will accel. Up to 70mph and is not stoppable. Thanks for your time [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Chandler, IN, USA
The car suddenly began to accelerate and was difficult to stop. I put it in neutral after I got to a place where I could park. The engine accelerated to 3000 RPM and I turned off the ignition. I attempted to start the car again and engine again rose to 3000 RPM. I checked to see that the accelerator was not stuck to the floorboard. Then started the engine again. Again it revved to over 3000 RPM so I pressed the gas pedal and then the idle returned to normal. Once I got on the freeway to return home the cruise control would not engage. I called the Ford dealership and they stated they were not aware of any recalls on 2006 Ford Taurus for acceleration problems.
- Mesa, AZ, USA
I was driving about 25mph with my little brother and sister in the car and I felt it start to go faster. It kept on accelerating and wouldn't stop. When I got to a stop sign and was pressing on the break the RPM shot up. Even when I put it in park it kept on accelerating. I took it to a mechanic, but he didn't know what was wrong. It has done this many of times, once where I almost hit someone because of it. I'm afraid it will keep doing it.
- Newcastle, OK, USA
My husband was just involved in a collision today in our 2006 Ford Taurus. He noticed a vehicle stopping in front of him so he began to hit the brake. As he coasted on his brakes towards the stop vehicle in front of him, the car began to automatically accelerate causing him to rear-end the other driver. We're pretty sure the car is totaled. Plus, the air bags did not deploy.
- Houston, MS, USA
I was heading home in a 35 miles an hr zone, when suddenly, my gas pedal flattened from under my feet and my car started going faster. I tried breaking, but the car kept lunging forward even though I was on the breaks, the RPM also revved up to about 3000 even though I was still breaking. I pulled off the road and put it in park and it still sounded as if I was gassing it, so I shut it off and waited, then started it again, it revved, then the RPM dropped suddenly and was back to normal.
- Waltham, MA, USA
On November 18, 2013, my niece was driving my 2006 Ford Taurus sel that was just purchased on June 25, 2013 and experienced what appeared to be some sort of mechanical malfunction with the accelerator. After driving on I-64, she was slowing down to get off the exit, but the car was speeding back up reaching almost 80mph. The brakes helped to slow the car down, but not completely stopping. Once it did come to a complete stop at the red light, she put the car in neutral and it caused the car rev up even more, like she was pressing the gas pedal and brakes at the same time. After letting the car sit for about an hour, she tried driving again, and it repeated the same process. The dealership (crossroads Ford in prince george, va) was called that I purchased the car from and my niece spoke with a service advisor. The advisor informed my niece that there is no recall on the vehicle and I would have to pay a minimum of $107 just for them to look at it see what was wrong as the power train warranty coverage I purchased does not cover this issue. My niece also informed me that no one she spoke with was sympathetic or empathetically to her well-being, never asked if she was okay and did not offer any alternative solutions or even a courtesy review since I've only had the car for roughly 6 months. This is an extremely dangerous situation that is sure to cause injury or death if not addressed immediately. I have filed a complaint with Ford corporation as well as reported this database finding to crossroads Ford to address this growing issue.
- Petersburg, VA, USA
Without warning, there was extremely difficulty in stopping the vehicle. Fortunately, we were able to limp home where, suspecting a caliper or wheel cylinder leak, none was found. On closer inspection, an extreme leak of brake fluid was observed coming from the metal brake lines leading to the rear brakes. These lines were found to be extremely corroded. It should be noted that in my 50 plus years of working on cars I have never, ever seen such damage to such a key component for a vehicle.
- Irwin, PA, USA
Pressed on brake pedal and brake pedal went to the floor very little braking effect left.
- Christiana, PA, USA
- Tulsa, OK, USA