The 2011 Ford Taurus has 4 safety recalls and 187 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is electrical system (48 complaints).
Problem: Ford 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 event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
Steering › Electric power assist system
NHTSA recall 15V340000 · Jun 2, 2015 · 393,623 vehicles · opened after NHTSA action (ODI)
Problem: Ford 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 engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Structure › Body › Door
NHTSA recall 15V040000 · Jan 28, 2015 · 194,889 vehicles
Problem: Ford 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 spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Risk: If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S02.
Exterior lighting
NHTSA recall 14V285000 · May 29, 2014 · 183,425 vehicles
Problem: Ford 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, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. When used in areas that use road salt, the license plate lamp assembly may experience an electro-chemical reaction and corrosion as a result of water intrusion.
Risk: This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the license plate lamp assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on July 26, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S08. Note: Under program 14R01, Ford will notify owners in non-corrosion states, and, at the customer's request, dealers will replace the license plate lamp assembly.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA side barrier crash testNHTSA side pole crash test
2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR AWD
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★
Rollover risk
11.3%
2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR FWD
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★
Rollover risk
11.3%
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Taurus FWD
22mpg combined
City / highway
18 / 28 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 6-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel
Taurus FWD
21mpg combined
City / highway
18 / 26 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S6) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,200/year to fuel
Taurus AWD
20mpg combined
City / highway
17 / 25 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 6-spd · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,350/year to fuel
Taurus AWD
20mpg combined
City / highway
17 / 25 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic (S6) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,350/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Electrical system Ignition; Ignition › Anti-theft › Control module
48
2
0
4
46,700 mi
Engine
40
1
1
0
80,950 mi
Steering
25
1
0
0
99,700 mi
Power train Automatic transmission; Driveline
18
2
0
0
45,500 mi
Unknown or other
15
1
0
0
44,181 mi
Vehicle speed control Accelerator pedal; Throttle
15
3
0
0
30,800 mi
Exterior lighting Headlights; Tail lights
14
1
0
0
69,000 mi
Structure Body; Body › Door
12
2
0
2
66,000 mi
Service brakes
12
0
0
0
73,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling Engine
9
0
0
0
15,560 mi
Air bags
8
5
0
9
65,000 mi
Seats
6
0
1
4
46,700 mi
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Dec 3, 2025 · crash · 1 injurySeat belts I hit a dirt embankment the seatbelts did not lock and I ended up smashing my head off of my steering wheel and my passenger ended up smashing their head off of my dashboard.
Jan 3, 2025Unknown or other The rear view backup camera visual is located in my rearview mirror it is just a blue screen whenever I put the car in reverse it just one day stopped working I've been waiting for it to be on the recall list and for some reason this year a 2011 is not on the recall list but it should be
Jun 25, 2024Tires › Tread/belt Last June I noticed the car constantly shaking. Took it to Goodyear plaza tire in Alexandria mn and they said they didn't find anything wrong and it's normal to have tires feel like they are shaking while driving. The tires are 255/45R19 Then in July of 2025, I wanted a tire rotation and wheels balanced. The mechanic says they can't because the tread is almost gone and I'd have 5000 left before I could get new tires. About 2000 miles later I noticed the tread separating from the wires on 3 of the 4 tires. They have been kept properly inflated and rotated every 5000 to 6000 miles. Usually every other oil change. Again I was told it's normal since the tires mostly last 30,000 miles and is…
Sep 1, 2025Engine Driving on access rd. Car stalled in middle of traffic. Glad I was not driving on highway. Lucky several drivers helped push car into a gas station. Saw water leak under car. There were no codes or indicators of over heating. Let car cool off. Noticed water in coolant reservoir. still was able to add 1 gal and half of water. Car turned on, drove it home which is about 3 miles. Water leak near the oil pan and block. After a long cooling period, noticed 3 hairline cracks on the bottom part of block. Cracked block Checked oil and noticed the oil was real thin and milky. Signs of water pump failure. Car is sitting on driveway. Only option is to replace the 156k miles engine. Cost is very…
Aug 7, 2025Electrical system 2011 Ford Taurus Limited 37'000 miles Original owner Like New Condition. Engine and all systems working perfectly no check engine or other lights showing. I was driving on city street about 25mph and with no warning engine and dash all shut down I had no crank and no dash lights at all. while I waited for tow truck dash lights did come on and anti theft light was flashing very fast. If I had been driving on Interstate 80 I may have been killed with all the Semi's that are always there. This happened August 7th 2025 It has been at the FORD dealership by my house for 25 work days and all they have done is checked the computer and said no power so replaced comp with rebuilt one and still no…
Jul 15, 2025Seats The inside rear view mirror camera only works on occasion.
Sep 8, 2025Engine The water pump failed on my Taurus, leaking coolant my into the engine, causing irrepairable damage
Jul 21, 2025 · 199,000 milesSteering The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 199,000.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
