2004 Ford Taurus problems & reliability
375 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford Taurus, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
19 complaints report injuries (25 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Ford Taurus vehicles were involved in 48 fatal crashes with 42 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 164 | 44% |
| Power Train → | 72 | 19% |
| Electrical System → | 26 | 7% |
| Engine → | 25 | 7% |
| Air Bags → | 21 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 19 | 5% |
| Service Brakes → | 18 | 5% |
| Structure → | 17 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 14 | 4% |
| Steering → | 13 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 95,500 miles (middle 50% between 64,366 and 130,000 miles), based on 308 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Airbags seats and seatbelts useless for 6'8" 375lbs adult man. I sit within 6" of the steering wheel airbag the seatbelt goes across my bicep not my shoulder and the seat itself only goes up to the middle of my back, the head rest is between my shoulders. Why is there no exemption for giants and airbags and seatbelts?…”
Air Bags · filed Mar 13, 2026
“On June 23, 2024 this 2004 Ford Taurus was in a front end collision at freeway speeds of 60 mph or higher. The driver airbag did not deploy and the driver died as a result of severe trauma to head and chest.”
Air Bags · filed Jul 15, 2024
“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…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Dec 3, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Stuck throttle
Preliminary Evaluation PE12005 · opened Mar 7, 2012 · closed Oct 22, 2012
- ENGINE STALLING FFV
Defect Petition DP06005 · opened Dec 4, 2006 · closed Dec 28, 2007
Technical service bulletins
55 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford Taurus. The 10 most recent:
This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled…
TSB 20-2233 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 13, 2020
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a…
SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2016
Extended warranty coverage for vehicles with hard start when operating on e85 fuel, powertrain control module (pcm) calibration. Warranty extended for 10 years or 100,000 miles which ever comes first. Sample consumer…
0607 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2006
Flex fuel - long crank/hard start. *tt
0655 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Camshaft tick noise - 3.0l 4v engine only. *tt
04208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Spark knock, hesitation above 3000 rpm, loss of power, misfire, and possible engine damage due to detonation and pre-ignition - 3.0l-2v vulcan gas/ffv. *tt
052218 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Power window concerns - service tip. *tt
05227 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Ford Taurus has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Ford Taurus?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 95,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.