2005 Ford Taurus problems & reliability
774 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Ford Taurus. 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 (28 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 Ford Taurus vehicles were involved in 62 fatal crashes with 41 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 | 529 | 68% |
| Power Train | 123 | 16% |
| Engine | 68 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 40 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 29 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 28 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 27 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 26 | 3% |
| Unknown OR Other | 25 | 3% |
| Structure | 22 | 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 90,000 miles (middle 50% between 65,709 and 110,975 miles), based on 694 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was on my way to work. When I came to the stop sign to turn on the main road. I felt my car jerk. I thought it was weird and kept driving anyways. Then I noticed the resistance was gone from the gas pedal and it went straight to the floor. So I came to the stop light and kept my foot on the brake. When the light…”
Engine · filed Oct 3, 2023
“For a while now I have noticed that intermittently when barely stepping on the accelerator pedal, the car will accelerate but continue to speed up even with my foot off of the accelerator. I have to step on the break extremely hard to come to a stop, and car will still be doing around 40mph when at a complete stop or…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Oct 4, 2022
“On December 10, 2020 I acquired tis particular automobile. In the calendar year following, I have been advised of and experience "sudden acceleration" and other anomalies . I have found further oil pan plug bolt, and today 02/10/2022 the Complaint of other owners. Particularly airbag sudden inflation and brake shift…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Feb 10, 2022
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
31 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2005 Ford Taurus in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2005 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 90,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.