1999 FORD TAURUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 849 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: SUSPENSION (172 complaints · 20.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 61
  • Fires 16
  • Injuries 66
  • Deaths 4
Compare with 1998 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution SUSPENSION appears in 172 of 849 owner complaints (20.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. SUSPENSION: 172 complaints, 20.3% of reports SUSPENSION 172 · 20.3% · 2 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 97 complaints, 11.4% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 97 · 11.4% · 12 crash reports 3 fire reports STEERING: 86 complaints, 10.1% of reports STEERING 86 · 10.1% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 85 complaints, 10.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 85 · 10.0% · 8 crash reports 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 74 complaints, 8.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 74 · 8.7% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports ENGINE: 64 complaints, 7.5% of reports ENGINE 64 · 7.5% · 4 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 53 complaints, 6.2% of reports SEAT BELTS 53 · 6.2% · 3 crash reports VISIBILITY: 44 complaints, 5.2% of reports VISIBILITY 44 · 5.2% AIR BAGS: 35 complaints, 4.1% of reports AIR BAGS 35 · 4.1% · 28 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 625 complaints, 73.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 625 · 73.6% · 44 crash reports 10 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
SUSPENSION 172 20.3% 2 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 97 11.4% 12 crashes · 3 fires
STEERING 86 10.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 85 10.0% 8 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 74 8.7% 4 crashes · 1 fires
ENGINE 64 7.5% 0 crashes · 4 fires
SEAT BELTS 53 6.2% 3 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 44 5.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 35 4.1% 28 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 625 73.6% 44 crashes · 10 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 1998. 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 1999-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 1999-Q3: 29 owner reports 29 1999-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2000-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2000-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2000-Q3: 24 owner reports 24 2000-Q4: 27 owner reports 27 2001-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2001-Q2: 30 owner reports 30 2001-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2001-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 2002-Q1: 33 owner reports 33 2002-Q2: 26 owner reports 26 2002-Q3: 38 owner reports 38 2002-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 2003-Q1: 29 owner reports 29 2003-Q2: 36 owner reports 36 2003-Q3: 36 owner reports 36 2003-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q1: 29 owner reports 29 2004-Q2: 24 owner reports 24 2004-Q3: 41 owner reports 41 2004-Q4: 32 owner reports 32 2005-Q1: 44 owner reports 44 2005-Q2: 19 owner reports 19 2005-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2006-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2006-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2007-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2008-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 1998 Oct 2020 Recall campaign 98V198000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V198000 Recall campaign 98V204000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V204000 Recall campaign 98V288000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V288000 Recall campaign 99V250000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V250000 Recall campaign 04V332000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V332000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Investigation PE02080 ● Investigation PE02080 Investigation PE04044 ● Investigation PE04044
  • Campaign 99V250000 was reported 255 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V332000 was reported 1,863 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 8
1999-Q2 Owner reports 13
1999-Q3 Owner reports 29
1999-Q4 Owner reports 20
2000-Q1 Owner reports 19
2000-Q2 Owner reports 14
2000-Q3 Owner reports 24
2000-Q4 Owner reports 27
2001-Q1 Owner reports 21
2001-Q2 Owner reports 30
2001-Q3 Owner reports 20
2001-Q4 Owner reports 22
2002-Q1 Owner reports 33
2002-Q2 Owner reports 26
2002-Q3 Owner reports 38
2002-Q4 Owner reports 22
2003-Q1 Owner reports 29
2003-Q2 Owner reports 36
2003-Q3 Owner reports 36
2003-Q4 Owner reports 13
2004-Q1 Owner reports 29
2004-Q2 Owner reports 24
2004-Q3 Owner reports 41
2004-Q4 Owner reports 32
2005-Q1 Owner reports 44
2005-Q2 Owner reports 19
2005-Q3 Owner reports 11
2005-Q4 Owner reports 10
2006-Q1 Owner reports 4
2006-Q2 Owner reports 7
2006-Q3 Owner reports 8
2006-Q4 Owner reports 4
2007-Q1 Owner reports 10
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 12
2007-Q4 Owner reports 3
2008-Q1 Owner reports 7
2008-Q2 Owner reports 9
2008-Q3 Owner reports 5
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 6
2009-Q3 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 6
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 4
2010-Q3 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 4
2011-Q3 Owner reports 4
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 9
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 4
2013-Q3 Owner reports 5
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 98V198000
Recall campaign 1 98V204000
Recall campaign 1 98V288000
Recall campaign 1 99V250000
Recall campaign 1 04V332000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Defect investigation 1 PE02080
Defect investigation 1 PE04044
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V332000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF THIS OCCURS, THE TIRE MAY RUPTURE RESULTING IN A RAPID AIR LOSS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTIVE SPRING SHIELDS. IN ADDITION, FORD IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS IN ALL OTHER STATES, FOR FRACTURE ONLY, UP TO 10 YEARS OF SERVICE OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. IF THE VEHICLE HAS ALREADY ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 150,000 MILES, THIS COVERAGE WILL LAST UNTIL JULY 31, 2005. IF EITHER FRONT COIL SPRING FRACTURES, DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SPRINGS AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER. AN INTERIM NOTICE WAS SENT TO OWNERS ON AUGUST 2, 2004. PARTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 2000-2001 MY VEHICLES AND OWNERS WERE SENT A LETTER ON JANUARY 10, 2005, ADVISING THEM TO BRING IN THEIR VEHICLES FOR REPAIR PARTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 1999 MY VEHICLES BY THE END OF FEBRUARY 2005 AND OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES WILL BE NOTIFIED THEN. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V198000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IF THE STUD IS CRACKED, IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE MOUNTING BRACKET AND STUD ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V204000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, THE ENGINE MAY NOT FULLY RETURN TO IDLE. ALSO, THE INSULATOR MAY NOT STAY IN THE INTENDED LOCATION AND COULD INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR CABLE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES TO ENSURE PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ACCELERATOR CABLE CLIP, AND RE-INSTALL IF NEEDED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V288000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKAGE ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD OR CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE APPROPRIATE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V250000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IF THE MECHANISM MALFUNCTIONS AND DOES NOT ALLOW THE WEBBING TO BE EXTRACTED, THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT COULD NOT BE WORN BY A VEHICLE OCCUPANT. IN THE EVENT THAT THE MECHANISM DOES NOT ALLOW THE ALR MODE TO BE ENGAGED, THE OPERATOR MAY BE UNABLE TO PROPERLY INSTALL A CHILD SEAT IN THAT SEATING POSITION.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES. ASSEMBLIES WITH JULIAN DATE CODES OF 200 THROUGH 223 ARE SUSPECT AND WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 849 complaints · page 1 of 34

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources