2002 FORD TAURUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,407 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: SUSPENSION (912 complaints · 64.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 74
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 43
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2001 →
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 912 of 1,407 owner complaints (64.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. SUSPENSION: 912 complaints, 64.8% of reports SUSPENSION 912 · 64.8% · 6 crash reports 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 86 complaints, 6.1% of reports VISIBILITY 86 · 6.1% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 62 complaints, 4.4% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 62 · 4.4% · 12 crash reports ENGINE: 50 complaints, 3.6% of reports ENGINE 50 · 3.6% · 4 crash reports 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 40 complaints, 2.8% of reports AIR BAGS 40 · 2.8% · 37 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 38 complaints, 2.7% of reports STRUCTURE 38 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 33 complaints, 2.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 33 · 2.4% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 33 complaints, 2.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 33 · 2.4% · 5 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 27 complaints, 1.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 · 1.9% · 3 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 1,043 complaints, 74.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1,043 · 74.1% · 40 crash reports 4 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 912 64.8% 6 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 86 6.1% 1 crashes · 2 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 62 4.4% 12 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 50 3.6% 4 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 40 2.8% 37 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 38 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 33 2.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 33 2.4% 5 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 1.9% 0 crashes · 3 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1,043 74.1% 40 crashes · 4 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 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2002. 2001-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2003-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2003-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2004-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2005-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2005-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2005-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2005-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 2006-Q1: 31 owner reports 31 2006-Q2: 27 owner reports 27 2006-Q3: 25 owner reports 25 2006-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 2007-Q1: 58 owner reports 58 2007-Q2: 45 owner reports 45 2007-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2007-Q4: 37 owner reports 37 2008-Q1: 82 owner reports 82 2008-Q2: 61 owner reports 61 2008-Q3: 47 owner reports 47 2008-Q4: 52 owner reports 52 2009-Q1: 76 owner reports 76 2009-Q2: 55 owner reports 55 2009-Q3: 23 owner reports 23 2009-Q4: 24 owner reports 24 2010-Q1: 103 owner reports 103 2010-Q2: 64 owner reports 64 2010-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2010-Q4: 25 owner reports 25 2011-Q1: 55 owner reports 55 2011-Q2: 44 owner reports 44 2011-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 27 owner reports 27 2012-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2012-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2012-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2013-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2013-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2014-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2001 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 02V266000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V266000 Recall campaign 03V087000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V087000 Recall campaign 04V106000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V106000 Recall campaign 16E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 16E026000 Investigation RQ03008 ● Investigation RQ03008 Investigation RP03001 ● Investigation RP03001 Investigation EA08018 ● Investigation EA08018 Investigation PE12033 ● Investigation PE12033
  • Campaign 02V266000 was reported 162 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 03V087000 was reported 91 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V106000 was reported 680 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16E026000 was reported 5,092 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q4 Owner reports 3
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 9
2002-Q3 Owner reports 6
2002-Q4 Owner reports 9
2003-Q1 Owner reports 16
2003-Q2 Owner reports 10
2003-Q3 Owner reports 16
2003-Q4 Owner reports 8
2004-Q1 Owner reports 13
2004-Q2 Owner reports 12
2004-Q3 Owner reports 20
2004-Q4 Owner reports 10
2005-Q1 Owner reports 18
2005-Q2 Owner reports 15
2005-Q3 Owner reports 13
2005-Q4 Owner reports 23
2006-Q1 Owner reports 31
2006-Q2 Owner reports 27
2006-Q3 Owner reports 25
2006-Q4 Owner reports 21
2007-Q1 Owner reports 58
2007-Q2 Owner reports 45
2007-Q3 Owner reports 20
2007-Q4 Owner reports 37
2008-Q1 Owner reports 82
2008-Q2 Owner reports 61
2008-Q3 Owner reports 47
2008-Q4 Owner reports 52
2009-Q1 Owner reports 76
2009-Q2 Owner reports 55
2009-Q3 Owner reports 23
2009-Q4 Owner reports 24
2010-Q1 Owner reports 103
2010-Q2 Owner reports 64
2010-Q3 Owner reports 19
2010-Q4 Owner reports 25
2011-Q1 Owner reports 55
2011-Q2 Owner reports 44
2011-Q3 Owner reports 15
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 27
2012-Q2 Owner reports 12
2012-Q3 Owner reports 15
2012-Q4 Owner reports 10
2013-Q1 Owner reports 13
2013-Q2 Owner reports 11
2013-Q3 Owner reports 6
2013-Q4 Owner reports 7
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 10
2014-Q3 Owner reports 12
2014-Q4 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 3
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 4
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 8
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 4
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V266000
Recall campaign 1 03V087000
Recall campaign 1 04V106000
Recall campaign 1 16E026000
Defect investigation 1 RQ03008
Defect investigation 1 RP03001
Defect investigation 1 EA08018
Defect investigation 1 PE12033
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V266000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD RESULT IN A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCING AN "UNINTENDED VEHICLE SPEED INCREASE" OR A PERCEIVED "UNABLE TO STOP" CONDITION.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED AS TO THE PROPER WAY TO SET THE POSITION OF THE PEDALS AND TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE SPACING BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS MEASURED. IF THE SPACING IS FOUND TO BE LESS THAN 50 MM, THE DEALER WILL ADJUST THE PEDALS TO INCREASE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM TO GREATER THAN 50 MM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V087000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    POTENTIAL LOSS OF WINDSHIELD RETENTION MAY ALSO REDUCE OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE WINDSHIELDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD/MERCURY AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V106000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    IN ADDITION, IF THE SWITCH AND/OR ASSOCIATED WIRING FAIL IN THE OPEN POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ACTUATE AND THE DRIVER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF "PARK" IF THEY FAIL IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL REMAIN ON, WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW THE SPEED CONTROL TO BE ACTIVATED. THIS COULD ALSO CAUSE THE BATTERY TO DISCHARGE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH AND ASSOCIATED WIRING ASSEMBLY AND INSTALL A NEWLY DESIGNED STOP LAMP SWITCH AND WIRE ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    A damaged or broken brake disc may reduce a vehicle's braking power, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
    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 1407 complaints · page 1 of 57

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