There are 8 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Ford Taurusin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
ENGINE TEMPERATURE STARTED TO RISE VERY HIGH WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD CITY STREET AND HAD TO PULL OVER. ALL THE ENGINE COOLANT HAD LEAKED OUT BECAUSE OF A FAULTY WATERPUMP THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS FAILED TO RECALL ON ALL THE ENGINES. AS I CAN TELL THE COOLANT DID NOT ENTER THE ENGINE OIL AND DESTROY THE ENTIRE ENGINE TO MY KNOWLEDGE. HOW CAN THE STATE OR THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS TO NOT BE A RECALL AND HAVE FORD REPAIR ALL VEHICLES WHEN THEY FAIL OR BEFORE THEY FAIL TO AVOID PEOPLE LOSING THERE LIFES BECAUSE OF IMMEDIATE ENGINE FAILURE.
WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT FIRE BURNING THE TOP OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND HOOD. IT HAPPENED SO FAST I CAN ONLY ASSUME IT WAS FUEL RELATED.
CAR STALLED COMPLTLY SHUT DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE TRAVELING AT 115 KLM AN HOUR IN HOT HUMID WEATHER.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER, PLACED IN PARK, AND RESTARTED ON THE INITIAL ATTEMPT. THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000. ON MAY 16, 2016 AFTER DRIVING A VERY SHORT DISTANCE, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING. IT STARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CONSUMER PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THE CONSUMER HAD NO POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. HOWEVER, THE TURN SIGNALS AND HORN WORKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 06/08/16.*JB STATUS UPDATE 07/06/16.*JB UPDATED 08/04/16.*JB
WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AND ALL SYSTEMS SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT. HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING AND DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND THEN STALLED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOR IN THE FUEL TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED WHICH DETECTED NO TROUBLE CODES. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASION AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO NEITHER DUPLICATE THE FAILURE NOR LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,700.
03/24/2012. 1ST FAILURE MILEAGE APPROX.1,450: DRIVING ON I-95S AT APPROX. 70 MPH, RAINING CONDITION, WIPERS IN USE, HEADLIGHTS ON. SUDDENLY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WENT DARK, WIPERS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD, ENGINE CUT OFF. WAS ABLE TO STEER CAR FROM MIDDLE LANE TO ROAD SIDE AND BRAKED. PUT CAR IN PARK, LIGHTS STILL OUT, ENGINE WOULD NOT START. IN LESS A MINUTE, ON THE MIDDLE INSTRUMENT GAUGE A GREEN LIGHTED MESSAGE DISPLAYED: "POWER ACCESSORIES..." FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. THEN CAR RESTARTED. FORD SERVICES COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM OR ERROR CODE. 08/04/2012. 2ND FAILURE MILEAGE APPROX. 5,360: NICE HOT DAY OF SUMMER. AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAVEL CENTER PARKING LOT, DROVE ABOUT 25 YARDS IN THE PARKING LOT AT APPROX. 10 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT AND THE ENGINE CUT OFF. CAR WOULD NOT START IN "NEUTRAL" BUT STARTED IN "PARK" POSITION RIGHT AWAY. FORD SERVICES COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM OR ERROR CODE. IN BOTH INCIDENTS, THE PASSENGER WAS ACCESSING THE "MULTI-MEDIA CONSOLE" FOR RADIO STATION OR GPS.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026