Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently without any warnings and the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. The contact attempted to regained control of the vehicle but it crashed into a ditch. The contact sustained back and neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to salvage yard and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
Part of the engine, top portion closest to the firewall on the passenger side of the vehicle, caught on fire while I was driving on a city street near my residence in lancaster, ca. I noticed the smoke emitting from under the hood when I came to a stop at the stop light.
While driving off the parking lot of our corner convenience store, my son turn on the A/C only to have smoke and flames shoot out from the vents. In an instant panic he looked around and found that they were trying to flag him that flames were shooting from under the car. He immediately crossed the street and was able to get out of the car safely. The flames burned through the top of the hood and thankfully the fire dept was quick and was able to extinguish the fire. Everything under the hood was destroyed and even the front tires wouldn't budge when trying to push the vehicle out of the way afterwards. We had the vehicle towed to our home and still are in possession of it. Though no work has been done on it and in our opinion nothing left to work on, we know that there has to have been something faulty. …
Had a 2000 Taurus which went out of control. Going approx. 57 MPH down a highway my car suddently decided to speed up on its own. I suddenly was going in the upper 70's. I put the brake clear to the floor and got the car down to 65 MPH. I took my foot off and the car sped up again. I slammed down on the brake again and got it back to 65 MPH. Called the police and begged for help as I was nearing a high school entrance. Rear ended a minivan before I got to the school. Was told that the throttle body stuck. It immediately became "unstuck" upon impact. Had to be towed to Ford in jefferson city, mo for repairs. Repairs and rental car costs added up to over $700. Used information from this site and contacted Ford directly. After two days was told I would be reimbursed to "maintain customer loyalty."
Car fails to accelerate at times. Gas pedal is depressed but engine does not seem to be getting fuel. After repeated attempts -- hitting accelerator -- engine will suddenly "catch" and lurch forward. Seems to be a throttle problem, but Ford dealer will not address. Even though car falls in recall range for 2000-2003 tauruses with "sticky" throttles (recall was issued in 2013), dealer says it is "not on recall list." over 450,000 vehicles are -- but apparently mine is not one of them. Seems like a very dangerous situation to me. You're driving in a 55 MPH zone an suddenly your car slows to 20 MPH no matter how hard you press the gas pedal. Then after 20 seconds it suddenly takes off? Not good.
Dt: the contact stated when coming to an abrupt stop the engine continued to race and lurched forward. This occurred for only a short time. The consumer then had to apply the brake and put the transmission in neutral to get it to stop. The vehicle was seen by the service dealer who attached a black box. The problem occurred only once during the testing period. Because the problem was intermittent the dealer was unable to obtain accurate diagnosis. The contact was concerned about hitting someone when this occurred. This problem occurred on another Ford vehicle which was previously owned by the contact which was involved in an accident. Updated 11/29/2005 -
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that upon shifting into reverse, the vehicle accelerated forward. The contact applied the brakes, but the vehicle continued to accelerate at a low speed until crashing into a building. The failure recurred a few years later and the vehicle crashed into another vehicle at a low speed. The failure occurred on a third occasion, but did not result in a crash. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on various occasions, but a failure was never diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.
I was cruising on the freeway, as I approached my exit I began hitting the brakes and noticed the car was hardly slowing down. I continued to slam on the brakes attempting to get down to the off ramp speed limit until I realized it wasn't going to happen. I was rapidly approaching a busy intersection and before I could even think to put the car in neutral I had to turn quickly into a snowbank to avoid an even worse accident. I was terrified and I'm just happy no one was severely hurt or killed, my car suffered damage and the effects are still there.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that he attempted to decelerate while driving downhill in rainy weather when the rear end of the vehicle swerved and caused the contact to crash into a guard rail. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact did not sustain any injuries during the crash. The contact stated that the throttle control failed and caused the rear-end to lose control. The failure and current mileage was 172,455.
It presented a series of missed fired and over heating on the road , after driving around 150 miles , the engine leaking oil and it loss power make it on safe to drive . The air conditioning system is iced up like a fridge and less cooling in an over whole look the car need safety control and all of this can clearly seen on the city road way .
NHTSA investigations
Speed control cable damage
On June 21, 2013, Ford initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 13B04 to address a concern with Speed Control Cable damage in certain model year (MY) 2000 through 2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4V Duratec engines and built at the Chicago assembly plant.In the dealer letter for the program, Ford indicates that the Speed Control Cables on affected vehicles may be susceptible to damage or becoming…
Acceleration complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2000 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 87 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2000 Ford Taurus, 7% of the model year's 1,195 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Taurus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2000 Ford Taurus, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Taurus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 17 crashes, 4 fires and 11 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.