Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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.
Started to smell burned wires in car. Look under dash and smoke and wires where burned. Brake lights dont work. Reading online and other issue with this car and people where having same issue. When I called dealer they said theres nothing they can do because they are no more recalls on that. But I think this is a safety issue and can cause great danger.
The brake system in our car has not performed properly on wet roads many times. On jan 21st, 2002 and mar 13th, 2002, we asked muzi Ford to fix this problem. They could not find the problem. They reported, it is common to confuse ABS activation with difficulty stopping". In fact, our car is not equipped with ABS. On the morning of jan 17th, 2003, my husband was driving in the slow lane of I-95; the car in front of our car came to a sudden stop. He immediately braked. He was still far away, and the speed was only 45-50 MPH, the road was wet and our cars brake system did not work properly and it hit the front car. There are many problems with our car. …
Front end unacceptable! Then defroster didn't work in winter and I had to use my shirt sleeve to keep rubbing the windshield. I told ac collins Ford dealership that something was wrong with the coil springs and brakes when I bought it. I also told them that the ac was leaking in car. I told them that the steering wheel would shake when I was braking. I can send over the emails if you like. Ac collins sold me this car with serious suspension problems. You May have all records of proof. Front suspension coil spring fracture defect investigation for the 2000 Taurus investigation: #pe04044 opened: May 24 2004. Status: recall vehicle component: suspension:front:springs:coil springs*
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH downhill with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact mentioned that in order to stop the vehicle, she had to shift into neutral and drive over the sidewalk, crashing into a sign. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who filed a report on the contact's behalf. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 187,000.
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 .
I have had my brakes worked on my 2000 Taurus about every 6 months. I have been told by 2 mechanics that the car model is severely under braked. The problem causes the rotors to warp. I have had one accident with the car were I should have been able to stop if the brakes operated properly.
2000 Ford Taurus se, ABS, traction control, 3.0 24 valve engine. This month we had to replace the rear brakes with only 45,500 miles on the car. The vehicle is kept in house garage. After driving a few days on rain slick roads and after being in the garage overnight the rear brakes had locked shut and would not allow the vehicle to move. It took several times through-out the day of gentle shifting between drive and reverse to ge the rear brakes to unlock and free the car to move. Took the car immediately to a nearby Goodyear dealer to have the brakes checked. The brakes appeared to have rusted shut. The brake cylinder covers on both rear wheels had burned holes in them from the excessive heat created by driving with rusted brakes. The emergency brake cable was not involved in the problem, and it did not show any evidence of being locked. …
Tires: reported vibration , shimmy and pulling to the left. Took to dealer 6/24/2000 (1829) miles, balanced tires. On 11/14/2000 (9061)miles, 04/23/2001 (12871) balanced tires. Finally, 5/25/2001 (14518) replaced two front tires. Vibration and shimmy stopped but kept pulling to the left. On 10/10/2001 (23876) miles, charged me for alignment, car stopped pulling. Transmission: at approximately 40800 miles car had a noticeable shudder while going in reverse. Took to the dealer and was told it was a cracked casing as noted in TSB 15559 NHTSA number (630095) caused by miss manufacture of a part. Was informed dealer or Ford motor co. Would not assist with repair cost to exceed $1495. Brakes: reported brake problem on 5/25/2001 and 10/10/2001 when it was server, shaking and control problems when stopping. Dealer cut front rotors which was out of spec.- problem is back. …
My mother had a horrifying experience and a accident while driving my 2000 Ford Taurus. As she was putting car in drive, when leaving restaurant the car suddenly went out of control and sped up on its own and even while she had her foot on the brake all the way to floor car would not stop, the accelerator was stuck and she was terrified as she was heading head on to the restaurants brick building where she ended up crashing into and people inside restaurant said they were hurt as well as my car got badly damaged and the building. My mother and the people inside are lucky to be alive because of this problem with the gas pedal and brakes this could have been a deadly accident. My mother is bruised and still very sore from the accident and the impact was so hard when she crashed into the brick building that both front air bags failed to deploy. …
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable padels are being recalled in order to adjust the brake and accelerator pedals to a minimum of 50 mm of lateral separation. Simultaneous application of both the brake and accelerator pedals could result in an increase in engine RPM.
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.
NHTSA investigations
Brake/accelerator pedal application
Ms. Rodman reported that after her vehicle was inspected for the recall, her mother experienced a sudden acceleration and crashed the sable into a light pole.previously NHTSA had conducted an investigation for this issue (pe02-035) that resulted in the recall (02v-266) of 369,000 my 2000-2002 taurus and sable vehicles equipped with adjustable brake and accelerator pedals to insure that the separation between the…
Brake/accel pedal separation
Brake complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2000 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 108 complaints about the brakes of the 2000 Ford Taurus, 9% of the model year's 1,195 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (32 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Taurus brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-266 (pedals and linkages, Oct 2, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Taurus brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 19 crashes, 1 fire and 7 injuries to brakes 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.