2001 Ford Taurus Acceleration Problems

Which parts fail

• Accelerator pedal
  13
• Cruise control
  4
• Linkages
  3
• Cables
  1

Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  47%
• 25k–50k
  59%
• 50k–75k
  12%
• 75k–100k
  1018%
• 100k–150k
  2444%
• 150k+
  1120%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I was entering onto the freeway, and when I accelerated to reach 60mph, the vehicle continued to accelerate without my foot on the pedal, and had to use my brakes continuously to keep from crashing into other cars until I could get it safely pulled over to the emergency lane, and forcing the stop with all I had. The whole car was shaking. Quite scary. Had it towed to the dealership, and the diagnosis was that the cruise cable broke and got caught on the accelerator cable which caused sudden and unintended acceleration. While researching this issue, found others who experienced the same thing. Why there isn't a recall on this, I will never know. If there are numerous complaints of malfunctions resulting in possible crash, don't you think the manufacturer would put the consumer first, investigate it, and make it right? I will never buy another Ford.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle lunged forward and crashed into a coffee shop. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, but was unable to determine the cause. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 62,476. ..updated 04/16/12 the consumer stated on December 24, 2011, while driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle began to accelerate on its own and the engine began racing. When the consumer arrived to his destination, the engine was still revving loudly. The consumer placed the vehicle in park. However, the engine continued to rev. He pressed hard on the accelerator and the engine stopped revving. Updated 05/30/12

Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle unexpectedly increased acceleration. In order to stop the vehicle, the gear lever was shifted into the neutral position and the brake pedal was engaged forcefully. The failure recurred four times after being repaired under a voluntary recall issued by the manufacturer. The remedy consisted of replacing the accelerator pedal cable clip. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving at low speeds, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The failure occurred intermittently. In addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to avoid a crash by shifting the gear into neutral. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.

My daughter had just left a stoplight and at approximately 35 miles an hour let off the throttle but vehicle continue to accelerate. Pushed as hard as possible on the brake to slow vehicle down and get off the road put in park throttle still high, shut the vehicle off. I investigated and found cruise control cable casing had come out of plastic retainer clip and end of cable housing caught on plastic retaining clip causing throttle to remain open approximately 1/2 inch off idle!

Tl contact owns 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at any speed the vehicle surged and continued to surge while the brake was depressed. The contact had to place the vehicle in neutral in order to stop the surging and caused the contact to crash into a vehicle. The contact stated the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

The car will sometimes stay at high rpms even when pressure is released on the accelerator pedal. This happened to me in 2018 when I first got the car and has happened recently in December 2020. In the first episode, I depressed the brake and the car did not slow down until I shifted to neutral. In the second, my wife had to throw it into park. The car was in motion on a city street in both instances going straight

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 1 MPH and entering a parking space, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a pole. The contact sustained injuries to the chest and the front passenger sustained injuries to the wrist and knee. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was not filed of the incident. The failure and current mileage was 37,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that she was attempting to park when the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a building. The contact stated that the vehicle was not destroyed. The contact sustained a broken finger and a bruised knee. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. After being parked for approximately ten or fifteen minutes, the contact heard a loud bang. The vehicle caught fire and it was extinguished by the fire department. A report was filed. The vehicle and a grill were destroyed. The contact has pictures. The current and failure mileages were 165,000.

NHTSA investigations

Acceleration complaints in other Taurus years