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 2001 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact turned the ignition switch into the off position which caused the vehicle to slow down. The vehicle resumed and operated normally. The failure occurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for the recall related to the failure which was associated with the NHTSA campaign id number 02V266000 (service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages). The consequence of the recall defect was an unintended acceleration. The technician inspected the vehicle and stated the vehicle did not require repair under the recall. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 20. Updated 07/21/11 the consumer stated he crashed into a parked vehicle. Updated 12/05/11
Tl* the contact's mother owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while her mother was turning into a parking lot, when depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle hesitated and accelerate forward. The driver shifted the gears to park and turned off the ignition to come to a stop. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. Upon investigation the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 02V266000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to local dealer bellingham Ford Lincoln located at 1820 james st, bellingham, wa 98225, [phone], where it was diagnosed with the brakes needing to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had been aware of the failure and filed a complaint (cas-25346332). The failure millage was 143,553.
Was informed brake lights were not working, then when I stopped the vehicle and put it in park and restated could not get out of park so installed a new brake switch which worked for less then an hour. Thinking it could be a fuse checked the manual list of fuses and could not find a listing for the fuse that went to the brake switch so checked fuses one by one to see if they were bad all okay. So I assume the new switch was bad and replaced it with another and they one did not work either. I can now get out of park to drive the vehicle but I have no brake lights which is not safe at all. I was just told that Ford had a recall on this issue some yeas back but I never received one. I feel that something more is going on here.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed without a response. The vehicle then slightly crashed into the preceding vehicle. There were no injuries. A police was report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven cautiously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the master cylinder was replaced. The failure recurred which caused another crash. The driver sustained a neck injury. A second police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.
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.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact applied the brakes and the pedal extended to the floorboard. The vehicle rear ended another vehicle and caused slight damage to the front bumper. A police report was filed. Four passenger sustained injuries. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 124,512.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights illuminated continuously while the brake pedal was not being depressed. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V106000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Consumer stated had problems with brake pedal. Also stated that the brake pedal is 2" higher that the gas pedal. Dealer was contaced and stated that there was a recall but they said that there was no problem with it. The brake pedal and the accelerator pedal is too close together which caused the consumer's foot to hit both and cause an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights remained illuminated regardless if the brake pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 250,000.
The brakes failed to stop vehicle when they were depressed. Brake pedal went to floor, and consumer's vehicle rear ended another vehicle. Police officer indicated that there weren't any brakes on the passenger's side. Vehicle was towed to the dealership.
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 2001 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 97 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Ford Taurus, 9% of the model year's 1,037 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 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 2001 Ford Taurus brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 17 crashes, 0 fires and 23 injuries and 1 death 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.