Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
Drivers door not latching. Have had to drive on a highway to purchase wd40 to try and get my door shut. I have also had an issue with my lights flashing. And who plugs a phone into a car charger for 2 hours and it doesn't charge. It never used to do that. Door wouldn't shut while sitting in driving and when driving in city and highway. Lights flickered while driving on highway. Phone wouldn't charge while on highway. I have to dig the two receipts out from the wd40 purchase. It is going in today for an oil change and they want to look at my door which will cost an additional $85 on top of the oil change.
Since I've owned the car the transmission on the dash has been off meaning ... To put it in drive it has to say 1 st. On the dash reverse is where drive is or d. ... Yesterday I came to a stop sign and there was a huge thunk and I could not drive the car had froze then after messing with the shift arm it went thunk again and I got it home but cant drive any farther ..I also have had electronic problems since I got it one dash lights inside wont work next day blinker next day radio next day head lights .... And the front end thunks when driving and is not connected to the road ...it feels
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving various speeds, the anti theft warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.
Consumer smelled a burnt odor coming in from the vent. Vehicle was parked, and it caught on fire from the center control panel. The fire was extinguished by fire department. Consumer drove vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic stated that the cause of the fire could not be determined.
Consumer's vehicle was parked for approximately 15 hours when the vehicle caught on fire. The fire investigation indicated that the fire involved wiring and electrical components within the lower portion of the dashboard housing.
I pushed the cigarette lighter in to get hot and it shot out. It fell on the floor mat and I burned my hand picking it up before if caught the car on fire. I no longer use my lighter for fear it will start a fire.
I am a owner of a 2001 Ford Taurus which I bought used and have owned it now for 2 years. It is the first Ford I have owned in over 20 years. Since I have owned it, it has not given me too many problems, just the basic break downs like, batteries, brakes ,seized A/C compressor,coolant expansion tank cracked, ect. Those things are going to break. But what has really upset me is how I have read about the coil springs breaking on the Taurus and causing possible damage to the vehicle. I didn't think it would happen to me but after arriving home today I noticed a small piece of metal under my 01 Taurus and after further observation I found it to be a piece of my rear coil spring from the drivers side. I am a 40+ year old male who has had many makes and models of different types of vehicles and have never had or heard of coil springs breaking as they do on the Ford Taurus. …
I have a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving the vehicle the anti-theft light will come on. The vehicle will shut down without warning. I was driving on interstate 75 in tn. The speed zone is 70mph. The car shut off and I was almost hit in the rear by a semi truck. I had my entire family in the car with me at the time. This is not an intermittent problem. I took the car into a Ford dealer and I was told it was the ignition. It was replaced and two weeks later the same thing started. Now I am told it is a gem module, or, PCM module, several other things. This to me is a very dangerous vehicle. When the car quits running, and you lose all power,and control of the vehicle, from brakes to steering. Even the steering wheel locked down. It took 2 hours before the car would restart. This has occurred over 20 times. This problem is not only dangerous to the driver, but other drivers on the road. …
Dt: 2001 Ford Taurus is having problems starting, also having problems with stalling . The vehicle will start back up, but the consumer has to shake and turn the steering wheel. This has been a problem for over a year. Consumer has taken the car to the dealership, but the dealership can not find cause of the problem. The problem is intermittent. That is why the dealership can not seem to find the problem. The car has been in the shop 3 times. First time the starter was changed. The problem still exists. The consumer has not contacted Ford motors. The dealership has told the consumer to bring back the car so they can examine the vehicle again. Slow speeds and turning are when the vehicle is stalling out. The consumer does not think that the motor is the problem, that is an electrical problem.
Dt: when placing key in the ignition, the vehicle will not start. This happened intermittently. Sometimes it would not start whatsoever. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer once. On 3 separate occasions the vehicle would not start at the dealership. Dealer said the first incident was a faulty starter, but after a couple of weeks this problem happened again even after starter was replaced. In this process of back and forth to dealer on 4 different times there was several repairs of starter, sensor, computer board, and some other electronic component and these all stemmed from placing key in the ignition and the vehicle would not start. Dealer said this was ignition and starter related. This is still a problem. Dealer business manager has extended the warranty.
Electrical complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Ford Taurus, 4% of the model year's 1,037 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Taurus electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Ford Taurus, though it has 9 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 2001 Ford Taurus electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 6 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.