Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
The vehicle is equipped with adjustable pedals. The pedals are so close together that when the consumer applied the brakes, the engine would surge as if it wanted to continue in drive and not stop. The last incident the vehicle surged to the point consumer could not stop the vehicle. Vehicle was stopped by a fence.
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. …
Went out of town for the day, car starting making noises. Noises seem to be intermediate, we cut our trip short and drove home. It is in the area of 100 miles home. When we got home I parked it till next day and had someone look at it. They said a bolt either fell out or broke and my hub assemply was falling apart. At that point they also tell me I was lucky that the pulley didn't freeze up on me because I would have lost all power. At 65 MPH coming home we could have been killed. I called my Ford dealer and they suggested that I get it to a Ford dealer here and let them look at it. I had it towed the next day and they veriified the same information. They said I needed to replace the A/C compressor, clutch, pulley and a coil. I did speak to Ford and they didn't seem to think that they should assit in any repairs because my warranty expired. …
I was driving my 2001 Ford Taurus onto a freeway and got up to 45 MPH and the car continued to accelerate after I lifted my foot off the gas. I attempted to press on the brake as hard as I could and the car was still accelerating. Pressing the brake would not make the car stop. I was not using cruise control. I pulled off to the side of the freeway and put the car in park, the car was still revving up, so I turned the car off. I waited a couple of minutes and started the car again and continued driving and the car exhibited the same conditions as before. I was able to exit the freeway and was about to get to an intersection that had a stop sign. I realized that even after pressing down on the brakes as hard as I could, the car was not going to stop so I proceeded to pull over to the side again and quickly put the car in park and turn the car off. …
Approximately 1 year ago, I was having mechanic problems with my 2001 Ford Taurus. The engine light came on. I had it inspected by a mechanic. The EGR valve and EGR sensor was replaced. About two weeks ago, the engine light came back on. I was not able to have it checked by a mechanic again. About a week ago, I noticed that when I started the engine, there was an instantaneous smell of exhaust in the passenger compartment. The windows were all in the closed position. I was required to drive with my windows down for a few days until I could have it looked at by a mechanic. The mechanic found that the EGR sensor had melted due to the EGR valve not functioning properly. The vacuum line from the EGR valve to the EGR sensor had also melted. During the few days that I had to drive it, I suffered from extreme headaches, nausea, and lightheadedness from the exhaust coming into the car. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle would suddenly shut off lose power steering ability. The vehicle would drift to a stop and the interior lights remained illuminated on the instrument panel. During the first few failures, the contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road and walk home. She sent her husband to check the vehicle and it started up normally. On other occasions, it would take hours to days before the vehicle could be restarted. Two different mechanics have performed diagnostic tests on the vehicle and they both stated that the cause of the failure was the box installed on the vehicle by the loan company. The contact called the loan company and they informed her to call their technician. The technician stated that it was not the box, even though it had not yet been inspected. …
My Ford Taurus 1st broke down on the interstate. I was on my way taking my kids to chuck e. Cheese. It ran hot out of the blue. After that I got it towed, I did replace the motor, had the transmission worked on, replace many sensors, replaced the fuel filter, replaced the fuel pump, the sensor of the air condition. I have replaced almost everything on that car from the time I bought it in 07 until 2010. And its still not running. Its parked they are saying its something with the transmission again. I have spent so much money in that piece of junk Ford. I feel they should fix the transmission this time and give me some of money back for all the repairs. And for the record my dates are estimated because I just parked and it and stop keeping up with it. Just plain ole got tired. That car took me broke. I finally had to bow down and go get another 1 with payments as last resort. …
Tl* -the contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus ses. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle shook while driving at 45 MPH or faster and got worse the vehicle reached 60 MPH. Also, the contact stated that the engine light turned on approximately 2 months after purchasing the vehicle and has not turned off. The contact was told that the emissions caused the engine light to turn on, but that she should not worry about it. The contact had the vehicle for three years now. The contact stated that the engine lost power about 8 months ago, she got a jump start, and had no problem again. The vehicle was currently in a repair shop, and she was told that there was a coolant leak, and that the vehicle needed to have the radiator flushed. The failure and current mileage were both 94600. Updated 04/09/07.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat. There was no smoke coming from the engine compartment, but the temperature dial dropped quickly. Within minutes, the contact pulled the vehicle over and shut off the engine. She allowed the vehicle to cool off and it was towed to a repair shop. The mechanic checked the vehicle and stated that all of the fluids were fine; however, the catalytic converter failed. The vehicle heads were made of aluminum and when the engine overheated, they warped and cracked. The failure caused the entire motor to be replaced. During the entire ordeal, there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The failure has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 80,000. Updated 08/31/09 updated 09/03/09.
Have complained to dealer/Ford motor company re: foul odor when heat is running. Was told that I probably had a high sensitivity to allergies. Complained about having to replace breaks at 15,000 miles. Had to replace oil gasket pan twice within the same year. Dealership did not find this unusual. Car accelerates without warning sometimes. The motor is making a rushing noise. Was told that this was the normal sound of the motor although it did not start until six months down the road. Had to take car back to replace back/warped windshield after having it one day. Dealership will not even allow me to trade vehicle and does not acknowledge fact that too many things have gone wrong in too short a period of time. Purchased vehicle in 2002.
Engine complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 66 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Ford Taurus, 6% of the model year's 1,037 complaints. The component named most often is engine (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Taurus engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to engine & cooling 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.