Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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).
Car parked for 10 minutes after a short 5 mile drive. Smoke reported from under hood. Once hood opened, found small fire which was easily extinguished by owner. Vehicle driven to local Ford dealer. Mechanic claimed 3 leakes from ruptured power steering lines caused hydraulic fluid to spill onto engine. Dealer replaced lines for $600.00. Owner had to clean remaining fluid from engine compartment after repair.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that his vehicle had been parked in the driveway the entire day when he found it engulfed in smoke. The smoke arose from the dashboard near the steering column, however, there was no actual fire. The dashboard burned due to the heat. A fire report was filed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 108,000.
Strange sound from front right tire in terms of loud squeaking when going over bumps and rolling road. Took car to dealer. It was found to have a broken tie rod at the front right end. However they also found the right rear coil spring was broken. The broken spring had cut a deep groove into the inner sidewall of the tire. I had the broken spring and tie rod replaced by the dealer under the terms of my extended warranty but they were not obligated to pay for the tire. I paid for a new tire. On the way home a loud hammering sound now came from the right rear tire area when riding over bumps. Took car back to dealer and he found that the right rear strut was ruined due to the broken coil spring and replaced it. The dealer said the left rear spring was good and did not need to be replaced. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Taurus. The contact started the ignition and heard a loud noise coming from the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the steering wheel rubbing against the steering column. The vehicle was repaired for the malfunction. Recently, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for identical failures on a separate occasion. The noise level was more intense. The technician stated that the failure was related to the driver side tie rod end. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 43,700 and current mileage was 62,441. Updated 09/24/08 updated 09/26/08.
Power steering pump failed on 12/26/03. Unit was replaced with a re-manufactured pump. This pump failed on 1/2/04. Car serviced on 1/6/04. Told that the replacement pump was defective before we picked up the car that evening. The pump was replaced with another re-manufactured unit on 1/7/04. I picked up the vehicle that evening. This pump failed on 1/9/04 while my wife was driving the car. Luckily, it did not fail on the highway. The car was towed to the dealership where we had had it repaired the previous times. The pump was replaced again with, yes, you guessed it, another re-manufactured power steering pump. Can't we get a new pump? I hope that Ford is not putting re-manufactured parts into your new cars.
While driving it was hard for the consumer to steer the vehicle. Dealerships informed the consumer that the problem pertained to the rack and pinion. It was also difficult to steer the vehicle while trying to park. The consumer was told that the rack and pinion cracked.
While parking wheels locked up, and smoke was coming from under dash/ and flames from under hood. Vehicle was totalled. No injuries. 2 days prior, vehicle had been at dealership for power steering repair.
Bought used 2001 Taurus in aug. Of 2002. On the test drive I noticed the car pulled to the left and there was vibration in the steering wheel. The dealer at no cost to me did a wheel alignment and wheel balance. I drove again and it was fine. Approximately 4500 miles later the steering wheel vibration returned and the car was again pulling slightly to the left. I took it in to the dealer again and was told that the likely cause of the vibration was that a wheel weight was lost, but had no explaination for the pulling. They rebalanced the wheels and rotated the tires. Again everything was fine until nov. 2003 as I was driving I once again felt the vibration in the steering wheel and it was much more severe on cornering. I took it to an independent repair shop(nearest Ford dealer was 25 miles away). …
I bought a new Ford Taurus in 2001. Three months after my purchase, a vibration began in the front end. I took the car in and had repairs. To my dismay, the car began to vibrate again in January 2002. I took my car in for repairs again. April 2002 the same problem occurred again, so more repairs. This continued until I gave the car back (July 2004) due to these problems and many others. The dealership, silsbee Ford, seemed to only fix the problem temporarily,resulting in me returning the vehicle again and again. I believe there was an underlying problem that was overlooked and I assumed taking the car to a dealership the problem would have been found and properly fixed. By mar 2003 appr. 21,000 miles one cv shaft and axle seal replaced, rod asy replaced at 38,000 miles, and by jan 2004 the other cv axle was replaced. …
I bought my 2001 Ford Taurus used, in 2004 it has been a good car until 2008 when it started shaking in the front end. I took it to the mechanic and they told me it was a rack and pinion, so I had that replaced and paid through the nose. The car was still shaking, I took it back he said that I had to get it aligned because it was towed out and he did not have the equipment to do that. I replaced the now bald tired and had it aligned. Still shaking and now worse, I am now unemployed and can not afford to take the car to the shop and the warranty on the mechanic I took it to is up and he says it is my responsibility to pay for him to look at it further. When I had it aligned they did tell me that the rods and the struts were fine. So what exactly could this be? After 40 MPH the steering wheel shakes like crazy and there is a whirling noise coming from the wheels. Please help.
Steering complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2001 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the steering of the 2001 Ford Taurus, 2% of the model year's 1,037 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Taurus steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to steering 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.