Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Saturday night dec 11, 2004, while driving on route 91 in ct, the car lost steering. The car started to veer right and when my daughter (and 2 small children) tried to steer the wheel just turned and turned with no results. She ended up next to a cement wall, with no damage to the car, after pumping the brakes. They had to crawl out of the window, because of the position of the car, when the tow truck came. A police cruiser stayed behind her until the tow truck got there. I had it towed to the Ford dealer that I bought it from. They found it was with the linkage and repaired it. I hate to say it, but I still have a strange feeling when I drive now. I guess that they found a bolt was loose, removed it, checked the threads and reinstalled it. I am so discouraged with this car compared to other fords that I have had.
Bought 2002 Ford Taurus sel from used car lot, had about 43,000+ miles in excellent condition. I have had this car less than a year. It presently has 68,000 miles (700 miles driven weekly), all highway driving. At about 55,000 miles ( I am guessing), I started hearing a clunk. Today I went to change the brakes and found the drivers side rear suspension low to the tire. I carry no weight in the car. I took the tire off to find the spring had snapped and coiled around the strut perch. The car has not been abused or mistreated. I find it strange that this car would snap a spring so easily in such a sort time. Luckily it didn't pop a tire while driving. I have read up on the internet to find this is a known problem for this year and make car. I have also read, that I should expect the front struts to collapse. …
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus sel. Yesterday my cruise control cable got stuck in the open position while driving on interstate 45 in houston during the early evening. Braking helped slow the car down, but it would accelarate back up again as soon as the brake was released. My son was able to get off the highway safely, but only by putting the car in neutral with it still revving up past 5000 RPM. He turned off the car when on the service road and it came to a safe stop. When the car was started up again, it would rev back up. My oldest son and I met up with him, and when we opened the hood of the car, the cruise control cable was stuck in the open position. There is a small nick and crack in the outside housing of the cable that it got hung up on. My son disabled the cruise control so that we could drive the vehicle home. …
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus.. Starting shaking while driving at 8,500 miles. Took it to Ford and they stated rotors were warped and replaced them. At approx 18,000 miles they warped again. Ford would not cover the warrant so I ended up paying to have them resurfaced. I filed a complaint with the attorney generals office and ended up getting reimbursed for the repair. I'm now at 28,000 miles and they are shot, unable to be resurfaced and must be replaced. Needless to say I'm not going to deal with Ford any longer and will replace with a higher quality after market product. I have found and exorbanent ammount of other Taurus owners online that are having the same problems. I was wondering if you could look into it and the feasability of issueing a recall. …
Own a 2002 Ford Taurus. Car parked in parking garage while at work. After work went to car, started it, put into reverse, moved not even three inches, sound like gunshot, front spring blew through front tire on driver side. My son said I had guardian angel...would have been killed if car had actually made it to the road. I have only had car three years. Towed to repair shop, mechanic said looks just like recall situation on 2001 Taurus, same spring incident..mine naturally not covered, but this is wrong. I was not aware of recalls on 2001 vehicles. I have no money, this repair will set me back quite a bit. I am thankful that nobody was hurt by flying parts!
Tl *- the contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving in reverse the coil spring broke and punctured the driver's side front tire. The failure speed was approximately 1-2 MPH. The contact replaced the tire,but did not keep the punctured tire. The contact stated that the jack snapped as the vehicle was being lifted. The contact has had the vehicle repaired, and has the repair invoices. Updated 03/15/07.
I took my 2002 Ford Taurus to the repair shop because I did not have any heat. I was told it was the heater core and they proceeded to replace it. After I picked my vehicle up, by the time I got home I had no heat again. The technicians at the repair shop said they do not know why it is not heating. Ford technicians do not know either.
At 6:30 a.m. On 4/4/2012 I was driving home from work when I fell asleep ,crossed the center line, hit a semi head on & my driver side airbag didn't deploy. The 2002 Ford Taurus was a vehicle I purchased new. The passenger side with no one in that seat did deploy.
Water leak into passenger side of passenger compartment, resulting in failure of multiple electrical components, including blower motor. Reference ntsb item # 10011149 / service bulletin nbr 031506.
Sept 18, 2001 we purchased a new 2002 Ford Taurus. In one day radiator hose popped off. Thirty days after the firs repair the hose popped off again. The dealer wanted to replace the engine to correct the problem. On 10-29-01 the car started to make a hiss noise and smoke would come from the front end when it was parked or turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer dirks motors. They asked if the could replace the engine again and we said no. We left the car and they told us they would let us know but we did not hear nothing from them, when we would call to ask them what was going to happen they did not know at all. …
Equipment complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are equipment problems on the 2002 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the equipment & accessories of the 2002 Ford Taurus, 1% of the model year's 1,426 complaints. The component named most often is electrical (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Taurus equipment problems?
No. NHTSA lists no equipment & accessories recall for the 2002 Ford Taurus, though it has 3 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 2002 Ford Taurus equipment problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to equipment & accessories 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.