Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the fuel pump wires had melted. The contact also mentioned that the instrument panel wires were also melted. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Cylinder two misfire. Replaced coil pack, wires and all spark plugs. Problem reoccurring.
While driving with the cruise control off. Normal acceleration up to highway speeds, upon releasing the gas pedal the throttle stuck open and the car would not decelerate without heavy braking. Pulled off the road and shut off engine. Discovered that the cruise control cable had pushed itself back out of a locking ferrule that is supposed to hold it in place with plastic tabs, and lodged sideways so the throttle was being held open. Put the cable back in place and it appeared to be properly seated but the same thing happened twice more before I could get the vehicle home. The plastic tabs have become brittle and broken and no longer properly hold the cruise control cable ferrule tightly in its socket. I see now from internet research that I could have completely disconnected the cable to completely alleviate the problem. …
Dt: the contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. On 10-05-05 he took vehicle dealer for a routine fuel filter change. On Saturday 10-08-05 the car would not start. He saw a puddle of gas by the right rear wheel. He got down and looked under the car, and saw the hose that goes from the tank to the filter loosened. He pushed it back on. But on 10-10-05 he went to a gas station to have a mechanic look at it. The line came off the front of the filter was on , but the line coming from the gas tank on the rear was about to come off again. The mechanic pushed it back on securely. He drove the car home and called the dealership. That same day the line came off again. (from the gas tank to the filter). He put it back on and drove out to the dealer. When the mechanic came out the car would not start. The gas was pouring out again because the line had come off again. …
Driving along the interstate at 70 MPH and the car started slowing down and lost complete power; all the lights on the dash came on; no gas pedal and no steering. The tearrain was rolling hills. We had just under a half a tank of gas. There were no indications there was anything wrong with our vehicle it just went into these symptoms. It happened five more times as my wife was driving before she could get into a safe area. She called a tow truck to take our vehicle to the dealer. Each time she was able to make it to the side of the road, wait about 5 minutes and try to start the vehicle (didn't always start at first) she was able to travel only a couple of miles. We called the dealership the next morning and explained the symptoms and they replaced our "fb sender and pump asy" 2f1z-9h307-fb (replaced fuel pump) and our "in line fuel filter" yf1z-9155-ca(filter 1767). …
While driving at posted speed limit, engine stuttered and died in traffic. Battery light lit up. Auto club restarted car and stated "no battery failure".drove car all day and next day for approx. 3 hours when same engine stutter and died in traffic occurred. This time,besides "battery light" the "check engine light"came on. Again auto club was able to restart. Drove car to repair shop,who performed a "diagnostic test" and replaced a "fuel pressure sensor". I retained the old part. The car has been regularly serviced at recommended intervals by selling dealer. This engine failure is not only dangerous to me and fam.,but also to the surrounding traffic at the time failure occurs while driving. Getting the vehicle out of traffic was extremely difficult, due to inabilty to use power steering and brakes,being that it happened on an incline. …
Dt: the contact stated the hub bearings on the right wheel in the front were bad, had to replace them three times. On 8-22-05 a garage told the contact the wheel was getting ready to fall off. They had not taken it back to the dealer. She heard a noise like a rubbing , grinding sound and the noise got worse. The noise occurred at speeds of 10 MPH and above. Also the engine light was coming on, and they had to replace the feedback sensor to the engine. The vehicle would stall while being driven. The dealer replaced the fuel tank and pump. The vehicle could not be started. The dealer replaced the battery. Two ball joints, one inner tie rod and left side axle shaft were replaced.
Dt: 2002 Ford, Taurus se 4 door. Every time vehicle was started consumer smelled gas. Vehicle was taken to a garage where mechanic discovered that gas line above catalytic converter had been rubbed until it began to leak. Gas line was made of something other than metal. The consumer said that his mechanic had same type vehicle and was also smelling gas. The mechanic refused to use Ford parts to fix problem. The mechanic rerouted the gas line around catalytic converter using metal line for the gas line. Consumer still has gas line that was replaced, consumer will send line to odi. Consumer wanted a refund from Ford due to the poor location the fuel line was in.
Driving along the interstate at 74 MPH and the car started hesitating and surging and then we lost complete power; no gas pedal and no steering. The terrain was rolling hills. We had just under a half a tank of gas. There were no indications there was anything wrong with our vehicle it just went into these symptoms. It happened four more times as we were driving before we could get it to our dealer. Each time we were able to make it to the side of the road, wait about 30 minutes and try to start the vehicle again and travel about 15 miles. I went to the dealership and explained the symptoms and they replaced my "in line fuel filter" yf1z-9155-ca(filter 1767).
Car was driven for approx. 100 miles, gas was low, so stopped to refill. When car was restarted, the car hesitated then sounded choked like it was not getting gas. Revved car to try to 'clear' system. Problem continued, at worst when idling. After a few minutes, engine light came on, so I turned off the car and called Ford dealer. Wrecker driver came out, revved car a few more times (approx. 3000 RPM) small backfire out of muffler each time. Problem seemed to go away. Wrecker driver blamed 'baffles' in muffler? Drove car another 200 miles home. Three days later, after driving a bit, parked for short time then restarted car, same problem reoccurred.
Fuel System complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2002 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2002 Ford Taurus, 2% of the model year's 1,426 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Taurus fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system 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 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to fuel & propulsion 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.