Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to slow down as needed while depressing the brake to make a left turn. The contact stopped the vehicle and shifted the gear shifter to park; however, while parked the RPM rose to 5,000 RPM. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 169,530.
Car engine accelerate on own. Tac meter shows over 3,000 RPM when I put it in neutral. I have to tap the accelerator and it goes back to normal. This happens about once a week now. I was slowing down for a stoplight and it happened. Brakes were not enough. Almost hit a car. Only by throwing into neutral allowed me to gain control and stop. My mechanic couldn't find anything. I cannot allow anyone else to drive this as I am the only one familiar to handle it. I'll probably sell it on a trade. I've read dozens of reports of this but no recall. I am surprised. If I get into an accident I have a lawyer handle it Here are others https://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/taurus/cruise-control-problems.php
Throttle stuck and vehicle accelerated out of control. Had to brake hard and turn off engine to prevent crash. Speed Control Cable disconnected from cruise control. It has been repaired since the incident. Yes, was reproduced by the tow truck driver as well as at a service center. No warnings, only high engine revving noise as it happened, high RPMs and high speed noticeable on dashboard as my car's acceleration stuck. Case #FCAS37586176 reported to Ford company.
2/15/17- while coasting up-hill with foot not on the gas, car accelerated to over 4,000 RPM all by itself, braking was extremely difficult. I parked, turned car off, turned it back on and even while parked it revved back up to over 4,000 RPM. Took it to Firestone on 2/16/17- they replaced the iac (idle air control) valve. 3/3/17- while idling at red light with foot not on the gas, car accelerated/ revved up to over 4,000 RPM all by itself. Had to press on brake very hard and turn car off. Turned it back on and it was no longer accelerating. 3/4/14 took it to a different Firestone. They adjusted cruise control cable. 9/3/17- while idling on a bridge with foot not on the gas, car accelerated/ revved up to over 3,000 RPM all by itself. Braking was extremely difficult and had to turn car off in the middle of traffic. Turned it back on and it was no longer accelerating by itself. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the throttle stuck and he crashed into a ditch as a result. The contact suffered injuries during the crash. The vehicle was repaired, but was not examined to determine the cause of failure. The contact stated that the vehicle surged forward and would not stop prior to the crash. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. Updated 05/09/12 the contact's wife pulled up to the back door of her home and exited her vehicle. Upon reentering the vehicle a few minutes later, the vehicle reversed a few feet. Then shifting into drive and put her foot on accelerator the car immediately surged forward, resulting in the car landing in a ditch. She suffered some minor bruising of her leg. The vehicle was repaired, but not examined to determine the cause of failure. …
Recently while I was driving my cruise control completely stopped working. Two days after that I was slowing for a red light and I noticed that my car was revving up in gears as I was slowing down. I was barely able to get my car to stop and I shut it down to prevent accident. After the red light was over I started up my car and shifted into drive. That is when I noticed my car accelerating on its own. Without pressing my foot on the gas pedal my car was able to accelerate up to about 45 miles per hour. This car is unsafe and after some research I have found out that there were 14 issues like this reported and others that were not reported (for instance this happened to my sister's 2005 Ford Taurus and she had to repair it out of her own pocket). I wanted to provide this report because Ford is refusing to help with this issue despite this being a clear safety issue. …
I was driving on a 2-lane highway with a relatively steep downhill grade. I noticed that the car was accelerating even though I was not pressing the accelerator. I thought at first that it was just acceleration due to gravity, but I quickly realized that the throttle must be open since I was quickly accelerating to speeds above 65mph, and the brakes were not as effective as they would have been if the acceleration were due only to the hill. I saw a place up ahead to pull over, but I had to press the brake pedal very hard in order to slow down and stop. I put the car in park very quickly and turned it off since the engine was racing. There was a great deal of smoke coming from my front brakes, which was very disconcerting. I looked under the hood and found that the cruise control cable had come unfastened and had caused the throttle to stick open. …
Car accelerated with brakes applied,this corrected itself then repeated 3 more times. Took car to my mechanic discovered cruise control arm detached and was getting caught in throttle. Took car to dealer. They will examine on 3/10/16.called Ford spoke with jeffrey in customer service no recall gave VIN# and reported issue. Discovered this issue has happened to many others with Taurus vehicles. Very dangerous and scary issue. The part is plastic and either wears or bad design because it comes free from the mount and gets caught in the throttle when driving. You don't know until you try to stop. Car wants to keep going and RPM gauge shows throttle being applied with foot off accelerator and on brake.pushing the gas pedal rapidly dislodge's cruise control arm but it gets stuck again randomly. Mechanic snapped piece back in place but it dislodged again once gas pedal is depressed.
Car was accelerating spontaneously, appears that the accelerator was sticking at the throttle body due to defective cruise control cable that dislodged and got stuck into accelerator mechanism. Car was accelerating on freeway at 70 MPH and climbing, pulling on gas pedal with foot of no benefit. Ultimately had to turn off keys after heading to off ramp. Nicknamed car "[redacted]" after this frightening incident. Noticed multiple reports of same problem on web with brief search. Called Ford customer service and spoke with three representatives. Wondering if there is a recall. They were clear to indicate " not our problem" as car is "out of warranty".
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the brake pedal was engaged without any response. The vehicle unexpectedly increased acceleration up to 40 MPH. The vehicle then crashed into a cement wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained two broken legs, thirteen broken ribs and also suffered from other internal injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a storage facility. There was currently an open investigation associated with NHTSA action number pe12005 (vehicle speed control: cables). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000. Updated 07/05/12 updated 07/10/12
NHTSA investigations
Stuck throttle
Preliminary Evaluation (PE)12-005 was opened to investigate allegations of speed control cables detaching from the throttle body and subsequently interfering with the throttle closing fully to the idle position in model year (MY) 2005 and 2006 Ford Taurus vehicles.The speed control cable, throttle body attachment arm (?nail head?) for the speed control cable, cable mounting bracket and cable routing for the MY 2005…
Acceleration complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 176 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Ford Taurus, 55% of the model year's 318 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Taurus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2006 Ford Taurus, though it has 2 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 2006 Ford Taurus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.