Most common 2009 Ford Taurus problems
Share of the 64 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Taurus complaints by model year
Best Taurus years: 2019, 2017, 2016. Years to avoid: 2005, 2013, 2002, 1995, 2000. Compare all years →
What 2009 Ford Taurus owners say
Engine & cooling all 24 →
My daughter-in-law, [redacted], was driving a Ford 2007 Taurus (108, 000 miles) from ypsilanti, mi to dayton, oh. She had on board her infant (4 months) and toddler (4 years). Everything went smoothly until they entered the subdivision of her parents. For no apparent reason, the car turned off while driving. The lights on the dashboard all came on. She lost power steering and was able to pull over and stop the vehicle. She was able to restart the car and proceeded to her parents? Home. Her and her father did subsequent test drives to try and determine the root cause ? They were unsuccessful. She drove home the next day with no problems. She expressed concern to me about her safety and the safety of her children had this random shut down of the vehicle occurred in a situation where she could not pull over to safety. …
I have had this car for a few years. It had 32,000 mile when I got it. Since then every 6 month or so I am driving down the road at highway speed and for no reason the engine just dies and I have to coast of the highway to restart. It start fine and can't get it fail again. Next a few months happens again. This has happen about five or six time in the past 20,000 mile. This happens on open highway and city streets while going straight .the dealer says no information is ever in the engine computer about any failure. 2009 Ford Taurus [redacted]. Please advise any information. [redacted].
Speed control & acceleration
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 Ford Taurus. While reversing out of a parking space at 2 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle suddenly lunged backwards at an abnormal speed. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact's vehicle swerved and crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries sustained in the contact's vehicle and it was unknown if the occupants in the other vehicle were injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a throttle body assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000. Updated 05/05/17
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle surged and unintentionally accelerated when the passenger side tire struck a sidewalk. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle proceeded to crash into a wall. The front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact suffered spinal cord injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. Updated 02/02/16; updated 04/06/18
Air bags
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle surged and unintentionally accelerated when the passenger side tire struck a sidewalk. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle proceeded to crash into a wall. The front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact suffered spinal cord injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. Updated 02/02/16; updated 04/06/18
This vehicle was struck in an accident and no airbag was deployed. It was traveling through an intersection, when a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 turned in to the vehicle from the opposite direction left turn lane. The driver door had to be cut open to extract the driver. So the car was moving and the impact knocked this car in to another vehicle as well.
2009 Ford Taurus engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 28 / 21 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Ford Taurus a good car?
Based on 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Taurus rates better than average: 83% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Taurus at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Ford Taurus?
The engine & cooling — 24 complaints, 38% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the speed control & acceleration (10) and air bags (6).
How many recalls does the 2009 Ford Taurus have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2009 Ford Taurus. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Taurus?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2019, 2017 and 2016. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 2013, 2002, 1995 and 2000. See the full Ford Taurus years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Ford Taurus problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 31,000 miles; 62% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.