Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
5 April 2022 my 2010 Taurus SEL 3.5L engine overheated unexpectedly and the temp warning light came on my way home. I let it cool down during a heavy rain before heading home. I left the vehicle at a gas station for a couple of hours and return to bring it home (3 miles). Temp gage remain steady (3 miles) until it was parked on my driveway. The next day, I conducted an assessment to the cooling system. Reservoir was completely empty and my oil deep stick level was higher than normal 1 inch above max range. It showed coolant contamination. I read several reports about a flaw with the internal water pump design. If indeed is a flaw design or pump manufacture defect, why Ford Motor Company hasn't fix the issue or provided a solution to alleviate this flaw? Now I have to incur on major engine repairs or replacement, in which I am not sure if it is cost effective. Current mileage 171,424
O2 System failed. System checked. The service light is still on. Agents assisted with inspecting. Dealership had the vehicle non-recall. Seat belt light appeared and Agent was contacted. System is collected for revisiting my claim.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving the temperature warning light illuminated, the engine was shaking and smoke white smoke was coming from the engine. The contact had shut off the vehicle to extinguished the smoke. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that he had two other independent mechanic diagnosed the failure and confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2010 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, he noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact veered to the shoulder of the road. The interior filled up with smoke, the contact managed to get out the vehicle where in a few moments the vehicle went up in flames. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. A police and fire department report was made. Progressive insurance was contacted, came out and deemed the vehicle a total loss. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
While driving the engine overheating display came on and the engine lost most of its power. Upon ispection the radiator coolant tank was empty. Filled the tank with water and drove to the nearest Ford dealer. The dealer said the water pump had failed and leaked the coolant into the crankcase. No leaks were visable outside the engine. The dealer said that the engine got to hot and there is exhaust gases in the coolant and suggests a new engine because of the 150K mileage on the engine. The important part of this is that this is a very poor design by the engine manufacturer. I am a mechanic/supervisor for a company that has been using the Ford Taurus as it's vehicle of choice for the past 25 years. This failure has happened to Taurus' in our fleet four other times in the last four months with catastrophic failure being the outcome. …
On or around 10/14/2014 my Ford Taurus sho 2010 suddenly lost power and started to shake and missfire. Had it towed to Ford griffin. They stated it was a bad injector. On or around 4/27/2015 heading home from work I pulled off the freeway on to hwy 164 in heavy traffic the car suddenly lost power and started to shake and missfire almost causing me to get hit from the cars behind me, luckily they swerved on to shoulder to avoid hitting me. Had the car towed to griffin Ford. Again it was a bad injector, cylinder #6 the first time now #4. Then on or around 8/15/2015 coming home from the store the car suddenly lost power, started shaking and missfire. Had the car towed to griffin again. It was another bad injector #2 cylinder. They said they couldn't fix it until they found the cause. They looked in the gas tank for contaminants and found nothing. …
02/09/2016. I was stationary at a stop light. I lost all electrical power.I lost all power steering functions. The dashboard message said to put the transmission in park. These instructions would have immediately damaged the transmission. You can restart the push button start in neutral only by using the brake pedal first. Had I been in any type of traffic, a rear end collision could have occurred. The car was inspected at a Ford dealer today ( 02/11/2016). The remedy was to change a rfa module related to the key fobs. The theory is this : no key recognition means the computer is telling the car to shut down. The Ford dealer can't explain while the problem is intermittent : ( I drive with the same key fobs at all times). This is probably not the solution. This is the second report filed on the same vehicle. The date of last report was 07/31/2011. NHTSA id number 10416408. …
I own a 2010 Ford Taurus se. I purchased the car 2 years ago, I begin having problems with the engine approximately 4 months ago. The car begin to run hot while driving so I pulled over to the side of the road and shut the engine off. I cranked the car up again and the gauge read normal. About a week later the same action occurred so I took the car to my local Ford dealership and was informed that I needed a new engine because oil and water was mixing within. I was very unhappy but had to replace the engine out-of-pocket because the warranty had already expired. I then made a promise that I will never ever purchase another Ford in my life because I have always driven GM vehicles and have never replaced anything major on the GM vehicles. I think that Ford should recall these engines because this was a very unpleasant, and inconvenient experience. …
Engine surge from the beginning when the car is in cruise control all of a sudden it will surge then cruise control turns off. This has happened on short trips and on long trips. I took the car to the dealership the first few times it happened and they could not find anything. However, when it does happen (and it still does on occasion) and there is a car behind me, it happens so quickly that it's almost as if I'm applying my brakes and the car behind me usually has to swerve out-of-the-way if they're too close. Thus, I try not to use on small trips which isn't fair to me. Another thing it does, is when I first take off from a stop it will surge to the point that if a car is going slower at the beginning there is a possibility I could run into the back of it. That is why I give the cars ahead of me a little leeway. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel seized while turning causing the vehicle to become difficult to steer. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the check engine warning light then illuminated and the vehicle loss motive power and stalled. The contact waited for several minutes, restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to rivertown Ford (1680 whittlesey rd, columbus, ga 31904) and diagnosed and test driven however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Engine complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Ford Taurus, 24% of the model year's 204 complaints. The component named most often is engine (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Ford Taurus engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 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 2010 Ford Taurus engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.