Headlight complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 6% | 36,000 miles |
| 2018 | 1 | 2% | 35,000 miles |
| 2017 | 4 | 9% | 40,000 miles |
| 2016 | 1 | 1% | 2,000 miles |
| 2015 | 4 | 1% | 50,000 miles |
| 2014 | 13 | 6% | 80,000 miles |
| 2013 | 9 | 2% | 19,000 miles |
| 2012 | 12 | 15% | 7,000 miles |
| 2011 | 14 | 7% | 83,000 miles |
| 2010 | 2 | 1% | 3,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 2% | 2,000 miles |
| 2008 | 4 | 2% | 60,000 miles |
| 2007 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2006 | 6 | 2% | 125,000 miles |
| 2005 | 4 | 1% | 182,000 miles |
| 2004 | 8 | 2% | 121,000 miles |
| 2003 | 46 | 4% | 100,000 miles |
| 2002 | 24 | 2% | 104,000 miles |
| 2001 | 30 | 3% | 99,000 miles |
| 2000 | 87 | 7% | 60,000 miles |
| 1999 | 24 | 3% | 55,000 miles |
| 1998 | 28 | 5% | 103,000 miles |
| 1997 | 36 | 5% | 72,000 miles |
| 1996 | 30 | 4% | 75,000 miles |
| 1995 | 27 | 2% | 105,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Started with the left rear tail light out. Progressed to both headlights going out and needing replaced and sometimes the pig tails to plug into the headlight needing replaced due to them melting. It has progressively gotten worse. Have replaced both headlights and pig tails the week of 5/17/2020 and again just had the right headlight and pigtail replaced the week of 6/7/2020. Called Ford and was told "no issues reported before". Can't believed we are the only police dept having this issue.
The headlights are a fixed point beam for brights with shutters for dims. The lights point down and to the right, they never change, so when the shutters are lifted the beams don't change they are still pointed down and to the right. The only thing that changes is a little reflected light that catches the reflective road signs, which illuminate without much light on them, but the road ahead is dark. The beams are not pointed down road, which is where they should be. On brights, the headlights cause the road to go dark within 3 car lengths. You cannot see curves, objects in the road, including deer and with rain it's even worse. I have gone through the process with Ford, the local dealership and the regional manager, and still there is no solution. The service manager said he had never heard of this, but he could see by my photo that I was describing the problem correctly. …
An electrical or computer component failed, frequently causing my rear back up camera to go out. I couldn't tell that both of my headlights to stop functioning at the same time (because all of my interior lighting adjustments were still functioning, and because I was in a well light area initially) until I was on the highway, after dark, with my child in the vehicle.
Headlights crashno fireno injuries0 deaths0 the visibility provided by the head light assembly (high and low beam), is less than the standard for night driving conditions and almost non-existent when making turns on dark roads. High beams are the equivalent of dimmed low beams when driving at night. There are plenty of forum discussions regarding this issue with most everyone agreeing on a head assembly flawed design. I noticed this issue after purchasing this vehicle (new) from a Ford dealership. I have already heat a deer due to inadequate lights. When making right turn cannot see what turning into. This do not show up on other cars I driven. I have asked several dealers about this was ignored.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that upon being pulled over by local police, he became aware that his rear license plate lamp was out. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard wind noise in the interior of the vehicle. After a visual inspection, he became aware that the rear driver's side door latch mechanism failed to secure the door closed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failures, the contact related them to NHTSA Campaign Number 20V331000 (Exterior Lighting) and NHTSA Campaign Number 14V285000 (Latches, Locks, Linkages), but the VIN was not included in either recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failures, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 86,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the rear passenger's side door failed to close fully. The contact also noticed corrosion inside the license plate light. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V285000 (Exterior Lighting) and Manufacturer Recall Number: 20S30/15S16/16S30 however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,131.
No heat gauge, oil pressure gauge on vehicle. Blend door issue, one side blows hot, other cold. Radio not working. Weird noise in dash by ignition. Ignition sticks when trying to start car, keeps turning over. Dimmer switch doesn't work. Car can be tracked by unknown people, without permission.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the electrical power steering malfunctioned again and the traction control and power steering warning indicators illuminated. In addition, the turn signals failed to operate. The failure occurred intermittently over the past three years. Seelye Ford of kalamazoo (3820 stadium dr, kalamazoo, mi 49008, [phone]) stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V340000 (steering). The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the power steering module part of the steering rack needed to be replaced. The contact planned to have the repairs performed by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer stated that if the contact filed a complaint with NHTSA, he could file for reimbursement if a recall were issued. The failure mileage was 98,000.
Related recalls (6)
Exterior lighting
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Taurus vehicles manufactured November 24, 2008, through February 28, 2014, originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey,…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the license plate lamp assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on July 26, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673.
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. This malfunctioning could render the stop lamps inoperable or cause them to stay on all the time. This could cause confusion to a following driver, which could lead to a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. Owner notification is expected to begin on April 5, 2004.
Exterior lighting › Headlights › Switch
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. Due to the use of incorrect material by a supplier, the headlamp switch knob can fracture and separate from the headlamp switch.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the headlamp switch knob. Owner notification began April 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Exterior lighting › Tail lights › Switch
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with adjustable pedals. If the grease from the adjustable pedal assembly enters the stop lamp switch, it can contaminate the contacts leading to carbon build up, and potentially, a short circuit.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake lamp switch and wipe down the adjustable pedal assembly to remove excess grease. Owner notification began March 22, 2001.
Exterior lighting › Back up lights
Vehicle description: passenger sedans with factory or dealer-installed deck lid spoilers with LED center high mounted stop lamps (chmsl). Vehicles produced with spoilers were manufactured from March 1 through October 31, 2000; and vehicles with spoilers installed by dealers were manufactured from January 1 thorough December 30,…
Remedy: Dealers will install a jumper/resistor assembly at the spoiler that provides an electrical resistor to ground and corrects the chmsl and brake-shift interlock conditions. Owner notification began March 19, 2001.
Show 1 more recall
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The text and/or graphics for the vehicle headlamp aiming instructions provided in the owner guides are not sufficiently clear. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Remedy: Owner guides containing revised aiming instructions will be mailed to owners of these vehicles.
NHTSA investigations
Headlight failure
Excessive heat in an improperly manufactured circuit breaker within the headlight switch caused that circuit breaker to open for time periods of varying length to cool off.opening of the circuit breaker in this manner interrupts electric current flow to the headlights, shutting them off.headlight outages have ranger from brief flickers (less than one second) to greater than 20 seconds.over time, the outages grow in…
Brake light switch failure
Ford conducted a recall in March, 2001 to correct a defect affecting the brake light switch in my 2000 through early-2001 taurus and sable vehicles equipped with power adjustable pedals (recall 01v-078).rq03-008 was opened to investigate complaints concerning the remedy and scope of 01v-078.odi's analysis identified concerns with post-repair failures in recalled vehicles,failures in my 2001-02 vehicles with…
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Taurus years have headlight problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (87), 2003 (46), 1997 (36), 1996 (30) and 2001 (30) model years. Headlight complaints make up 7% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Ford Taurus headlight problems?
Yes — 6 recalls, including 14V-285 (exterior lighting, May 29, 2014); 04V-106 (switch, Mar 2, 2004); 01V-075 (switch, Mar 12, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Taurus headlight problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles; 35% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the brake lights › switch (64 mentions), followed by the headlights (57).
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.