2013 Ford Taurus
The Verdict
The 2013 Ford Taurus has 585 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (333 complaints) and engine (166 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 21/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Ford Taurus, consider the 2019 model year which has 98% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2019 has 98% fewer complaints
View the 2019 Ford Taurus dashboard →
Klunk Score: Check Engine
More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 4
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured November 29, 2012, through December 12, 2012. In the affected vehicles, ...
Risk
If the child lock is deactivated, the door could be unlocked and opened from the inside which could lead to personal injury to an unrestrained child.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the safety locks. If necessary, the locks will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S07. Owner...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines and 2013-2015 Ford Taurus P...
Risk
A loss of power to the fuel pump will cause the engine to stall or prevent the vehicle from starting, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel PEM part number and replace the fuel PEM, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Ford cu...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fractu...
Risk
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. ...
Reported Oct 2, 2020
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Explorer Police Utility, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. In the affected ve...
Risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford...
Reported Feb 12, 2015
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 663 | 95 | 195 | 166 | 91 |
| 2001 | 702 | 89 | 113 | 88 | 52 |
| 2002 | 1186 | 46 | 104 | 88 | 46 |
| 2003 | 636 | 36 | 141 | 111 | 299 |
| 2004 | 187 | 19 | 47 | 55 | 67 |
| 2005 | 462 | 26 | 43 | 138 | 103 |
| 2006 | 173 | 23 | 37 | 59 | 26 |
| 2007 | 63 | 6 | 30 | 37 | 13 |
| 2008 | 71 | 8 | 23 | 37 | 35 |
| 2009 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 5 |
| 2010 | 71 | 30 | 19 | 52 | 28 |
| 2011 | 60 | 11 | 50 | 50 | 16 |
| 2012 | 35 | 4 | 24 | 14 | 1 |
| 2013 | 333 | 5 | 52 | 166 | 29 |
| 2014 | 94 | 9 | 34 | 86 | 10 |
| 2015 | 123 | 2 | 24 | 94 | 12 |
| 2016 | 43 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 1 |
| 2017 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| 2018 | 25 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the electric power steering suddenly failed without prior warning. The steering pulled sharply to the right, but the driver managed to maintain control and steered the vehicle safely into a soft dirt field on the side of the road. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 137,000.
The backup Camera goes upside down. The car hesitates when accelerated when needing a boost like getting on freeway Parking brake won’t catch. This is 2nd time and needs to be fixed again
The car wouldn't start or even turn over. The vehicle is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk as the car broke down in the middle of nowhere, on a curve and a hill, smack dab in the middle of the road, cellphone, internet service and 911 was spotty at best, it was around midnight. I finally got through to call my Mother's insurance company for a tow truck, waited 3 hours, tow truck did not show, so I called the number given to me. The man that answered, was highly intoxicated and slurring his words. I finally got through to 911 and they called my preference of towing company, that arrived in 1.5 hours. I had to wait nearly 6 hours for a tow truck to arrive, not 1 vehicle passed by the entire time. Thankfully I arrived at my destination a little after daylight, unharmed. Yes, there were a plethora of lights that came on, to include, tire pressure, starting system failure, engine coolant. We had the vehicle at Baldwin Ford in [XXX] and most recently at Bud Shell Fors in [XXX] . This all started after someone tried to starve my Father in law to death on or about March 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving under normal conditions, the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer, and significant physical strength was needed to turn the steering wheel. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); and associated the failure with the recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the failure was associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
EVAP CONTROL SYSTEM FAULT UNABLE TO BLEED UP FUEL TANK VACUUM. POOR QUALITY PAINT AND INTERIOR.
loss of steering likely to wreck because of no power steering. My safety and my family was put at risk during this process. The problem has been reproduced at the car repair shop. Warning light activated and message on dash. 15S18 is the recall number for make and model. I was told Ford will not fix by a customer representative.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact used force to steer to the right or left. The message "Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, there were no issues with the operation of the power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with power steering failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer in Orem, where it was confirmed that the power steering had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). However, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact's mother owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, several unknown warning lights illuminated when turning off the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the dashboard. In addition, the gear shifter had seized in park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had several previous ongoing failures. The contact stated that the failure started shortly after the vehicle was purchased in 2013. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
The backup camera has failed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. I have seen other reports on NHTSA here specifying the same problem. Visibility in this car is poor and is augmented by the backup camera. Car serviced by ford dealerships only. If left unrepaired, other drivers of this make and model 2013-2019 Taurus have an increased susceptibility to collisions.
The reverse camera is integrated into the rear view mirror of my ‘13 POLICE INTERCEPTOR SEDAN and the camera has lighted up blue and then disappears leaving a dark tint to my rear view mirror when I’m in reverse making it ineligible to use either features to ensure backing up.
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.
My reverse screen camera doesn't work. The warning beeps do intermittently, but the view does not and hasn't for years. I just get a message. Sometimes if I turn the camera off and then on it resets it. I got this tip from someone at Ford. This year and make should be part of the recall.
In March of 2025 my vehicles driver assist lights started blinking coming out of my apt complex and within 15 seconds I couldn't even turn the wheels at all. Ive had several mechanics run their computer to diagnose the issue and was told that this make model and year has a recall for loss of steering which is an electrical issue. I called Ford themselves and they refused to even look at my car. I cannot find a mechanic who will even repair this electrical issue. Car is in perfect condition. Just replaced all 4 tires in January 2025 and oil change.
My electric power steering quit in August 2024 my car is not one of the recalls, but my steering went out automatically out and I could not steer the car. I had it replaced at a Ford company. I bought the part for O’Reillys had it put on in 2024 in August and turn around and had to have one put on in March 20 25 and then it has gone out again and I just got my car back last week so I’m just wondering if the very first time it went out was it a recall because I had to pay a lot of money I have it done at Wynn Odom Ford in Lagrange nc
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.
While driving to work in my 2013 Ford Taurus I went to take a left and the power steering was suddenly gone and the steering wheel was hard to turn. I nearly hit another car and had to brake hard to miss it. I parked at work and after work I started the car and it was fine until about a mile before I got home. Then it happened again and I could hear a scraping like sound when I turned. The steering became very jerky and resistant at lower speeds but I never got a warning light or message. I brought the vehicle in to an independent mechanic, where it was discovered that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced as well as the rack and pinion. I looked into recalls for the 2013 steering issue and found one but was told my VIN wasn't included. WHY NOT?? I have seen over 600 complaints in regard to this! When are you going to do something about this? AFTER SOMEONE DIES???? How many complaints need to be made before something gets done????
Just recently, my power steering started to fail when it’s in ‘S’ gear (I just started using it a few weeks ago). The steering wheel gets catchy and can be difficult to control, especially going around corners. It’s intermittent and it didn’t start until I started to use the ‘S’ gear. I had the power steering checked by a mechanic and they said it’s functioning properly. I do believe my car should be included in this recall before the steering goes out and something catastrophic happens. By the way, now that I’ve stopped using the ‘S’ gear, the glitchy steering issue has subsided.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the steering wheel was significantly difficult to steer and made an abnormal rubbing sound while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH and turning to the left following the road, the steering wheel was very hard to return to center. The contact stated that the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while turning left onto another road. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and transferred the contact the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 101,820.
The contact rented a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the driver's side door failed to close as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the rental company regarding the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.
585 total