Problems · NHTSA complaints

2017 Ford Taurus problems

Owners filed 44 complaints about the 2017 Ford Taurus with NHTSA between Aug 2017 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (11).

Complaints
44
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system11
  2. Structure7
  3. Engine4
  4. Exterior lighting4
  5. Steering3
  6. Suspension3
  7. Fuel/propulsion system3
  8. Back over prevention2
  9. Air bags2
  10. Power train1
  11. Engine and engine cooling1
  12. Latches/locks/linkages1
  13. Vehicle speed control1
  14. Service brakes1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20171
20185
20196
20202
20213
20222
20234
20241
202513
20267

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

11 reports1 related recall
“Backup camera is appearing Upside down on display and sometimes inverted. When it gets dark outside, the backup camera has lines appear on the display so you can’t use it when it’s dark. This is a huge safety risk as to having the camera display upside down/inverted/not clear can cause major incidents.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 20, 2025Electrical systemODI 11688671

Structure

7 reports1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Taurus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V611000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the B-pillar trims were slightly detaching from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 29, 2026StructureODI 11753428

Engine

4 reports
“AS I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IT COMPLTELY SHUT DOWN WHILE IN MOTION WITH NO WARNING, CAUSING STEERING & BRAKES TO LOOSE POWER, THANKFULLY i WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO TURNING WITH GREAT EFFORT. VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART REQUIRED TOWING TO SHOP. AFTER INSPECTION, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND UPON RESEARCH FOUND THAT DUE TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE WATER PUMP, WATER WAS MOST LIKELY GOING INTO MY OIL WHICH GOES INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING IT TO CEASE UP @ ONLY 134,000 MILES”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 24, 2023EngineODI 11540513

Exterior lighting

4 reports
“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. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 15, 2020Exterior lightingODI 11328847

Steering

3 reports1 related recall
“There is a recall on moldings also possible accordinng to recalls by ford the steering could cause a crash which i am having a problem with it hanging up i called ford motor and was told we do not have anything about it I am concerned because i sometimes have to snap the wheel back myself I understand there is a recall on the steering wheel mech.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 29, 2025Steering, SuspensionODI 11690352

Suspension

3 reports1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH, she noticed that there was a change in the rear suspension and it felt like a rear tire was deflated. No warning lights had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear driver's side and passenger's side suspension toe links had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 72,102.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 20, 2024SuspensionODI 11578479
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.