2011 Ford TAURUS - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Ford Taurus has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features. It received high ratings in various crash tests including front crash, side crash, and side barrier ratings. The car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances its safety on the road.

However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems which could provide additional safety features. In terms of recalls and complaints, the 2011 Ford Taurus has had 4 recalls and 169 complaints reported. Overall, while the Ford Taurus offers good safety ratings, potential buyers should consider the absence of certain advanced safety technologies and the number of reported complaints and recalls.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

169

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

4/5

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Ford Taurus 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 3 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2011 Ford TAURUS

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"had my ford for less than 6 months, and has 80,000 miles on it. looks brand new, in excellent shape and yet on the way home from the grocery store, it began overheating. the tempature gage shot up and the engine started cutting out. we pulled over and the vehicle was smoking. we started adding water and coasting down the mountain until we could get home. called several mechanics and find out that this is a common problem with our year and model. every person we've consulted has quoted us $3,000 to repair the water pump. we have been told that the excessive charge is because when ford built this model, the water pump was placed inside the engine. the entire engine has to be taken out of the car in order to replace the water pump. most mechanics around us don't even have the machine that is needed to remove the engine. ford is backed up for months on repairs. our vehicle has been sitting for two summers because we cannot afford this $3,000 repair for a water pump! we are making payments on a car that can't be driven. something needs to be done about this. the more i dig and research, the more complaints for this very issue i find. we need help!"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-12-11
Complaint:
"engine/ water pump. started the car one day and a massive plume of smoke came out of the exhaust. so far we have caught it early enough to where the whole engine doesn't have to be replaced. but the repair is costly. shame on ford for building this model of engine that has water pump failures that leak coolant into the oil. especially when a vehicle has been well taken care of and maintained. this is causing $$$ to be spent."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-04-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. the contact was able to coast to the side of the road. the contact was able to have the vehicle taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the water pump was faulty and that the timing chain was fractured. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. mechanics stated that the water pump fails often with these taurus's. some have to be replaced if found in time. others like the consumer's give little to no warning and break. the interference engine causes a lot of valve and possible piston damage with the engine."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-09-02
Complaint:
"failed water pump, water pump isn’t sending coolant through the mail engine so it’s overheating and engine light is on."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-06-02
Complaint:
"attempted to start vehicle in driveway. without warning, experienced a catastrophic failure of the water pump/engine cooling system. the failure caused the engine crankcase to fill with coolant and caused the vehicle crankshaft bearings to disintegrate into the oil leaving a silvery sludge. upon taking vehicle to repair center, recommendation was to replace the entire engine since apparently the failure caused unrepairable internal damage to the engine. i have see other complaints about this where the failure happened while the vehicle was being driven and could have caused a very severe dangerous accident to occur as a result of the engine failure. ford should be ashamed of the quality and workmanship in this motor since it appears to be a common an recurring problem."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-01-06
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford taurus. while operating the vehicle, a knocking noise was present coming from the engine compartment. the vehicle was towed to ray haskell ford (801 kennedy memorial dr, oakland, me) where it was diagnosed that the water pump failed and damaged the engine. the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. the failure mileage was 102,000. the consumer stated the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. the vehicle lost power steering and brakes with no warning. *js"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2018-12-10
Complaint:
"vehicle in motion, temperature gauge begins rising rapidly, in less than a minute at top of scale....pulled to side of highway, restarted to move over further.....all lights lit up and steam coming from inside engine. water pump failed without warning and dumped coolant in engine which destroyed bearings. catastrophic engine failure with no warning"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2019-01-09
Complaint:
"i have a 2011 ford taurus sel that has less than 130,000 miles on it that has experienced a total engine failure. it started with a coolant leak which caused the car to overheat. i noticed the smell of coolant. after a week or so, the vehicle began making some noises. at that time, i was driving the vehicle and the vehicle started making a very loud noise, the temperature gauge came on and the vehical was overheating and the oil light also came on, keeping in mind that i had just changed the oil. also, when the oil was changed, it was noticed that there was some other fluid in the oil (now after seeing all the other issues, realizing it was the coolant that had leaked in the engine causing the engine failure) all of a sudden, i experienced total engine failure while driving. the car shut off, i lost power steering and the car began smoking very heavily. i believed the car was on fire. it seems as though this issue has not only happened to my car but also many other taurus's as well. this is a very dangerous situation, as my car stalled out in the middle of traffic with a loss of all maneuverability."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2018-02-08
Complaint:
"timing chain stretch"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2019-12-06
Complaint:
"my taurus just died on me, it overheated and i was stuck in the middle of traffic. i was only a few blocks from my home so i let the car cool as the manual says to do and then started it again. got to my house shut it off and then find out that from driving the car it caused the antifreeze to mix with the oil and now i have a bad engine. this all because they put a water pump in an engine. knowing this they tell you in the manual you can drive the car when it's cooled and put water in it if needed. this will ruin your engine!"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-01-01

Recalls for the 2011 Ford TAURUS

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 ford taurus vehicles manufactured december 1, 2009, to july 31, 2010, and 2011-2013 lincoln mks vehicles manufactured june 1, 2011, to october 31, 2011. in the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation."
Consequence:
If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S02.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > BODY > DOOR
Date of incident: 2015-01-28

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other FORD vehicles?

2015 EXPLORER
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 1221
  • Recall Count: 7
View Car
2016 FLEX
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 39
  • Recall Count: 2
View Car
2016 TRANSIT MEDIUM ROOF(8,10,12) PASS
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 0
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2021 BRONCO
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 111
  • Recall Count: 8
View Car