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EnginePart report

2004 Ford Taurus Engine Problems

Complaints
25about this part
Share
7%of 375 total for the year
Median mileage
106,100miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the engine of the 2004 Ford Taurus, 7% of the 375 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 106,100 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I have engine code p0430, I change all converters, all 02 sensors still keep getting same code. My guess is upper intake manifold, which should last the life of the car. I can us a little help getting the part. Thank you”

NHTSA complaint #11229447, filed 2019-07, 20 miles

“The whole entire wires under the dashboard caught on fire and almost blew me my kids up in dallas texas, had it total and the mechanic stated that the whole computer system blew the wires out and that it was a manufacturing problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10907613, filed 2016-09, 100,000 miles

“When accelerating at about 40 MPH the cruise control would not work when I tried to engage it, however the car began speeding up quickly while my foot was off the gas peddle. I tried to engage/disengage the cruise control but got no response, except the engine RPM and car was still speeding up, the car was getting close to 60mph and I began putting on the brakes the car was still trying to accelerate and RPM still going up as I was stopping the car. …”

NHTSA complaint #10592621, filed 2014-05, 111,550 miles

“I was driving down a county road going 50 MPH when I tried to brake the car kept accelerating and the rpms were high. I tried to brake but it was as if my brakes were out but I know they were fine. I kept speeding up so I hit the emergency brake and pushed brake put it in neitral but the rpms seemed to go higher. I quickly just put it in park while still moving n rpms high. Csar made a loud sound and jerked to a stop gave me whip lash there was no casrs on the road I was in the country. But as I stopped I just parked tryiung to figure out what to do . …”

NHTSA complaint #11377836, filed 2020-12, 200,000 miles

“We were driving into aurora, il on hwy 88. Suddenly, the engine began speeding and we had to apply the brakes and ride the brakes to keep the speed at 45. We were in a work zone, there was a lot of traffic, and the car was hard to control. We pulled into an oasis/rest area where we turned off the car and restarted it. We would push down the accelerator and the revving would drop off some, but it continued to be a problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10478562, filed 2012-10, 56,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201916%
201836%
201749%
20161214%
20153312%
2014167%
20137012%
20121114%
20114021%
20103718%
200969%
20082011%
200775%
2006248%
2005689%
2004257%
2003232%
200291%
200161%
200050%
199920%
199820%
199751%
199620%
199530%
199420%

Other parts of the 2004 Ford Taurus

Vehicle speed control
164 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
72 complaints
Brakes
26 complaints
Electrical system
26 complaints
Air bags
21 complaints
Engine cooling
19 complaints
Body and structure
17 complaints
Fuel system
16 complaints
Other or unknown
15 complaints
Steering
13 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
12 complaints
Suspension
10 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Ford Taurus

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology