2013 Ford Taurus Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2013 Ford Taurus most often describe a loss of power steering assist, which typically shows a warning message and leaves the wheel hard to turn, sometimes temporarily resolved by restarting the car. Complaints also cover fuel pump and fuel delivery concerns, engine stalls and cooling or water pump failures, and occasional transmission and electrical faults. Reports span a wide mileage range, with steering complaints appearing from very low mileage up past 200,000 miles.

1. 1
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out

   • 276 complaints (47%)
   • median 95,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (204 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,306 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2012–2026

   Complaints describe the power steering assist warning message appearing and the steering wheel becoming very hard to turn, sometimes while starting the car, reversing out of a driveway, or driving at road speeds. Several owners say restarting the vehicle restores assist at first but the failure returns and becomes more frequent. Some were told by dealers that a diagnostic code was cleared or that their VIN was not covered by a related recall, and some were quoted a steering gear or rack and pinion replacement. Reported across a wide range, from under 1,000 miles to over 200,000, with many between roughly 60,000 and 160,000 miles.

   Recall 15V3400001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Start the car cold and confirm the power steering warning does not appear; then test low-speed turning and reversing. Ask whether the vehicle has had steering gear work and whether the 15V340000 recall coverage applies to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2103 Ford Taurus lost the power steering while my wife was driving yesterday on a county road while attempting to make a turn. Luckily she was able to fight the steering by muscling it to get the car under control and off the road. Two notices now appear on the dash. 1. Power steering assist fault and 2. Service advance track. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11375371, filed 2020-11, 76,000 miles

   “While leaving a parking lot, the electric power steering on my Ford Taurus stopped working. I was not able to turn sharp enough to stay in the intended first lane of traffic and went deep into the second and almost third lane. Luckily the person in the center lane was able to move to the left to avoid a collision. There is a recall that describe this as (15v340000 or Ford 15s18) but Ford says it does not apply to my vehicle though the description is identical to what happened to me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11385775, filed 2020-12, 74,500 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Stalls, no-start and limp mode

   • 127 complaints (22%)
   • median 71,650 mi at 5.6 yrs old (112 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,300 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2013–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle losing motive power or shutting off without warning, a wrench or fault indicator appearing, and the car dropping to very low speed. Others report the engine failing to start after being parked or the car entering limp mode and then restarting normally after the key is cycled. One complaint describes a water pump failure with a fractured timing chain found after the engine quit. Reported from very low mileage up to around 100,000, with several cases in the 30,000 to 100,000 range.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a mechanic pull stored powertrain codes and check for coolant or water pump leaks, and ask whether the car has ever stalled or gone into limp mode.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “A wrench appears in the display and car goes into limp mode. You cut the car off and remove the key and then it start back up with no alarm code left on the vehicle. This is very dangerous if driving on the hwy.”

   NHTSA complaint #11374863, filed 2020-11, 30,100 miles

   “The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle shutoff without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was informed that water was leaking, the water pump had failed, and the timing chain was fractured. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11567032, filed 2024-01, 70,000 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Fuel pump and fuel delivery problems

   • 83 complaints (14%)
   • median 84,121 mi at 5.5 yrs old (62 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2026

   Complaints describe the car failing to start, stalling intermittently, or the check engine light staying on, with diagnosis pointing to a failed fuel pump, fuel pump module, or a code for the pump circuit. Some owners connect their symptoms to recall campaigns for the fuel pump module and fuel delivery module but report the work was not done on their vehicle. In some cases the engine revved without catching and the key could not be removed until it stopped. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 180,000 miles.

   Recall 16V621000Recall 15V812000Recall 13V227000

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel pump module and fuel delivery module recalls have been completed for the VIN, and check for stored codes or an illuminated check engine light during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I’m not having any success with my local Ford Dealership or with Ford Customer Service getting my car covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program. I have fuel system issues, I need to replace both cats and 2 bad sensors, halfshaft, fuel system, and braking issues. The dealership said to contact Ford and Ford says it’s the dealership’s problem. If they don’t fix it, I’m done with Ford. If they can’t stand behind their products and their dealerships won’t help the customers, then my loyalty is done. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11565530, filed 2024-01, 103,250 miles

   “The 2013 Ford Taurus was stalling intermittently and taken to the garage where the diagnostic code showing up was p0627, which points to a fuel pump module failure had occurred. This seems like the same issue as shown in NHTSA campaign number: 16v621000 but did not include my 2013 Taurus and seems that it should have. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11297369, filed 2020-01, 95,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering noises and play in the wheel

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Some complaints describe grinding or clicking noises while turning or reversing, play or vibration in the steering wheel, and the car pulling to one side. Owners report shops diagnosing the steering rack, pinion or power steering gear as the source, sometimes alongside a stability or traction control warning. Mostly reported above roughly 60,000 miles, including several cases past 100,000.

   Recall 15V3400001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Turn the wheel slowly on a quiet surface and listen for grinding or clicking, and check for free play or wander at highway speed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicles with electric steering rack failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11461787, filed 2022-04, 113,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was significant play and vibration in the steering wheel, and the vehicle was pulling to one side. The contact stated that the traction control warning light illuminated when the steering wheel was completely steered to the right or to the left. The contact also stated that The TPMS warning light remained illuminated even though the tires were fully inflated. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11584071, filed 2024-04, 10,000 miles

Buying note. The main thing to verify on this model year is the power steering system, since owners frequently describe losing assist and some VINs fall outside the related recall. Also confirm whether the fuel system and rear suspension recalls were completed, and have a mechanic inspect the steering gear, fuel pump module and rear toe links before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.