2005 Ford Taurus

Family: Taurus · filed with NHTSA as TAURUS

Summary

Of the 756 complaints that name a component, 70% concern Accelerator & Cruise Control (529).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
1 recall filed for this model year.
2 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 774
Recalls: 1
Investigations: 2
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 19–20
Annual fuel cost: $3,100–$3,300
Median mileage at complaint: 90,000 mi (n = 703)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 40 / 10 / 28 / 2

What owners report

Accelerator & Cruise Control

529 complaints · 70% of complaints that name a component · median 94,685 mi (n = 486)

Owner report For a while now I have noticed that intermittently when barely stepping on the accelerator pedal, the car will accelerate but continue to speed up even with my foot off of the accelerator. I have to step on the break extremely hard to come to a stop, and car will still be doing around 40mph when at a complete stop or l…

Owner report The contact owns a 2005 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently from 45 mph to 65 mph. The contact stated the accelerator pedal was not being depressed during the failure. The brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle to a stop. The contact pulled over to the side…

Powertrain

123 complaints · 16% of complaints that name a component · median 84,000 mi (n = 116)

Owner report I DROVE TO A FRIENDS HOUSE AND HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL WAS THERE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO AND WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AND PUT IT IN DRIVE IT WOULDN'T MOVE THE CAR IS ON A SIDE STREET IN THE CITY

Owner report MY 2005 FORD TAURUS HAS A STRIPPED TORQUE CONVERTER SPLINE AFTER I INSPECTED IT CLOSELY. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF THIS VEHICLE. IT IS ALSO COMMON IN OTHER SIMILAR FORD MODELS. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE TORQUE CONVERTER SP…

Engine

107 complaints · 14% of complaints that name a component · median 94,000 mi (n = 97)

Owner report WHEN DRIVING MY 2005 FORD TAURUS OR PARKED WIRH ENGINE OPERATING, IT HESITATES AND ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND AFTER SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM CLEANING, I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW.

Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD TAURUS. WHILE IDLING, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE REVVED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL UNTIL THE ENGINE STOPPED REVVING. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT FELT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND WAS FEARFUL OF A POTENTIAL CRASH. THE VEHIC…

2% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2000–2007)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 178.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2000	1,195	340	most complaints
2001	1,037	214
2002	1,426	143
2003	1,223	130
2004	375	48	not compared
2005	774	47	not compared
2006	318	33	not compared
2007	149	25	not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

16E026000 · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS

Filed 2016-04-01 · 49,635 vehicles

Defect: Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop ULT598, UltraLife MX598 and MX765, BrakeBest MKD765, and Prostop Platinum PGD598. These brake pads, manufactured October 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015 are intended for use on 2001-2007 Ford Taurus, 2001-2005 Mercury Sable, 1995-1999 Ford Taurus SHO, 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental, and 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII vehicles. The brake pad shim may shift out of position causing the shim to contact the brake disc resulting in damage to the disc.

Risk: A damaged or broken brake disc may reduce a vehicle's braking power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
PE12005	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES	2012-03-07	2012-10-22
DP06005	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY	2006-12-04	2007-12-28

PE12005: Stuck throttle

DP06005: ENGINE STALLING FFV

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Taurus	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	18	25	20	$3100
Taurus	3.0L 6cyl FFV	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	25	20	$3100
Taurus Wagon	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	23	19	$3300
Taurus Wagon	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	24	19	$3300
Taurus Wagon	3.0L 6cyl FFV	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	24	19	$3300

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2005 Ford Taurus 4-DR.	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated
2005 Ford Taurus 4-DR. w/SAB	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated

Service bulletins

Ford issued 31 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about engine and engine cooling.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2020-07-13	STRUCTURE	This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint wi…
2019-02-07	STRUCTURE	Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel replacement is recommended. Fo…
2019-02-07	EQUIPMENT	Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel replacement is recommended. Fo…
2016-09-21	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM	The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate …
2006-12-06	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)	EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR VEHICLES WITH HARD START WHEN OPERATING ON E85 FUEL, POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) CALIBRATION. WARRANTY EXTENDED FOR 10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES WHICH EVER COMES FIRST. SAMPLE CONSUMER LETTER ATTACHED. *KB
2006-01-01	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	CAMSHAFT TICK NOISE - 3.0L 4V ENGINE ONLY. *TT
2006-01-01	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY	FLEX FUEL - LONG CRANK/HARD START. *TT
2005-11-14	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	POWER LOCK CONCERNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT
2005-11-14	VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS	POWER WINDOW CONCERNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT
2005-11-14	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Taurus, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Taurus model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.