2011 Ford Taurus: check engine light

Filed Sep 14, 2025 · Electrical · IA

2011 Ford Taurus Limited 37'000 miles Original owner Like New Condition. Engine and all systems working perfectly no check engine or other lights showing. I was driving on city street about 25mph and with no warning engine and dash all shut down I had no crank and no dash lights at all. while I waited for tow truck dash lights did come on and anti theft light was flashing very fast. If I had been driving on Interstate 80 I may have been killed with all the Semi's that are always there. This happened August 7th 2025 It has been at the FORD dealership by my house for 25 work days and all they have done is checked the computer and said no power so replaced comp with rebuilt one and still no power so that is where I'm at. If you have seen this before please tell me ,they have no clue THANKS

Filed May 9, 2025 · Electrical · TN

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while turning off the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated there was a fuel burning odor coming from the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the electrical system had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Filed Mar 6, 2025 · Engine · 80,900 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic drained the oil and became aware that there was coolant mixed in with the engine oil. The contact diagnosed that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,900.

Filed Sep 3, 2024 · Engine · 106,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the camshaft, cam phasers, and connecting rod bearings. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 106,000.

Filed Mar 12, 2024 · Engine · 105,213 miles · CO

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. The check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty water pump causing coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer replaced the engine; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer twice, and the engine was replaced for the second and third time. The failure persisted. The vehicle was then towed to Colorado Auto Finders (12351 E Arapahoe Rd, Centennial, CO 80112), where the ignition coils and spark plugs were replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to two separate independent mechanics, who diagnosed the vehicle with DTC Codes: P0300, P0302 (Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected), and P0306 (Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was 105,213.

Filed Mar 4, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · FL

My 2011 Ford Taurus has had so many repairs out of pocket expenses and if I purchased another warranty package doubt it would cover my issues past and present. 69,000 th miles. Throttle bottle and pedal replacement $ 852.79 replaced on February 14, 2023. Mechanic tried to fix it but the error code is the large blue wrench and check engine light still on. Have to bring it in at the end of the month to my Ford Dealer as they are so booked up and I have read all the Ford recalls. When I start the car the break pedal is to the floor, it revs up and when I place the shift in drive it wants to take off by itself at a rapid speed. I then shut the car off and it makes a big thump. It takes me three tries to start it up again but looses power where I have to put my emergency flashes on. This incident is so dangerous. Ford should have done a recall there are so many complaints ! I was going to disconnect my battery and connect it again to see if that works but I don’t want to erase the codes. My Ford dealership is so busy that they could only give me an appointment at the end of the month. As I stated my vehicle is inoperable as it sits until the end of the month to get serviced again.

Filed Feb 14, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · 64,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling for approximately 1 minute, then the vehicle started revving up with the RPM above 7,000. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal seemed to be stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a stop. The check engine warning light was displayed. There was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The following day the vehicle was driven to a certified mechanic who replaced the throttle body and accelerator pedal assembly. After returning to the residence and attempting to exit the vehicle with the vehicle idling, the failure recurred. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. The consumer stated the vehicle broke down and towed to dealer. The computer was updated by the dealer but the vehicle failed once again. The consumer needs a second throttle body replacement.

Filed Feb 6, 2022 · Engine · PA

Failed Water Pump, water pump isn’t sending coolant through the mail engine so it’s overheating and engine light is on.

Filed Jan 2, 2021 · Steering · 161,000 miles · LA

I bought my car used a few months ago. Driving down the road and my steering wheel locked up. I couldn't turn the wheel. I could have been in a serious accident. My check engine light came o. It did this two or three times. I'm afraid to drive it anymore.

Filed Jun 8, 2020 · Driver assistance, Steering · 88,522 miles · CA

I've had this car for 2 months already. I pulled out of my house, drove thru my street and when I came to a stop in a intersection my car stopped completely and the wheel became hard and was not able to turn it or press on the gas pedal. The engine light, electronic stability control active light and battery alert light came on at the same time. Also it alerted me I was low on gas witch I had half a tank of gas.

Filed Apr 24, 2017 · Engine · 103,100 miles · WA

I was driving home from work, traveling uphill when my 2011 taurus sho sputtered and quickly lost power for more than 5 sec. While I was accelerating. This is not the first time something like this has happened to me. I am glad there wasn't anyone driving behind me because I'm sure they would have rear-ended me. Once I regained control of my vehicle, I noticed my check engine light came on. The car was shaking and sputtering as it was trying to make it up the rest of the hill. The check engine light started to blink. By the time I made it to the top of the hill the vehicle seemed better but I knew from experience it was in limp mode. I made it home safely driving as carefully as I could. I did notice the car shook much more when I slowed down to stop for stop-signs, almost like it was going to stall. I even ran a couple signs because I wanted to make it home, safely. I called the dealership gus johnson ford immediately to schedule an appointment. I took it in, my service advisor called me days later and said he advised I put a whole new engine in my car. Cylinder #4 misfiring, found leak that is causing low compression. He said they could tear apart the motor and inspect further but doing a complete engine assembly could cost upwards around $10,000. I was paralyzed! I found other stories and complaints just like mine when I came here to the federal safety agency. If ford was, or still is aware of any defects to the engine through manufacturing or bad design that may cause loss of power, shaking, shuddering, sputtering, stalling, loss-of-power during acceleration, they should be held responsible before someone is seriously injured.

Filed Jul 4, 2016 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 70,652 miles · CA

Had throttle related issues that were supposedly "repaired" at the dealer which are still present. The vehicle accelerates by itself and shows a wrench icon on the dashboard with a check engine light on. If the vehicle is put on drive it moves by itself as if one were pressing on the gas pedal. This is a possible safety issue that could possible kill someone or even get me killed while driving the vehicle (which I don't). Right now it's at the dealer and had to be towed away since the vehicle couldn't be moved.