Complete power steering failure p07ae:09-c8 after recall complete 6/29/26
The worst 2012 Ford Taurus problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering17
- Body16
- Electrical16
- Engine13
- Lights12
- Acceleration4
- Brakes4
- Airbags3
- Driver assistance2
- Fuel system2
- Seats2
- Transmission2
- Visibility2
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Ford Taurus
Recalls 5
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
Recall number 16V247000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Recall number 15V340000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 15V040000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Taurus vehicles manufactured November 24, 2008, through February 28, 2014, originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. When used in areas that use road salt, the license plate lamp assembly may experience an electro-chemical reaction and corrosion as a result of water intrusion.
- Risk
- This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the license plate lamp assemblies, free of charge. The recall began on July 26, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S08. Note: Under program 14R01, Ford will notify owners in non-corrosion states, and, at the customer's request, dealers will replace the license plate lamp assembly.
Recall number 14V285000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and model year 2013 Explorer vehicles manufactured July 19, 2011, through March 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed seam in the side of the tank. As a result, the fuel tanks may not provide the expected strength in the event of an impact. The tanks may also leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S03. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 13V109000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Ford Taurus 53
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless...
- While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal...
- All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code
- Some 2009-2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbochargers may exhibit an oil leak from the...
- For Ford and Lincoln vehicles that require positive or negative battery terminal replacement, it is not...
- Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT,...
- On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be...
- Ssm 47948 - 2010-2019
- Some 2011-2019 Taurus/Police Interceptor Sedan vehicles may exhibit a loose and/or sagging headliner near...
- Some 2012-2019 Vehicles may require repairs to the Smartlink system
2012 Ford Taurus fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6‑cyl | FWD | 18 | 27-28 | 21-22 |
| 3.5L 6‑cyl | AWD | 17 | 24-25 | 20 |
What 2012 Ford Taurus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My steering all of a sudden was stiff and I can barely turn at low speeds. Not safe due to uncontrolled steering. I replaced the pump thinking that would fix it, and it did not. I’m taking it to a dealer after the holiday weekend. No warnings at all.
Unknown
The steering shut down and I could not steer the vehicle in a Holiday parking lot and I almost hit a pedestrian. My engine and oil light came on. I had to shut the car off and turn it back on and it worked again. This is the second time this has happened to me!
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the vehicle was extremely difficult to steer. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who found that the power steering pressure was low. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several different warning lights were intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Driving on the highway, when the car lights, radio, air conditioner, steering wheel, speed all goes out. The car wouldn’t crank back up and theft system keep coming on.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and slowing to make a turn at a traffic signal, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering fault, power steering assists off, and the stability track warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that he drove the vehicle back to his residence, turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and determined that the failure was related to manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 (EPAS Power Steering Efforts). The failure mileage was 144,027.
Started car and power steering assist fault light came on making the wheel hard to steer. Turned off the car and restarted it and the same issue, power steering assist fault light has been on for 2 days now
The rear backup camera is showing upside down. It is very difficult to see the blind spot area just to the rear of the vehicle when backing without the camera on this 2012 Ford Taurus. I consider it a safety issue in which I have had several close calls backing since the camera shows pointing upward toward the sky more than it did and upside down. I decided to report this problem when I missed seeing a kid behind me at a Wal-mart parking lot. This problem started in mid September 2022. I have researched this issue on line and there are many complaints about this problem from other people about the 2012 Taurus and other types of Ford automobiles and trucks.
Compare the 2012 Ford Taurus
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2012 Ford Taurus
Is the 2012 Ford Taurus reliable?
Owners have filed 79 complaints about the 2012 Ford Taurus, fewer than a typical Taurus model year.
What is the 2012 Ford Taurus year score?
The 2012 Ford Taurus scores 85 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford Taurus: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Ford Taurus?
Steering, with 17 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles. Next is body (16).
How many recalls does the 2012 Ford Taurus have?
5 recalls, covering air bags, steering and structure.
What gas mileage does the 2012 Ford Taurus get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Ford Taurus range from 20 to 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.5L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 18 city and 27-28 highway.
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