2014 Ford Taurus: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed May 22, 2023 · Engine · MA

Water pump failure causing a major leak. Because the vehicle is designed to have the water pump run on the timing chain and the oil pan right underneath the water pump, the coolant leaks right into the oil pan and coolant enters the engine. I was driving on a back road and had to abruptly pull over on the side of the road because the driver assist screen said “engine coolant overheating.” This was the first and only time this message appeared. There was smoke coming from under the hood. Numerous mechanics that I’ve spoken to said that if I drove it any longer, there’s a good chance the engine could blow. So now I’m looking at a $3,000+ repair for this. Realistically, any other make and model (that was designed with common sense) with a failed water pump should cost $500-1,000. And won’t run the risk of ruining your engine on top of it. I spoke to several Ford dealers and third party mechanics. Every one of them knew exactly what I was talking about like they had seen this many times before. The third party mechanics refused to fix it because it’s an 11+ hour labor None of them said there are any pro’s to having the water pump connected to the timing chain. But there are many con’s to this design. Sounds like negligence on behalf of the engineers who designed all the 3.5L and 3.7L V6’s in the Fords. Luckily, I was going between 20-30 mph on a backroad when this occurred. Otherwise, this could have ended very badly and I’d like to prevent this from happening to anyone else in the future.

Filed Apr 11, 2022 · Steering · 84,300 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 50 MPH, she started to smell a burning odor and shortly after the steering wheel seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver saw no flames nor smoke. The driver stated that the vehicle began to steer to the right but she was able to safely park in a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact took the vehicle to independent mechanic and made the mechanic aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,300.

Filed Sep 7, 2019 · Fuel system · 120,000 miles · SC · fire

Fuel pump relay overheated and caught on fire behind back seat near gas tank. Part melted and vehicle is inoperable. Toddler car seat was located in front of fire location.

Filed Sep 26, 2017 · Fuel system · 67,000 miles · TX

I drove my car just fine on sunday. When I got in the car to go to work monday morning, the engine would crank, but it wouldn't start. So I called my mechanic who came over with a machine. They found that fuel was not getting to the engine although I had half a tank of gas. There is no kill switch on my model car, for them to reset thinking I had hit a bump and somehow set off the theft feature that kills fuel to the engine when my car thinks it being stolen(?). They were able to bypass something to get the car to crank which determined the fuel pump was in working order. They were looking for the fuel pump control module when we found the federal safety agency #16v621000, which shows the 2013-2015 ford taurus models (which I have), "a component within the fuel pump electric module (pem) may overheat causing a loss of electrical power to the fuel pump. I recall recently that while I was driving one day I could smell something burning, an electrical wiring smell, but since my car still ran didn't think anything about it. When you type in my VIN, this recall does not show up, but when you enter the year, make and model it does show up. I strongly urge the proper people at ford to look into this. I thank jesus that my vehicle didn't stall while driving.

Filed Jul 22, 2015 · Brakes · 12,266 miles · OH

When I stopped at a rest area I noticed smoke coming from the right rear wheel area. The brake locked up. I am concerned about a fire hazard, or failure of the brakes to function properly. Updated 10/01/15*lj updated 12/05/2017

Filed Jun 22, 2015 · Brakes · 14,000 miles · NY

Letter from congresswoman slaughter on behalf of constituent re safety concerns with 2014 ford taurus (attn: john pellito). *smd the consumer stated he experienced a rear brake drag which resulted in an excessive amount of heat build-up in the left rear wheel brake assembly. Upon returning from a short 125 mile day trip, an unusual hot burning smell was noticed and an excessive amount of heat was coming from under the vehicle. At one point, two very loud/hard metal bangs were heard and the left rear tire spun in the street from a dead stop. In may mid 2015, the same problem started to occur within short errands and more frequently. It appeared the brake only on that wheel was dragging or locking in position on the rotor causing excessive heat. An inspection revealed the brake pads were heat fused to the caliper knuckle on the left rear wheel and the rotor was heat warped and excessively worn. The dealer replaced the rear brake pads, brake rotors, cleaned the heat damaged and applied a lubricant in the slot of the anchor to prevent the calipers and brakes from binding.