Ford Taurus overheating problems

Filed Nov 5, 2025 · Engine · 105,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a significant puddle underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that upon checking the fluid reservoirs, the contact noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant to the vehicle, but the coolant leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to Fast Lane, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced, and the contact was informed that the warranty coverage had expired. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost and was taken back to the residence. The dealer was contacted and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Filed Jun 24, 2025 · Engine · 108,000 miles · IN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while his wife was operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and the message "Engine Overheated" was displayed. The contact inspected the vehicle and determined that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The local dealer and manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 108,000.

Filed Apr 14, 2025 · Engine · 66,500 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, added coolant to the vehicle, and allowed the engine to cool down. The vehicle was taken to a Walmart, where the contact was informed that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing, and Goodwill Assistance could be considered. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the coolant pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer later informed the contact that no assistance would be provided and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,500.

Filed Feb 6, 2025 · Engine · 99,500 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Taurus. The contact stated upon approaching the vehicle, there was an excessive coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was draining abnormally fast. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the water pump was leaking. 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 99,500.

Filed Jan 3, 2025 · Engine · 85,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while his son was stopped at the drive-thru, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact's son turned off the vehicle and waited for the engine to cool down before restarting. Upon inspection under the hood, the contact discovered that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir, but the failure recurred while driving and there was coolant leaking onto the ground while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. 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 approximately 85,000.

Filed Nov 24, 2023 · Engine · TN

Had my Ford for less than 6 months, and has 80,000 miles on it. Looks brand new, in excellent shape and yet on the way home from the grocery store, it began overheating. The tempature gage shot up and the engine started cutting out. We pulled over and the vehicle was smoking. We started adding water and coasting down the mountain until we could get home. Called several mechanics and find out that this is a common problem with our year and model. Every person we've consulted has quoted us $3,000 to repair the water pump. We have been told that the excessive charge is because when Ford built this model, the water pump was placed inside the engine. The entire engine has to be taken out of the car in order to replace the water pump. Most mechanics around us don't even have the machine that is needed to remove the engine. Ford is backed up for months on repairs. Our vehicle has been sitting for two summers because we cannot afford this $3,000 repair for a water pump! We are making payments on a car that can't be driven. Something needs to be done about this. The more I dig and research, the more complaints for this very issue I find. We need help!

Filed Nov 2, 2023 · Engine · NM

UNKNOWN, the vehicle comes to a sudden stop regardless of how fast your going , error comes up says see manual , engine overheating comes on after driving less than 5 miles

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 Jan 3, 2023 · Engine · 100,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir level was low. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Dec 6, 2022 · Engine · 163,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated, lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver coasted to the side of the road, inspected the vehicle, and became aware of coolant leaking underneath the vehicle. The driver was able to add coolant to the reservoir, restarted the vehicle, and drove to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the water pump and timing chain had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The dealer diagnosed that the water pump and timing chain needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000.