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.
2012 Ford Taurus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Taurus do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 318.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Taurus years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
51 reports with mileage · 27 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
78 reportsUNKNOWN
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…
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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 NHTSA 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…
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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 sta…
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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 d…
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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.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the power steering assist fault and service tire mobility kit messages were displayed. The contact indicated that the…
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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the power steering assist fault and service tire mobility kit messages were displayed. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent and would be corrected by turning off and restarting the vehicle. While parking the vehicle, the failure reoccurred but was not corrected after restarting the vehicle. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the e-pass power steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Official recalls
516V247000 · Air Bags:frontal
Apr 26, 2016
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
15V340000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Jun 2, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
15V040000 · Structure:body:door
Jan 28, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
14V285000 · Exterior Lighting
May 29, 2014
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
13V109000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Mar 27, 2013
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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