Buyer Research

2010 Ford Taurus — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $4,000–$9,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

The first year of the big sixth-generation Taurus, and the record is spread across three expensive systems rather than one: the 3.5L engine (24% of 204 complaints, mostly stalls and a water pump that leaks coolant into the oil), the electric power steering (20%, with owners pointing out that Ford's later steering recall skipped the 2010), and the six-speed automatic (18%). None of the three is cheap when it goes. This is a comfortable, quiet, roomy car for the money, but buy it on evidence: a recent water pump invoice, a steering system that never throws a fault on a cold start, and a transmission that shifts cleanly at low speed. Without those, the price has to reflect a four-figure repair that may already be on its way.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 204 owner complaints for the 2010 Ford Taurus, and 3 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is the engine at 24%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2010 Ford Taurus

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Internal water pump on the 3.5L leaks coolant into the oil, then the engine overheats or stallsHigh — wallet impact

The 3.5L Duratec's water pump lives inside the engine and is driven by the timing chain, so when its seal fails the coolant does not drip on the driveway — it goes into the crankcase. Owners here describe the overheat warning at highway speed, an empty coolant tank, and a dealer diagnosis of a pump that leaked into the oil. Replacing the pump is a timing-cover-off job; if the car was driven on milky oil, the bearings are next. Pull the dipstick and look for a milkshake tint, check the coolant reservoir level against the mark, and treat an unexplained coolant top-up in the service history as a warning. The same cluster holds 18 stall reports — see the throttle body issue below.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500–$2,500 for the pump; $5,000+ if the engine ran on contaminated oil — around 77% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (48).

Electric power steering drops out — 'Power Steering Assist Fault' and a suddenly heavy wheelHigh — wallet impact

The 2010 Taurus uses electric power steering, and 41 complaints (4 crashes) describe the assist quitting without warning: a fault message on the cluster, then a wheel that takes both arms to turn, sometimes at speed. Several owners note that Ford's later steering recall covered 2011-and-up Taurus and left the 2010 out, so there is no free fix on this year. The repair is usually the whole steering gear. On the test drive, start the car cold and watch the message centre; turn lock-to-lock in a parking lot and listen for the assist motor dropping in and out.

Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (41).

6F50/6F55 automatic slips to neutral at low speed, then bangs into gearHigh — wallet impact

Owners describe a recurring pattern: at low speed the car loses drive, feels like it dropped into neutral, then engages hard a few seconds later. One cites Ford TSB 11-9-11 (a software update) as helping but not curing it; another had the dealer look thirteen times. Four of the 36 complaints involve a crash. A reflash is cheap if it works; a valve body or a full rebuild is not. Drive it in stop-and-go traffic for ten minutes and feel for a delay on takeoff or a clunk into second. Check the fluid colour on the dipstick — dark brown or burnt-smelling is a transmission that has been slipping.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$300 for a reflash; $900–$1,500 for a valve body; $3,000–$4,500 for a rebuild — around 69% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (36).

Electronic throttle body fails — wrench light, limp mode, sudden loss of powerMedium

The 24 speed-control complaints (6 crashes) and a good share of the engine-cluster stalls read the same way: the car loses throttle for a couple of seconds pulling away from a stop, or drops to idle on the highway with the wrench light on. On this era of Ford 3.5L the usual cause is the electronic throttle body. Ford ran a customer-satisfaction programme extending throttle-body coverage on many of these models; ask a Ford dealer whether this VIN was ever covered and whether the part was replaced. A scan tool will show a stored throttle code even if the light is off today.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$600

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under throttle and cruise control (24).

Three recalls: driver airbag inflation, interior door handle springs, corroding licence-plate lampsMedium

Recall 16V247 covers the driver frontal airbag improperly inflating during its second stage in a severe crash; dealers inspect and replace the module. Recall 15V040 covers cars built December 2009 to July 2010 whose interior door handle return spring can unseat and let the door unlatch in a side impact. Recall 14V285 covers salt-state cars whose licence plate lamp sockets corrode and can short and start a fire (this record holds 5 fire reports overall). Run the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup before you pay; all three are free but only if they have been done.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Milky or tan tint on the oil dipstick, or coolant reservoir below the mark
✗Any steering fault message on the cluster, even briefly, during the test drive
✗A pause or clunk pulling away from a stop in traffic
✗Wrench light on the dash, or a seller who says 'it just needs a sensor'
✗Seller cannot show the water pump has been replaced on a car past 100,000 miles

Good Signs

✓Water pump replaced with a dated invoice from a shop that also changed the oil afterward
✓All three recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Transmission fluid bright red on the dipstick and a smooth 1-2 upshift in traffic
✓Throttle body replaced under Ford's coverage, with the dealer record
✓Steering assist steady through ten minutes of parking-lot turns on a cold start