Buyer Research

2014 Ford Taurus — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,500–$12,000. There are 4 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Two failures make up 59% of this year's 235 complaints, and both stop the car: a fuel pump control module that quits and leaves the engine cranking at the roadside, and electric power steering that goes heavy without warning — four of those ended in a crash. The fuel module recall covers only the EcoBoost SHO, and there is no steering recall for the 2014 at all, so on most cars both are your bill. Neither is ruinous on its own ($300–$800 for the module, up to $2,500 for a rack), and the rest of the record is the 3.5L's water pump, halfshaft recalls and a backup camera that flips upside down. A fair buy at a fair price with a fresh fuel module receipt, a scanned steering module and five recalls closed; a poor one if the seller shrugs at the word stall.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 235 owner complaints for the 2014 Ford Taurus, and 5 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. 30% of them are about one thing — the fuel system. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 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 2014 Ford Taurus

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

Fuel pump control module fails — stalls in traffic, crank-no-start, repeat failuresHigh — wallet impact

Nearly a third of complaints are the fuel system, and the owner accounts name the same part again and again: the fuel pump control module. The car sputters and dies at 25 mph, or cranks and cranks as if out of fuel, and dealers first sell a battery before finding the module dead. One owner is on their second module, pump and sending unit at 132,000 miles. Recall 16V621 replaces the module free on 2013–2015 Taurus with the 3.5L EcoBoost (SHO) and Police Interceptor — not on the ordinary 3.5L or 2.0L cars, which are most of these reports. The module lives under the car where it takes road spray, so check it for corrosion; a receipt for a recent replacement is worth more than any assurance.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$800 for a fuel pump control module outside the recall

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (71); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Electric power steering assist fails while driving — no recall covers this yearHigh — wallet impact

67 steering complaints, 29% of the record, four crashes. The wheel locks up or goes very heavy, sometimes after a bump, sometimes on a cold start out of a parking space, sometimes at highway speed; the dash shows Power Steering Assist Fault and Service AdvanceTrac. Ford's steering recall stopped at cars built in early 2012, and several 2014 owners here say so bitterly — their fix was a steering rack out of pocket at 70,000 miles. Have the power steering control module scanned for U-codes before buying, and do a full lock-to-lock turn at walking pace both cold and after twenty minutes; the effort should not change.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500–$2,500 for a steering rack and module — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (67).

Backup camera flips upside down or goes black; overnight battery drain; no-startsMedium

Thirty electrical complaints, and half of them are the rear camera: the image shows upside down, blue, or black with a Camera Not Available message, and the fix is a new camera at roughly $250 plus labour. The remainder overlap the fuel system story (a no-start that turns out to be the fuel pump module) and a few batteries that die overnight with the battery and alternator both testing fine — a parasitic drain that a shop can trace in an hour. Put the car in reverse with the engine running and watch the screen for a full minute; a camera that flickers now will not improve.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$600

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (30).

3.5L V6 water pump behind the timing cover — a labour-heavy job with a coolant-in-oil riskHigh — wallet impact

Ford's 3.5L drives its water pump off the timing chain, inside the front of the engine. When the seal fails, coolant can drain into the oil rather than onto the ground, and the first sign can be a milky oil cap or an overheat. Because the timing cover has to come off, shops quote $1,500–$2,500 for a pump that costs under $200. Engine is 9% of this year's complaints; we cannot see all 22, but this is the failure that defines the 3.5L in its second decade. Check the oil cap for a tan film, the coolant bottle for level, and ask for the pump receipt before believing it was done.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,500–$2,500 for the pump; $5,000–$8,000 if coolant reached the oil — around 86% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (22).

Halfshaft can disengage or its bracket fail — loss of drive or a roll-away (two recalls); PTU on AWDHigh — wallet impact

Two recalls on the axles. 14V393 covers 2013–2014 Taurus built through November 2013: the right halfshaft can pull out of the linkshaft, so the car loses drive or rolls in Park; dealers inspect and fit a retainer. 20V692 covers 2014–2015 Taurus with the 2.0L EcoBoost four-cylinder and front-wheel drive: the halfshaft support bracket can fail with the same result. Both free; both to be confirmed on the VIN. On AWD cars, the power transfer unit is the wallet risk — it runs hot with a small fluid charge and no service schedule, and a burnt smell or whine at the front of the tunnel means it is on its way. Fourteen powertrain complaints on this year, one a crash.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,500–$3,000 for a power transfer unit — about 32% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (14); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Rear toe links may fracture — SHO Performance Pack and Police cars (recall)Medium

Recall 20V072 covers 2013–2018 Taurus with the SHO Performance Pack or Police Interceptor equipment: the rear toe links can crack from stress and a broken one changes the car's handling on the spot. Ford replaces the links free, though parts were slow to arrive when the recall opened in 2020, so a car may still be waiting. Ask whether an SHO has the Performance Pack (it adds brake cooling ducts and a shorter final drive), check the VIN, and look at the rear tyres for feathered inner edges.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $200–$500 per toe link outside the recall

Source: 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

License plate lamps corrode and short in salt states (recall)Low

Recall 14V285 covers 2010–2014 Taurus built through February 2014 and sold or registered in the salt-belt states: road salt corrodes the plate lamp assemblies and a short there can start a fire. Free replacement. Thirteen exterior lighting complaints on this year are a mix of these, low-beam bulbs and headlamp lenses that fog. Shine a phone light on the plate lamps and look for green crust, then check the recall status on the VIN.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $30–$150 for lamps

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the lights (13); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Engine that cranks longer than two seconds, or a seller who mentions a new battery twice
✗Power Steering Assist Fault message on the dash at any point
✗Steering heavy on the cold start out of the parking space
✗Backup camera image upside down, blue or black
✗Milky film under the oil cap, or a sweet smell at the front of the engine when hot

Good Signs

✓Fuel pump control module replaced with a dated invoice
✓Power steering module scanned with a clean history
✓Water pump replaced with a receipt naming the mileage
✓All five recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Backup camera image sharp and right-side-up through a full minute in reverse