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."
Safety risk
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Manufacturer 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.
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.
Safety risk
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.
Manufacturer 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.
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.
Safety risk
This corrosion may result in a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Manufacturer 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.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Steering
42
103,000 mi
Engine
38
68,000 mi
Power train
27
29,359 mi
Vehicle speed control
26
24,000 mi
Electrical system
18
40,000 mi
Service brakes
15
32,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
14
7,500 mi
Unknown or other
14
41,000 mi
Air bags
12
45,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
9
6,700 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
8
37,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
8
7,500 mi
Seats
7
75,391 mi
Structure: body
6
2,012 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
4
12,862 mi
Structure
4
900 mi
Visibility/wiper
4
46,350 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
100,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine
2
1,000 mi
Equipment
2
250 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
2
55,000 mi
Structure: body: door
2
8,000 mi
Suspension
2
2,012 mi
Traction control system
2
98,000 mi
Wheels
2
10,000 mi
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
1
—
Equipment: electrical: radio/tape deck/CD etc.
1
6,800 mi
Exterior lighting
1
770 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights
1
3,000 mi
Lane departure: blind spot detection
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages
1
8,000 mi
Parking brake
1
250 mi
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
1
1,500 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
1
32,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
1
51,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: electric: control module
1
22,000 mi
Suspension: rear
1
130,000 mi
Tires
1
15,000 mi
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
1
98,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
1
55,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: cruise control
1
112,000 mi
Visibility
1
3,847 mi
The 2009 model has 4 times as many complaints as this one. The 2011 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.