The 2016 Ford Taurus
About 10 years old. Here is where its factory coverage stands and which milestone is next.
Factory coverage, as of this year
Ford has generally covered vehicles of this era for 3 years or 36,000 miles bumper to bumper, and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain.
Bumper to bumper
Likely expired
On the calendar this term ran out around 2019.
Powertrain
Likely expired
On the calendar this term ran out around 2021.
Confirm this, do not trust it. Warranty terms vary by model year, trim, and market, and coverage runs from the date the vehicle was first sold rather than the model year. The only reliable answer comes from Ford with your VIN. This page tells you what to expect and what to ask.
Where the odometer sits
At an average 12,000 miles a year, a 2016 example is somewhere around 120,000 miles today. Yours could be well under that or well over it, and on this question mileage matters more than the calendar.
The next milestone from there is 150,000 miles. Here is what changes at each one.
Timing belt or timing chain?
The mainstream engines in this line use a timing chain. A chain is generally designed to last the service life of the engine, which is why chain engines usually carry no timing entry on the maintenance schedule at all. That is good news and it is not a guarantee: a chain still depends on oil, and neglected oil changes are the thing that shortens one.
Confirm it for your own engine before acting on it. A dealer parts counter will answer the question free if you give them the VIN. How to tell which one you have, and when it is due.
What to know about this model line
Offered with a naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V6 as the volume engine, a turbocharged 2.0 liter four cylinder on certain front wheel drive trims from roughly 2013 onward, and a twin turbocharged 3.5 liter V6 in the SHO, depending on year and trim. All US retail versions use a six speed conventional automatic. Front wheel drive is standard, all wheel drive was optional on some trims and standard on SHO.
- The volume engine is naturally aspirated while the SHO and the four cylinder EcoBoost trims are turbocharged, so the ownership picture changes meaningfully depending on which one is under the hood. Turbocharged trims add a turbocharger and its oil and coolant plumbing to the list of parts with a service life.
- All wheel drive is standard on SHO and optional elsewhere, so an all wheel drive example has a power transfer unit and a rear drive module with fluid services that a front wheel drive car does not. Verify the drivetrain before budgeting, because the two versions of the same model year are not the same maintenance item list.
- This is a large, heavy full size sedan, and the upper trims ride on large diameter wheels with correspondingly expensive tires. Tires and brakes are a bigger recurring line item here than on the midsize sedans it is often cross shopped against, and that belongs in an ownership budget from day one.
- The engines in this line drive their camshafts with timing chains rather than rubber belts, so there is no scheduled timing belt job in the maintenance plan for the common configurations.
These are planning notes about how this model line is built, not a claim about any individual vehicle. Two examples of the same year can be in completely different condition, and maintenance history tells you more than the badge does.
This one is on you now
Both factory terms have most likely run out on a vehicle this age, which means every repair from here is yours. That is not a reason to panic and it is not automatically a reason to buy anything. It is a reason to know the number.
The question worth answering is not whether coverage pays off on average. It is what a four thousand dollar repair estimate would mean for you specifically. If that goes on a credit card, a service contract is doing something real. If it comes out of savings without much pain, self insuring is a perfectly sound choice and nobody should push you off it.
One timing note, because it decides more than anything else here: every legitimate service contract excludes pre existing conditions and has a waiting period, usually around 30 days. Coverage is a plan while the vehicle is working, and it is unavailable once it is not.
See what coverage looks like for yours
Takes about 30 seconds and does not obligate you to anything.