1997 FORD Taurus

Took car in for an oil change. Mechanic stated the oil pan had rusted away to the point that oil was starting to flow out from it. While up on lift he noticed the subframe is severly rusted away. Quoted me a price of $1,176 to replace it. The rest of the body of the car is almost rust free. Car is always washed and kept in a garage.

car is in ex. cond- no rust other than the front frame(motor cradle) which rusted completely off on both sides and allowed the front of auto to drop– this is very dangerous- fortunately it happened in the driveway and not on the road- of some would have been hurt bad- or killed–this has happened in a sot of cases according to all the garages and dealers I have contacted– along with the mounts where it hooks to the body, this rusted completely off right in front of the mounting bolts about 4 to 6 ” and not where the are mounts are– the car was ready to be traded for new- and we were offered $3500 Now it is not worth anything I would guess-got the shaft from ford again

We have had to replace the transmission three times since we have had the car. it first went out four months after we got the car. We got this car in May of 2001 from ugly Duckling Car Sales now known as Drivetime. This car is definitely a lemon. I think it has been in some major accidents….

Vehicle purchased )ct. 1997. Starting in the summer of 1999 (18,000 miles on car), vehicle started to exhibit an intermittent sudden unexplained acceleration problem. While driving the idle RPM for this vehicle would change from the normal 6-800RPM to 12-2000 RPM. This increase in speed does not become apparent until you attempt to stop the vehicle and suddenly realize that the vehicle idle speed is propelling the car at 30+ MPH.

The vehicle has been back to the dealership over 18 times (13 with repair order issued, remainder dealer was unable to “find” problem). It has been set up and driven for 1-2 week periods with a computer monitor attached. Although “repairs” have been made, it has “never been fixed.” Most recent repairs were made twice within past month. Ford has refused to replace or repurchase vehicle. To date (vehicle milage is 73,000) it has cost me over $400.00 out of pocket and vehicle has been in shop 3 to 10 days at a time.

TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NUETRAL SPEEDO GOES TO \"0\". Stoppingvehicle and restarting cures problem for a while. Various times before problem returns.

Transmission going out at such a low mileage, serpentine belt failure,cam sensor & false distributor shaft, & multi-functional switch in steering column

Took car in November 3, 2003Mileage 97665 1Checked charging system 6 hours Problem

THIS CAR NEEDS TRANSMISSION REPLACED EVERY 52000 MILES AT A COST OF APPROX. $2200. FIRST TIME BAD SHIFTING AND HESITATION. THAT TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRENTY. THIS TIME TRANSMISSION DROPPED FLUID WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY BECASE A SHAFT WORE THROUGH THE CASING. WE HAVE COMPLAINED REPEATEDLY ABOUT NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION SINCE INSTALLED WITH NO CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN BY DEALER. I GENERALLY EXPECT TO GET MORE THAN 4 YEARS OF SERVICE FROM A DEALER MAINTAINED TRANSMISSION.

this car has had the oil pan gasket replaced 7 times.and 2 oil pans.it has also had a thumping noise in the front end that know one can seem to find.

There seems to be a wide spread problems with the maplite staying on which can drain the battery & produce a safety hazard blinding the driver at nite unless he disconects the lite bulb. I was told that the switch was in the interior door handle. I took it to a dealer and they told me it was common problem with the Taurus. Why hasn’t there been a recall yet!

The very first day that I agreed to purchase this car the car owner promised me that he was going to put a motor in this car and I could have my mechanic to check it out and I did the car had problems when I showed him the print out he said that those were minor repairs and I agreed to let his mechanic repair them and was charged $378. The first time and he still didn\’t take care of the problems and they won\’t repair the car with out me paying more money. Also, I received a ticket while driving one of his loaner car until he can fix mine and received a ticket for expired inspection sticker and I brought the ticket to him the same day and he said he would take care of it well he didn\’t and I also informed him that I have another ticket because I was driving someone else car without insurance and I couldn\’t afford another one, so I was arrested because when I went to court for the ticket the car salesman didn\’t show up and the judge fined me and I had no proof that the car salesman didn\’t attend.

The Transmission just went out while I was driving. I attempted to accelerate nothing happened so i pulled to the side of the road. Now it won’t move and this is just at 78000 mi.

The steering wheel makes a noise when I turn right at times. I haven

The 3.0 engine had a cracked head and blown head gaskets. I called two Ford dealerships (Rusty Eck Ford and Mel Hambilton Ford) and both of the Managers of the mechanic shops told me that the repair was not covered. I told them about your web site and they both told me that I should not believe things that I read on the internet. HELP

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT TURN OFF…TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED AND REPAIRED AND IS NOW NEEDING REPAIR AGAIN…TIRES FROM NORMAL WEAR…BRAKES FROM NORMAL WEAR…

See failures

Right rear window won’t always close after opening.Transmission slips during low speed starts through intersection or parking lot. Feels like it is in neutral. Then when transmission engages, it suddenly lurches chirpping the tires.

oil started to leak above the oil filter on what ford calls the oil cooler, where the oil filter screws on an aluminum block that is bolted to the motor block,while still under warrantee. They replaced the oil sending unit. It never did cure the problem. I’m afraid that it is going to cause a fire since it is in close proximity to the exahust pipe and cataletic converter and oil blows back when the car is running. According to other owners there is a defective o ring between the upper and lower halves of the cooler that ford considers the part to be non replacable. Only to replace the whole cooler. I have never encounering a problem with a part like this on any other car I have ever owned.

My car shakes when you drive and it gets worse when you are going slower speeds. It also will not accelerate right when you press on the gas.

MY 97 FORD TAURUS OVERHEATED AND MY HEAD GASKETS ARE BLOWN NOW. ALSO, THE PAINT HAS BEEN PEELING AND I WAS UNAWARE OF THE PAINT DEFECTS BY FORD

MY "TRANS. SENSOR "WENT OUT CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL, BRAKES TO LOCK UP, POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE SEAT BELT HAS NEVER WORKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK SEAT, BOTH WINDOW MOTORS STOPPED WORKING AND WERE REPLACED, THE "CHECK ENGINE" SIGN CAME ON ALL SENSORS WERE REPLACED, IT’S STILL ON. AND THE GLUE HOLDING THE DASH TOGETHER IS MELTED OR ROTTED OR SOMETHING MAKING THE DASH PULL APART

idle pully and tension pully

I had an incident where my passenger front door came open for no reason. It was shut securely before I drove off. This past weekend a series of electrical issues started: the radio stops working when taken out of Park, then a clicking noise starts while driving the car, with the seatbelt light coming on, and the power steering goes out (quite scary when on the Interstate ramp and trying to turn!). Also, the door ajar indicator stays on though all doors are shut, and the interior lights won’t turn off so I’ve had to remove the lamps in order to keep my battery from draining.

I had a tune up done in June of 2002. The car was running fine. On August 28th I took the car to Griffin ford and was told the the tensioner assembly and cam shaft needed to be replaces. We got the car back on Sept 6 and it started stalling. we took the car back to the dealer on the 7th. We were then told that we needed to replace the fuel pump. We got the car back on the 20th of sept. Again it stalled so we took it back on Monday the 23rd. We were then told that it "might be the idle air intake" which they replaced with out my permission. I picked up the car and took it back 15 minutes later because it stalled. They then called an engineer to come look at the car and we were told that one of the coil packs was shorting out and flooding. We picked up the car on December 6th and once again it is stalling. We are taking the car back tomorrow. I am getting tired of hearing "it might be."

I bought this car november 2003. brake squeel, thumping and clicking noise from front end. a/c did not work. only hot musty/moldy smelling air when turned on that did not go away. dealership tried to recharge system with no change. in feb 04, i found that the seatbelts in back seat did not lock during braking.plastic clip was worn on both racthet mechanisms. (this was bad i have to small kids.)in september of 05 the driver side rear brake line rusted out leaving me with little to no brakes. brake line had rusted thrue under a plastic rail guide factory put on. replaced broken line as well as rear passenger side which showed signs of heavy rust.november 05 car failed nj state inspection. check engine light failed to come on during post. found problem to be burned out bulb in dash, along with oil warning light, low fuel light, and 2 general illumination lights. replaced lights (special order from ford) check engine light came on and stayed on. brought in for OBDII testing, was told downstream exhaust o2 sensor, replaced again special order $98.00, check engine light still on, was told second o2 sensor went (car has four sensors on exhaust)replaced that for $108.00 then told that upstream sensor or exhaust manifold sensor was bad all along, exhanged old sensor for new. check engine light still on. at this pont car is falling apart. steering starts to feel off, heating issues, car starts to feel like its bouncing at slow speeds (5 – 25 mph). tested OBD again, was told catalytic converter went bad, $1100. estimate. december 05 bouncing is worse now felt at ALL speeds.(OBD light still on) front end /steering suspension at fault, replaced tie rods, tie rod ends, cv boots, halve shafts, brake calipers, pads and rotors due to warping. $500. dollars. take car homoe next day still bouncing, returned to shop, rear tires were bubbled mechanic that diagnosed/repaired front end did not do full visual inspection. two new tires balanced. jan 06 loss of heat, low coolant, bring car in run tests, recommended replace thermostat and gasket, flush and fill system. still no real heat, car does not warm up properly, coolant levels low, return car, replace radiator cap, still have problems, military psd chang to CAlifornia, car is shipped out by carrier, after arrival, two more flush and fill, return to chain shop to honor work done fix coolant boil over over heat, pressure test came out fine, no leaks, replace radiator, and water pump. get second opinion from military shop, leak present in clyinders 1 & 2 , exhaust gases in cooling system causing car to boil over. referred to shop that can handle and warrenty work needed, take car over, showed reciepts, four days later, called with repair work order and estimate blown head gasket, rebuild engine, replace complete cooling system, water pump etc. $4000. quote.I contacted ford when i bought the car to check for recalls and sign up for bulletins, never received any, there was a recall done on my car for a retro kit on the coolant hoses, i never heard about it, a friend mechanic informed me called ford was told it had expired. \"check ebay\".car is now inoperable in my garage,with 129,000 miles, at time of purchase was ineligible for lemon law. had to borrow money from family for deposit and finance new car on limited military income, with two kids, 2 months after moving. can barely afford all the monthly expenses(including car payments, insurance,)and keep food on table for kids.i hope this helps your organization, and look forward to hearing a resolve on this ford lawlessness claim.i need to find a way to get car out of garage, we need two cars, but can not afford payments on two, or repairs on this one.thank you

I bought a 1997 fronm a private seller. He drove the cat to me. The car looked and seemed fine. When I went to drive it to the DMV the engine went. The head gaskets were gone and it is complete junk. I contacted the seller and he refused my call. I did not have the car for more than a day. He rigged the car somehow to make it drive a distance before it died. The title is in a womans name, however after researching the person, I found he, his friend and wife buy used cars fix them to run for a while and sell them? TYhey just keep turning the title over to the wife? It will cost over $1200 to fix it as it needs an engine.

I am sending a copy of a letter I sent to various news stations and agencies. It

I am not happy with this car because 3 years ago our freezer plug went out of this car and at Fords in Morgantown, Ky for some strange reason the factory had sent extra freeze plug kits to this garage we were told they were gonna charge us $400.00 to fix it. Then all of a sudden we weren\’t charged. The car had 36,000 miles on it. Guess what it happened again the freeze plug messed up again at 70,000 miles. I want to know if any one knows if this a repeat after so many years. Is there a recall on the freeze plugs. It is a hard place to repair on the car. We are very unhappy with this car. I want a Honda.

Headlights Brightness diminishing with age of vehicle. The headlight lenses are a lot less clear than when new. Headlight output seems to be diminished by fogging and darkening of the headlight front lenses. The condition makes for uncomfortable night driving.

head gasket blew according to ford dealer.dealer said that there was no warranty for the engines problem which is blown head gaskets. found an alldata service bulliten saying that warranty for head gasket/cooling problems was extended to a 7yr/100,000 mile warranty and thae called ford customer care and was told that in fact there is no coverage for said problem.

f you can reference the "car talk" article from July 2002 it explains my problems to a "T". Numerous mechanics replied to the article and "Car Talk" relayed that info to me. My Taurus was 5 years old when the problems started. My driver’s side back window started cutting out at times.Then my radio started cutting out ONLY WHEN TURNING RIGHT. Then when in reverse and so on till it didn’t work. My wipers also had problems at times. All these were miner till my POWER STEERING started cutting out. That is the time I saw this article and got the info that the TRANSMISSION SENSOR was the problem. Ford refused to doanything or admit that there was a trend. I got the SENSOR replaced by one mechanic who stated he had many Ford cars on which he replaced the sensors, all the same years- 97-98s. Unfortunately, he did not replace the connector piece and the problems returned. I then paid the big bucks and had a dealer replace the piece. They, of course, said that was not the problem and wanted to do all this testing. I showed them all the documentation on what I found and what "car talk" sent me. I have had no problems since getting it replaced. I am incensed that Ford would not recall a piece that allows your POWER STEERING to go out. If a recall occurs, I would love to be part of it. I am out 300$.

Engine suffered a head gasket failure which led to the loss of coolant and subsequent heat damage to the engine and transmission. Engine was repaired while the transmission required replacement. In my opinion, this is a design defect similar to the earlier Taurus engines dealt with by Ford Service Program 00M09.

Driving home from work, turned a corner and all of a sudden the RPMs started going up, the speedometer started dropping. Works great in reverse but none of the drive gears work. Changed oil filter to find that the magnet in the trans oil pan was coated with tiny metal shavings. And the fluid burnt up. This all happened in a matter of seconds to minutes. No warning whatsoever.

cRACKED FORWARD PISTON IN TRANS. i HAVE A`97,,,WASN`T THAT PROBLEM FIXED?

Car began over heating. Replaced the collant reservoir and the car still runs rough. the service engine light is also on. we got an estimate and it was found that #1 and #5 head gasket are blown. The car has about 51,000 miles on it. we want to know of any information about a recall on these models for blown head gaskets.

Bought 97 Taurus with 53,000 miles in 03-2001 at a Dodge dealership, with extended warranty [Chrysler 24/24]. Took infor oil leak 3,000 miles after purchase. Oil pan gasket repair work was said to be done. Approx. 8,000 miles after that, I took car in again for oil leak and possible coolant leak. Again gasket repairs were suppossedly done; no report or repair on suspected coolant leak. Approximately 9,000 miles after that, car breaks down on fwy; will not crank/turn over. Had car towed to same dealership; reported findings were: no coolant in radiator, coolant in oil basket, no compression. Extended warranty expired 2 months prior to break down. They say the previous complaints aren’t related to present problem. I feel the repair work each time I took the car in for service was incomplete, overlooked, or mis diagnosed.

All 96-99 V8 Taurus SHO’s are subject to Cam Sprocket Failure due to a defect in design from Ford Motor Company. I had my Cam Sprockets Welded at Ford Performance Speacialists in Douglasville GA. To Prevent a Catastrophic failure. Please visit www.v8sho.com for all details. There are 483 Documented Cam Failures listed and the number continues to Grow each day. Less than 20,000 SHO’s were Manufactured between 1996 and 1999 and all will have engine failure if not fixed.

After replacement of engine with Jasper Remanufactured Engine problems with hesitation occured between 35 and 55 mph when engine was warm. Bucking has become much more pronounced in 2005. It mimics problem I had with “warm surge” problem I had with 88 Dodge. The later was due to failure of transmission lock-up spring. Could this be cause of problem with Ford Taurus?

1. air conditioner works sometimes….mechanic say it may be a problem with the door(?) – something has to redirect the cool air.2. power windows … just the control at driver works3. accelerator.. trying to get fixed now …car goes without giving it gas…speed around 30-40 mph, this has happened several times in last few months. In the last week or so, car is coughing, sputtering at real low speeds…from a stop…it often stalls. I am taking it in to get looked at. I am most concerned about the car speeding along without me giving it gas. Any feedback you have would be helpful. It is an old car, but it has been great and I would hold on to it,…but I cannot drive it if it can not be fixed correctly and safely.

1997 ford taurus with anti freeze leak. consumer states she had the cooling system flushed and they replaced the thermostat. dealer told her she needed the engine repaired and it would cost $300 or $400 dollars. *kb the consumer stated when the vehicle was returned to her, it was overheating. the dealer informed the consumer a campaign had been issued for engine corrosion. *jb

Consumer request any recall information on 1997 ford taurus. *ts *nm

The transmission in the consumer's 1997 ford taurus failed. *bf the gears and bearings were eaten up and the vehicle would not go from first to second gear. *nm

Transmission problems with 1997 taurus wagon.*mr one of the bearings in the transmission failed and damaged the entire transmission. *nm

Nar 3-10-03 information request on behalf of ford motor companies about a complaint sent to them from the consumer about passenger side airbags coverage. ford requested a written explanation to resolve matters. *cb the consumer stated air bag deployed when the vehicle hit a pole traveling at 2- 25 mph. during the process of repairing the air bag, the repair shop stated the passenger air bag did not deploy because it was defective. *jb

Dt: the contact stated when the vehicle was first started the air big light illuminated. the air bag light blinked four times and then went off for approximately three or four seconds. while the vehicle was running this pattern was repeated over and over. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the problem. *ak

Air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on while driving. driver took vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic stated that the problem could not be duplicated. *ak

Oil light does not come on when low. 2. engine light always on. 3 when i was driving this winter, the brakes, they locked up on me and i almost had a collision with two other cars but i hit a curb and was able to get my car moving again. 4.car is loud while driving. 5 can't get good gas milage.6.car has developed an oil leak.

Auto trans. shift quad quickly became sloppy and in fact sometimes would not start in park pos. and you had to hunt for neutral where it would always start. then on the third day, while parked overnight on private property, it did start in park, but while on a very high idle i got out of the car for a second and while standing beside the car it slipped out of park and into reverse knocking me to the ground as it rapidly sped rearward till it hit and came to rest against a concrete wall

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle lost power. in addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the contact also noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

When driving the car at a low rate of speed a few miles from my neighborhood, i noticed that the brake light indicator came on. i slowed down to look around the car but could not find anything. i drove the car home and just as i was driving into my neighborhood, the brakes stopped working. very luckily, i did not get into an accident. it turns out that the metal rear brake lines running underneath the driver's side front door were completely corroded and one of the lines had burst (the one affecting the diagonal brake circuit for the front driver side and rear passenger side). this came without warning, and i could have easily been stranded (or killed) on a busy highway out of control. this is a safety issue justifying a recall. amazingly, the other underside components of the vehicle are in much better shape than the brake lines. why ford would fail to properly coat or protect a critical component like the rear brake lines so that they would not corrode is an inexcusable safety hazard. i have read of this rear brake line issue elsewhere being extremely common for this vehicle, so this is not a "one off" event. sooner or later, someone will get into a serious accident or be killed!

On 4/3/2015 my mother in law pulled into the driveway after a 10 mile trip to town. upon pulling in the driveway the car started on fire immediately, at first she thought the car was overheating (white smoke) then realized the car was actually on fire (black smoke). she had to be helped by an idaho power employee who was driving by. a total of two 15lb fire extinguishers and garden hose were used to keep the fire at bay until the fire department arrived. the car was destroyed from the dash panel forward. the fire department determined the fire started at the power distribution box located by the master cylinder on the firewall. the fire department determined the cause as an "electrical fire", up until the fire the car had no known electrical or major mechanical problems. the car had no modifications and was completely stock. no insurance claim was filed as i only carried liability coverage on the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle failed to shift gears and stalled without warning. the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was jumpstarted. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Muddy water in overflow tank

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. the failure recurred sporadically. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the dealer had not been able to determine what caused the failure. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 140,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that while coming to a stop, the a frame sheared off and landed on top of the steering box, causing steering loss. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was told that the a frame was completely rusted. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 135,000.

I purchased my 1997 ford taurus in february 2010, and shortly after experienced my odometer stopping and my power steering stopping at the same time. it usually happens if i drive the car longer than 30 minutes, or if i sit at a stop light to long. it also seems to happen at speeds of 40 mph or higher. i also noticed that my transmission will slip, and i will find my car moving forward after stopping. i have gotten used to staying a good distance from cars so i have room to stop. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that all four coil springs failed. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 4v332000 (suspension: front: coil springs) but was advised by the manufacturer that the 1999 model was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. he failure and the current mileage was 88,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that the accelerator pedal would stick when the cruise control was being utilized. the contact had to depress the brake and disengage the cruise control in order to stop the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle speed control but found no failures. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage and the current mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that during an inspection, the dealer diagnosed that the frame on the base was rusted, deeming the vehicle as unsafe to drive and non-repairable. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 81,540. updated 02/09/12*lj updated 03/16/12

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated after closing his seat belt, it would retract back. the vehicle was not inspected nor had it been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 28,000. i have not had the defect repaired. the buckle releases by itself approx 2% of the time, even after i pull on it initially and it seems secure. i was in a accident approx 2-3 years ago, and the belt didn't release. it was a minor accident with on injuries. [xxx] *ln information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I heard rattling in the front of the vehicle towards the wheels of the car. i assumed that it was my brakes needing replaced. i took it in for regular maintenance to have the brakes replaced at which time they did a diagnostic on the brakes, they were still good and found that my automatic braking system had failed (hydraulics that actually push the brake pads down), thankfully i was not on the highway going 55mph like i usually do when this happened. ford needs to recall the entire braking system of the ford taurus gl station wagon according to all the complaints that i have seen also keeping in mind most of the complaints were over 100,000 miles. someone will be killed due to this failure. god forbid there might be children in the vehicle when it happens. ford step up to the plate and fix this problem now!! it is going to cost me $2100.00 to have the pump and hydraulic system replaced and this is not an exaggeration. i depend on this vehicle and can not afford to be with out it. :( as far as i am concerned one complaint should warrant a recall. lives are at stake. *kb

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated the transmission slipped and the rpms increased while driving at various speeds. the contact performed a diagnostic test and the failure was located within the transmission head gasket and filter. the transmission head gasket and filter were replaced. the failure was not corrected. the transmission continued to slip and the rpms increased. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 136,000 and the current mileage was 137,777.

Clunking sound emanating from engine compartment. took in for oil change, was told that the engine cradle ( sub-frame ) was dangerously rotted out. cradle replaced with one without rot. *tr

I own a 1997 ford taurus wagon. emphasis on wagon. it has the same frame as the windstar vans and i have the same problem. my engineer husband, who spent years in the auto industry, will not allow me to drive the car as, ¿the car is going to break in half when you are driving down the road.¿ i had it towed to our local repair shop and they verified the same. i called the ford recall department in detroit after seeing the windstar recall on the local news. ford told me to have it fixed and save the slip in case a few years from now it was part of a recall i might be able to be reimbursed. this repair is thousands of dollars. i am on chemo with a co-pay of $3102.98 and fifteen doses to go. i can either not live and buy a car or live and not have a car. after explaining this to the ford rep i was told to contact you. there is no excuse for this corrosion problem and i do not feel i should have to pay for what is already a recall issue. the ford case number is [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Brake line burst. control became nonexistent. got very lucky bringing it home, although i did run into the back of my garage (because the brakes didn't work). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving out of his garage, the front coil spring on the drivers side broke and ripped the tire apart. the vehicle was not inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. there were no warning signs or prior instances of the failure. the contact called the manufacturer who advised him to take the vehicle to an authorized dealership. the current and failure mileages were approximately 176,000. updated 12/29/10 *bf updated 12/30/10

Frt and rear springs on my 97 ford taurus broke premature. *tr

Ford has not included the 97 taurus wagon-we have in the front end et. motor cradle, frame failure, in the recall, they have years both sides. i have lost all trade in value on this veh. and it could have been very dangerous, had it not happened in my driveway-- the frame on both sides failed and the car can not be driven, if this had happened on the open road it would have been a disaster/ steering would have been impossible-- they are getting away with this, just by limiting the years covered-- it is happening to all taurus' with the same front frame prob. it has cost me a very good car with only 80k miles on it, and made it impossible to get a trade on a new veh. i still have the car in my yard for inspection, if anyone is interested,which i doubt. i can't afford to get an attorney to fight this, and i think there are many other users in the same boat- poss. some of them injured in accidents because of this, you have my e-mail if another questions need clarifying thanks *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. while the contact was driving at approximately 60 mph using the cruise control, the contact applied the brakes and noticed that the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate. the contact pushed the cruise control deactivation button which stopped the acceleration. there were no warning lights before the failure occurred. the vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealership at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 75,469. updated 05/07/10. *lj updated 07/12/10*jb

The plastic overflow bottle from the radiator keeps failing. i have replaced it 3 times in the past 4 years,was told at parts store they sell about 5 a month between the ford taurus and mercury sable,it is getting costly and ford has no answer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated as he was driving at 65mph the cam shaft fail. the cam shaft slipped into the motor where everything just shuts down. the warning light illuminated and then the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was told he had to replace the motor. the failure mileage was 119,000.

I have a 97 ford taurus gl. the engine caught on fire and the burned rapidly. my family just made it out of the car. i managed to get it away from the house. the house suffered some heat damage. *tr

1997 ford taurus (1996-2005+) brake line failure. the brake lines to the rear of the car have a corrosion problem under the drivers seat, under the car. the lines corrode severely and then burst under pressure. all braking is lost after the fluid leaks out. steel lines were not protected from moisture and have plastic shield that traps water. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus . during brake application at 25 mph the pedal went to the floor. he had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. a mechanic from a local repair facility stated that the brake line was leaking. no repairs were made. the failure and current mileages were 90000.

The gear won't go into park. when its placed in park the vehicle continues to move. i had to call road side assistance because i didn't know what to do. no injuries were cause or the police weren't called. this is dangerous and its a recall for my vehicle. *tr

My door switches in my 97 ford taurus need replaced again. i had all 4 replaced 3 years ago and they keep leaving the dome light on again. having the dome light on at night makes it difficult for me to see. i know there are several other people that are having or have had the same problem, someone should look into it. *tr

Yesterday evening me and my family stopped at a gas station and my girlfriend went into the big apple in canton, maine. she was in there for awhile and i had been sitting in the car with the engine running. i went in the store to see what was taking so long and while i was in there i heard the children screaming. all three of them were in the back seat and the car backed up by itself and i ran out of the store after it. it ran into a telephone pole and i immediately demanded to know who touched the car. nobody had, the car was still in park. it must of backed up about 10 to 15 mph before hitting the pole. if the pole had not of been there the car would of crossed rt. 108 and could of been hit by traffic. my children were so scared they wouldn't get back in the car. *tr

Complete and sudden brake failure. placed foot on brake pedal to reverse car out of parking spot. (would have caused severe injury/damage had i been at highway speed or city maneuvering). pedal went to floor and brake fluid puddled under the car. had car towed to repair facility and brake lines were repaired. mechanic said ford's plastic bracket allowed water/dirt/salt to accumulate and rust through lines. *tr

Automatic transmission going out torque converter seal is leaking smokes because of transmission fluid leaking. *tr

While driving for a fuel fill-up on a heavily-traveled allegheny co (pa) four-lane road (speed approx. 30-35 mph), traffic heavy, i experienced, without prior warning, a sudden total loss of all braking effectiveness. i followed a ford f-250 pickup into the gas station lot and brought my car (1997 ford taurus sdn, 90,000 miles on odometer) to a stop by smashing into the back of the truck. no one was injured. there was extensive damage to the front end of my car; inconsequential damage to the heavy-duty steel rear bumper of the truck. a sizable puddle of brake fluid was observed forming under driver's side fr door of my car, caused by sudden catastrophic rupture of one or more hydraulic brake lines on my car, resulting in total loss of all braking power. my car is now under repair to replace all rusted-out or corrosion-compromised brake system components. what if, instead of 5:15 pm on a saturday, this catastrophic loss of brakes had occurred at 3:15 pm on a school day, with a school bus in front of me disgorging half a bus load of school kids crossing the street in front of me? believe me, the flashing red lights of the school bus would not have caused my car to stop. in over 50 yrs of driving, this is the first time i ever experienced a brake line failure, and i routinely drive a car for 10+ yrs. have the auto mfgrs been permitted to squeeze a few more pennies of profit by adopting a cheaper, less corrosion-resistant grade of steel for the vehicle brake lines? is not the braking system of my '97 supposed to have a redundancy feature to retain some braking effectiveness in the event of loss of one of the lines? the manager of the repair shop where i took the car tells me that brake line replacement has become an increasingly common repair in this part of the snow-and-salt winter driving belt. *tr

I purchased a used 1997 ford taurus on november the 10th of 2008 from a local dealer. on 11/21/08 at approximately 2100 hours my 17 year old daughter was driving the aforementioned vehicle, when for no apparent reason the vehicle suddenly accelerated by it's self. my daughter tried to stop the vehicle by applying both feet to the brake pedal but was unable to stop the vehicle, at this time she decided to jump from the vehicle. after doing so the vehicle climbed a 6 % grade hill approximately 700 feet through a field, before ramping a 6 foot pile of limestone. the vehicle traveled 14 feet through the air before impating the ground. after impacting the ground the vehicle made a right turn and traveled another 1500 feet before impacting a ditch and a tree. witnesses stated the vehicle had to be traveling nearly 90 mph as traveled through the field, the engine was still accelerating after striking the tree. the ignition had to be turned off for the engine to stop accelerating. total distance the vehicle traveled without my daughter in the vehicle was 2190 feet. remember the first 700 feet was up hill through a field (the hill was approximately a 6 % grade). *tr

A progressive deterioration of the front headlight lens. headlight lens is so foggy that visibility is poor enough that it must be replaced. ford says the deterioration is due to automatic car wash soap. however, car was hand washed. the approximate cost for parts alone is $500 as the lens is not sold separately. cars in the junk yard also have same condition. *tr

Frame (motor cradle) rusted right off both sides and let the front end of car drop down- prevented steering very dangerous-- happened in drive way luckily. *tr

Every time i put it in reverse, my radio goes out, my pl, ps, and pw stop working. if i drive longer than 5 - 10 miles, the lights and all electrical start blinking and the ps goes on and off. i almost hit a car along side of me the 1st time it happened, i only drove it out of town one time after that, now i don't drive it out of town at all. even in town if i'm driving all over, it does it. i tried talking to ford corp. and they blew me off, even though i told them nobody knows what it is. help!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. while driving 25 mph, the engine caught fire. the contact pulled over and exited the burning vehicle. the fire department was able to contain the fire. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. there was no sign of lost oil or other fluids. the engine was replaced. the insurance company's investigation concluded that the cause of the failure was due to human error. the contact recently became aware of ford recall number 05s28 and she feels that this could be the cause of her engine fire. a police report was filed. the failure mileage was 97,000.

I purchased my taurus in dec. 2004 needing new heads for the engine. before i could drive it in the cold weather i had to let it idle for about 20 mins or it would slip and i would only be able to go 15mph. mechanic took to transmission shop but they found nothing wrong. i didn't drive the car for six months at a time (2xs) and the transmission is slipping even more now. motor mounts also need repaired since my engine is jerking back and forth when i press on the pedal. the front passenger tire feels like it wants to fall off when driving 70mph on the freeway. my daughter and i are moving from phx.,az to ft. hood,texas to be with my brothers wife while he is in afghanistan. do you think i can at least make it to texas without it stranding us. because with all things aside that car has been through a lot with me. i love my ford! plus i can't afford to buy another one so hopefully this one is going to hang in there. *tr

My car has a electrical prob or something it makes my steering hard and won't let windows roll down and makes all lights in flash. have taken it in to several garages and they can see what's wrong. but do not know what causes it. i have almost been in several accidents. i need help figuring out what this is so i can get it fixed!!!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact noticed a strong gasoline smell and noticed gasoline on the ground under the vehicle. the mechanic stated that three failures were present: the fuel tank, a coolant leak, and brake line corrosion. there were no warning indicators prior to the failures. the vehicle was repaired. the contact would like ford to reimburse him for the cost of the repairs, but they refused. the failure mileage was 123,100 and current mileage was 123,900. updated 04/02/08. *lj

Brake line failure. *tr

Driving at 30mph when i heard a very loud rattle/clanking noise. a few seconds later a piece of left front coil spring snapped and fell off my car. i was <1 mile from home so i picked up the piece and returned safely. i did notice the brakes were going out. once i returned i found my brake fluid line was severed by the coil spring. i have not fixed the car yet. it is parked in my driveway unusable. *tr

1997 ford taurus with anti freeze leak. consumer states she had the cooling system flushed and they replaced the thermostat. dealer told her she needed the engine repaired and it would cost $300 or $400 dollars. *kb the consumer stated when the vehicle was returned to her, it was overheating. the dealer informed the consumer a campaign had been issued for engine corrosion. *jb

Vehicle makes popping noise when turning left or right. sounds as though the noise is generated from tie rods or rack n pinion problem, which have already been replaced/repaired on vehicle. *tr

Power steering intermittent failure; first began when placing shift lever into reverse gear, then later occurred also in forward drive gears. suspect electrical/electronic problem since radio speakers also go silent and power windows do not operate when this occurs. all other fuses working properly. dealer is not yet contacted. *tr

I was driving my car at the time when i heard a loud noise in the front of my car. i was turning left into a parking lot so i wasn't going very fast i stopped and looked at my car and noticed that the left front side of my car was almost sitting on the front tire i was glad that i wasn't on the interstate at the time. i have never had this happen with any of my other cars .i would think the springs are stronger than that. thank god i wasn't going fast.......*jb

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 60 mph, the check engine light illuminated, then smoke came out from under the hood, and the vehicle began to decelerate. a mile later, the engine stalled, the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed liquid dripping from the engine compartment. the vehicle was restarted and was driven to the contacts residence. then, the vehicle would start, but not move. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the sprocket that holds the timing chain came loose and the engine needed to be replaced.

Headlight failure due to faulty light switch. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 35 mph, the transmission failed. the vehicle was pushed to the side of the road then towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not inspected by a mechanic. there was a nhtsa recall, # 97v097000, regarding the automatic transmission. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin.

Dt*: the contact stated the safety belts in the vehicle did not function properly. the front passenger belt did not feed at all. the rear safety belts did not retract at all after being unbuckled. the vehicle was not taken in for service.

Driving south on i-75 at 70 mph. clear day, no rain. car suddenly swerved and did two 360 degree spins beginning in right hand lane and coming to rest in left hand lane facing traffic. tire tread had separated from the tire on the left rear, severely damaging left rear of car. traffic report was made. no repairs yet. *jb

I am the owner of a 1997 ford taurus. i was in clarendon hills, il from july 22nd until july 31st. on july 26th i spent the day driving my car. after i parked my car at the hotel it was an hour later when i heard a loud pop and then a hissing noise. the next day i went down to my car. it was at that time i noticed my car was sunk down. i went to change what i thought was a flat tire and after further investigation i realized something was stuck into the side of it. the coil spring surrounding the strut broke and punctured the tire making it go flat instantly. i spoke to two people that morning that were standing outside and witnessed it the night before. there was no cause for this to happen. it was not being driven. my concern in this matter is that it could have caused serious injury. what if i had driven another hour? i fear it would have caused me to veer off into oncoming traffic. my tire went flat instantly and it would have caused serious injury and possible death. i spent the whole morning calling repair shops. i first became very concerned about this when i called the first repairman and he knew exactly the problem i had. he said he fixes this problem on ford taurus' between two or three times a month. after this i proceeded to call a ford dealership expecting a recall. the gentleman knew nothing of this problem on the ford taurus. i did some research and found out that there have been problems on older and newer models of the taurus with this same problem. my sister and her husband own a 2001 ford taurus and they had a recall on their car for this problem. all that was done was put a shield around the coil spring so that when it does break it does not puncture the tire. ford is aware of the problem. why would they not have a recall and just replace it? i was finally able to get the problem fixed. this incident cost me $700. i do have the old coil spring that broke. i do feel that ford should compensate me. thank you for your help. *nm

Consumer request any recall information on 1997 ford taurus. *ts *nm

1997 taurus heating system failed. this was caused by a failure in the radiator. *ts ***no answer required*** the radiator failed. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to apply brake pressure at 65 mph the brakes went to the floor. when hitting a bump the brakes bounce and the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic replaced the front and rear brakes and the engine light sensor. the manufacturer was alerted.

This incident has happened before the date below but this time i decided to make a complaint after it happened again. when there is a lot of water and you turn right, my car turns off, the battery light comes on and then it makes this squealing noise. and then it starts right back up. i had this checked out but nothing was found wrong with my ford 97 taurus. i've driven through a lot of water going forward in the car and it doesn't turn off or make any noise, just when turning right. i never noticed it when turning left. *jb

Oil pan gasket leaking and replaced on 6-15-02 at 51070 miles under e.s.p oil pan gasket leaking again on 1-11-06 at 87734 miles total cost paid $428.75. *nm

97 ford taurus when in park the car will still roll forward until you apply the brake,there is a recall on this #96s50 local ford dealer was helpful but said my [xxx] could not be found under this recall but the car is doing the same thing as recall states. they said they didn't really no what to do so that's when i called your number and they said i could file a complaint on line .no one has been injured by this yet,but i would really like to get this took care of,any help you could offer would be great. thank you. *jb updated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Service engine light on code#430 and #340. told by pacifico ford i have an emission failure and i need 2 catalytic converters and a cam sensor and cam synchronizer on 1/11/2006 at 89044 miles. the dealer replaced the #2 cam parts under warranty on 11/04/2002 at 55616 miles. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving the vehicle there was a clinking sound that could be heard coming from under the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to firestone were they found the problem to be the subframe had rusted and broken. the vehicle was then taken to the dealership upon inspection the dealership determined the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the vehicle is now parked and no repairs have been made. the manufacturer has been alerted. updated 3/9/2006 - *nm

Overhead dome light shorted out, repaired short, $110.00. three months later the alarm system stopped working, replaced alarm system with 2005, and replaced complete wiring harness. *jb

1while driving 1997 taurus sho at 38672 miles, the vehicle collapsed. the left spring had broken. *ts the incident destroyed the consumer's snow tire. the consumer felt that maybe this is a northeastern problem due to the salt and moisture that causes the spring to deteriorate. ford announced 900000k taurus' from 1999-2001 were being recalled for the problem that the consumer had experienced. *sc

Interior lighting will not turn off, this is a continuous problem with this car as it has been repaired more than once for the same problem. *jb

Dt: the contact stated while driving at 70 mph the contact's vehicle hit a retainer wall. the airbags did not deploy until the vehicle was completely stopped. the vehicle was totaled ,and is currently at a salvage yard. there has been no inspection to see why the airbags malfunctioned. a police report was taken at the scene.*ak

Dt: the contact stated when the vehicle was first started the air big light illuminated. the air bag light blinked four times and then went off for approximately three or four seconds. while the vehicle was running this pattern was repeated over and over. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the problem. *ak

Dt: consumer owns a ford taurus. the headlight lens was not clear, resulting in poor visibility. the cloudiness has become progressively worse in the last 5 years. had to buy 2 new sealed headlights.*ak *nm

I have a 1997 ford taurus lx. i was on my way to las vegas when the transmission began to slip and sometimes not work at all. i had to turn around and head home(in order to not get stranded in vegas) and on the way the transmission started to not work at all. i was forced to drive about 45 mph the whole 3 hours back to my home on the highway. this was very dangerous. i have made numerous calls and everyone i have talked to have said that year taurus has been known to have transmission problems...why does ford not recall the transmission?*jb

I own a 97 ford taurus wagon, i purchased it used from a non ford dealer in 2000 with 43,900 miles on it. in may 2001 i had to have a new transmission put in at 54,000. miles. now in august 2005 at 112,000 miles another transmission has to be put in. i definitely think there is some type of problem or defect with the transmissions if the car is not even 10 yrs old & is going on it's 3rd transmission. ford did replacement of the previous transmission, told me it was a new one. *jb

Right front coil spring broke and punctured tire. ford has a recall for taurus model years 1999-2001 for this exact failure. i believe ford should expand the recall to include earlier model years. i was lucky, it could have happened on open highway.

Dt: brake line rubbed the bracket that the shifting rod runs through, which wore a hole, and caused the brakes to fail.*ak *nm *nm

Right front coil spring broke and punctured tire. ford has a recall for taurus model years 1999 - 2001 for this exact failure. as this is a critical failure mode, i believe ford should expand the recall to include earlier model years.

Dt: consumer has 40000 miles on vehicle and vehicle had to 3 transmissions. consumer was driving to florida on the interstate and the vehicle stopped. vehicle was towed because it would not pull. this was at 27, 000 miles. at 40000 miles the vehicle was leaking transmission fluid in the garage. vehicle is in garage to have the power steering rack replaced, when consumer was told that the leak was transmission fluid he needed a new transmission. vehicle has been to dealer often for different repairs. consumer was told that there was no warranty. consumer has had all recalls repaired on vehicle. dealer told consumer that there may be something else in car causing transmission to fail. vehicle is driven less than 4000 miles a year. vehicle was purchased used with about 20,000 miles. consumer owned vehicle for 6 years. same dealer has done all repairs on vehicle, except one transmission because vehicle broke down in lima, ohio. this was done by ford dealership.*ak

1997 ford taurus experiencing problems with the power steering. *mr the power steering had gone out due to the wrong automatic transmission fluid being placed in the vehicle. *sc *jb

I am the owner of a 1997 taurus. approximately one week ago, the brakes failed completely while i was exiting off a highway; the pedal went all the way down to the floor. since i was relatively close to home, i drove cautiously back to my house, after which i called a tow truck the take the car to my mechanic. a couple of hours later i received a call from the shop informing me that the entire brake line system was rusted & rotted away and that the fluid had completely leaked out. the mechanic said in his 20 years he had never seen a brake line system rust so completely in such a young car. in fact, he said, it should basically last the life of the car, never needing to be replaced. after all was said and done, the job cost almost $800. i asked to see the old lines and couldn?t believe how rusted and rotted they had become. there was no protective sheathing on the lines. i feel that i should be reimbursed for these repairs since it should have never have happened in the first place. the mechanic did mention that he had recently been seeing a lot of young ford models coming in with the same problem or rusting and failing brake line systems. also, while searching the national highway traffic safety administration website for similar defects, i found complaints lodged about the rotting of the hard tubing, causing the brake lines to burst. in these cases, the cars were 1997 taurus?. my mechanic fixed the entire line system, completely replacing any old parts with new, custom made tubes. i kept the old tubing just so i can show ford what their cars are relying on for stopping. the entire job came to almost $800.*ak

Air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on while driving. driver took vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic stated that the problem could not be duplicated. *ak

On my 1997 ford taurus the driver side door will sometimes fail to latch. especially during the winter months. *jb

While the vehicle was parked in the driveway it commenced to roll forward and hit the garage door. dealer was notified, and informed the consumer that this vehicle was not covered under a recall.*ak

My fiancee's head gasket is blown on her 1997 ford taurus (spelling). is this normal because the mechanic that we went to said "oh i bet i know what is wrong with this car. i bet the headgasket is blown." how long is this head gasket supposed to last. she only has 140,000 miles on her car and does regular maintanence on it.*ak

The transmission in the consumer's 1997 ford taurus failed. *bf the gears and bearings were eaten up and the vehicle would not go from first to second gear. *nm

I have experience the same lost of power steering and brakes,i have also notice that when i turn my wheel it makes a squeaking sound.had the car checked was told it needed to be lubed.had it lubed car is still doing the same thing.a coworker has a 1997 ford taurus like my car and they are experencing the same noises. please advise if this problem is common. *ak

The seat belt in my vehicle randomly comes unfastened when i am driving. even when i pull on the belt after fastening the buckle and it seems secure, it sometimes still pops out. *ak

While the consumer was inspecting his vehicle, he found the subframe has rusted out. the consumer contacted the dealer and the manufacturer. both confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. *nm

I was involved in a one car accident with some stone guard rails on route 18 north in eatontown, new jersey. my seat belt release on impact and sent me flying to the passenger side of the car on top of my boyfriend. also the air bags never deployed. and we hit the gurad rails at 65 mph. i would like to hear something back from someone at the ford headquarters. because my boyfriend and i could hav lost ours lives due to the defects of this car. the car is totaled out. andmy boyfriend only walked away with a bruised shoulder and whiplash, while i on the other hand had a concussion, whiplash and various muscle strains. i thank my god . *ak

1. steering and power completely failed suddenly while driving after only two weeks after buying car 2. had repaired at dealership where we bought it,something about module, 3. after about 4 mo. started same problem again, no response from dealer or ford about my concerns,caused my daughter to hit a tree damaging car heavily and causing my daughter to hit her head resulting in headaches 4. had car repaired from accident and let it go back because i was afraid to drive it 5. now we're being constantly harassed by ford motors lawers weltman,weinberg & reis 323 lakeside ave. cleveland 44113-1099, phone216.739.5081 with garneshments now they trying to get our social security. *nm

The consumer was unable to change gears. it was determined the transmission was no longer operable. *jb

Vehicle moving down a hill. power brakes and steering lost power,engine still running, but no power to brakes or steering. finally stopped vehicle with no incident. turned off vehicle and restarted, power to brakes and steering restored.*ak took to service.replacement was made to camshaft sensor. problem seemed to have been corrected, but returned about 6 mos. later...same circumstances,only in first incident, check engine light had been appearing intermittently.

Consumer stated that while driving vehicle stopped. first, had it towed to his home. consumer will have vehicle towed to a dealer later. transmission failed. after vehicle stopped consumer turned it off and turned it back on. when he turned it back on and tried to put the vehicle in gear, it would not go into gear. *ak

While driving and upon pressing the brakes vehicle accelerated. the only way consumer could stop the vehicle was to put the vehicle in neutral. however, the last time she did that the vehicle accelerated at full speed. there were no accidents or injuries. took vehicle to the mechanic. however, the problem recurred. *ak

This complaint was filed via e-mail. three days after purchasing and installing four new tires, one of the tires went flat, and a pin hole leak was found in the sidewall, near the bead. two months later, made a left turn too wide and clipped a curb. this resulted in front right tire looking like it was cut in multiple places through the plys in the sidewall. at the same time, the right rear tire showed a bubble in the sidewall. pep boys implied there was no defect on these tires, and offered no warranty coverage. cooper, futura plus touring se. *ak the consumer has the defective tires in his possession. *nm

While braking at a stop sign, the vehicle accelerated and lurched forward into the rear bumper of another vehicle. *jb

While driving traffic light was changing, went to pump the brakes, the brakes failed. the only way to stop the vehicle was to pull the emergency brake lever. brake line completely rusted from the front to the back. *ak

When driving the transmission failed and the consumer lost power. the consumer pulled over and had the vehicle towed. please provide more information. *jb *er *jb

The consumer received a recall regarding front coils springs which could potentially fracture when operated in high corrosion areas. *nm *sc the consumer had to wait 5 months before getting the vehicle repaired. the dealer would only replaced the coil spring if they cracked. *jb

Brake line burst on 2 different ford cars in same week! and in both cases it was rot, and in both cases it was the hard tubing, not the hoses. one a 1997, so it was only 7 years old. brake line rotted enough to burst during firm stop. the new abs style brake lines are dangerously thinner than the older style brake lines. they also seem to have electrostatic properties that cause premature rotting in some cases. the piece that broke was much more rotted than the other pieces attached the holding clips actually causes more rotting because water collects in the open space where it hold the thinner brake line. it is extremely dangerous that these brake lines are being made much thinner. also on the 1997 ford taurus the brake lines hang down lower than other suspension in the middle and present a hazard during winter when cars may be driven across frozen snow. ford engineers need to go back to school. brake line tubing walls must be made thicker. i have had many cars and driven them over 100k miles each and never had a brake line burst for rot before. this car broke at around 80k i think. date is approximate...i'm not going to look up the repair bill right now. ford could easily be number one if they stop doing stupid things like this.*ak

Speedometer would stop operating and vehicle would stall after driving two miles. vehicle had been to several repair shops. each mechanic could not determine the problem. they informed consumer that it might be the catalytic converter or the oxygen sensor . *ak

Vehicle stalls momentarily and then suddenly jumps into gear while driving. the transmission was replaced 14 months ago at a cost to me of $2684 and now i'm told it needs to be replaced. *ak

Air bags did not deploy when consumer's vehicle hit a telephone pole. *mr *sc *jb

Transmission problems with 1997 taurus wagon.*mr one of the bearings in the transmission failed and damaged the entire transmission. *nm

Consumer stated that vehicle made a clumping noise. consumer took the vehicle to a mechanic, and he heard the noise, but could not tell from where the noise was coming. consumer felt that the noise was coming from the front of the vehicle.*ak

When consumer was exiting the freeway engine check light came on and vehicle stopped. then, smoke started to come from under the hood, and vehicle started to make a noise. from that point on each time vehicle cut off, restarted, and moved a bit. afterwards, vehicle cut off and consumer restarted it until he got home. then, had it towed to a private mechanic, who told him that the sprocket came loose. mechanic attempted to repair the vehicle, but could not because the labor and parts would cost about $6000.00 - $8000.00. consumer told mechanic not to bother because he could not afford it. he had the vehicle towed back to his home. *ak the cam shaft was broken, 2 cylinders went bad, the transmission was affected, the vehicle would stall possibly due to the coil packs and the struts went bad. *sc

While driving consumer heard a noise from the front of the vehicle. consumer drove it home and parked it. the next day consumer noticed that the passenger's side tire was deflated. consumer was able to change the tire, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that passenger's side coil spring sheared off and punctured the tire in the process. *ak

L997 ford taurus wagon. 60k miles. treated with kid gloves and had the fluid changed at 60k in the transmission. within 200 miles the trans went out. if i hadn't noticed leakage it likely would have stopped with a dangerous circumstance happening as a result...i.e. heavy traffic, pulling out into traffic, etc. *jb

While driving it was hard to shift gears/steer the vehicle. the brake and tail lights failed to work. *ak the electrical system was intermittent, the radio would go off when the steering wheel was turned and when the vehicle was in drive. the problem would start when the vehicle was in park, reverse, or neutral. the seat belt light flickered on and off without cause. *sc *jb

Random changes in the windshield wiper speed, regardless of setting. hazard signals failed or only one side flashing. turn signal failure (of exterior and interior console lights). failure of interior lighting to turn off after doors closed. failure of power windows (all four). short in electrical system resulting in required replacement of gem module. turn signal/wiper controls replaced. gem module replaced.*ak

The car was parked. i started the car, stepped on the brakes and it went to the floor. i looked under the car and saw oil leaking about a foot forward of the drivers side rear tire. *la

1997 ford taurus. car began rough idling at cold start. after warming up would run fine. took to mechanic twice. they did not know problem said it was safe to drive. car only had 80,000 miles on it at the time. car eventually started losing anti-freeze (not leaking, just turning up low every couple of days), exhaust fumes heavy, white smoke from exhaust, gas mileage terrible. i took to my uncle, a mechanic in another city and he knew what it was immediately. as i suspected, head gasket. will cost $800-1000 to repair. this is my second ford. other was a 1995 ford escort. after two transmissions and a cracked engine it died two years ago for good. i'm a sigle mom and this is only transportation. cannot afford a new car yet. but it will not be a ford when i can. ford has changed and is not the same as it used to be. ford does not care about the consumer. *ak

I have two essentially identical 19'97 ford automobiles; a taurus and a sable. on the taurus i just had the gas tank replaced because the mechanic said and showed me that it was leaking at the seams. i not ice now a gasoline smell coming from the sable.. based on two out of two vehicles, i believe that there might be a general problem with ford gas tanks leaking. *ak

While driving at any speed abs light appeared on the dashboard. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. *ak the check engine soon had also come on. the consumer stated that the lights would come on intermittently, both at different times. *sc

While pulling forward both frontal air bags deployed. this caused driver to burn his hand, and the windshield to break. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and dealer was unable to resolve the problem. *ak

While driving at any speed the fuel tank leaked. the consumer was concerned that the vehicle would catch fire. please provide additional information. *jb

Ignition switch locked. as a result, the key was unable to come out of the ignition. *ak

Air compressor appears to be one of the experimental units with no replacement new or remake . 1997 taurus air compressor is cracked it is a shame the ford motor co. can get away with these sort of things the 1997 taurus is a ford lemon. ford make right your big goof i am sure if the public knew of this the 1997 taurus would have no resale value. *ak

The steering wheel makes a noise when i turn right at times. i haven?t had it fixed yet. sometimes my window on the drivers front won?t roll down. it hasn?t been fixed. the car wouldn?t go forward when you had to stop at a stop sign or light. the transmission has been fixed. the forward clutch piston had to be changed. i couldn?t drive it further as it wouldn?t go forward after i stopped.

Transmission going out at such a low mileage, serpentine belt failure,cam sensor & false distributor shaft, & multi-functional switch in steering column

I am sending a copy of a letter i sent to various news stations and agencies. it?s in regard to a problem that arose concerning my ford car. i purchased a 1997 ford taurus in march 1997 from springfield ford in delaware county. the car came with a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty. in march of 2000 i purchased an extended warranty for three more years at the cost of $1,000. in july 2000, with less than 30,000 miles, the transmission failed and had to be overhauled. if i ?didn?t? purchase the warranty it would have cost me in excess of $2,000. well, the extended warranty ran out on 3-31-03. on 5-21-03 the transmission went again. it is going to cost $2,800 to replace. the car is six years old and has less then 50,000 miles on it. i have talked to several certified mechanics that all agree that this shouldn?t have happen. either ford co. has a bad transmission for this type taurus or the problem was never fixed right the first time. when i contacted ford h.q. they hadn?t heard of any problems with their transmissions. and springfield ford said there?s nothing they can do, even after i mentioned we have bought three cars in six years from them, it really didn?t matter. in conclusion, i just wanted to say that i have five kids at home and really don?t have $2,800 lying around. if this is the way one of america?s biggest corporations stands behind their products, well now i know why people are buying imported cars and from now on myself and my family will be one of them. thanks for your time, any help or feedback you could give me a call would be greatly appreciated. sincerely, michael bowes phone # home- (610) 449-8684 \t# work- (610) 789-0898

Cracked forward piston in trans. i have a`97,,,wasn`t that problem fixed?

Bought 97 taurus with 53,000 miles in 03-2001 at a dodge dealership, with extended warranty [chrysler 24/24]. took in for oil leak 3,000 miles after purchase. oil pan gasket repair work was said to be done. approx. 8,000 miles after that, i took car in again for oil leak and possible coolant leak. again gasket repairs were suppossedly done; no report or repair on suspected coolant leak. approximately 9,000 miles after that, car breaks down on fwy; will not crank/turn over. had car towed to same dealership; reported findings were: no coolant in radiator, coolant in oil basket, no compression. extended warranty expired 2 months prior to break down. they say the previous complaints aren't related to present problem. i feel the repair work each time i took the car in for service was incomplete, overlooked, or mis diagnosed.

Right rear window won't always close after opening. transmission slips during low speed starts through intersection or parking lot. feels like it is in neutral. then when transmission engages, it suddenly lurches chirpping the tires.

Service engine light will not turn off...transmission has been replaced and repaired and is now needing repair again...tires from normal wear...brakes from normal wear...

We have had to replace the transmission three times since we have had the car. it first went out four months after we got the car. we got this car in may of 2001 from ugly duckling car sales now known as drivetime. this car is definitely a lemon. i think it has been in some major accidents....

F you can reference the "car talk" article from july 2002 it explains my problems to a "t". numerous mechanics replied to the article and "car talk" relayed that info to me. my taurus was 5 years old when the problems started. my driver's side back window started cutting out at times. then my radio started cutting out only when turning right. then when in reverse and so on till it didn't work. my wipers also had problems at times. all these were miner till my power steering started cutting out. that is the time i saw this article and got the info that the transmission sensor was the problem. ford refused to do anything or admit that there was a trend. i got the sensor replaced by one mechanic who stated he had many ford cars on which he replaced the sensors, all the same years- 97-98s. unfortunately, he did not replace the connector piece and the problems returned. i then paid the big bucks and had a dealer replace the piece. they, of course, said that was not the problem and wanted to do all this testing. i showed them all the documentation on what i found and what "car talk" sent me. i have had no problems since getting it replaced. i am incensed that ford would not recall a piece that allows your power steering to go out. if a recall occurs, i would love to be part of it. i am out 300$.

In june of 2003 i bought my 1997 ford taurus with only 97,000 miles, from a used car dealership. in sept. of 2003 it began to leak transmission fluid and so i got that fixed and then in october i went to back out of my drive way and my car wouldn't go. i was able to push it out and found out thatit would still go foward. i drove it to my grandmother's house down the road to have it looked at and all of a sudden the steering tightened and i couldn't turn. now my car doesn't run at all. it is the first and only car i have ever owned.*ak

The instrument panel will display the "door ajar" warning icon and the dome light will remain on while operating the vehicle. after exiting and securing the vehicle, the dome light will remain on for an indefinate amount of time. the problem is intermittent but can continue to malfunction for a week-at-a-time and not have a recurrence for up to a month. dealer told me that unless i could localize the source of the failure, they could not begin to solve the problem.*ak

(1) intermittently, radio turned off when backing up or during forward turn. (2) while driving, seatbelt light began flashing with seat belt fastened, then power steering failed and radio turned off simultaneously (3) vehicle was towed to mechanic who one month previously fixed same problem on 1997 taurus by changing the park-neutral switch. *ak

The air conditioner compressor motor froze up causing the serpentine belt to snap. i have bought 2 different belts and the have both snapped in two. there is no way to bypass this problem and the part must be replaced in a shop. *jb

I have advised ford motor co of a potentially dangerous condition identical to condition found in recall # 97v-097nsa-111paw, ford # 97s75. the only difference is that transmission fluid leaking from the servo cover is caused by the cover becoming perforated by rust. this on a 1997 ford taurus which has been well taken care of but driven in vermont & new hampshire where salt is used during winter snows. ford motor co declined any participation because my car doesn't fall into the production category of the recall. the symptoms and leaking of oil against the catalytic convertor when driving are the same as those described in the recall. to this end, the first rust through problem occured with the oil cooler line which rusted out previously and have been replaced. just a few weeks ago the metal tube from the heater to the rear of the engine began leaking from rustout and had to be replaced. i assure you this car is no "rust bucket" i am a fully certified (in all subjects) niase mechanic and know wherefrom i speak. there are a lot of these taurus models operating in new england and i'm certain mine is not the only one with these rust problems. the vin # [xxx] transmission data plate: [xxx] oil pan reads: axod metric engine: 3.0l date of manufacture: 8/97. *jb updated 08/03/2012 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

3 different seat belts on this vehicle have seized up -- completely failed -- in the 6 years we have owned the car. the seat belts lock in place, and are then non-functioning. we are about to replace that third broken seat belt.*ak

When the consumer released the brake the vehicle bolted backwards and struck a building. *ph the consumer found out the a recall was issued for 1997 taurus' for the automatic transmission, however his vehicle was not included. *nm

The vehicle hydro planed while making a right turn at 40 mph on a wet road. as a result the consumer lost control of the vehicle, and impacted a guard rail head on. upon impact, none of the frontal air bags deployed. the consumer sustained serious thumb injuries when it came in contact with the steering wheel, and required surgery. the vehicle was totaled. *ak *sc

While driving 15 mph consumer heard a noise coming from the engine compartment. consumer took vehicle to an independent shop ,who could not find the cause of the problem. consumer checked the vehicle, and determined that the motor mount bolts sheared off. *ak *la

While driving at 40 mph vehicle was involved in a head on collision. upon impact, air bags did not deploy. *ak *sc *jb

Clear coat finish was bubbling and pealing off. *ph 1997 ford taurus experiencing problems with the body paint bubbling up and peeling off. consumer is concerned about the appearance of the vehicle as well as the rust that will develop on vehicle in the spots where the paint is gone.*mr

Defective steering column in a 1997 ford taurus. request a defect investigation. *ph prior to the incident, the red light had come on the dash which indicated a problem with the battery and the steering locked up on two separate occasions. the previous owners of the vehicle experienced four incidents of steering lock up. *scc *jb

While driving vehicle stopped accelerating, jerked backward, then forward. this was caused by internal automatic transmission failure, per the dealership. transmission was replaced, but the failure recurred. *ak *sc

Ltr fm m.l. moody (tx) re defective steering column in a 1997 ford taurus, requests a defect investigation . *mr the red light had come on the dash which had indicated a problem with the battery and the steering column locked on two separate occasions. the owner of the repair shop stated the steering locked up four times. the consumer requested reimbursement for the mechanical error. *scc *jb

While driving 65 mph driver's side and passenger's side air bags inadvertently deployed. consumer managed to pull over. police informed the consumer it was safe to drive the vehicle home. dealership was notified but the problem was not resolved.*ak

The vehicle's passenger side seat belt locks in place which enables the passenger to pull it out. the seat belt has been repaired three times. please provide additional information. *ph

The dashboard is separating in layers from the frame of the instrument panel. there is tsb 00203 concerning this problem. also, the consumer is having problems with the abs light coming on and staying on. *ak

Fuel pump shut off switches off by itself for unknown reason while driving at various speeds. this caused vehicle to stall. vehicle was driven to a local repair shop, and they informed consumer that the fuel pump shut off switch should only operate when the vehicle was involved in a crash. *ak

Vehicle has a major problem with cooling and heating system.*mr five months after purchase the heater became defective. at this time the vehicle was under warranty for consumer absorbed not cost. the failure occurred six times over the past years. the episode became more unsafe and extremely inconvenient. on july 26,2003 the defective radiator sprung a leak. consumer stated ford should recall the vehicle and should be given another vehicle at a big discount price in 1999. *ph *nlm

Firestone p205/65r15 peeled and shredded on the rear of my 1997 ford, taurus and caused extensive damage to the rear driver side of car.*ak

Reimbursement request for repairs performed on defective radiator. *mr there was one front tire separation with a knot, and the radiator was inoperative. (bridgestone weatherizer) *scc *jb

While driving and coming to a complete stop, the automatic transmission didn't shift properly. it would shift from drive to neutral and make loud noise. *ak the consumer's wife was driving when the incident occurred leaving her in a precarious position. by jiggling the shift lever, she was able to shift into reverse then into drive. this had been a common problem for 1991-1998 models. ford would not take responsibility. *scc *jb

Cruise control does not turn off with brake or off button. engine continues to try to make the car go 65 mph while trying to slow down. cruise control will not disengage. have not used cruise control since original incident. *jb

The vehicle's fuel pump wires arched which could have caused a fire in the vehicle. please provide additional information. *nlm fuel pump had to be replaced. *ph

19'97 taurus, like many of the ford & other product lines, have the gas filler pipe on the starboard side. with the fuel delivery system almost completely gone to self-serve, this ?!@#$% arrangement generates confusion in busy service stations leading to a great potential for fuel spills and fires. all cars, even if they think the european location is "cute" should be mandated to have fuel fill pipe location on the port side of the vehicle. reduce confusion. increase safety. *ak

1997 ford taurus - 3.0l v6 ohv type u tensioner puller seized up while driving on highway - result: serpentine belt sheared off the tension pulley assembly. pulley and belt needed to be replaced, engine overheated due to water pump not running because no belt was operating the pump due to the tensioner pulley seizing. mechanics stated that they have to replace this item on the 3.0 l v6 engine and subsequent damage to other items within the engine compartment on 4 to 5 cars per week. (the brake shop - centerville, in). *ak

The turn signals and flashers were inoperative. *ak the dealer found both fuses pulled and flashers disconnected. *scc *jb

"service engine soon" light came on (2nd time) first time ford dealership did full transmission flush($125) to see if corrected problem. two months later (on long drive), warning came on again. took to dealership and said it was a transmission code that needed the transmission dropped to determine cause ($300). they told me that (even though the transmission was working ok) that the transmission was having a complete and total failure. all parts and components were either scorched or failed when tested and recommended a total rebuild ($2862) or purchase a ford rebuilt one ($2756). i said this was unacceptable for a car with 39,400 miles on it. they said they could do nothing and i contacted ford motor company. they sounded interested but would not back up their product due to being out of warranty. (so much for the quality one - customer care moto). reading other complaints this is a very common problem in the ford taurus over the years. we had a 1994 taurus that had transmission problems to the tune of $1,100. needless to say this is my last ford product and they wonder why people by foreign vehicles!. when i told the dealership to put the car back together that i can get a rebuilt transmission from 2 other transmission sources (used parts for $1400) or new rebuilt parts for $2030), they then said "let me see if there is any last thing my management will do" of course when put on the spot to lose business and respectability they lowered their price to $2281 for a ford rebuilt one. i am still concerned since a lot of others say they had failures with their 2nd one too! it comes with a 3/36,000 warranty. i cannot believe that this day and age that the consumer should be responsible for the total repair costs when known defects occur. a safety recall should be looked into as some transmissions have separated and locked up causing immediate stoppage of vehicle like slamming on brakes.*ak

Have been leaking transmission fluid. had the fittings replaced. corrected problem for 1 day. mechanic stated the transmission lines are leaking and will need replaced. we have been having difficulty locating the lines due to the fact that the part has been corrected several times and there is still a problem with the lines. now i'm having problems with the transmission and shifting. the transmission is banging into gear. bought the car used in 2000. when i changed the transmission fluid and filter discovered that the transmission is not the original. my car was manufacturedin september 1996 and the transmission, according to the numbers on it, was manufactured in 1998. had a 1994 taurus and the transmission completely went out of it and i traded in for this 1997. i will definitely not buy another taurus or ford product.

The vehicle experienced grinding noise on the rear passenger side. the brake rotors could not be resurfaced because they were too thin. the consumer felt that the elimination of the warning indicator on the rear brake pads could pose a hazard because sudden brake failure could occur without warning. *ph *cb *nlm

1997 ford tarus has brake problems. began with shaking of steering wheel when brakes applied at exits off of interstate. after 3 attempts from jan 99 thru oct 01 to get the local ford dealer to repair under warranty i had them semi- repaired at a local just brakes repair shop where i was told that calipers weren't releasing. still have brake noise as if calipers are not fully releasing. *ak

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the speedometer has failed, causing a distraction to the consumer. deale notified. *ak

Consumer states engine lost all power due transmission fluid leaking. vehicle is now on third transmission repair. *ak

The pump that is attached to the transmission is aluminum and is causing the part to fail and overheat. while the vehicle is in drive it will not move at all and will accelerate without prior warning.*ak

1997 ford taurus only 100000 miles and is having transmission problems. *ak

The automatic transmission failed to shift properly. *jb when coming to a complete stop at a stop light, etc., the transmission disengages, especially to the overdrive position. the vehicle won't move unless the vehicle revved. the problem can immediately be corrected by turning off the engine in park and restarting. this problem usually will occur 3-4 time per day. the dealer cannot duplicate. *scc

Transmission failure,keeps slipping and shifting up and down while drivingat 65mph. it will shift down to second gear.*ak

1997 ford taurus wagon. over the past two months, the vehicle stopped dead in traffic 5 times at various speeds with no advance warning. it would not restart. the fuse to the fuel pump repeatedly blew, but no other problems were evident each time the car was towed to the garage. the engine would run roughly, stall, and surge, but the problem was intermittent, and gradually became worse. the mechanic suspected a problem with the fuel system. an investigation revealed that a wire to the fuel pump inside the fuel tank had its insulation worn off down to the bare wire, and had shorted out. other wires also show signs of wear, but are not yet worn through. i have digital pictures of the wires. the wires were damaged due to the way the fuel pump was assembled within the gas tank. this is an obvious manufacturing defect and is not limited to only our car. ford has issued 3 tsb's relating to this problem (98251, 5226, and 12189) and i have also found several related complaints in the nhtsa database (odi id 549996, 707889, 713208, 807546, 838030, 853283, 879245, 10018293, and 8012733). i am concerned that this problem could not only cause complete vehicle failure (loss of power steering and brakes) at any speed, but also that the possibility of a spark inside the gas tank is not out of the question. this wiring problem should be investigated as a possible cause for any ford taurus fires, or accidents involving loss of power. we are convinced that this is a manufacturing defect and that the possibility of more related accidents increases as current vehicles age. ford evidently is aware of this problem, or they would not have revised the wiring harness and given special installation instructions to their technicians. *nlm

While driving aprox 30 miles an hour without any collision or impac both of the air bags deployed..*ak

The transmission leaked a liquid substance which caused the vehicle to jerk and made the gears difficult to switch. *jb

While traveling at highway speeds, all the dash lights illuminated and the engine shut off. the mechanic stated the wiring harness was routed in a way were it caused friction and wore out the installation which caused the wires to be exposed. *jb

Premature engine and component failure due to faulty head gaskets. engine and transmission failed at less than 55,000 miles.

While parking and applying the brakes the vehicles airbags deployed without warning. the dealer was notified. *nlm

My air bags deployed without impact causing my windshield to smash and passenger window to blow off the track. my insurance will not cover it because there was no accident. ford motor company will not stand behind their product even though it is very evident that it was a malfunction. *jb

The vehicles interior lights and door ajar chime came on and stayed on after the vehicle was started. *nlm

The engine coolant reservoir over flowed. *nlm

Nar 3-10-03 information request on behalf of ford motor companies about a complaint sent to them from the consumer about passenger side airbags coverage. ford requested a written explanation to resolve matters. *cb the consumer stated air bag deployed when the vehicle hit a pole traveling at 2- 25 mph. during the process of repairing the air bag, the repair shop stated the passenger air bag did not deploy because it was defective. *jb

The driver side door did not shut completely. *nlm

The driver's seat belt did not lock up when the brakes were applied, also the seat belt un-buckled without being disengaged.*jb

Ice landed on top of the vehicle's roof, which caused the airbags to deploy. *jb

The vehicle experienced a sudden jolt when a left or right turn was made. *ts *jb

1997 taurus with 75000 miles, bought new. transmission began slipping into neutral when coming to a stop. then would either bang into gear when accelerating, or would have to place the car in park, turn off the engine, restart the engine, and place it in drive. often all would be fine for 2-3 weeks, then the transmission would act up again. after three or four months of this the transmission began slipping when accelerating from a dead stop. there are no unusual noises, the transmission fluid is clean and full, and the transmission appears to shift fine once i get going. i called ford motor company and they have no recalls or known defects (of course). the dealer urged me not drive the car and bring it into the shop right away. he said it would likely cost between $1300 and $2600 to repair. *jb

Consumer states that when they were hit on the front passenger side of the vehicle the air bag did not deploy causing minor injuries to the consumer. dealer notified. *mr the consumer was involved in a head on collision. before the crash a complete repair kit was placed in the vehicle but the air bag failed to deploy. *scc

The "service engine soon" light came on and was diagnosed at a local auto parts store with code 402 that showed excessive flow in the egr system. i removed the egr valve and tube from the engine and inspected the components. the egr valve was extremely clean and did not show any leakage through the valve when it was closed. the tube leading from the exhaust manifold to the egr valve was also extremely clean. the battery was disconnected to reset the indicator light. two days later, the indicator light illuminated again. the vehicle was taken to clarke ford in hudson, ohio for repairs. the vehicle was tested by a mechanic who found the same results. i was charged for two labor hours for replacement of the dpfe sensor and trouble shooting. i told the dealer that i wished to keep the old parts. when i reviewed the old part with the mechanic, excessive corrosion was present in the hose of the sensor. the mechanic and service writer informed me that ford no longer manufactures the sensor from metal and the replacement is plastic to prevent the corrosion. the service writer proceeded to show me the print out that displayed the replacement information. i had been to clarke ford on two consecutive days before this automobile was serviced to schedule the appointments for service on two vehicles and to drop the vehicles for servicing. while i was speaking with the service writer, no less than 5 other customers received the same news of a bad dpfe sensor. the service writer informed me that this failure was very common. i feel that this situation needs further investigation since the problem appears to be so widespread and has a new style replacement part to fix the corrosion problem. *jb

The power window motor in my mothers ford taurus went out, and the interrior dome light stays on at times. these are both problems that i have heard almost all taurus owners have had, and i believe there should be a recall.

Cam sensor, cam synchronizer broken = ford taurus 1997 = known faulty part. mileage: 36,806. ford is well aware that the taurus, 1997 year only, has a faulty cam sensor, whose magnet falls down off the cap and into the cam synchronizer destroying it. when my mechanic called ford w/ the computer code that came off my car, he was told by ford that the 1997's have a problem with the cam. ford told him that, but when i called the customer assistance center today in detroit, they could not access this information! they said since i had not used a dealership i was out of luck w/ any kind of reimbursement. so ford is well aware that they installed a faulty part in the '97's. i have the broken part in my possession. i do not use the local dealership, s & c ford, because they never get anything right the first time. they are like working with laurel and hardy, sweet but inept. i got to know them during my warranty period for this vehicle. this repair was done by my automobile club recommended mechanic, allied engine & auto repair, san francisco, last evening between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., ie. after my working hours & i was able to pick up the car on the way to work this a.m. - a service not available from the dealer. total out of pocket: cam sensor $55, cam synchronizer $124, labor 98 = $277 i seek reimbursement for this amount from ford.

Vehicle would not accelerate from a stopped position without shaking violently. 57500 miles at the time, $1900 to fix it. *ak ****dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*****749177.

The vehicle shut down due to a hole inside of plug of the engine compartment causing fuel to leak. please fill in additional information. dealer is aware of the problem. ph

The forward clutch metal band gave out causing the transmission not to move or shift into gear. please fill in additional information. dealer is aware of the problem. ph

When gear shift is in reverse or drive,power steering goes off, radio sound goes off and the power windows will not go up or down. what could cause this problem i have contacted ford they would check into the problem, but have not had it repaired yet

Vehicle jerks heavily and the engine light comes on. dealer has been notified. ph

Driver seatbelt status, door shut status not working properly. seatbelt light is on even when wearing seatbelt, and "door open" light, interior light stay on even when door is closed.

"service engine soon" light came on, then transmission failed. dealer replaced transmission under service plan.

The front right sidewall split causing a blow out. please provide any additional information. ts

While in motion, consumer pressed on the accelerator to merge into traffic. the accelerator pedal stuck in the downward position. consumer pressed again, hoping the pedal would disengage itself but to no avail. *jg *jb

General ameri g45 p205/65r15 92t driving at 65mph when the shaking become more pronounced, i had trouble maintaining control overthe car--managed to pull the car to the side of the road--noticed that the tire was not flat but the tread had separated

While traveling on the highway without prior warning the vehicle transmission slips the dealership is aware of the problem., ts

Transmission gear shift will not engage from park, found a broken shift control cable, replaced. ignition key turns and does not start car, problem in steering column, rr steering column and replaced link from ignition switch to lock cylinder.

The consumer interior light appear on the dashboard and will not go off the dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Consumer stated the heater failed. ts *jb

Tread separation cause the vehicle to loose control.

While driving the vehicle at 45mph automatic transmission broke down, causing to pull the vehicle out of the road. dealer has been notified. please provide additional information. ts

While traveling at 30 mph the vehicle hit another vehicle on it's front side yet none of vehicles airbags deployed. the dealer has been contacted. *ts *nlm

Engine is ticking. took vehicle to dealer ,and stated that motor needed replacing. please provide any further information.*ak

While standing still at light and without warning vehicle shutdown and became inoperable. dealer has been notified.*ak

Consumer states that the vehicle has problems with the windshield motor wiper also states that the dealer has been notified. *mrwhile operating on high or low speed, will go to interval wiper mode. consumer has taken vehicle to the dealer several times. finally, the dealer was able to duplicate the problem and a switch was installed. some time after the repair, the problem started again, this time not as often. *jg

Consumer states that after putting keys into the ignition to start vehicle, keys got stuck as a result of the ignition switch locking up. contacted dealer. had part replaced dealer unable to remove keys.*jb

The coolant is leaking from underneath the vehicle. the engine has rusted and the water pump is warped. the dealership is aware of the problem.*jb

While stopping at a light and without any indication vehicle would stall. dealer has been contacted. please provide further information.*ak

Without any indication vehicle jumped into neutral at highway speed. dealer has been contacted. please provide further information. *ak

Transmission would intermittently slip from drive to neutral while driving. dealer was notified, and unable to duplicate the problem. *ak *jb

While driving 55 mph brake failed to operate. vehicle towed to dealer. they informed consumer master brake cylinder was the problem. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states that while driving at any speed on flat surface and no warning the power steering will lock up then disengage and it is causing it to be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. dealer notified. mr

Transmission was replaced on two separate occasions within 5 years. transmission failed while driving at highway speed, and the problem reoccurred. dealer and manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

While driving, the vehicle stopped running. the sprocket on the camshaft had come loose which threw off the timing/pistons, hitting a valve, and destroyed the engine. contacted dealer. *ak *scc

Vehicle ran over a pothole at 20-25 mph on a wet road and driver's air bag inadvertently deployed, and passeger's air bag burned out. dealer and manufacturer were notified. feel free to provide any further infromation.*ak

Vehicle was in a rear end collison and both front seatbacks collapsed, and launched backwards on impact.both driver and passenger were injured.*ak

General ameri g4s p20565r15. consumer states he heard a thumping noise coming from the rear. pulled over and noticed the steel core was exposed. please provide any further information.

Error code 0761-hydraulic failure of solenoid/transmission. came on. when driving at high speed, vehicle as consumer describes, was "dragging" upon acceleration. owner has another taurus with same condition. please describe details.*aki

When brakes are applied vehicle will shimmy, almost causing loss of control . *ak

Front end was low due to both coil springs being cracked. contacted dealer, they informed consumer that both coil springs should not have cracked at the same time.*ak

Piston cracked, causing vehicle to have a late acceleration and could cause an accident. cause unknown. dealer will be contacted.*ak

While driving passenger's side air bag deployed inadvertently ,causing minor injuries to passenger. dealer will inspect vehicle. please provide further information.*ak

While consumer was driving the vehicle, it stalled in the middle of traffic. consumer had taken vehicle to the mechanic, and they found that the fuel pumps positive wire was cut on a sharp edge inside of fuel tank, which left the wire exposed to the fuel tank, and caused it to short circuit.*ak consumer adds that ford is aware of the defect, and now places a protective cover on the wires. *scc

While driving heard a noise and vehicle cut off, which was as caused by cam failure. *ak *tt

In warm or moist temperature rear left window is inoperative.*ak

Vehicle stalled at 70 mph. dealer determined that head gasket blew, and engine needed to be replaced.*ak *yh

While driving at 50-55 mph, consumer's vehicle was hit on the passenger side front near the fender head light. upon impact, the air bags deployed. the air bags contained chemicals that burned both passenger/and owner on the face, and the others on their upper chest area. *ak *scc

Upon acceleration automatic transmission will fail, resulting in vehicle slowly responding to accelerator application. please describe details.*ak

While driving at highway speed, the transmission gear shifted and became stuck in first gear, vehicle would not go more than 10 mph. dealer has been contacted. transmission needs to be rebuilt. *ak consumer would like to know how many 1997 ford tauruses have had this problem. (according to ford dealer, there have been many) *scc

Consumer states after filling up gas tank, consumer noticed fuel pouring out of vehicle. took to dealer and they stated that the fuel filter needed replacing. please provide any further information.*jb

Screw in engine sheared off, causing engine to overheat. please provide further information.*ak

Defroster, heater and air conditioner do not work due to part failure, the electric motor. dealer and manufacturer were not notified at this time. *ak *yd

Transmission keeps going out, and cause is unknown. has replaced transmission twice. dealer contacted. *ak

While driving at night headlights went out. consumer had to constantly wiggle headlight switch to keep headlights on. vehicle at dealership at this time.*ak

Consume r was traveling about 65mph on highway. while driving another vehicle veered into consumer's vehicle. applied brakes, and driver's side airbag didn't go off. *ak

Vehicle leaking brake fluid. brake light comes on. took to dealer, and replaced master cylinder.*ak

While driving and without warning lost power steering. only warning that was received by consumer was a short in electrical components. *ak

While driving heard a noise from front end. upon inspection, consumer saw that left front coil spring broke. right one was corroded, and was replaced as well.*ak *tt

Vehicle will not move forward without making a ticking noise. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Transmission disengaged when coming to a stop. when transmission reengagedf vehicle would jerk forward. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Dome light stays uluminated while driving, causing poor visibility. power steering goes in and out, causing it to become difficult to steer. dealer will be notified.*ak

Coolant is leaking onto motor. dealer has inspected and repaired vehicle; however, problem has reoccurred. please provide additional information.*ak

While traveling on highway and without prior warning vehicle was leaking anti freeze from underneath the hood. dealership was aware of problem.*ak dealer found freeze plug had rusted out, dealer stated that this condition was a defect, manufacturer denies any claim. *tt

While driving vehicle would stop like it jumped into neutral, after sitting for a while, vehicle will jump back into drive. took to dealer and dealer indicated had a faulty transmission. this is new transmission.*jb

While driving, without warning, engine check light/ abs light on dashboard illuminated. consumer was referred to dealer ship or manufacturer.*ak

While driving 10mph rearended another vehicle, and airbags didnot deploy. driver was injured. dealer contacted. frontal impact. *ak

Vehicle would not change gears. took to a mechanic to be repaired, but problem still exists. *ak

Consumer's vehicle was traveling about 65mph on highway, and without prior warning, another motorist struck consumer's vehicle, and airbags didn't deploy. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Passenger's side rear seatbelt will not pull out of retractor. please provide any further information.*ak

While driving 55 mph vehicle began to lose power. shortly afterwards, vehicle completely shutdown. problem occurred due to the fuel pump. please give any further details.*ak

While driving fuel pump malfunctioned, causing vehicle to stop. consumer had vehicle serviced. mechanic stated that it was fuel pump, and has to be replaced. please provide further details if needed. *ak

While driving at 65 mph starter malfunctioned without warning, causing vehicle to come to a complete stop. please provide further details if needed.*ak

While driving and applying brakes power steering willgo from off to on intermittently. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer indicated sensor was going bad in steering column. please add vin. *ak

While driving automatic locking system disengages. also, dome light stays on continuously. please provide any further information.*ak

While driving vehicle suddenly jerked forward and then stalled out. have contacted dealership.*ak

Catalytic converter rattling inside. replaced by dealer

Headlights fail without warning headlight plug melts from overheating and electrical contact is lost causing lights to go out

All lights, brake lights, hi-low beams and running lights work! all panel lights and interior lights work. turning signals & emergency flashers do not work at all! it is as though the wires in the steering column were disconnected from both the turning stick (switch) and the emergency switch? checked every fuse in fuse box under hood and they all look ok. assume no bulb problem because there was and is no fast blink... it seems like the problem was first noticed during an all day rain storm...very dangerous situations came about because i assumed directional were still working during several turns...then someone almost hit me when i was changing lanes....i thought it was just a dumb driver till it happened a few more times....then i noticed no turn signals...very scary (vin: [xxx])! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Headlights wouldn't go off at all. the only way was for to lift hood up and disconnect battery to cable. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Engine has caught on fire. dealer has yet to be contacted. please provide further details.*ak

Radiator leaks water and cannot be driven. dealer has yet to be contatced. please provide further details.*ak

A foul odor coming from the vents which cause windows to become fogged. consumer contacted dealer for this, and was told that heater core was defective. please provide further details.*ak

Vehicle would not go into overdrive. servo cover could have been the problem. there was a recall, 97v097000, dealing with transmission servo cover. also, engine light came on, and vehicle was not shifting. had not contacted dealer. *ak consmer stated that even though there is a recall his claim was denied by manufacturer stating they needed a receipt for every 30,000 miles saying that the transmission was serviced, consumer had the transmission replaced, however the next day vehicle began experiencing same problems, after three attemps to fix problem it was determined that the clip for 3-4 shuttle valve breaks, however there was no recall for the clip.*jb

Gear shift will go into drive. however, car does not engage. please provide any further information.*ak

While traveling at about 65 mph vehicle made a funny noise, and temperature gauge went above high. consumer pulled over, and had vehicle towed. please provide any further information. *ak

While driving at approximately 70 mph engine lost all power, and there was a "ticking" noise coming from engine compartment. dealership examined vehicle, and determined that camshaft failed, and the engine had to be replaced. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak

Consumer stated there is a reoccurring problem with the automatic transmission, which is causing vehicle to hesitate when driving up on an incline, dealer and manufacturer were notified.*ak consumer also stated this happens when driving on a leveled surface.*slc

Engine check light remains on while driving. vehicle been in dealer shop on two occasions, and to an independent repair shop on two occasions, but problem still reoccurring. feel free to provide any further information on this matter.*ak

While vehicle was at a light transmission locked up and would not let consumer get out of first gear. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak *slc

Foot had slipped off accelerator pedal, and vehcle hit a trailer. upon impact with trailer, air bags failed to deploy. took vehicle to dealership, and was informed by mechanic that air bags were faulty. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and another vehicle jumped in front of him. he went to apply brakes and pedal went all the way to the floor. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Dome light remains on once vehicle is shut off or when doors are closed.also, driver's side rear windows work intermittently. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Consumer has problems with engine when vehicle reaches speeds above 35-mph enigne will stall. this is an intermittent problem. has not contacted dealer.*ak

Whenever braking brake pedal linkages would fail to stop vehicle when needed.*ak

Would be driving vehicle when engine check light would come on. problem has happened numerous times. have taken vehicle to dealership, mechanic indicated nothing wrong, only fuel cap needed to be tightened. *ak

When coming to a stop sign, accelerator locked up and vehicle sped up. consumer had to put gear selector in neutral to keep from hitting another vehicle, dealership is aware of problem.*ak the engine also revs when coming to a stop. *tt

Randomly vehicle races and surges forward if it is in drive. if in reverse, it surges backward. consumer stated he has had an accident because of this problem.*ak the manufacturer declined to take the responsibility for the problem. *yh

While driving about 65 mph engine stalled without a prior warning, and consumer lost cotrol and vehicle went off the road. found out that ignition coil fuse was blown and had to be replaced. consumer was concerned of an accident.*ak

Consumer was traveling about 30mph on a side street, and there was another vehicle parked on side of road, and consumer's vehicle hit other vehicle from behind. upon impact, driver's side airbag did not deploy.whenever the alternator gets wet the light gomes on and the power steering fails making it difficult to control the vehicle. nlm

Consumer has had 2 incidents with vehicle rolling backwards after being put in park. during first incident consumer had vehicle in park, vehicle turned off and got out. consumer had to run back to vehicle because it was rolling backwards, and hit her son's vehicle before she could get to it. second incident was on 11th of may, again consumer had vehicle in park; but, this time was still inside vehicle. only way of stopping was to push down of brakes and pull up emergency brake. police had towing company to come out and look. they stated everytime vehicle went in reverse or park it locked gears up. transmission was all over the driveway, and they also found gear cable was cut. consumer complained of this problem since purchase. dealer urged consumer to put parking brake on for each normal stop. consumer was trying to get ford to cooperate with problem.*ak

While vehicle is being driven an unusual noise occurs. shortly after, steering wheel locks up, causing loss of control. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak

Transmission would jerk when shifting into gear. felt like being rearended. finally transmission quit working. towed to dealership, and informed by mechanic transmission needed to be replaced due to being non repairable.*ak *slc

Sand from casting process is inside cooling system. ford has issued a tsb on this problem. please provide additional information.*ak

Brake system functions erratically. dealership has not examined vehicle. there is a wire located right above brake pedal, if this wire is moved or touched, brake system fails to function. *ak *slc

Whenever coming to a complete stop or slowing down and pressing on brakes,vehicle will accelerate. contacted dealer, and dealer said they don't see anything wrong with vehicle. *ak

There are no lights at all in or outside of vehicle. lights in front went out first, and then third lights went out. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

97 v 097 000/automatic transmission: transmission slipping intermittently. dealer was notified and informed consumer that this vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *ak *slc

Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision at 25mph. passenger's airbag deployed with such force that it broke front and rear windows. manufacturer has been notified. *ak

While traveling and without any indication automatic transmission had failed. please provide further information. *ak

Wire insulation inside fuel tank was worn through because of the way it was mounted. *ak

Master cylinder failed while slowing down for a stop, causing consumer to run through an intersection. consumer had to use emergency brake in order to stop vehicle. *ak *slc

Consumer was traveling about 35mph on highway and heard a grinding noise. she was able to pull over to shoulders, and looked underneath vehicle. there was smoke coming from underneath, and she had to have vehicle towed. transmission exploded.*ak

At early start and upon applying force to accelerator pedal, pedalsticks. also,after applying great force to pedal it goes to floorboard which causes unwanted and unexpected acceleration. consumer has contacted dealer. *ak consumer states accelerator pedal sticks in up position at idle requiring great force, vehicle lunges forward when pedal brakes free. *slc

Tires on 1997, ford, taurus had a tire separation on rear tire then on front right tire with less then 10 thousand miles on each tire. contacted dealer, and dealer was willing to work something out with consumer. tire size is p205-65r15. *ak *slc

When at a complete stop consumer applies gas pedal, pedal goes down, but engine does not rev nor is vehicle moving forward. then all of a suuden, it will surge forward. sometimes consumer has to shut off engine to get vehicle to respond. numerous times to dealer, cannot remedy.*ak

Switch in door to advise if door is open stays on. when this occurs, it causes for dome lights to come on. consumer has had repairs on vehicle on two different occasions, but problem continues to occur.*ak

Head gasket blew out, leaving it inoperable. please provide any additional information. *ak

Fuel injection system grounds, causing leakage and complete loss of electrical system which results in vehicle completely shutting down. please give any further details.*ak

Vehicle surges, rpms will go up passing 3, and then down while in park/ idling at a stop. dealer recognized defect caused by throttle sensor unit which was replaced twice, but defect keeps reoccurring. *ak

Rack and pinion steering makes a grinding sound when making a right turn. dealer says that rack and pinion steering is wearing out, and will go perform badly over a period of time. *ak

Engine is knocking as consumer accelerates with speed. *ak transmission have been replaced twice in 37ooo miles. front wheel bearing failed at 15000 miles. rotors failed at 24000 miles. *yh

Was driving vehicle when suddenly engine blewout. there was no prior warning. would have water coming out of freezing plug. took to dealer, and mechanic replaced engine.but, problem still exists. engine has been replaced 5 times, and problem was getting worse.*ak

There is a fuel smell in passenger's compartment due to oil leaking from oil pan.*ak consumer states the smell is so bad it makes her sick to her stomach. *slc

When driving at slow speeds vehicle goes from drive to neutral. this happens 80 % of time. *ak *slc

Shift cable broke. manufacturer has been notified.*ak

Coolant fluid shot out of radiator onto engine and vents, and mist appeared all over passenger's compartment. took to dealer, and dealer replaced radiator and hoses. five months later, water was leaking from bottom of vehicle, took to dealer, and they said it was related to heater core recall. dealer they replaced heater core pump assembly and core assembly. 14 months later, radiator started leaking. dealer said it was part of the same recall, but they were going to charge consumer.*ak

Transmission goes into a neutral position while gear is in drive. when this happens, vehicle has no power, then it drops out of neutral and engages. it acts as though vehicle is revving and slamming into gear. ford mechanic said that problem ia a cracked forward clutch piston. *ak

Vehicle would hesitate & wouldn't stay running. wires for fuel pump had rubbed against flex hose, causing it to expose the wires & short out. dealer cold do nothing because no recall. *ak also the cv joints failed and the transmission pan cracked. the brakes vibrated causing the steering to vibrate terrebly. the vehicle, the consumer says, must be defective. *yh

While driving about 55 mph vehicle suddenly stalled without a prior warning, and had to be towed to service shop where they find out that a fuse was blown in fuel pump. *ak

Water pump failed. during inspection and repair a rust colored fluid was noticed to be contaminating coolant system. *ak

Gear broke inside transmission and exploded outwards, breaking the case. consumer states that they took car to a transmission specialist, and they said it was a manufacturer's defect. *ak differential assembly had excessive teeth damaged and probably caused case to break outward. *yh

Premature failure of transmission at only 54,300 miles due to worn down bearings. *ak

Complete transmission failure without warning at only 37,204 miles . please provide more information. *ak

Midas repair shop found head gaskets had blown. vehicle started heating up/ choking, and white smoke was coming out tailpipe. manufacturer's reponse was that they weren't aware of problem, and no recall was issued.*ak

Had just taken off from a stop when vehicle started to slow down. checked for correct gear placement. depressed gas pedal, and tachometer went over, but vehicle was not moving.vehicle could be reversed but not forwarded. took to independent mechanic, and transmission was replaced with a used one.*ak

While coming to a stop front passenger's side wheel completely separated from vehicle. dealer has been contacted.*ak

A funny noise coming from steering wheel. took vehicle to dealership & mechanic indicated that air bag was defective. clock spring/connect switch were not working. it was damaged. air bags would not deploy if involved in an accident. air bag needed to be replaced. was not covered under warranty.*ak *slc

Right rear passenger's seat belt retractor stopped working, ford will not replace it due to vehicle being out of warranty. *ak

Consumer was driving at approximately 30mph and without warning dual airbags deployed without any impact, causing injuries to driver, and busted windshield. *ak

Brakes keep warping. materials that are used for brake pads cause rotors to overheat & become warped. every time brakes were applied vehicle would shimmy. taken vehicle to dealership 4 times & mechanic can solve the problem.*ak

When pressing on brakes cruise control does not go off. this is caused by restraint wiring breaking off cruise control, cancelling switch. *ak

Interior lights come on and stay on while driving at night which may cause visible problem, and may result in a crash. dealer had to replace interior lights twice. common problem. please provide further information.*ak

While driving at any normal speed power steering will kick out sometimes. also, seat belt light will come on and off/ door light will come on, and speed control will come on. *ak

When it rains and consumer turns on windshield wipers there is a grayish fume that covers windshield, making it difficult to see, especially at night.*ak

Consume rwas traveling about 60mph on highway because she heard a bumping noise. she was able to pull over to the shoulder, and she discovered that right passenger's front tire tread separated, one big chunk off tire. tires were general #g45 205/70 r15. she took vehicle to the dealership.*ak

While driving white smoke came out. consumer took vehicle to dealer, and mechanic said that it would need a new engine, consumer felt it was too soon to have a new engine.*ak

Transmission is leaking onto the catalyic converter. vehicle not included in recall 97v097000. please give any further details.*ak

Engine head gaskets have blown. dealer has been notified.*ak

Power steering goes out intermittently. dealer/manufacturer were not contacted at this time. feel free to provide any further details. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 15mph and ran over a puddle of water, and fronts wheels locked up. there was a horrible of noise, and battery lights came on. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

Rear motor mounts are worn out. but under warranty, and dealer will not replace mounts until they break. *ak owner would like to know if other vehicles of the same make or models have pemature breakdown of motor mounts. *yh

While driving at 45 to 50 mph drivers side air bag deployed without warning. dealer has been contacted. *ak

When sun hits vehicle or even when temperature is hot at night, interior lights and door ajar light come on. lights stay on for an hour or more before going out. this causes poor driver's visibility when driving at night. dealership was not able to determine what was causing this problem.

While driving over bumps driver's airbag deployed. dealer has inspected vehicle. manufacturer has been notified.*ak

Was driving & lost control. hit a sign, then head-on into a cement wall & blacked out. air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained some injuries. refused treatment until much later. air bags had previously deployed in another accident & were repaired. *ak *ml

When starting up vehicle and put it in gear, reach about 25mph and does not shift properly. then, engine revs up to 4,000 rpms and when reach 30mph it shifts. contacted dealer.*ak

While driving at approximately 45 mph consumer applied brakes to come to a gradual stop and brakes completely failed, there was no resistance . with full pressure on brakes, vehicle kept going about 200 yards before vehicle stopped, resulting in an accident. dealer cannot determine the cause. *ak

While driving either in rain or over a puddle of water and making a right hand turn , water will get into the serpentine belt, causing loss of power steering for about 30-60 seconds . there is no guard or shield to protect belts from getting wet. ford claims they cannot fix defect. *ak *ml

While driving through a water puddle, the vehicle and driver experienced an approximate 4-5 second loss of power steering and the alternator light came on. *ak *ml

While driving engine check light will come on and stay for about a month. dealer could not find what was causing this problem. transmission slips unexpectedly, dealer says it's faulty. *ak *ml

Electrical short caused power windows to fail. also, steering malfunctioned intermittently. dealer notified, and appointment was received. *ak

The radio shorted out, and caused a fire while driving. *ak

A knocking noise was coming from underneath the hood. air conditioner belt came loose. *ak

Vehicle slips into neutral when at a stop position. while vehicle was under warranty dealer said this was normal. valve body has been replaced, problem has not reoccurred, although there is rough shifting. *ak *ml

Vehicle has been experiencing problem with warped rotors. rotors had been turned twice due to vibration but it reoccurred. dealer only wanted to turn the rotors again. manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was out of warranty. any repairs would be done at consumer's cost. *ak *ml

While traveling temperature gauge ran high ,vehicle overheated. gauge was replaced. week later vehicle overheated again. please provide further informaton. *ak

Driver's and passenger's rear seatbelts do not retract, which won't protect the occupant in event of a crash. please provide further information. *ak

Intermittently when making a stop transmission does not shift down to the last gear. vehicle hesitates to shift down. when taking off, the transmission does not engage. the vehicle was taken to the dealer two times before the transmisson was finally replaced. *ak.et.

In cold weather engine idles high. dealer has seen vehicle 3 times, and replaced sensor on engine. problem still exists. *ak

Vehicle experiencing ongoing problem with transmission failure. transmission was replaced three times: once at 31,000 miles of wear; second time at 53,000 miles of wear, and at present with 58,000 miles of wear. all repairs were done by dealer, and once at consumer expense with an extended warranty. *ak *ml

While driving a rubbing noise occurred due to the torsion bar failure. dealer is rewelding the torsion bar. *ak

Door locks would not lock and doors open. warning light stays on after exiting vehicle. also, the inside dome light stays on. dealer has seen vehicle. failures became increasingly worse. *ak *ml

When traveling driveshaft broke, causing poor steering control. also, engine check light was flashing on the dash. consumer has contacted the dealer. please provide any further details. *ak

Poor sight side vision from the headlights. if having to make a sharp trun driver cannot see the road to the side. problem was brought to the manufacturer's attention. please provide any further information. *ak

When you first start the car brake lights do not work. once vehicle is very warm brake lights will start working again. consumer feels that if making a sudden stop the other driver may not see consumer. *ak *ml

Dashboard shows doors are open, and interior light will stay on. dealer couldn't find the problem. *ak

While driving on a local street vehicle then remained standing at an intersection at a red light with two vehicles ahead. another vehicle, traveling south bound on connecticut ave making a left turn onto van ness, was traveling too fast, lost control and side swiped the vehicle in front of consumer's vehicle, pushing it onto the sidewalk. a chain reaction started in which consumer's vehicle was hit head-on. upon impact, passenger's side airbag deployed after the passenger hit the windshield, and the seat belt didn't lock in place. contacted dealer. *ak

Received manufacturer recall notice 98b23/engine cooling system. dealer refused to honor notice because vehicle was not in computer, but correct vin # was on notice. can nhtsa help in this matter or provide information on this matter. *ak

The heater core is inoperable, causing the windows to fog up, obstructing the driver's view. dealer repaired the vehicle three times, and the problem still exists. *ak *ml

When applying the gas and going down hill, transmission makes a jerk forward and a loud clunking noise. the clunking and jerking has become progressively worse. dealer has seen the vehicle, but does not know how to correct it. *ak *ml

While driving driver heard a clunking noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle. after pulling the vehicle to the side of the road, owner saw that the rear end suspension had fallen. vehicle was towed to a body shop first, and later to the ford dealership for repairs. *ak *ml

Mother was driving and pulling into a driveway while daughter was seating in the rear with the window open only. after pulling into the driveway window bounced and came down quickly, and slammed shut into her face. *ak

Engine operates roughly. *ak

Whenever windshield wipers are in use they would work erractically. sometimes not at all. this causes poor visibility for the driver. the switch can turn wipers on & then wipers would stop. also, transmission failed to shift into gear properly, and power steering failed to work properly when turning steering wheel. taking vehicle dealer to check out problems. *ak

Passenger's seatbelt system malfunctioned, which won't protect the occupant in event of a crash. dealer needs to replace the seatbelt retractor. *ak

While driving exhaust fumes came into the vehicle. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Tire on rear side of vehicle was split, causing a rough ride. consumer had taken vehicle to the dealership several times. also, complaining that speedodometer was defective, it didn't show how fast vehicle was going. *ak

Had turned vehicle off & parked it. went behind vehicle. child in vehicle & release emergency parking brake. vehicle started rolling forward & down a hill. hit a neighbor's vehicle. no keys in vehicle at time. *ak

Dealer poured a new anti-freeze into the system which caused heater core to crack and cause fumes to enter into vehicle, steaming up the windows, and resulting in visual difficulty. dealer will replace the heater core at owner's expense. please provide further information. *ak

Due to a defective sensor power brakes and power steering malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to run up a curb and into a building. there is a tsb bulletin on this safety problem. please provide further information. *ak

Consumer was involved in a frontal collision in which driver's and passenger's air bags did not deploy. driver sustained injuries. also, the fuel tank did not shut off. *ak

Before parking there was a burning smell. while parked, smoke came from underneath the dash, then flames were coming out, police officer pulled the fuses/ battery and then fire went out. please provide further information. *ak

Engine mounts broke, causing the engine to rise within the engine compartment. please give any further details. *ak

Heater core went out, causing coolant fluid to leak and odor/ fumes getting into the vehicle. *ak

On several occasions at any speed vehicle stalls and cuts off causing a loss of power due to transmission slipping. however, the vehicle was taken to dealer, dealer cannot fix problem. *ak

When applying the gas the vehicle does not move. the driver has to keep foot on gas pedal until the vehicle jumps forward. dealer says there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. in march of 1999 vehicle acted up again. brought it to dealer, claimed transaxle failed. talked to others who claimed that vehicle had a cracked pinion gear. called dealer severazl times. but dealer has not responded. *ak

Vehicle parked. owner noticed smoke coming from inside of vehicle. vehicle windows were blown out & black smoke escaped & then flames. fire department was called & put flames out. gave no indication of origin of fire. insurance inspector checked vehicle & indicated a possible electrical short in the wiring system that caused the fire. *ak

While driving the vehicle, it seems cruise control activates unexpectedly and without warning, causing vehicle to idle and acclerate unexpectedly, and may result in a crash. dealer replaced two sensors with electronic timing and idler. problem is reoccurring. please provide further information. *ak

Fter a heavy rain and if car goes through a puddle of water the engine will stall. consumer says engine will start back up again. took to dealer, and they said consumer needed a revised air cleaner. *ak

While driving throttle system got stuck, causing vehicle to suddenly accelerate, and would not slow down, which may have resulted in a crash. please provide further information. *ak

Intermittently when the brakes are applied vehicle will accelerate. the dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer has been notified. *ak

Rear wheel cylinder is leaking , causing loss of brake fluid, which could lead to brake failure and a vehicle accident. can nhtsa provide information on this matter. *ak

While driving cruise control activated, and caused the throttle to remain in open position, resulting in a crash. been to dealer, but they couldn't determine the cause of the problem. *ak.et.

Temperature gauge is going back and forward towards the hot section, and the vehicle is shifting very hard when driviing at any speed. *ak

Upon starting vehicle and applying the brakes to shift into gear, vehicle suddenly accelerated up to 12 mph, causing consumer to crash into garage doors. dealer has been contacted. *ak

The engine cooling system heater coil broke, causing a chemical odor inside of vehicle & a mist. had been to dealer at least 8 times for the problem & each time the heater coil was replaced along with the engine to correct the heater coil from blowing. *ak

Was driving 55mph when the right front tire blew. the tire came apart. the tread of the tire came off. the steel belt in middle of tire was sliced. *ak

When turned on high speed windshield wipers work on an intermittent speed. if turned on low the wipers dont work at all. dealer can't duplicate the problem. *ak

Vehicle was in a collision causing both airbag's to deploy upon impact. dealer was contacted. replacements were done at owners expense. problem still exists. *ak

Engine caught on fire, most likely caused by the fuel regulator--fuel leaked onto the manifold. *ak *ml

Coming to a stop at a red light and the engine racing and pulling.consumer contacted dealer. *ak

While stopping vehicle will lunge forward, and may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the cause. *ak

Whenever the brakes are applied, it would have high idle & acceleration. would have to keep foot on brakes to maintain stop. had taken to dealer several times for high acceleration & idling, but problem is never found. *ak

When appyling brakes on wet or dry pavement the front and rear wheels lock up, causing the vehicle to skid or slide. cause unknown. dealer cannot identify the problem. please give any further details. *ak

While driving in traffic or into intersections vehicle will completely shut down, cause unknown. dealer cannot identify problem. please give any further details.*ak

Backing up & noticed pole, shifted into drive & vehicle accelerated & hit store front. accelerator pedal could not be controlled at the time.upon impact, air bags did not deploy. *ak

While driving at 45 mph front brake rotors warped, and when applying the brakes, they shaked. dealer repaired the rotors. *a

When driving at any speed the vehicle is jerking and making loud noises, and the vehicle is shifting. consumer can't determine the problem. *ak

Rack and pinion steering is making loud noise when making right hand turns. *ak

Horn was inoperative and the dealer is charging over $300. *ak.et.

While traveling vehicle would stall without prior indication. *ak

Automtic transmission is slipping out of gear, and it is difficuilt to shift into gear. whenever vehicle come to a stop it is delayed before getting into gear. dealer/manufacturer notified and refused to repair unless cost goes to consumer. *ak

Windshield wipers fail when they are set on low speed or intermittent speed, causing loss of visibility. *ak

Vehicle was rear ended while at a complete stop. fuel vehicle crash, cut off system failed. car kept running. dealer contacted, and is aware of the problem. cannot remedy the problem.*ak.et.

Due to the material in the driver's seat there is an electrical shock to the occupant when leaving vehicle. also, same problem with the 1994 taurus. please provide further information. *ak

Subframe mounts were loose and damaged, causing the vehicle to make a clunking noise over the last three months. dealer replaced the mounts on may 19, 1999. *ak

Consumer was driving approximately 45-50mph when hit a traffic light. applied the brakes, and was not able to stop accurately. upon impact of the traffic light, the air bags did not deploy. consumer will add vin.# once received. *ak

Recalls 97v097000/96v166000; while driving the rpm's went up, zoomed up, and the car died, coasted to the side and parked. dealer contacted, and stated the vehicle did not comply with the recalls. provide further information. *ak

When making a left or a right turn the steering wheel will spin, and there is a loud knocking noise coming from the steering. there is vibration within the steering wheel. *ak

Check engine light illuminates, indicating malfunction within the system cause unknown. dealer cannot identify the problem. *ak

The consumer has been experiencing problems with power steering and accelerator. while driving power steering went out, and vehicle constantly decelerated and accelerated. the manufacturer has yet to be contacted. *ak

Consumer has been experiencing problems with t right front bearing. while driving heard a loud winding noise. it usually starts at about 40mph. the manufacturer has been contacted. *ak

Recall 97s75/96s50.transmission was defective. car would drive in reverse. car is inoperable. dealers stated originally no problems, secondly, the sensor failed. finally, the cable snapped. dealer has vehicle. provide further information. *ak

Original transmission replaced at 6,000 miles. the 2nd transmission makes loud noises. sounds like grinding. was not changing gears smoothly. took to dealer & informed keep driving. had transmission replaced in november.

Vehicle never heats up. the temperature gauge never registers hot on the car. also, engine head gaskets blew out withouty prior indication or warning. incident occurred three times. dealer notified and aware of the problem. car with dealer and no information on diagnosis. right front grinding noise and steering gear was replaced. freeze plug lost. provide further information. *ak

While driving the air bag light keeps coming on, and the consumer is concerned about the air bag deploying while driving. *ak

While driving vehicle would experience a roaring noise which affects the performance of the vehicle, and cannot get into gears. been to dealer 3 times. cause unknown. *ak

Was traveling aproximately 10mph when front suspension started squeaking. had part of the braking system replaced prior to suspension squeaking. *ak

Windshield wipers on passenger's side were stripped due to manufacturer's defect. dealer replaced windshield wipers. also, front brake rotors had to be replaced due to shaking in steering. provide further information. *ak

While driving the vehicle transmission system failed, causing the vehicle to stall, almost causing an accident. currently at dealer. please provide details.*ak

Windshield has cracked on vehicle. there has not been any trauma to windshield . the manufacturer has been notified. *ak

Consumer has been experiencing problems with vehicle acceleration. while driving, vehicle would accelerate for unknown reason. vehicle has been in/out of dealer shop on several occasions . dealer informed consumer that nothing could be found. sudden acceleration has caused vehicle to be in one accident. vehicle has been repaired, but condition still remains. *ak

While accelerating to 50 mph vehicle locked up in second gear, causing shaking of vehicle and stalling. vehicle also had previous clunking noise prior to transmission locking. also dealers found no fault code. *ak

While driving approximately 10 to 15 mph turning through a water puddle, the vehicle looses power steering with no warning. dealer has been notified. *ak

While driving the vehicle at 15 mph the transmission system failed, making a very loud noise, causing the servo cover to blow off. contacted the dealer for repairs, and did'nt get any help. *ak

While driving at 60-65 mph the steering oscillates. the dealer is aware of the problem. the brake rotors were cleaned at 220 miles. at 600 miles the brakes were replaced. at 11, 959 miles the rotors were replaced again. the consumer is still expereincing a prolbem with the vehicle. *ak

While driving the defroster grill reflects on the windshield, causing difficulty for the driver's visibility. may cause an accident. *ak

Whenever stopping or starting the vehicle, it would rumble/ vibrate and shake badly. took to dealer to have vehicle checked. was told that the catalytic convertor had to be replaced. the problem of vibrating and rumbling still exists. *ak

When the vehicle is in stop and go traffic it stalls. the dealer has been notified. *ak

Due to no protective cover over the trunk courstey light, the sleeping bag in the trunk by the trunk courstey lights caused the sleeping bag to burn a hole, almost resulted in a fire. *ak

Consumer started to hear grinding noises. rear wheel cylinders are leaking brake fluid, which could result in a loss of brakes. dealer cannot determine why rear wheel cylinders are leaking. *ak

During a routine oil change attempted to remove oil filter with wrench, wrench came in contact with wires near the starter motor, alot of sparks came out and burn marks were left on the oil filter, dealer has not been contacted. *ak

While driving regular road at approximately 35 mph slowed down to 20 mph, foot on gas pedal, very high noise, there was nothing. vehicle did not engage. transmission failed without any warning or indication. dealer cannot duplicate the problem. assumes a catastrophic transmission failure. *ak

On several occasions, especially during or after a rainfall, when driving through standing water which caused an upward splash under the right front, the engine died , causing loss of power . engine would restart as soon as vehicle cleared the deep water area, but a squealing of the power steering would follow for about 30 seconds. dealer aware of problem, but ha syet to replac eparts. *ak

Vehicle travelling through shallow water the engine compartment takes on water and gets on belts, causing alternator and power failure, affecting steering, brakes, and engine operation. dealer contacted and aware of the problem, nothing can be done, referred to hotline. *ak

When appyling the abs brakes on wet pavement the pedal trvaels to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. please give any further details. *ak

While vehicle was in park without warning the vehicle went into reverse, cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak

Turned the vehicle on and put the vehicle in park. the vehicle shifted to reverse all by itself. this is an intermittent problem. when releasing the park brake the vehicle takes off. *ak

While driving the steering locked up and there was no steering in the vehicle. tried to turn the wheel and there was no reaction in the wheel. so the driver tried to apply the brakes and there were no brakes in the vehicle. this problem happened all of a sudden. *ak

When using the turn signal, either left or right and the steering wheel is in a certain position, the signal will not lock in. when changing lanes this almost caused a crash. *ak

While driving vehicle about 35 mph the consumer stepped on the brake pedal to stop vehicle, according to consumer, the vehicle stopped, but there was a lot of vibration on the steering wheel. the consumer had taken the vehicle twice to dealer already, and she will take it back one more time the next day. *ak

During impact at 20 mph, the driver 's side seat belt unlatched from belt buckle, causing consumer to hit steering wheel. please provide further details. *ak

When applying brakes, the pedal went to the floor and brakes failed to stop the vehicle, causing an accident. please provide further details. *ak

While driving over water puddles the water wets a belt which squeals, and cause no power steering which almost caused an accident. haven't taken to dealer yet. *ak

During panic braking, pedal goes to floor without immediately engaging brakes; causes increase in stopping distance; almost caused crash. not checked by dealer. *ak

While driving over puddles vehicle loses power steering. also alternator malfunctioned. dealers have no remedy for problem. *ak

While driving vehicle through puddles vehicle freezes. there is no power, engine shuts off after vehicle has cleared puddle, power resumes. *ak

While driving vehicle and making a right turn there seems to be excess pressure on left, causing clunking and popping noises. owner is very concerned for safety. dealer told owner that problem could not be corrected. *ak

Seat belt anchor is installed incorrectly. the only way the restraints can be latched is if twisted the restraint across to the buckle. owner has contacted the manufacturer, and is waiting for a representative to inspect the vehicle. *ak the steering becomes hard when brakes are applied. the consumer states that the vehicle was prepped, inspected and sold to him with defective seat belt in total disregard for his safety. *yh

When applying the abs brakes in a sudden stop with wet conditions, the vehicle brakes failed to stop the vehicle. please describe details. the vehicle involved was a rental car. *ak

Engine stalled in traffic, nearly caused crash, owner told by dealer, to never allow fuel to get below fourth tank, fuel pump naturelizer stopped operating. dealer is replacing naturelizer . *ak

Consumer was trveling about 10 to 15 mph and upon depressing the brake pedal, the pedal went to the floorboard, resulting in extended stopping distance, causing consumer to have an accident. *ak

When driving vehicle & putting vehicle on cruise control, it would not light up; do not know which button to push; would have to turn on overhead dome light just to see. *ak

When driving at night, speed control does not light up; cannot tell which button to push. has to use overhead dome light to see. *ak

Transmission pops out of gear, it takes a minute to take off, dealer is replacing transmission. *ak *jb

Received recall notice. called dealer & made appt. took vehicle in after being told had plenty of parts. rented a vehicle. dealer called back to say they had no parts for repair. *ak

Vehicle has been experiencing erratic operation with sudden acceleration. *ak

At 10 mph impact the air bags deployed; however, the passenger's side air bag broke the windshield and small pieces of glass flew all over the interior. passenger sustained minor body injuries. *ak

Vehicle will stall without warning, computer module failure, but dealership does not how to reprogram the failure. *ak

While driving steering went out totally, wheels turned freely, bolt came out of steering column, dealer replaced bolt. *ak

While driving, noticed overdrive light flashing, then loss of power, engine was still running, but vehicle stopped moving at approx. 60mph, found all transmission fluid had spilled out over hwy, dlr indicates trans. hose came loose, caused fluid to leak. *ak

Consumer states while putting vehicle in reverse, radio and windows quit working, sometimes when putting vehicle in reverse the steering wheel will get tight, possible electrical problem.

Check engine light illuminated.

While driving vehicle a glare reflects from windshield, causing vision problems. *ak *jb

Idle speed will increase while driving resulting in sudden unexplained high idle/acceleration rate (idle speed increases from 600-800 rpm to 1500-2000 rpm) that makes stopping difficult. in addition, with this high idle the car will make a sudden surge when brake is released. car has been to dealer over 18 times, dealer and ford are aware of problem, have changed numerous parts but were never able to find actual cause. ford refuses to make replacement and/or repurchase offer other than what dealer will offer as minimal "trade-in" value if i purchase a new ford. dt

Cam sprocket failure could have been prevented by being notified by ford. ford has know of the problem and should have notified owners as there is aprocedure to remedy this problem. by not welding the cams engine failure accurs causing excessive damage to engine. preventive welding for $ 500.00 corrects the problem. i now have to replace total engine at a cost of about $6,00.00 for salvaged motor. dt

When the consumer starts the vehicle the transmission races in gears (as if it was in neutral) the shift harshly into gear.

Transmission/oil pump drive failed.

Cam failure; apparently rotated relative to camshaft. occured at light tip in under 45mph, under 3200 rpm. engine started missing, (running on 4 cylinders) and loss of power brakes. engine started overheating while driven 1/2 mile to find parking lot. dealer estimated costs at $3000 - $9000. dt

Transmission shifting roughly into gears. *slc

The dome light and the door ajar light comes on intermittently. yh

Since purchasing car it has had a popping sound when braking and turning.

We were driving on the freeway when the car began to lose power. we were close to an off ramp, and exited. at that time, the temperature gauge started to climb, and the engine stopped. we had the car towed to a garage near our home. an engine core plug had failed, the resultant lose caused the engine to overheat, and damage the head gasket. we had to replace the engine for $3900. i have contacted ford motor company, but they state that there is no recall for this engine problem, so i am sueing them in small claims court. dt

When turning the vehicle it makes a popping sound. *et

Cam sensors are being replaced in the 1997 ford taurus models; since they are related to the the firing of the engine it will cause the emissions to increase and should therefore be covered under the 8yr/84000 mile law. dt

Both left and right passenger restraint seat belts no longer retract after use, no longer provide tight restraint, and therefore put passengers at risk. dt

Paint problems.

The accelerator stuck, when i pressed it down trying to merge on the freeway, so i pressed it down hard hoping it would pop back up, but it did not. so i held the brake down hoping this would bring the accelerator back up but that did not work either. so as a result i had to jump out of the car while merging onto the freeway, i did this while holding the brake down to slow the car up. i was not seriously hurt. my car instead of crashing into the off ramp wall decided to proceed straight onto the freeway to the center divide where the front tire stopped it. i was given a ride by a motorist that almost hit me when i jumped out the car. when my car was found the tires were still spinning because the pedal was still stuck, neither of the airbags deployed in the crash. dt

Catastrophic failure of head gasket while traveling at highway speed. caused total failure of electrical power systems inhibiting braking and steering making control of the car difficult and endangering driver, passengers and surrounding vehicles.*ak

Cam gear failure, car stalled at 40 mph in traffic, lost all power, ford motor company has been notified, unwilling to admit any problem with camshaft gear, and will not help with repair bills. 100 documented cases of cam gear failure can be found at www.v8sho.com. *ak

I have a 9197 taurus that has what i believed to be a very simple air conditioner problem.but things have gone from bad to worst. as we began to find the original problem(2 very small cracks on the outer casing of the compressor), we thought it would be easy to cross match the yr/make/model to find the correct compressor. when i purchased the compressor and compared it to what was on my car there was not even the slightest resemblance.we then proceeded to get the compressor # off the part on my car, when we crossed referenced that # the part was no where near the part on my car.we contacted a ford dealership's service dept. and found out that that yrs model had a "pilot " program for approx. 5000 cars or so w/ a compressor that has no original part for replacement of the compressor. i am still in the process of trying to fix my a/c in texas in august.i am fortunate that i have some honest and dedicated mechanics around me that are trying to solve this problem for me.i have already purchased an accumulator and orfus line which will have to be installed when or rather if we can find a way to get a compressor to fit.i am frustrated and angry that ford did not inform the public of this "pilot" program, and offer to replace or at least make a part that can replace the "morphed " part that is on these cars out there.this problem keeps costing me more $$$$$$. it is unfortunate that ford feels it needs to be deceptive to sell cars. i will never, never buy a ford again and i will be very vocal on the problems i have had w/ their cars.*ak

This failure has happened to atleast 100 of the 20,000 taurus sho vehicles manufactured it is only a matter of time before it happens to all of them. ford has done nothing to resolve this defect or bad design problem becasue there has not been any loss of life. it is only going to be until there is some unsuspecting mother and child that dies from losing control of the vehicle on an expressway when this happens. then maybe ford will try to rectify the problem. please do what you can to force ford to rectify the problem before the loss of life has occured. not only will ford not fix there mistake but they have the only parts to repair these vehicle and have set the price to puchase these parts at an outragous amount. $1000 for a new cam. $500 for a gasket set $12000 for a new engine.*ak

Air condition unit sealed now leaking again the cv joints went out and the auto repair shop (marty's auto discount at 13 and harris ave) who was supposed to fix the repairs said the lower arm control and the axle were in unsafe condition to drive . the car is still not right , the dealer wants me to continue to make payments on this vehicle and i want to trade the car for something else .i believe there are more promblems coming in the near future.

The car slams into 1st gear from 2nd when slowing down, also when you put the car in reverse from the parked position, and sometimes from park to drive. the coolant resevior looks as though someone filled it with mud.

Re: 1997 taurus 3.0 vulcan - frost plug corrosion and head gasket blown!. *ak

All's well in park and neutral, but when in reverse or drive, the radio quits, intermittent wipers fail, windows won't work, loss of about 75% of power steering. put it in nuetral and all is well. it turned out to be the transmission range sensor. i found 10 other people who have had the same failure in a 96 or 97 ford taurus.

Engine coolant turned brown and supposedly corrosive due to so-called poorly designed cooling system. this caused my timing cover to begin leaking and my head gasket and engine to fail while on our family vaction in seattle. i have noticed numberous other complaints regarding this problem in your files and was wondering if there is any recourse that can be taken. i am looking at a bill of approximately $4,0000 to replace the engine. please suggest any action that i can take to recover all or part of this cost from the manufacturer.

This is a failure of the secondary sprocket on the camshaft of my 1997 taurus sho. this to me seems to be a manufacturing defect the camshaft is attached to the cam by splines which under the stress of the engine spin un the cam which throws off the timing and destroys the engine. ford knows of this problem and asked the people of v8show.com to send them some cams so they can test them. i am an owner that owes $6000 on a vehicle which is completly out of order sitting in my garage because i do not have the extra money anywhere between 5000 and 15000 to fix it. 5000 is for a used engine wth 50,000 miles on it. 15,000 is the cost of a new engine from ford. please help in anyway you can. *ak

While applying the brakes from between 65 to 45 mph there is a serious shaking felt through the steering wheel and column. there is also a problem with the automatic door locks not working when the car is put into motion. that really concerns me having three small children. the interior dome light also doesn't shut off as it should.*ak

4th gear would not engage. o/d off light flashed repeatedly. though car was serviced one month previously and the transmission fluid was not burned, transmission disintegrated planetary gears. metal chunks and burned fluid found when examined at the local ford dealership. obviously another 3.8l/ford transmission defect failure as is well documented. ford has been contacted about reimbursement of the repair costs but thus far has refused. when is anyone going to finally hold them accountable for this ongoing problem in tauruses throughout the 90's?. *ak

Would like to know the number of reported failures on this automatic transmission component for this model year vehicle. *ak

On 4 different occasions, when pulling out into traffic, or starting up from a red light in hot weather, while we were traveling on vacation, as i tried to accelerate, the rpm shot up to approximately to 4,200 rpm, the car would not accelerate. i had to let up on the accelerator and let the rpm drop down to about 2400 rpm, when i applied throttle slowly and the car slowly accelerated up to 55 miles per hour. this also happened when making a u turn and the car repeated the same action even while moving at slow speed. i took the car to the dealer and they road tested and put the car on the computer system and said they could not find any thing wrong with the car or transmission and that they contacted ford motor and were told that they have no record of any serious problems with the transmission of the 1997 taurus. i am very concerned for the safety of my wife and myself, as i was almost rear ended by a truck and a car on two occasions when the problem arose.*jb

When the gear shift is in reverse & drive, radio goes off, power assist goes off at anytime. very dangerous. sounds like a reaccuring problem based on reports i have seen. electrical of some sort.

The car will not drive at 25mph without breaking since the idle will run at 1500 rpm or more. the car has been to the dealer several times but they can't find the problem. the car will continue to pull as if it is accelerating until you brake to 0 mph then idle seams ok. ford must have a problem since i have seen a lot of reports like this. i will not buy another ford product if this is what their cars are like.*ak

When coming to a stop the transmission kicks out of gear . must rev motor to get it to kick back into gear. took car to dealership they told me it was the forward clutch piston.said ford replaced it from aluminum whiched kept cracking to steel .would cost 900.00 to fix.this problem is common with these cars they told me.i think they should fix this before someone gets seriously hurt. *ak

Transmission disengages at completion of stopping at intersection. must wait to reengage before being able to proceed at intersection. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Transmission failed. *ak

The taurus was parked at dz middle school on a slightly sloped part of the driveway with the transmission selector lever indicating park and the engine turned off. the linkage connection on the transmission had failed and allowed the selector lever to indicate that the transmission was in park when the transmission was actually in neutral. the driver then went into the school building and upon returning a few minutes later found that the car had rolled approx 150 yards down the driveway, across a street, through a bus turn-around, down a 15 foot embankment, and into a ditch. fortunately there were no occupants in the car and it was at night so there were no kids along the driveway or on the street.

Transmission overdrive failed to lock and failures code started appearing at 60,000 miles. ford dealer indicated "multiple failures" in that series. entire transmission failed at 70,000 miles while on vacation in florida. cost to repair was in excess of $2,000. *ak

Bought the car used with about 20,000 miles on it. had several sensors replaced fairly soon after that. around 30k, reported several problems i was having while at a stop/starting from a stop. dealer could never replicate. eventually discovered that these problems were only ocurring when the car was warm...which it never was when the dealer tested it after it sitting on their lot for several hours. problems started getting worse. would slip into neutral at stops. could shift car into neutral, gun it enough to get the rpm's over 2000, and then put into drive and it would catch. after the weather turned warm again, and it started doing it more, then the dealer could find what the problem was. said i needed a rebuild or replacement. drove it until my husband nagged me enough, and it was doing it constantly. total cost now, through a transmission shop, not the dealership, is $1800. still having some adjustments made. still having more senor problems. the electric door locks started going up and down on their own a time or two.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

We were driving on a busy freeway when the engine failed and completely stopped . we had no prior knowledge that the car had a cooling system problem. my daughter gave me the car so i would have a "safe" vehicle to drive. she owned it for the 3 years prior. bought when it was a year old. was never notified of a recall or adjustment for the cooling system by a kit provided by the ford company.the ford co. has an extended warranty to 100000 miles on their ford taurus 3.8 engine but not this 3.0l although the same problem exists, blown head gaskets, cracked heads, etc. would appreciate some help. this at least my 4th form i filled out trying to get an answer from you. can i expect one or am i just blowing in the wind? lillian c. carson. *ak

This is the second blower motor to need replacing. *ak

Ford provided a no-charge service program, number 98b23 to owners of 1996 and 1997 taurus and sable vehicles equipped with a 3.0l engine. the purpose was to check the cooleng system and install a coolant by-pass kit. this program was eligible through february 28, 1999, regardless of mileage. only first owners were contacted. my daughter as 2nd owner was not. she gave me the car in june,2001 and neither one of us had an inkling of the coolant problem. my car engine blew with no warning. we are lucky to survive the incident. ford doesn't want to hear about the incident. all they can say it's out of warranty. this is a potentially dangerous problem with this vehicle. i think it should be investigated. the public should be aware of the design flaw so they could take care of it before it causes a serious accident. i would like to be contacted to hear from you if anything can be done about this.thanks. *ak

Car was at a complkete stop in a parking space, when it suddinly accelerated uncontrolable forward and stopped when it hit a tree/. *ak

The dps officer also said the left rear tire was defective. *ak (dot number: jnknown)

No summary listed for abover vehicle. *ak

Camshaft secondary sprocket failed, spinning on the camshaft tube causing the engine to stop instantly when the valve and pistons tried to occupy the same space in the combustian chamber. new replacement engines are not available for this vehicle, only salvage units. rebuilds, if possible on this model exceed $4800 at the very least! i have been informed while performing some research on this problem that it is "a common problem for this motor" according to a local ford dealership.*ak

This is a known issue to the ford motor company. they have known for a long time of the head gasket in their 3.0 engine problem and refused to admit it. in researching the engine i found that there is a secret extended warranty to 100,000 miles for this problem if the engine has major damage which mine did.*ak

Windshield wiper assembly has been working intermitently for a few weeks. it has now progressed to total failure. the wiper assembly will not work on any setting.*ak

I have had to put transmmission in my car. the second one went out while i was driving on highway 469 at 65 miles per hour. it felt like someone hit the emergency brake. my car went out of control and i was almost t-boned by another car. the dealership will not help me, which is schwart ford out of decature indiana. they said i was ove the warranty which was one year or 12,000 miles. i had the first transmission put in at 47,000 and the second one is going in at 81,000.00 i will not be having it done by ford. i am taking it else where. first of all schwarta ford charged me for a new transmission. during a conversation with them the owned mike morrison stated that is what happens when you put a rebuilt transmission in a car. i have a receipt that states it was for a new transmission.*ak

Car is in shop having 2 cracked heads replaced. mechanic was advised to keep all parts for further investigation. the ford taurus 3.8 engine has an extended warranty because of head gasket failure. the ford company told me that the 3.0 engine was built in atlanta ga. and there were no recalls on it.the alldata service bulletin 97-24-16 issued 11-24-94 said to simply extrapolate the 3.8l engine for the warranty extension on the 3.0. we almost had a bad accident because the engine died with no warning on a busy freeway. if it is a ingition modular problem also i don't know at this time. i feel this veh engine should have lasted more than 91,334 miles. if ford has a problem with the engine it should be acknowledged before anymore breakdowns occur.*ak

A/c compressor seized causing drivebelt failure and loss of steering, alternator, and power brakes. *ak

Check engine went on and engine stopped accelerating, reservoir emptied, dealer says out of warranty. *ak

Camshaft makes a ticking sound that is not at all normal. *ak

The rear seatbelts on both sides became jammed in the retracted position and are no longer operable. in addition the metal piece that fits in the anchor in the middle rear seat broke off the webbing while my 35 pound four year old was wearing it. also, the front driver side seat belt has failed to lock in place repeatedly and come apart while i was driving the car. *ak

The engine failed due to spontaneous overheating while at hjighway speed.*ak

Interior map light is also the dome lights. cannot shut off when the door is open. when the door sensor breaks the sensors thinks the door is open. this is hazardous at night since there is glare coming off the windshield. *ak

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

This problem is with taurus, sable & windstar, it can not be repaired...now what? no safety defect listed. *ak tsb 98-9-4 was issued regarding this problem, the corrective action being to replaced the front end accessory drive belt. *slc

The rear camshaft sprocket broke requiring the engine to be replaced. the cost of the used engine was $2000 and the cost to replace the engine was $2100. ford was contacted and refused to repair or contribute to the repair cost. i understand this problem is becoming widespread.

The car had about 35,000 miles on it when purdhased it, factory warranty was carried over to us as the new owners. soon after the sale of the car to us, ford came out with a "brown coolant" recall, which ran until september 1999. all owners of these 1997 taurus were supposed to be notified of the recall by mail. if notified car owners brought their cars in during this time period, the ford dealers would correct the problem at no cost to the owner. ford motor company never informed us of this recall. it was not until she brought the car into north bay ford (in santa cruz, ca) to repair a cracked coolant holding tank on july 19, 2000, that she was told of the required recall work need on her ford taurus, but the work was no longer covered under a warranty payment program and the cost was now the owner's problem and there was nothing the ford dealer could do about it. at this time we paid the bill, which was over $500. the "brown coolant" recall program was required because of a design error in the routing of the cooling system hoses into and out of the dash heater coil and the proximity of the hoses around the engine exhaust manifold. the result was that this problem caused the coolant to turn into brown mud from excessive rusting of the engine block. we never experienced any over heating problems with the car until the coolant tank began leaking. now, because of the excessive rust in the coolant, a galvanic reaction develops with freeze plugs in the engine block. the dealer insisted on changing the plugs, but he only changed 2 of the 4 plugs. the job also included a complete engine flushing to remove all the old rusty coolant. on july 7, 2001, brown coolant began running out onto the ground for the second time which required another $500 to repair. ford motors will not do anything to cover the cost of there engineering error. *ak

The rear center seat is supposed to be the safest place for a child. unfortunatly that is not the case when the rear center seat belt fails. thankfully this incident happened when our car was safely parked in our driveway. my husband had noticed the car seat was loose (which in itself is a dangerous situation created by this inproperly functioning seatbelt buckle) & he tried to tighten the belt. the buckle fell to pieces all over my back seat. it is going to cost me nearly $100 to repair this faulty seatbelt. a small price for keeping my son safe (until this breaks as well) . . . . but this is going to cost ford even more if some unsuspecting family is injured by the very device that claims to save lives. *ak

A recall for brown coolant had been performed on the car in december of 1998. the brown coolant from what i understand now was rust. the dealership replaced two freeze plugs, however the plugs used are not the same as the original. the new plugs were held on with a clamp. it turns out that the rust was already in the coolant system and after two and a half years and approximately 30,000 miles later the clamp rusted out and the coolant poored out of the car which in turn caused the cylinder to crack and burn two head gaskets. apparently their recall was a bandaid that didn't heal the wound and only caused further damage over time.*ak

Transmision is going out.....torque convertor also failing. *ak

The original drivers side window motor was replaced august 3,2000.that motor failed and was replaced on august 25,2000.that motor failed and was replaced on september 26,2000.the first replacement motor was replaced with 45,431 miles on the car. all work has been done by turnpike ford of gallipolis,ohio.i have to think that their is another problem. *ak

Erratic loss of power asssited steering after a few minutes of driving, sometimes with seat belt light on and power window control inoperative. chattering noise suggests an eletrical problem. definitely dangerous if loss or regain of power assisted steering happens due to over or under steering. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

I notices there are several complaints regarding a cooling system problem. i too have an issue with brown rusted coolent that caused the head gasket to fail. i was told today that it will cost aproximatly $5000.00 to repair. they want to replace the engin, radiator, heater core, water pump, etc. the service manger at the dealer said that this is caused by poor cooling system design that causes a rust build up and the eventual blown head gasket. since this is an obvious design flaw with many accounts listed on the nhtsa, i would like an investigation and the possible recall by the manufacturer (ford).

Windshield wiper motor is failing/timing is off/needs new motor per my mechanic. *ak

Bottom of trunk lid rusting/paint bubbling/ford notified. *ak

Symptoms of problem: when car comes to a stop the clutch can disengage unexpectedly. once gas is applied, it varies in the amount of time the car will re-engage and will abrubtly lurch forward. this results in unintended and unexpected vehicle movement which can result in personal injury and property damage. i was advised by my dealership that this was a known defect in the transmission. the mechanic advised that the forward clutch piston collapses and requires the transmission to be rebuilt or sometimes replaced. the dealership has advised this defect has been corrected in later models but previous models will not be fixed unless requested by the owner at his or her expense. i did some research and there are several stories on the internet of the same failures with ford taurus transmissions at varying mileage levels, one as little as 40,000. i am concerned that the loss of engagement or unpredictable re-engagement can cause loss of property damage and personal injury. please investigate. thank you.

Air conditioner and compressor and related parts failed. total cost of repairs $1539.51. ford would not assist with costs due to car being out of warranty (since it is a '97 vehicle).*ak

Coolant discolorated( rusty and brown) goodyear mechanic explained it was what is called "brown death" caused by engines not being properly processed at foundry(possibly left sand and metal shavings inside engines. engines overheats, coolant runs out freeze plugs blow out thermostat locks up water pump fails temperature gauge doesn't register that its overheating

Ford referred to their service bulletin number 98-3-7 when this problem occurred. after researching the forward clutch piston failure i found that this is a major complaint with the ford vehicles and the original component was made from aluminum. i would like to have this investigated and ford to recall this part. *ak

The transmission failed to work and had to be rebuilt at the cost of 1926.00. the transmissions shop that did the work stated that there were numerous updates he had to do to this vehicle to correct problems that had come defective directly from the factory when the vehcile was new. i dont feel i should have to pay for repairs that were defective from the factory and have ford tell me , save your receipts.*ak

Power steering intermittent failure; first began when placing shift lever into reverse gear, then later occurred also in forward drive gears. suspect electrical/electronic problem since radio speakers also go silent and power windows do not operate when this occurs. discovered that removal of 15amp fuse controlling backup lights/heater return power steering and radio control. all other fuses working properly. dealer is not yet contacted.

Car continues with the neutral condition of transmission after repair transmission 7 times. *ak

Local gas station had low price today so place was crowded. much chaos due to stupid placement of gas filler pipe on starboard side. chaos breeds confusion and unsafe condition. car makers think it looks european but a starboard gas filler location is more dangerous than it needs to be. every filler should be on one side only.*ak

Transmission failed without warning. there are no recalls, but there are many failed transmissions in this vehicle.*ak

Dealer claims no problem found but brakes absolutely failed. *ak

Intermittent windshield wipers would not work. also,windshield wipers would speed up for no reason. had to have entire signal arm replaced.*ak

My aunt just bought 4 new tires for her taurus in august ,2000 and the week before christmas she was going to her mothers down the street about 3 blocks . her back tire and the frount tire blew out . does these tires have recalls on them and what can we do about it , the place where she got the tires said nothing to help her and the damage was 2500.00 with no one hurt. please let me know something by email. thank you'''*ak( dot number: )

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While driving at 65 mph. with many other cars around me the transmission just stopped the auto acted as if i had shifted into neutral and would not work in drive or loe gears. if not for the driver behind me seeing i had a problem and helping by slowing other cars down i would not have been able to coast off the road saftly. there was no warning that this was going to happen,no slippage or other problems with the tranny. the garage told me that this happens often with the ford taurus and is quite commin. i can see where this could lead to many accidents and think it would be something you should look into. my total expence was over $2500.00 for repairs. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Heater core and expansion tank crack and leaks causing steam and anti-freeze smell to enter car causing poor visibilty and also nausea from smell of anti-freeze. *ak

False light showing open door will not go off, therefore interior lights will not shut off/even when car is off. *ak

Transaxle had internal parts failure. transaxle made a loud noise, then vehicle would not move in drive or reverse.*ak

Noticed brown coolant during maintenance. had some problems with overheating about two weeks prior. notified manufacturer, was told out of warranty, no recalls, not a wide spread problem. took to non-dealer shop. found leaking head gasket. replaced head gaskets, thermostat, coolant overflow container, and anti-freeze. resurfaced cylinder heads. performed cooling system flush. during routine maintenance at ~50,000 miles noticed brown coolant again.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Appears to be a defective design of safety critical component. while accelerating to 40 mph heard loud bang and front of car jumped. sudden failure/no previous warning signs. owner (me) suspected transmission or engine mount. drove home (3 mi.) at speed less than 30--transmission continued to shift ok but would jolt on up shift. made noise / "bumped" on turning at very low speed. dealer had recently serviced transmission (35,578 mi.). dealers said 2/3 hardened bolts sheared and 1/3 was loose in front? lower block mount loose. dealer claims no other damage resulted / will later result-we shall see. took approx 6 hr labor to repair. dealer said if owner had not had extended warrantee on drive train, owner would have had to pay all out of pocket. mount bolts/bracket is such that owner can not easily check- have to remove caty convt & r front engine mount for access. bracket bolts in triangular pattern in lower block- front?. veh never in accident or struck; in vg cond. veh had 12,000 mi when purchased from dealer's service mgr's wife. driven on paved roads 8-12 mi/day 55 mph max. not hotrodded. am intersted if same problem in other taurus sho v8 models. *ak

My boss has a 1998 taurus and transmission failed. our regional office in miami no longer uses the taurus due to repeated transmission problems. those vehicles are in a fleet of leased auto for the company. *ak

I own a 97 ford taurus that likes to ping. it started in 1998 and at the start of a cross country trip, went away, but came back. i took it to a dealer in tacoma wa, and was told that they cleaned a cylinder and that the owners manual says that light pinging is ok. they blew me off. i moved to fort knox, ky and the whole trip it lightly pinged. i put on over 5,000 miles in less than a month so it isn't carbon. used name brand fuel the whole trip. it got to the point here that i took it back to ford and was told by ford, that ford has this "pinging"problem in all their engines. v-6 to v-8 and in diff. vehicles. he had just replaced a 4.0 liter that day. . he wouldn't help me because i was out of warranty by 3 months, have 37,000 on the ford and i didn't have enough documentation on the problem. i work with a guy who owns a 98 taurus with the same problem. i have changed fuel brands and octane ratings and it doesn't go away. there are times when it takes a few hours of driving to start acting up, but it is there. hills, steady driving, city driving, it doesn't matter. i am worried that i will eat an engine and ford will tell me "oh well". can you shed any light on this ford known problem? thank you for your time.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

No summary

No summary

Bought car 1-97 in october of 97 took in to dealer for noise when steering--said nothing wrong in jan 98 took to our mechanic and was told rack and pinion was making the noise--took back to dealer they said rack and pinion should of been replaced before coming off lot because of safety upgrade but was never replaced!! so they did replace it---then in 1999 took car back for power steering leak--they could not find one--now i have obviously leak with only 15,000 miles on car--and dealer does not want to help fix since my warranty is over!! any other problems like this???

Ever since tire seperated and we went off the road, even the second set of new tires won't stay balenced. one to two times a month have had to have tires re-balenced. we continue to have problems with the car. the ford dealer claims that there is no problem and general tires have not returned our calls. (tiresize: p205/65r15)( dot number: tire size: p205/65r15 )

Transmission intermittently slipped for 30seconds to a minutes before engaging

Windshield wiper speed changes from setting,sometimes to only intermittent. occurs after windshield wipers are used for a while, and when turn signals are used. dealer couldn't duplicate problem.*ak

Afraid to drive car, don't know when to expect next failure. no contact from manufacturer, do they care?no safety defect listed. *ak

The transmission shifts up and down when you maintain a steady speed of approx. 60 miles an hour. the whole car jerks when this happens. it feels like the power to the car turns off it is such a hard shift. i reported this problem at 32,000 miles to jim skinner ford. they said that there is nothing wrong with it, "taurus's do that". it also jerks really hard when i shift from park to drive but they said this is normal also. periodically, when you come to a stop it surges forward. *ak

The car barely moves, if at all, when in any gear. transmission is making a loud buzzing noise. fluid was checked and is not low. *ak

A vehicle which is less than three years old suffers a failed clutch on the air conditioner. after checking into possible part recalls through nhtsa, a hard copy shows the layout of what the part should look like , with serial numbers to identify the part. upon inspection of the compressor, no serial numbers were found, just what type of refridgerant should be used. this leads me to believe the part i now possess is not the original part that was used at time of manufacture. further research has shown that this problem is frequent with the taurus, but my specific model has yet to be listed. i now wish to make it known. the theory of the part not being the original seems to be something that was passed over and suppressed from the consumer. additionally, as of 09/15/00 one of the power windows failed and no longer works. this on a vehicle less than three years old. i previously owned a vehicle for ten years and never had these sort of problems. i wish to relay the information of what i have gone through with this model for the record. thank you( dot number: tire size: p205/65r15 )

Service bulletin 98-3-7: intermittent neutral condition - no warranty coverage even though ford has upgraded the part. dealer quote was $2500. transmission shop upgraded for $1500. *ak

While driving at highway speed, the tire tread completely separated from the tire body as has been reported on the firestone tires under recall. at no time did the tire deflate. when the tread cap separated from the tire it flew up onto the fender area and caused some scratching. the vehicle was stopped without incident or injury to any of the passengers and no other vehicles were involved.( dot number: a3ur442117 tire size: p205/65r15 )

Tread separation failure, firestone fr680 p205/65 92s m+s, dot hyur f6a 353( dot number: hyurf6a353 tire size: p205/6592s )

When we first bought the car we discover shortly after it had been badly recked they did not tell us took it to a body shop and they had a whole new front end on several peices of glass was still in the car has had a popping niose since we bought it they keep saying they dont hear it they kept it so long each time we took it to them we had a engine put in it after not even a year have had several problems and there is no warranty so we pay for every thing but it has been a lemon ever since we bought it the car lot tried to say they didnt know it had been very badly wrecked didnt take any off the price after we found out and the door doont even line up right.

Tread failed and 20% came off tire. tire did not blow. able to stop safely. damaged fender as it came off car.( dot number: tire size: p205r6515 )

Best way to describe is throttle "sticks" it is an electronics control problem but similar to older cars where auto chokes stuck, when coming to a stop engine will continue at 2500 to 3000 rpm and you have to stand on the brakes to stop. problem is ongoing and has been demonstrated to two different dealers with many visits over last two years with no result. one dealer told me that ford knows about problem but has no good fix. it is very dangerous at times as car will cruise at 30 mph with foot off throttle. it will usually idle down after a few seconds but very dangerous in garage and parking situations. also if you accelerate (as when pulling out into an intersection) and than suddenly lift off the throttle, it continues to accelerate. i nearly ran over a pedestrian who stepped out in front of me. i am not one to be to picky about cars but after researching your site, it appears this has been reported numerous times.

I think this is a safety issue with the ford taurus mfr. not willing to do anything about it..

Dear general, on 6/17/00, i purchase a used vehicle from germain big lot, naples, florida. the vehicle purchased was a 1997 ford taurus gl, vin# [xxx]. on the date of purchased, during my test drive, i question the saleswoman about the feel of the brakes. her reply was that i was used to disc brakes and that the taurus had anti lock brakes and i would get used to the feel. upon applying the brakes, they would pulsate and the car would experience some vibration. i purchased this vehicle in good faith and under the assumption i would get used to it. the sales person also informed me that the car had just less than 25,000 miles and that it had factory warranty up to 36,000. *ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Original transmission failed at 35,000 miles replaced by a factory rebuilt dealer tranny. second tranny failed at 43000, dealer stated that no factory rebuilts were available. rebult transmission inhouse. both transmissions failed due to shifting from 1 to neutral. after the repair of the second transmission the car started to accelerate by itself . starting from a stop , pressing on the accelerator pedal the car shifts from 1 to 2 nd to 3rd , if i take my foot off the accelerator pedel the car continues to gain speed and the tach needle does not drop down but continues to stay in the 2 to 3 thousand rpm range, it i put the tranny in neutral the tach need jumps up to 3,000 rpms. *ak

Transmission repeatedly had problems slamming/jumping, and hopping out, then finally quit ford didn't care.*ak

It isn't just the suv's where this tire failure is occurring--fortunately i maintained control of the car. this has happened to me twice before with less than 20,000 miles on original ford tires. *ak

Engine coolant system corroded turning brown. changed coolant, radiator assy - remmoved, expansion coolant removed - replaced at 27473 miles and recently changed coolant at 33322, still corroding. failure with power tran, gear change problem, overhualed power tran at 33290. received bad service at galpin ford. galpin ford did not honerd my warranty, had to call ford to enforce the warranty. galpin ford refused to fixed the coolant problem, galpin ford left off the cap on the radiator , while i was driving notice it and did report to galpin ford. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The engine failed with no warning. at 55 mph, engine lost power, overheated with no indication from temperature gauge and quit. brown crap spewed from the radiator. lost all fluids. diagnostics revealed engine heads were cracked and the compression test was low on two cylinders. a new engine was required. *ak

Transmission slipped and failed when accelerating and slammed into 2nd gear then refused to power/ work at all - 3rd reverse piston cracked dealer said needs replacing at owners expense. *ak

Problem 1: due to significant front end vibration at speeds at or over 40 mph, the dealer replaced both tie-rod ends on a car just over 3 years old with less than 30,000 miles. problem 2: discovered the safety information placard on the door post does not list mandatroy information about tire air pressures. the owner's manual refers to this placard, but also does not provide any tire pressure information.*ak

No safety defect listed for above vehicle. *ak

The interior lights stay on due to the door ajar light being on it only happens after noon when th car is parked in the sun light and afraid to cause accident because of the drivers underdash light being so bright. *ak

Experienced transmission hesitation while slowing down into a turn and rough transition ( banging) when reapplying acceleration coming out of the turn. ford dealer reports after diagnostic and tear down that problem was in transmission forward clutches and torque convertor and needed replacement. transmission only has 48500 miles and only 3 years old. problem started about 46000 miles with only subtle rough transient shifting at first. problem grew worse with banging and whole car vibration at times. ford customer service center has been contacted and will contact service manager for a detailed explanation of what could have caused problem so that a decision can be reached for an out of warranty component financial assistance situation. *ak

This is the fourth time in seven months core has failed,safety involved in that windshield fogs on failure. *ak

When driving on wet streets or over an puddle i loose all steering and controll of car. especially when i make an right hand turns. belts squeel for 10 to 30 seconds and the battery light comes on. the dealer says it is awware of this problem and there is no solution to this problem. this is a very dangerous situation. i have almost been in an accident. *ak

Just the tranmission problems. *ak

Air conditioner was an experimental unit for that year. replacement of the unit costs 1500 dollars and every part must be replaced. no compressor can be purchased to replace the old one. *ak

Transmission has whining sound when letting off the gas. *ak

While freeway driving, the car died. no warning lightsor any other visable problems. towed to nearest dealer and were told the engine was blown and could have another for 5,500.00. towed the car home and found the cooling resivore was cracked and had empitied all coolent. we find from ford motors that this was a recall item, and we were never notified. *ak

When i stop at a stop light or stop sign the transmission drops in to neutral and does not want to go into gear, you have to rev the engine to get it to move and then the trans. jerks real hard, the dealer said it was the cervo's at first and now the are saying a sensor is causing the problem but that we would have to pay for it since the warranty is out! *ak

The headlight bezel is discolored. there appears to be a fog inside the bezel. the dealer states that this is not a manufacturers defect, and is not covered under the warranty. the dealer states "something" must have been sprayed on the outside of the bezel. i was told that some of the headlights have a gasket leak and that was the problem. do you have any information regaurding this problem? *ak

Squeaking in front end, had to have tie rod ends replaced then there is still a popping in the front end when i turn the wheels to make a turn. *ak

No summary listed for above vehiicle. *ak

Transmission failed to get out of first gear causing problems in traffic. transmission had been serviced regularly at riverview ford-mercury in columbia, il. *ak

Engine coolant is turning brown. changed coolant at 20,000 miles and recently changed again at 45,000.shoud not be happening on a 97' vehicle.

Transmission started to fail by not going into gear in the morning, it then would not go above 20 mph and had to be taken back to where i purchased it after i contacted ford and they did not want to help and basically did not want any part of my problem. when i asked ford if alot of taurus' have this problem they refused to release that information. i think i have a roght to know since i am an owner of a taurus and i still owe a very large sum of money on this car. i then checked in to it myself and found mind-boggling stories of how ford will not make good on these taurus'. there are so many people who are stuck with this type if car with a bad transmission it is horrible, a multi-million dollar co. will not make good on these cars they know are bad. *ak

Door ajar light on dash stays on. sometimes ocasionally it goes off, interior lights won't go off because of it, resulting in a dead battery, back window doesn't always work, engine check light goes on and off. the dealer thinks i'm crazy cause whenever i take it in to be repaired the lights are all off. they told me it was a relay switch and they said they fixed it and it still is broken. *ak

Camshaft position sensor,i ordered a new one awhile back and 4 comp were out of them. i thought it was odd,so i assumed that maybe there would be a defect with them. *ak

Heater core failed after 4 times and 2nd engine failed. cooling problems never found.*ak

Belt separation in three out of four of the oem tires. *ak( dot number: m6t4 tire size: 225-55zr16 )

#1 door ajar lights, interior lights, and dome light on even though all doors are closed. *ak

Complete trans failure

Safety hazard caused by failure of interior lights to turn off, and automatic unlocking of only the driver door, immediately after using power lock button to lock all doors.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The front freeze plug between cylinder 4 and 5 blew or fell out caused by compression from the head gasket, new engine required, ford unresponsive. *ak

The accident was at a very low speed (~15 mph) and more damage and injury was caused by the air bags than by the crash. only the front bumper of the car was damaged by the crash, yet the air bag shatterd the windshild and blew out the passenger side window. the driver and passenger suffered hearing loss, facial burns and glass cuts from the airbag deployment.

The problems with my taurus are the result of the poorly designed cooling system of the 1997 model. a cooling system bypass kit was introduced by ford. i am trying find out whether or not a recall was done. in the last 4 months, starting nov. 1999, three freeze plugs have blown. the ford service mechanic says this is due to the acid build up in the corroded coolant in the cooling system due to the poorly designed cooling system. so far the head freeze plugs, the block freeze plugs, the water pump, the thermostat, and the overflow tank have been replaced because of corrosion at a cost of $800. after the last repair of the block freeze plugs and water pump, within 30 miles of driving the head has either cracked or warped, or the head gasket has blown. i have an estimate of $1211 to diagnose and repair (if no head cracks). i have been told that it is enivitable that the transmission freeze plug, radiator, and heater core will fail. the only way to guarantee proper running condition would require a rebuild and replacement of radiator and heater core at a cost of $4500. ford has been apathetic about my problems. in this site, i have found complaints of similar problems due to the cooling system corrosion. complaints of blown heads and leaking heater cores. i feel ford should remedy my problem in some way. please contact me i you can help me. *ak

Transmission quit. if we were on interstate, would have caused major problem.

The drivers side seat belt failed approximately 6 inches above the anchor bolt, at the "b" pillar post. this information is being provided by officer r.l. mcedward, (9359), california highway patrol per c.h.p. policy. *ak

Was proceding across intersection, starting up slight grade when i lost forward motion of vehicle. i accelerated engine and the engine revoluntions increased. i put transmission in park, then back into drive and same thing happened. the car would not move forward. i then place transmission in reverse and the car moved backward as it is supposed to. no problem in reverse. again, i attemped to place transmission in drive, then 2nd, then low range and could not get any forward. movement. took vehicle to transmission specialist (after dicsussing issue with dealer). the transmission specialist said he got into the car the next morning and car ran fine. he took for test drive and car ran fine. he inspected the transmission and could find nothing wrong. he replaced fluid and changed filter. the car ran okey for several days, then on 3/16/00, my wife was driving the car and reported the transmission slipping. especially when stopped at traffic light. when she would procede forward, the transmission would slip, then jerk then ultimately continue in a somewhat normal fashion. i called dealer, took vehicle to dealer for inspection. the stated the fluid was burned and the transmission would have to be replaced. the dealer indicated he wmay go $1,000 of the estimated $2,100 repair for a rebuild transmission. i reported transmission problems to ford moor co. customer assistance center. likewise, they indicated that ford may pay a portion for the repair. the ford representative indicate he would forward a report to his regional and district office and that a report would be sent to the dealer. it was indicated that the dealer should receive a formal report from ford motor co. within two working days and that i would then be notified as to what the final status of the repair cost would be. *ak

Driving at 55 mph i applied the brakes lightly and the car started to accelerate, i stepped on the brake pedal but it would not slow the car at all and it was hard to steer , the steering wheel seemed to try to pull to either side, back and forth but i kept it going as straight as i could,then the abruptly pivoted 180 degrees about the left front wheel and the car slid sideways accross the right lane and hit the guardrail with the left front corner and left side of the car. *ak

We bought this '97 taurus with 56,816 miles on 3/17/99. a week later the engine" check light came on. the dealer advised us to go to his mechanic and have it checked. the mechanic read a p1744 code, cleared the code, road-tested the car, and advised us to continue to drive, and see if it would reset or not. in the ongoing months engine check light came on three more times. there were no problems and the car was operating normally. these three times it was taken to the ford dealership, the code cleared and we were sent on our way. the last time, however, we said that this problem has got to be solved! the ford dealer said it could be many things, and would cost $63.00 to investigate. after investigation, the dealer said it was in the transmission valve body, approximately $750.00 to overhaul. the dealer was given the okay, and the end result was a $1,245 bill to replace the entire valve body and pump shaft. the needle bearing had failed and the pump shaft scored the bore in valve body. the car at the time of this repair 1/19/00 had 61,808 miles. this is a definite case of premature failure, caused probably by a manufacturing defect.*ak

1. windshield wipers do not always operate at the rate selected. they operate at a lower rate than selected. 2. the driver's side door light switch does not operate properly. the interior lights will not turn off for long periods of time. the driver's side door will not remain locked during this switch failure with the key in the ignition and/or the engine running.

When i first bought the car the door ajar light would intermittintly come on. i took the vehicle i took it back to them twice and they were unable to fix it. now the problem is esculating. the car now shuts off the power to the radio speakers, power windows, power assist and probably other components when the gear shift is taken out of park. all components work fine when car is in park shift position. of course i'm required to pay to have this fixed even though it could probably been fixed right in the first place. the decision to stop going back to the dealer is based on the work they did do (shabby) and their not being able to fix the main problem i took the car back into them. is the car suppose to had a high wind noise - i was told that was part of the design and they could do nothing about that when i first bought the car. *ak

#1 door ajar switch,light in dash stays on and interior lights stay on while driving. #2 window did not work at all, repaired by dealer, #3 window would not roll up, took to dealer, told to take door apart and beat on motor, was able to get window up.

In less than two years of ownership with this car, my battery has blown twice. i go to start the car and battery just blows up. the first time i simply heard a crackling noise. the second time i heard a pop like that of a balloon popping. individuals have told me that this could potentially cause a fire. the dealership cannot find anything wrong; they just replace the battery. they do tell me that it must develop an electrical spike, but they have no way of knowing where it comes from. i believe this is dangerous. the service department at the dealership says that even if they check all the wiring harness, they might not find the problem. *ak

Windshield my wipers will not work on any selector, but high. *ak

Transmission has failed twice. dealer rebuilt first time and exactly a yeart later it failed again. it is 8,000 miles over warranty. they offer no assistance. a new car should not do this....twice! it has been factory defects each time. *ak

The engine often stalls during a heavy rain or after running through puddles of water. the dealer told me it neded a "revised air cleaner". if i understand the problem correctly water is sucked up through the air cleaner causing the engine to stall. the revised air cleaner is a different design which prevents this from happening. *ak

Shimmy in steering column during braking indicated that the braking system needed repair. pads replaced and rotors turned at 55000. steering column would "groan" intermittently when turned to right and then returned to center. dealer diagnosed problem as rack and pinion assembly needing replacement. would not performa under warranty. car only had 58,000 miles (way too soon!)

Noise in fuel system took to dealer twice no solution. sound like gurgle. *ak

Steering exhibits groan or shudder with some loss of assist when recovering from a right turn. ford has issued over 10 technical service bulletins on this matter. dealer and ford motor contacted. ford motor took information and indicated that no assistance will be offered to fix this problem. repairs estimated at $500. i am concerned about the slight loss of power assist in recovering from a turn which could contribute to loss of control. *ak

Engine coolant system corroded even though it had been flushed just previously, causing a cylinder head/head gasket to crack requiring $1,600 is repairs to the owner. vehicle is not currently under a warranty, so owner is having to pay for repairs that he feels are the result of a manufacturing defect. owner was advised by service attendant at ford dealership that there have been numerous problems just like this with this year, make and model. if the coolant system is not flushed a certain way, which the owner has no way of knowing, the problems identified here will occur. if it is bad enough, service technician informed owner that it may result in total engine failure. *ak

Surge at steady speeds even with cruise control on also when setting at a red light

Contacted ford several times about this problem had to have motor replaced dunlap ford from bellefonte were very rude. they did an unsatisfactory job and took severl weeks to complete the job. they installed a smaller engine than original. i feel i should be compensated for at least a little of the cost of 2500.00 . contacted the dealer, went out of business, the salesperson no longer with any ford company in the vicinity. it was an executive vehicle when purchased with 22,000 miles. first of all they said it only had 12000 when picked up car it ended up with 22,000. the sales person then stated that it had a 3 year 60,000 mile warranty from date of purchase. when contacted ford about this they said no way.

Vehicle acts as if in park, though it shifts to all gears- car doesn't move. car locked up while driving in middle of a turn. out of warranty by 3 weeks, but in on mileage. dealer and manufacturer unwilling to claim responsibility.

The door ajar light comes on when the weather is warm. this causes the interior lights to stay on, and the driver side door will not lock when using the power lock button when this occurs.

The car was originally purchased by my father, ray zumwalt, in november 1997 and i purchased the car from him june 19th ,1999. the first transmission failure was may 1999 with approximately 25,000 miles on the car, transmission replaced by dealership in dallas, texas. the second transmission failed 10,000 miles later , on 10/15/99 and was replaced by pritchett ford in albany, ga. the car was dangerous to drive and had to be towed to the dearlership.

This vehicle quit on the highway and was towed back to our shop. the fuel pump fuse had blown. the wires to the fuel pump inside the fuel tank had been rubbing against a hose clamp and had shorted together. ford does have a tsb concerning this problem. the number is 98-25-1. it concerns me that the wires are shorting out in the highly flammable environment of the inside of a tank full of fuel and vapor. i cannot believe this is only covered by a tsb and not a recall.

Seatbelts do not retract correctly and lockup at inappropriate times. dealer and ford motor were contacted and advised us that this was not covered under warranty. can you believe that??? this vehicle was purchased used with the extended warranty (through travelers) at additional cost -- safety equipment is not covered. we're screwed. estimate of over $400 to correct by dealer. presently looking at aftermarket alternatives to replace defective ford components. not certain whether "genuine" ford parts will correct the problem as they may have the same net result.

Transmission slips in first gear when starting cold, occasionally slips when attempting to pass or accelerating rapidly. dealer couldn't find any problem, but slipping continues. *ak

No summary

Was informed by dealership that this was caused by their repair of my transmission, however, i am to pay for the repair for this myself. what is wrong with this picture? they break it, i pay for it to be fixed. this is ford quality is job1 at its best.

Abs pump failure dealer estimated cost to repair $ 1,500.00. ford refused any financial help with the problem

Engine stalls whenever i hit a water puddle of any size reguardless of speed. dealer says they can't fix.

Engine has stalled again going through a small puddle. this time at 2mph. i've already checked recall, consumer complaints and their are others with same problem. please tell me what you or i can do. reading reports not getting me anywhere. this is an accident waiting to happen. car can't handle any water on road and dealer can't remedy. please advise. thanks

"service engine soon" light came on while driving, had a mechanic run computer diagnostics, codes p0734 & p0761 read on two different occasions. mechanic took a closer look at the transmission and said it did not have 4th gear and recommended it be rebuilt. i had contacted 2 ford dealers before i knew that it was a major transmission problem and they said that nothing would be covered because i was out of warranty by 1,000 miles. i think that there is a manufacturing defect in the transmission. i contacted jaspors the manufacturer of transmissions and it is a known problem that a clip or selonoid is breaking and they have done 6 updates to this particular transmission. a transmission expert said that the transmission needs to be compeletly rebuilt. i had no knowledge that anything was wrong with the car until something triggered the engine light. one dealer offered my to sell me the extended warranty and the they would cover it. i have continued to drive the car which is operating as it always has and trying to determine the best course of action.

While driving on i95 during a rainstorm, i experienced a total failure of the windshield wipers when i activated my left directional signal. visibility suddenly became zero and i narrowly avoided a serious crash. i finally was able to restore partial use of the windshield wipers by switching on my high-beam headlights. i tried this procedure because the headlights as well as the directional signals are all controlled by the same handle. i believe there is a defect inside the stalk that houses the wiring for these controls. i have rarely used this car in the rain ( there has been a virtual drought in my area) and this is the first real workout of the wipers.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Requested dealership to check transmission at time of purchase, felt that the transmission did not shift smoothly, was told nothing was wrong.

Transmission failed & now when car is in park and neutral you can drive it, when you put it in reverse,o drive & drive it will not move, and cannot take out of gear, the bad part is the car only has 38185 miles.

All of a sudden, car started jerking speed dropped and wouldn't accelerate.

Power steering is lost and battery-warning light comes on for about 5 to 10 seconds whenever i drive through a puddle more than about an inch deep. ford seems to be aware that this is a defect (they said the part replacement was mandatory and covered by warranty), but the dealership still wants me to continue to drive the car --at the height of south florida's rainy season-- for another week while a part is on order for the repair. they don't seem to appreciate how dangerous it is to drive with intermittent loss of power steering (if they did, they would use a faster method to ship the replacement part).

Altenator went bad at only 38,989 miles. also had to replace battery due to altenator draining it.

Engine heads cracked, causing sudden loss of power, scoring of engine cylinders requiring replacement of entire engine

Wipers and fluid work intermittently. have been to dealer and found nothing wrong. it's obvious when it rains and would consider it a safety hazard. please help!

Intermittent operation on low and high speed settings- dealer did not repair after complaint. problem occurs with relative frequency.

Trans failed to engage at stop-then slammed into gear. vehicle then stopped when going 40-slammed into gear again.

On the ball joint part, the mechanic told us that our sterring wheel could have locked up and we would have been unable to steer in traffic.

The ignition tension pully froze up and caused the belt to come off and the motor to overheat. the motor overheated this one time that i know of and cause all the alluminum in the moter to warp, basicly ruinning the motor. the car was shut down with in 3 min i did not know what was wrong. the extended warranty that i purchased from the dealership would not cover the parts damaged due to overheating, eventhough a covered part caused motor to over heat. thank you. *ak

Stall, rough idle, ignition missing. wiring replaced, but vehicle continues to run rough. dealer check fuel system but no problem found. unable to determine cause via diagnostics. this problem has existed and grown worse with this vehicle since purchased in 04/98 at @17000 miles.

A pungent odor is coming from the ventilation system similar to a urine smell. this odor exists anytime the ventilation system is turned on regardless of whether it is the air conditioning system or heater. in contacting the dealer i was told there is a problem with mold and mildew build-up in the ventilation boxes of the late model taurus's. the dealer indicated there is a technical service bulletin published on this issue but they won't perfrom the work because of the health risk to service technicians using the required cleaning solvent. no only is this an irritating problem, i am concerned about the health risk to myself and my family from mold and mildew spores or any other biological health hazards created by this problem. please advise. thanks. *ak

Many problems since purchase, very disatisfied, car was not checked out prior to sale, car was missing basic fluids, car had lights out which i was ticketed for, car was running horrible needed brakes, also needed what was thought to be a tuneup but car continued to run horrible which looks to have turned out to be engine problems which led to replacement of engine. *ak

Transmission slips. dealer unable to identify problem. *ak

Just started to proceed through intersection when car shifted from low gear and acted as if it were in neutral. dealer i took it to seems to be aware of pistons being made out of a composite material that likes to crack.

I put my car in reverse to back out of a parking space. i hit a concrete pole which was located in the parking lot. the accident occurred when i braked to shift from reverse to drive. the car took off leaving black marks 9 feet long. i did not have a chance to hit the accelerator. the car was acting on its own. i hit the front of the store. the only thing that stopped my car was the steel door frame and the brick building. my car was still moving after i got out because i had not put it into park and turned it off. i had jumped out quickly because glass was coming through my sunroof onto me. a witness said "oh my god, your car is still moving." i had to get back into the vehicle to put it into park and turn the ignition off. this proves that the car was getting fuel somewhere besides me. i feel as though the fuel shut off button located in the trunk should have prevented this accident. but it did not work; in fact, i am thinking something malfunctioned and instead of shutting fuel off the car was getting fuel wide open.

Engine shut down at idle - waited 1 minute then restarted. *ak

Within the last 6 mos. when car hit approx. 60000 miles when the ignition is turned on it will not start. everything is dead. however, power in vehicle will come back if the interior front hood lever is activated. power will come back and the radio will always be on am and the clock will be at 12:00. i have not contacted the manufacturer because this happens very sporadically. in other words there is no way to predict it will happen and/or make it happen.

The windshield wipers are multi-speed, but they only run on slow. you have to turn them off and on several tmes to get them to work right.the ignition switch was replaced because when you took the key out the accessories continued to run like the radio would keep on playing with no key in the car .they changed the ignition switch and it helped for a few thousand miles but now the car is out of warranty and the problem is back again.also i am having problems with the power windows. *ak

Air bag light keeps flashing off and on for no reason. ford repair informed me if i have an accident while the light is on, the air bags will not deploy.

Spouse backed out from a parking space and when she put the vehicle in "drive" the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed, and before any action could be taken she collided with a store front. the "cruise control" had been used the day before and there is reason to believe it was malfunctioning and caused the sudden forward movement. the reason for this assumption is that i had driven the car on a previous recent occasion, and noticed the light indicating cruise was on although i had just started the car. i thought perhaps i may have bumped it but now i am sure it was malfunctioning. this was reenforced when i talked to three other people who had similar incidents with ford products. *ak

No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak

Four dealer visits have not corrected engine problem, factory refuses to help. *ak

I have had the forward clutch pack fail on a 14- month old new auto.mobile.the transmission will have to be replaced by recommendation of the ford dealer. this repair will not be covered under warranty. repair cost estimate is parts $1100, labor $500. i find this premature failure unacceptable for a 14-month old car that has been properly maintained and very well taken car off. there has not been an external cause found to justify the failure of transmission. i have not been able to contact any other company representitve other that the dealer service manager, without a satisfactory response. *ak

I bought the car because i felt it was of good quality.when a situation aroused i was totally given the cold shoulder by this dealership.now i am stuck with partially operable vehicle. i am a u. s. soldier and i just feel let down by the quality of ford and the handling of this situation by briggs. no defect mentione din summary. *ak

Fails to shift into 2nd or sometimes 3rd gear. engine races in nuetral and car decelerates. then very harsh shift into gear with tire noise and bang in transmission

Severe shock from static electricity build up. *ak

The car had been pre-inspected for lease-turn-in in jan 1999, and then remained parked until feb 8, 1999. at the time of the inspection there was no visible damage to the windshield. on feb 8, 1999, there was a large crack in the windshield, originating from the top center of the windshield, down 4 inches and trailing off 4 inches to the left. the windshield was inspected at the time of replacement, and no chip marks or trauma to the glass was found. glass installer stated that the crack was a stress failure. while driving at night both headlights went off at 55 mph. after stopping, shutting off the car and restarting, they came back on. also, the passenger side headlight become disconnected on several occasions. *ak

When starting the automobile the key was inserted into the ignition, which is made of plastic and the plastic igntion part broke, leaveing the auto unable to start but still with the battery still in the on position. *ak

The transmission quit moving the car when both front wheels began to slip causing the car to stall at an intersection.

Something happened to the steering while i was driving a ford taurus rental car that made me lose control and tumble over an embankment. before the accident, i noticed irregular steering that resembled sterring consistant with a low tire. however, after stopping to check the tires, i found that all appeared to be properly inflated. approximately 5-10 minutes later, the steering failed causing me to lose control in a curve and tumble over an embankment several times landing on my roof. since this was a rental car, i do not have the specific information such as vin number, mileage, etc. i have provided you with all of the information i can recall, but will attempt

Pressed brake pedal and brakes did not apply causing vehicle to strike oncoming truck causing damage to left front section of vehicle. vehicle continued to roll while breaks were pressed as hard as possible. owner of vehicle has had prior problems with break system which have been worked on for previous other problems by dealer where vehicle was purchased.

The torque converter is going out the problem started around 35000 miles i did not take the car in because the previous taurus did the same thing and i was told to drive it untill the transmission went out all the way. i did not know at the time that it was a torq converter problem or i would not have driven it. but the new taurus is doing the same thing and i have had it at a couple of transmission shops and they tell me that it is the torq converter.

Air conditioning malfunctioned. *yc

Transmission failed. *yc

Air conditioner failed.

Automatic transmission refuses to downshift. no drive or reverse after coming to stop. happens most often after driving in traffic. waiting in park for 30-60 seconds and then shifting into drive usually allows car to be driven away. transmission fluid level and fluid type are correct. i made an appointment with dealer next week for repairs.

Power steering pump failed, caused noise. yh

Battery.

Lower bushings, spacers, bolts.

Stress crack on front windshield.

Fuel gauge sending unit failed. yh

Cd player failed. yh

Battery failed. yh

Tire has a slow leak. nlm (dot025811 - size p205/65r15)

Transmission failed. nlm

Right door lock failed. nlm

Battery failure. *yc

Windshield distorted.

Driver's side window motor failed.

Brake pad return spring failed. mjs

Brakes failed.

Abs right rear sensor control module failed. mgm

Left power window failed. *yc

The frost plugs in the engine block failed catastrophically due to internal corrosion. this caused rapid loss of nearly all coolant from the engine. the loss of coolant caused the engine to overheat, the head gasket to fail, and the heads to crack. within ninety seconds, the engine shut down and consumer was left without power. *jg

While in motion the service light illuminated and then began to flash. *jg

The consumer states that the windsheild wipers while on high or low speed will go into intermittent mode. which started happening after he had purchased the vehicle. (each time he would take the vehicle in for repairs, it would work okay) the consumer had taken the vehicle back to the dealer and it went on intermittent mode while on high or low speed wiper mode. they installed switch part #xw3z-13359-caswitch 357698-1ea, which worked for a while, but eventually started again.-some what after repair, but less than often *scc

Consumer states vehicle is experiencing problems with the ax4n transmission. dealer replaced transmission. *tt

Consumer states vehicle is experiencing problems with the automatic transmission. *tt

Upon purchase of vehicle, seat belt was broken. dealer fixed problem, now it looks as if it is not installed correctly. dealer will fix at consumers expense. *jg

Consumer experiencing transmission thunk condition, was told by formerford dealership mechanic to have dealership replace the transmissionsince the defect was with the parking pawl and transmission abutmentplate, also replacement of the transmission was the only correction forthe problem, consumer found recall 96v166 regarding same problem, however,was unable to receive recall repair work. *tt

Consumer experiencing vibration in the steering wheel. *tt

Vehicle experiencing problems with engine. *tt

While driving on the freeway the vehicle suddenly lost power due to the transmission seizing up.

Consumer discovered that the right rear seat belt would not retract, the dealer informed consumer that a new seat belt would need to be ordered, when consumer arrived home it was discovered that the seat belt still did not work, vehicle was taken back to dealer in which the seat belt was fixed the same day, consumer is questioning how the correction was made without ordering another seatbelt in which the first seat took two days to arrive.*jb

When traveling about 35 or 40 mph, a low humming noise is heard, on 3/8/00 dealership replaced front hub bearings due to excessive wear causing noise. cj

Consumer heard loud buzzing noise when turning, upon inspection the the mechanic found that the underside of the vehicle was full of rust, technician informed consumer that the vehicle was unsalvageable and that it had been submerged in water. nlm

Heater core replaced on two occasions due to failure, the second replacement failed also causing loss of coolant. *mjs

Transmission leaking causing the vehicle to not start once stopped or parked. *cj

The clip that holds the fuel line broke resulting a a fire under the hood. nlm

Gas gauge reads empty when full, digital miles left gauge read 0, three of four taurus's within the fleet have similar problems with the gas gauge. *mjs

Gas gauge reads empty when full, digital miles left gauge read 0, three of four taurus's within the fleet have similar problems with the gas gauge. *mjs

Transmission had to be overhauled. nlm

Battery failed without warning. nlm

Bearings failed. nlm

Air conditioner failure. *slc

Transmission failure. *slc

Window failure. *slc

Sensor failure. *slc

Brake problems. *slc

Brakes turned once and are not responding well. yh

Transmission was slipping prior to failure. yh

Window malfunctions. yh

A/c malfunctions. yh

The pulley that drives the belt froze and fell off causing the power steering, the alternator, water pump and battery failures. yh

Vehicle failed to go forward after driving in reverse and has hard shift between 1st and 2nd gear frequently due to sliping torque converter failure. yh

Check engine light came on. yh

Consumer was not aware of the recall prior to purchase, vehicle denied recall repair due to time restrictions. (98b2) *mjs

Vehicles transmission failed. nlm