1994 FORD TAURUS Complaints

CAR WAS STALLING AT STOP SIGNS AND MAJOR INTERSECTIONS. WHEN TRING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE INITIALLY UNTIL EXTRA GAS WAS APPLIED. THEN IT WOULD LUNGE INTO FIRST GEAR AND THE CAR COULD BE DRIVEN, AT LEAST UNTIL THE NEXT STOP. THE WARMER THE CAR GOT, THE WORSE THE PROBLEM WOULD GET AND MORE IT WOULD STALL. I WAS EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING REAR ENDED AND STARTED CALLING NUMEROUS TRANSMISSION SHOPS. I THEN FOUND OUT THAT TAURUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE A COMMON PROBLEM AND TRANSMISSION SHOPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAD BEEN FIXING EARLY AND MID 90'S TAURUS FREQUENTLY OVER THE YEARS. ALSO, FORD NEW OF THE PROBLEM AND WAS THE SOURCE OF THE IMPROVED REPLACEMENT PART. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NAME OF THE FAULTY PART, BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN CALLED AN ALUMINUM CLUTCH CYLINDER. THE COTTMAN TRANSMISSION SHOP GUY NEW WHAT THE PROBLEM SOURCE WAS JUST BY TALKING TO HIM OVER THE PHONE AND HE SHOWED ME THE HAIR LINE CRACK IN THIS THIN ROUND ALUMINUM PART. HE ALSO SHOWED ME THE STEEL REPLACEMENT PART BOUGHT FROM FORD. I ALSO HAD TO PAY OVER $1400 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FIXED SINCE THE FAULTY PART CAUSED DAMAGE TO OTHE PARTS. I HAD TO GET THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY REBUILT. PRETTY BAD CONSIDERING THIS CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND ONLY HAD ABOUT 60,000 MILE ON IT. DT

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE MERGING INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY, VEHICLE CUT OFF, WITHOUT WARNING. ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED, THE TRANSMISSION HAD BLOWN. TS

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED TS

WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCH IS INTERMITTENT. WIPERS WILL WORK SOMETIMES. OTHER TIMES, WIPERS WILL WORK WHEN TURNED ON, THEN STOP WITHOUT WARNING. DT

CONTACTED DEALER, FOUND ONLINE THE TFI MODULE FAILURES IN OTHER FORD MODELS RECALLED BUT THE OTHER MODELS OF FORDS SOLD WITH THE SAME MODULE IN THEM WERE NOT RECALLED, WHY? MR

WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE HEARD A LOUD BANGING NOISE, AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE DROPPED DOWN ON TO THE STEERING MECHANISM MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. *YH

CONSUMER STATES HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. CONSUMER IS AWARE OF SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING PROBLEM WITH AN ALUMINUM PISTON WHICH TENDS TO CRACK AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH A STEEL PISTON. VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TT

1. 3.8L V6 HEAD GASKETS. GASKET(S) FAILED ON VEHICLE AT 80878 MILES. ENGINE BLOWS HEAVY ?!@#$% SMOKE FROM TAILPIPE, OVERHEATS AND LOSES COOLANT. VEHICLE IS 8 YRS OLD AND OUT OF EXTENDED FORD WARRANTY PROGRAM, (7YRS 100,000MI). CONTACTED BOTH LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, BOTH SAYING THERE IS NO ASSISTANCE THEY COULD PROVIDE, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE HEAD GASKETS. 2. TRANSMISSION FAILED, AT 79,392MI. WHEN VEHICLE WAS WARM, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE 1ST GEAR, LEAVING YOU STRANDED WHEREVER YOU STOPPED. CONTACTED LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, WHO QUOTED $2500 + LABOR. HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR $1800. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN CAREFULLY MAINTAINED. ALL MAINTENANCE ITEMS PERFORMED AT MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDED INTERVALS FOR HEAVY DUTY USE. (EVERY 3000MI) OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000MI, TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED PER MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE, FILTERS, TIRE ROTATION, SPARK PLUGS, EVERYTHING. IF FORD WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT, WHICH HAS A KNOWN DESIGN / MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THIS WAS THE LAST FORD PRODUCT I WILL EVER BUY. IT MAY BE ANYWAY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING TRANSMISSION WILL LOCK UP. VEHICLE CAN ONLY GO INTO NEUTRAL. *AK DEALER NOTIFIED.

SPEED WAS 35 WHEN ENTERING EXIT RAMP, BUT VEHICLE ACCELERATED INVOLUNTARILY UNTIL IMPACT.*AK