1996 FORD TAURUS Complaints

THIS CAR CONTINUALLY STALLS OUT , THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON, THE ENGINE REPAIR LIGHT COMES ON, THE UNDERNEATH SUSPENSION SQUEEKS AND GROANS, THE BRAKES SQUEAK, THE WHEEL DOESN'T TURN WHEN THE CAR STALLS OUT. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN I AM TURNING A CORNER, THE CAR STALLS OUT AND THE WHEEL WILL NOT TURN. NOW THE COMPUTOR SYSTEMS ARE NOT WORKING THE AIR CONDITIONING. I HAVE TO RESTART THE CAR TO GET THE RADIO AND THE AIR CONDITIONING TO START UP. THESE THINGS HAPPEN BUT NO ONE CAN FIND A PROBLEM.

IN MAY 03 FORD SAID TRANS. WAS JUST WORE OUT. HAD REBUILT BY AAMCO AND THEN AT THE END OF JULY TRANS. HAD NO PARK, WAS JUST LIKE IN NUTRAL. ON THE WAY TO AAMCO TRANS. FELL APART. AAMCO TRYED TO SAY WE DID SOMETHING WRONG, BUT DECIDED THAT WE COULDN'T HAVE SO ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIND A NEW CASE FOR ARE AX4N TRANS. NOW. IT HAS BEEN OVER TWO WEEKS NOW AND STILL CAN NOT FIND A CASE. HOPE THEY FIND SOON SO CAN GET CAR BACK AND GET RID OF IT, NEVER TO OWN ANOTHER FORD. THIS CAR HAS HAD CONTINUAL SMALL BUT STILL PROBLEMS NEVER THE LESS SENCE WE PURCHASED IT. HAVE BEEN A FORD LOVER ALL MY LIFE AND AM KIND OF SAD TO SAY I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER FORD.

ENG SIZE 3.0 TRANSMISSION TYPE AX4S OR AXODE , TRANSMISSION JUST STOP PULLING FORWARD, HAD CAR SINCE OCT. 1998 BOUGHT USED ALWAY HAD PROBLEM WITH JERKING WHEN CHANGING TO FIRST OR SECOND GEAR FROM DAY ONE WHEN I BOUGHT CAR . TOLD THE DEALER ABOUT THE JERKING WHEN CHANGING GEAR HE SAID THE THE WAY THE CAR WAS MADE. CAR IS IN SHOP NOW FOR TRANSMISSION WORK. THEY SAID IT MUST BE THE COMPUTER , COULDNT FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I THINK A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE ON 1996 TAURUS . I AM TIRED OF SPENDING MONEY ON THIS CAR. I KNOW FORD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AS YOU DESCRIBED IN YOUR FEBRUARY 2001 ARTICLE ON ANOD E TRANSMISSIONS. THE CAR HAS 97K MILES ON IT AND I BELIEVE THE USED CAR DEALER KNEW IT HAD PROBLEMS WHEN HE SOLD IT TO ME BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE CAR UNTIL I VISITED THIS WEBSITE. I BELIEVE I WILL USE THE LEMON AID CAR BOOK IN TRYING TO GET EITHER FORD OR THE DEALER TO DELIVER. THE DEALER WAS CALLED FLEET DEPOT IN BRIDGEVILLE, PA I AM GOING TO THE CLOSEST DEALER KENNY ROSS AND HOPE I MAY GET SOMETHING RESOLVED. SINCERLEY, PAUL K. LITTLE

2ND FORD VEHICLE TO HAVE HEAD GASKET FAILURE. FIRST WAS MY 1995 FORD WINDSTAR WHICH I ALREADY REPORTED TO YOU. IT WAS 1,000 MILES OVER THEIR EXTENDED 100,000 LIMIT. THIS HAS CAUSED SERIOUS FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY TO OUR FAMILY THAT MAY TAKE A FEW YEARS TO CATCH UP. TOOK FORD TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT LAST WEEK AND LOST. THIS IS A TRAVESTY TO HAVE THIS HAPPENING TO FAMILIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. I SINCERELY HOPE YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN FORCE THEM TO PAY REPARATIONS. *TR

HEADLIGHTS WOULD ONLY WORK SOME OF THE TIME. DEALER REPLACED DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THE ENGINE DEVELOPED A HIGH PITCHED SQUEAL, ALMOST LIKE A BELT SQUEAL. IT WAS DETERMINED THE CAM SYNCHRONIZER WAS DEFECTIVE. AT THAT TIME THE CAM POSITION SENSOR WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. THE MAGNET WAS FALLING OUT. THE COOLANT OVERFLOW BOTTLE WAS DISCOLORED, LEAKING AND FULL OF CRACKS CAUSING ANTIFREEZE TO POUR OUT OF THE COOLING SYSTEM. FORD ACKNOWLEDGES THERE IS A BANK TO BANK COOLANT FLOW IMBALANCE ON SOME 1996 MODEL YEAR TAURUS LEADING TO CONTAMINATED/CORRODED COOLANT. RECALL 98B23 WAS PERFORMED. BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE TO THE REST OF THE COOLING SYSTEM.

WE HAD PURCHASED OUR 1996 FORD TAURUS IN JULY OF 1999 WITH 30,000 ON THE ODOMETER [XXX]. NOT LONG AFTER THIS I HAD THE COOLING SYSTEM FLUSHED AND, AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES THE HEATER CORE GOES OUT. AT A COST OF $600 WE HAD IT REPLACED. SINCE THEN THE HEATER CORE HAS BEEN REPLACED 7 TIMES; THE LAST TIME BEING JANUARY 9, 2004 WITH 75,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE FIRST TIME THE HEATER CORE HAD BEEN REPLACED IT WAS DONE BY OUR LOCAL FORD DEALER AND WAS REPAIRED WITH A FORD PART. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PART WOULD HAVE A 12 MONTH, 12,000 MILE WARRANTY, SO IF THE PART FAILS AGAIN IT WOULD BE COVERED BY FORD. THIS WAS A GOOD THING. THE PART ALWAYS FAILED BEFORE THE 12K MILES OR 12 MONTHS (NOTE: WE ALSO HAD THE RADIATOR REPLACED LAST SUMMER 2003 AT A COST OF $850). AFTER THIS LAST TIME IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE DEALER THAT THEY WILL NO LONGER REPLACE IT, NOR WILL FORD. SINCE THIS CAR WAS MADE IT SEEMS, FROM WHAT I HAVE READ AND RESEARCHED THAT FORD HAD USED A DIFFERENT COOLANT WHICH AS CAUSED THESE PREMATURE FAILURES AND REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. FORD BLAMES IT ON ELECTROLYSIS; SAYING THAT IF THE COOLANT SYSTEM CONTAINS MORE THAN .4 VOLTS THAT IT CAN CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE OF ANY PART OF THE COOLANT SYSTEM. I HAVE CHECKED THIS VOLTAGE EACH AND EVERY TIME BEFORE HAVING THE HEATER CORE REPLACED AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN BELOW .2 VOLTS. I DID NOT CHECK IT THIS TIME AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY MEASURED .7 VOLTS!? I PERSONALLY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ELECTROLYSIS IS OR HAS EVER BEEN THE PROBLEM. FORD REFUSES TO DO ANY THING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE BUY ANOTHER CAR; THIS WAS NOT IN OUR PLANS BECAUSE THE CAR WILL BE PAID OFF IN JULY OF 2004; MY WIFE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO NOT HAVING ANY MORE CAR PAYMENTS. SO MUCH FOR QUALITY IS JOB ONE! PLEASE NOTE: THE FORD DEALER HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM THANKS TO NO HELP FROM FORD.*AK UPDATED 07/30/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1996 FORD TAURUS WHILE INSTALLING NEW FRONT BRAKE PADS IT WAS NOTICED THAT BOTH FRONT SPRINGS WERE BROKEN.*AK

ENGINE WILL NOT SHUT OFF WHEN TAKING THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. CONSUMER DISCONNECTED THE COIL WIRE AND SOME FUSES TO GET THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF. DEALER DETERMINED THAT IGNITION ACTUATOR SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

VEHICLE LOSES POWER STEERING AFTER DRIVING THROUGH STANDING WATER. SERPENTINE BELT SQUEALS FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS AND WHEN THE NOISE STOPS THE STEERING POWER IS RESTORED. *LA