1999 FORD TAURUS Complaints

DRIVING DOWN THE STREET IN WHICH I LIVE GOING 30 MPH, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. MY 11 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE BACK SEAT. SUDDENLY THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AFTER I TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. THE MORE I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE THE FASTER THE CAR WOULD SPEED GOING FROM 30 MPH TO 70 MPH. I FLEW THROUGH A STOP SIGN ONTO A HEAVILY TRAVELED TRUCK ROUTE SLAMMING INTO A KIA SUV. THE OTHER PASSENGER BROKE RIBS, A DOG WAS EJECTED THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THIS CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND COULD HAVE KILLED PEOPLE. THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED THE VEHICLE WAS THE CRASH ITSELF SPINNING MY CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC. A TOTAL NIGHTMARE! BOTH CARS WERE DECLARED TOTALED. POLICE WERE AT THE SCENE AND I WAS NOT CITED. MY CAR WAS TOWED INTO MY DRIVEWAY. COURT CASE PENDING FOR SURCHARGE. *JB

DRIVING MY CAR DOWN THE STREET IN WHICH I LIVE WITH CHILD IN BACK SEAT. I TAPPED THE BRAKE TO PULL INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE FROM 30 MPH TO 60 MPH IN SECONDS. MY INTENTION WAS TO PULL INTO MY DRIVEWAY BUT CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A ROCKET AND ACCELERATED INTO A HEAVY TRUCK ROUTE GOING THROUGH A STOP SIGN. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF AND THE OTHER VEHICLE. MY TAURUS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND THE COLLISION STOPPED THE CAR FROM ACCELERATING. THE OTHER VEHICLE PASSENGER HAD BROKEN RIBS, BOTH CARS WERE TOTALED. POLICE WERE AT THE SCENE AND TOWED CAR INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS NOT CITED, OBVIOUS MALFUNCTION OF CAR. A HEARING IS PENDING DUE TO INSURANCE SURCHARGE. THESE CARS ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND A FORD TAURUS TO ANYONE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT RETRACT OR IT WILL LOCK BEFORE IT IS FASTENED INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 99V250000 REGARDING THE SEATBELTS FRONT: ANCHORAGE. THE VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

1999 FORD TAURUS REAR CENTER SEAT LAP/SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLY. CHILD WAS TAKING SEAT BELT OFF AND THE ATTACHMENT FELL APART. THE LATCH PLATE COMPLETELY FELL APART AND THE BELT IS NOT USABLE. LUCKILY I WAS NOT IN A CRASH OR THIS BELT WOULD HAVE FAILED ALLOWING MY CHILD TO BE INJURED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A COSCO HIGH-RISE/AMBASSADOR BACKLESS BELT POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT, MODEL #22-297-FLP BUILT ON JANUARY 25, 2006. WHILE THE BOOSTER SEAT WAS BEING INSPECTED, THE INSPECTOR DETERMINED THERE WAS A CLIP MISSING FROM THE SEAT. THE CLIP THAT PREVENTS THE SHOULDER STRAP FROM PUSHING ON THE OCCUPANT'S NECK WAS MISSING. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE BOOSTER SEAT INFORMED THE CONTACT THE CLIP IS NO LONGER BEING MANUFACTURED; THEREFORE THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT CLIP. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT SPARE TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION. THE TREAD DAMAGED THE WIRING IN THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP; HOWEVER, NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE.

REAR PASSENGER SEAT 3-POUNT SAFETY BELT FAILURE. BELT LOCKED AND WOULD NOT RETRACT AND FUNCTION AS A USABLE SAFETY DEVICE. THE REPLACEMENT COST WAS $69.07 FOR THE BELT AND $145.00 LABOR. THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE. IN 2004, THE REAR DRIVER SEAT 3-POINT BELT ALSO FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK

TRYING TO BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, THE SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED MY DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE. I CALLED THE LOCAL FORD GARAGE, AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX IT UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE IT IS OVER 160,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION OF THIS RECALL. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT HEARD AN EXPLOSION OUTSIDE HIS HOME ON DECEMBER 14, 2005 AT APPROXIMATELY MIDNIGHT. HE CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE TO FIND HIS 1999 FORD TAURUS ON FIRE WHILE PARKED. THE FIRE APPEARED TO BE LOCALIZED IN THE FRONT ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE POLICE WERE NOT NOTIFIED, BUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. BASED ON THE EVENTS IT BELIEVED THAT THE FIRE WAS RESULT OF A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. *AK UPDATED 1/25/2006 - *NM

ON DEC. 14, 2005, WITH 60,001 MILES, THE VEHICLES SERVICE (HYDRAULIC) BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. FULLERTON FORD OF SOMERVILLE, NJ EVALUATED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND THAT A BADLY RUSTED STEEL BRAKE FLUID TUBE (WHICH FEEDS FLUID TO THE REAR BRAKES) HAD RUPTURED. GIVEN THE CARS LOW MILEAGE, RELATIVELY YOUNG AGE AND THE FACT THAT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT, I FEEL IT INDICATES SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS USED IN THE CARS MANUFACTURE AND SHOULD REQUIRE A RECALL AND PARTS REPLACEMENT AT FORD'S EXPENSE. *JB