1997 FORD TAURUS Complaints

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

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

"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.

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE SPEEDOMETER HAS FAILED, CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALE NOTIFIED. *AK

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

CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LOST ALL POWER DUE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING. VEHICLE IS NOW ON THIRD TRANSMISSION REPAIR. *AK

ON MORNING OF JUNE 13, 2003 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 AM, I STARTED MY CAR. THE CAR STARTED BUT MADE A CLICKING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE BAY. I LOOKED TO SEE THE PROBLEM AND DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC FOR HIS INSPECTION. AT FIRST CHANCE OF INSPECTION ON JUNE 19TH THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE THE ENGINE AND I WOULD BE BETTER OF TO TAKE TO A FORD DEALER. I THAT TIME DROVE THE CAR TO PLACE OF PURCHASE, WHITMOYER FORD. ON FRIDAY THE 20TH, I WAS INFORMED MY WHITMOYER FORDS SERVICE (DAVE) THAT THE CAMSHAFT HAD SLIPPED AND HAD CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. ON JUNE 23RD I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY SERVICE (800-241-3673) AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. THE FORD MOTOR SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOOK MY INFORMATION AND PROCEEDED TO READ ME A RESPONSE ALONG THE LINE: THE CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THUS NO ASSISTANCE WOULD BE PROVIDED IN REPAIRING OF THE CAR. I ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE SUPERVISOR AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SUPERVISOR GUIDELINES WERE NOT ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE PROVIDED. I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THE SUPERVISOR ALTHOUGH I HAVE GOTTEN VOICE MAILS WITHOUT ANY NUMBER TO CALL. I HAVE RESEARCH MORE ON MY PROBLEM AT HTTP://WW2.V8SHO.COM/SHO/CHANGES.HTML AND HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THEY ALONE HAVE 268 CAMSHAFT FAILURES LIKE MINE LISTED. FROM WHAT I CAN DETERMINE THAT FORD MOTOR CO. HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 1997 AND HAS NOT ADMITTED TO THE PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE FORD TO COVER FOR THE COST OF REPAIR OF ALL 4 CAMS IN THE ENGINE. THE BILL COULD BE AS GREAT AS $10,000 PER OCCURRENCE IF NOT REPAIRED AND PREVENTATIVE WORK PERFORMED. AS OF JUNE 25, 2003 FORD ZONE REP HAS NOT RETURNED PHONE CALLS OF WHITMOYER FORD. THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE HAS PDF FILES WHERE FORD HAS OFFERED, SOME ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE PA ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE, TO A CONSUMER BUT STILL FAILS TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM. *NLM

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

WHILE DRIVING APROX 30 MILES AN HOUR WITHOUT ANY COLLISION OR IMPAC BOTH OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED..*AK