1988 FORD TAURUS Complaints

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE ENGINE WOULD ACT AS IF IT WERE RUNNING OUT OF GAS, ENGINE WOULD QUIT. AND THEN CAME BACK WITHOUT WARNING. ENGINE DID NOT NEED TO BE RESTARTED RIGHT AWAY BUT WOULD CUT OUT AS DESCRIBED AND THIS CONDITION WOULD CLEAR ON IT'S OWN. EVENTUALLY THE ENGINE WOULD SKIP AT ANY SPEED WITHOUT WARNING AND DID STALL. WOULDN'T START AND RUN WITHOUT INCIDENT. DEALER DIAGNOSIS WAS TO REPLACE THE DISTRIBUTOR AND ELECTRONIC IGNITION MODULE EVEN THOUGH THEY RECOMMENDED NOT REPLACING STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS NOT HAD AND INCIDENT SINCE THE DEALERS REPAIR. *AK *NLM *SCC **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*734229

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ENGINE WOULD ACT AS IF RUNNING OUT OF GAS - ENGINE WOULD QUIT, AND THEN COME BACK ON WITHOUT WARNING. ENGINE DID NOT NEED TO BE RESTARTED, BUT WOULD CUT OUT AS DESCRIBED AND THIS CONDITION WOULD CLEAR ON ITS OWN. EVENTUALLY, THE ENGINE WOULD "SKIP" AT ANY SPEED WITHOUT WARNING AND DID STALL. WOULDN'T RESTART RIGHT AWAY, THEN WOULD RESTART AND STALL SEVERAL TIMES, THEN WOULD FINALLY START AND RUN WITHOUT INCEDENT. DEALER DIAGNOSIS WAS TO REPLACE DISTRIBUTOR STATOR AND ELECTRONIC IGNITION MODULE EVEN THOUGH THEY RECOMMENDED NOT REPLACING THESE ITEMS, STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS NOT HAD AN INCEDENT SINCE THE DEALER REPAIR.

WHILE AT AN INTERSECTION, AND GIVING CAR GAS IT WILL SEVERELY HESITATE, THEN POP AND BACKFIRE, THEN IT WILL GO. TOOK TO FORD FOR A TUNE UP, AND PROBLEM GOT WORSE. TFI MODULE WAS NOT REPLACED.*AK

CAR HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATED. REPLACED ONCE IN EARLY 1990'S. PROBLEM REAPPEARED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. REPAIR SHOP CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM. RECALL IN CALIFORNIA SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO ENTIRE COUNTRY.

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN IGINTION MODULE. *AK *SLC

MECHANIC STATED THAT BAD MOTORS MOUNTS OR BAD CYLINDER IN THE TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHUDDER THEN LUNGE FORWARD WHEN DECELERATING THEN ACCELERATING SUCH AS IN A TURN. *ET

WIRE FROM STARTER RELAY TO IGNITION SWITCH HAD NO INSULATION OTHER THAN RUBBER CAUSING WIRING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND WIRING IN THE DASH TO MELT AND CAUSE A FIRE. *SLC

I HAVE HAD 2 IGNITION MODULE FAILURES DURING THE 10 YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED MY 1988 TAURUS. THE FIRST INCIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES AND THE SECOND AT APPROXIMATELY 105,000 MILES. WHILE THESE FAILURES DID NOT RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT THEY DID CAUSE A GREAT DEAL OF INCONVENIENCE AND COULD HAVE HAD SERIOUS SAFETY CONSEQUENCES. FORD DOES NOT SEEM TO THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, YET I HAVE HAD 3 IGNITION MODULE FAILURES ON FORD VEHICLES DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS.

CAR STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. WE HAVE LIMITED OUR USE OF THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WITH IT STALLING UNEXPECTANTLY DURING TRIPS OF ANY LONG DURATION. THE CAR IS USED ONLY ON VERY SHORT TRIPS OF LESS THAN 10 MILES. CAR HAS STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC NUMEROUS TIMES AND HAD TO BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC SO THEREFORE DID NOT DRIVE IT ON FREEWAY TRAFFIC. IF THE CAR SET FOR A HALF HOUR OR MORE IT WOULD START AGAIN BUT STALL AGAIN IF TRIP WAS OF ANY LONG DURATION. STALLED ON A FAMILY VACATION IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ALMOST CAUSING A REAR END ACCIDENT. DURING ONE TRIP OF 30 MILES CAR STALLED AND TRIP ENDED UP TAKING 2 HOURS TO TRY AND DRIVE THE CAR HOME WHEN THE USUAL TRIP WOULD HAVE TAKEN 30-40 MINUTES. CAR GUAGES WOULD NOT SHOW ANY OVER HEATING OR PROBLEM.

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THE HEADLIGHT LENS IN THIS YEAR VEHICLE FROSTS INSIDE THE LENS HOUSING AND BLOCKS ILLUMINATION OF THE ROAD AHEAD. PEOPLE ARE DRIVING THIS MODEL WITHOUT REPLACING THEM DUE TO THE UNACCEPTABLE HIGH PRICE PLACED ON THEM DUE TO THE LACK OF AVAILABILITY AND THE FACT THAT THEY MUST BE REPLACED. PEOPLE, BECAUSE OF THE PRICE, ARE NOT REPLACING THEM AND THIS MAKES THE CAR AN ACCIDENT LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HAPPEN.