1997 FORD TAURUS Complaints

A FUNNY NOISE COMING FROM STEERING WHEEL. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & MECHANIC INDICATED THAT AIR BAG WAS DEFECTIVE. CLOCK SPRING/CONNECT SWITCH WERE NOT WORKING. IT WAS DAMAGED. AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IF INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. AIR BAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.*AK *SLC

APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE DESIGN OF SAFETY CRITICAL COMPONENT. WHILE ACCELERATING TO 40 MPH HEARD LOUD BANG AND FRONT OF CAR JUMPED. SUDDEN FAILURE/NO PREVIOUS WARNING SIGNS. OWNER (ME) SUSPECTED TRANSMISSION OR ENGINE MOUNT. DROVE HOME (3 MI.) AT SPEED LESS THAN 30--TRANSMISSION CONTINUED TO SHIFT OK BUT WOULD JOLT ON UP SHIFT. MADE NOISE / "BUMPED" ON TURNING AT VERY LOW SPEED. DEALER HAD RECENTLY SERVICED TRANSMISSION (35,578 MI.). DEALERS SAID 2/3 HARDENED BOLTS SHEARED AND 1/3 WAS LOOSE IN FRONT? LOWER BLOCK MOUNT LOOSE. DEALER CLAIMS NO OTHER DAMAGE RESULTED / WILL LATER RESULT-WE SHALL SEE. TOOK APPROX 6 HR LABOR TO REPAIR. DEALER SAID IF OWNER HAD NOT HAD EXTENDED WARRANTEE ON DRIVE TRAIN, OWNER WOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY ALL OUT OF POCKET. MOUNT BOLTS/BRACKET IS SUCH THAT OWNER CAN NOT EASILY CHECK- HAVE TO REMOVE CATY CONVT & R FRONT ENGINE MOUNT FOR ACCESS. BRACKET BOLTS IN TRIANGULAR PATTERN IN LOWER BLOCK- FRONT?. VEH NEVER IN ACCIDENT OR STRUCK; IN VG COND. VEH HAD 12,000 MI WHEN PURCHASED FROM DEALER'S SERVICE MGR'S WIFE. DRIVEN ON PAVED ROADS 8-12 MI/DAY 55 MPH MAX. NOT HOTRODDED. AM INTERSTED IF SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER TAURUS SHO V8 MODELS. *AK

WATER PUMP FAILED. DURING INSPECTION AND REPAIR A RUST COLORED FLUID WAS NOTICED TO BE CONTAMINATING COOLANT SYSTEM. *AK

NOTICED BROWN COOLANT DURING MAINTENANCE. HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING ABOUT TWO WEEKS PRIOR. NOTIFIED MANUFACTURER, WAS TOLD OUT OF WARRANTY, NO RECALLS, NOT A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM. TOOK TO NON-DEALER SHOP. FOUND LEAKING HEAD GASKET. REPLACED HEAD GASKETS, THERMOSTAT, COOLANT OVERFLOW CONTAINER, AND ANTI-FREEZE. RESURFACED CYLINDER HEADS. PERFORMED COOLING SYSTEM FLUSH. DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT ~50,000 MILES NOTICED BROWN COOLANT AGAIN.

RIGHT REAR PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STOPPED WORKING, FORD WILL NOT REPLACE IT DUE TO VEHICLE BEING OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK

CONSUMER HEARD LOUD BUZZING NOISE WHEN TURNING, UPON INSPECTION THE THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS FULL OF RUST, TECHNICIAN INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSALVAGEABLE AND THAT IT HAD BEEN SUBMERGED IN WATER. NLM

BRAKES KEEP WARPING. MATERIALS THAT ARE USED FOR BRAKE PADS CAUSE ROTORS TO OVERHEAT & BECOME WARPED. EVERY TIME BRAKES WERE APPLIED VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY. TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES & MECHANIC CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK

I OWN A 97 FORD TAURUS THAT LIKES TO PING. IT STARTED IN 1998 AND AT THE START OF A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP, WENT AWAY, BUT CAME BACK. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER IN TACOMA WA, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY CLEANED A CYLINDER AND THAT THE OWNERS MANUAL SAYS THAT LIGHT PINGING IS OK. THEY BLEW ME OFF. I MOVED TO FORT KNOX, KY AND THE WHOLE TRIP IT LIGHTLY PINGED. I PUT ON OVER 5,000 MILES IN LESS THAN A MONTH SO IT ISN'T CARBON. USED NAME BRAND FUEL THE WHOLE TRIP. IT GOT TO THE POINT HERE THAT I TOOK IT BACK TO FORD AND WAS TOLD BY FORD, THAT FORD HAS THIS "PINGING"PROBLEM IN ALL THEIR ENGINES. V-6 TO V-8 AND IN DIFF. VEHICLES. HE HAD JUST REPLACED A 4.0 LITER THAT DAY. . HE WOULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 3 MONTHS, HAVE 37,000 ON THE FORD AND I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DOCUMENTATION ON THE PROBLEM. I WORK WITH A GUY WHO OWNS A 98 TAURUS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE CHANGED FUEL BRANDS AND OCTANE RATINGS AND IT DOESN'T GO AWAY. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT TAKES A FEW HOURS OF DRIVING TO START ACTING UP, BUT IT IS THERE. HILLS, STEADY DRIVING, CITY DRIVING, IT DOESN'T MATTER. I AM WORRIED THAT I WILL EAT AN ENGINE AND FORD WILL TELL ME "OH WELL". CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON THIS FORD KNOWN PROBLEM? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

MY BOSS HAS A 1998 TAURUS AND TRANSMISSION FAILED. OUR REGIONAL OFFICE IN MIAMI NO LONGER USES THE TAURUS DUE TO REPEATED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THOSE VEHICLES ARE IN A FLEET OF LEASED AUTO FOR THE COMPANY. *AK

FUEL SPITTING OUT OF FILLER NECK, AND FUEL GAUGE FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. VEHICLE BEEN AT DEALERS SHOP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. *AK THE NOZZLE SHUTS OFF WHEN FILLING THE GAS TANK AND THE TANK SPITS OUT GAS. THE DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM BUT THE FUEL GUAGE STILL MALFUNCTIONS. *YH