1995 FORD TAURUS Complaints

CAR DIED IN PARKING LOT. AFTER ABOUT 7 ATTEMPTS, CAR STARTED ON ITS OWN. CAR IDLED ROUGH AND WAS EMITTING WHITE EXHAUST AND ON WAY HOME. PUT CAR INTO PARK AT EACH STOP LIGHT TO KEEP IT FROM DYING. NOTICED A SMELL WHEN GOT HOME. THOUGHT AT FIRST A BATTERY OR ALTERNATOR PROBLEM. DROVE TO DEALER NEXT DAY AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A FAULTY HEADGASKET WHICH BLEW THE ENTIRE ENGINE. DOING RESEARCH ON YOUR WEBSITE NOTICED QUITE A FEW OF SAME COMPLAINTS. A CAR THIS YOUNG WITH UNDER 80,000 MILES SHOULD NOT NEED ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. WOULD APPRECIATE SO MUCH IF AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED. WE BOUGHT CAR 1 1/2 YEAR AGO FOR 10,000 AND CAN'T AFFORD THIS HEFTY OF A REPAIR, AND IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. BUT OTHERS HAVE HAD IT TOO SO I THINK IT IS INVESTIGATION WORTHY. ON A FEW OF THE COMPLAINTS THERE WAS AN INVEST #1E98080 AND RECALL #98M01KAA LISTED....CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THIS MEANS. THERE ARE ONLY 4 RECALLS UNDER THE MODEL AND TYPE AND THIS # WAS NOT LISTED. IF AN INVEST. WAS DONE IN '98 I THINK THEY NEED TO DO ANOTHER NOW BECAUSE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS CAME FROM THIS YEAR OR LAST YEAR. MANUFACTURER OR DEALER HAS NOT BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR OUR NEW CAR. CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE TO FIND INFO ON THAT RECALL # A FEW OF THE COMPLAINTS SAID FORD WAS AWARE OF THIS, BUT NO ONE HAS BEEN HELPFUL...THANK YOU

ORIGINIAL SPEEDOMETER FAILED IN APRIL 1998. WAS REPLACED ON 5/7/98. ON 12/31/99, REPLACEMENT SPEEDOMETER FAILED ALSO. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THERE IS NOW AN "UPDATED MODEL". I NEED TO HAVE THE CURRENT SPEEDOMETER REPLACED, AGAIN, AND SO THIS WILL BE THE THIRD. *AK

1. RADIATOR - FAILED DUE TO DESIGN DEFECT IN PLASTIC TO ALUMINUM CORE JOINT, CAUSING LOSS OF COOLANT, REPLACEMENT FAILED WITHIN ONE DAY. REPLACEMENT FOR THAT ONE LASTED ONLY ABOUT 20,000 ADDITIONAL MILES, SO A TOTAL OF THREE IDENTICAL RADIATOR FAILURES WITH LOSS OF COOLANT IN ABOUT 25,000 MILES ON THE SAME CAR. SAME PROBLEM ON SON'S 1995 TAURUS SEDAN WITH SAME ENGINE. ORIGINAL RADIATOR FAILED, REPLACEMENT FAILED WITHIN 1,000 MILES OF INSTALLATION. THIS EXPERIENCE SEEMS TO INDICATE A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TAURUS RADIATOR. 2. BRAKE FAILURE. DEFECT IN DESIGN OF REAR CALIPERS USED WITH ABS SYSTEM ON THE TAURUS RESULTS IN RAINWATER INTRUSION CAUSING RUSTING OF CALIPER PINS THAT THEN IMPEDES PROPER RETRACTION OF THE BRAKE PADS. EXCESSIVE PAD WEAR RESULTS IN METAL TO METAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE CALIPER PISTON AND THE PAD BACKING PLATE WITH GREATLY REDUCED BRAKING EFFICIENCY. *AK

ENGINE HEAD GASKETS FAILED, FORD SENT LETTER STATING REPAIR COVERED TO 60000 MILES, WITH NO EXPLANATION OF WARNING SIGNS OF FAILURE. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL WHEN COMING TO STOP AND JERKS INTO GEAR, CAUSING NEAR ACCIDENTS. AGAIN FORD KNOWS ABOUT PROBLEM (PER TSB) REFUSES TO PAY FOR FIXING. *AK

VEHICLE IS LEAKING BECAUSE OF TIMING COVER GASKET AND WATER PUMP GASKET FAILURE. YH

WHEN DRIVING ABOVE 55 MPH SPEEDOMETER OPERATES ERRATICALLY. IT WILL NOT ACCURATELY REGISTER SPEED LEVELS. *AK *ML

ORIGINAL SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER FAILED AT 24840 MILES-REPAIRED BY DEALER. ORIGINAL ODOMETER FAILED AGAIN AT 24840 MILES-SPEEDO ASSEMBLY REPLACED BY DEALER. REPLACEMENT SPEEDOMETER FAILED AGAIN AT 47840 MILES-SPEEDO ASSEMBLY REPLACED BY DEALER. SECOND REPLACEMENT SPEEDOMETER FAILED AGAIN AT 62895 MILES-DEALER REFUSES TO REPLACE DUE TO WARRANTEE EXPIRATION. THREE FAILURES OF THE SAME COMPONENT AT APPROX 25000 MILE INTERVALS IS NOT NORMAL, AND PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN COMPLETELY CORRECTED, NOR HAS ROOT CAUSE EVER BEEN IDENTIFIED. FORD HAS SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS PROBLEM FROM 1991 TO 1995 ON MORE THAN JUST THE TAURUS MODEL. FORD SHOULD DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE AND REPAIR MY VEHICLE AT NO CHARGE - REGARDLESS OF ANY WARRANTEE VERBIAGE TO THE CONTRARY. CURRENT FORD DEALERSHIP (JOE MYERS' FORD OF HOUSTON) IS NOT COOPERATIVE IN RESOLVING PROBLEM - REGIONAL REP DENIED WARRANTEE ASSISTANCE BASED SOLELY ON PAPERWORK AND REFUSES TO MEET WITH CUSTOMERS TO RESOLVE UNUSUAL PROBLEMS OR SITUATIONS. *AK

DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL WHICH SPILLED ONTO THE MANIFOLD, CAUSING A FIRE AND ENGINE PROBLEMS. COMMON PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WHEN MY 3.8 LITRE ENGINE BLEW ITS HEAD GASKET I COULD NOT GET VEHICLE TO START AGAIN, AND HAD TO ELICIT THE HELP OF OTHERS TO PUSH THE VEHICLE FURTHER OUT OF HARMS WAY; THE CAR STOPPED ON AN EXTREMELY BUSY STREET AND THERE WERE MANY HONKING HORNS AND SEVERAL PEOPLE TRYING TO HAPHAZARDLY CHANGE OUT OF MY LANE; MANY NEAR ACCIDENTS AS THIS WAS AT RUSH HOUR HEADING INTO WORK; VERY HARROWING INCIDENT ALTHOUGH NO ONE WAS HURT. *AK

ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED AT 38000 MILES, ENTIRE ENGINE REPLACED BY FORD AT NO COST. THE NEW ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED 11 MONTHS AND 11000 MILES LATER AND IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP FOR REPLACEMENT. THIS PROBLEM WAS KNOWN THE FIRST TIME IT WENT AND FORD REPLACED THE ENGINE, BUT IT APPEARS THEY DID NOT ACTUALLY SOLVE THE UNDERLYING HEADGASKET PROBLEM. *AK