2004 FORD TAURUS Complaints

TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED IN TRANSMISSION, WHICH LED TO TOTAL FAILURE. ON HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW WHILE DRIVING. GOT TO SHOULDER, AND HAD CAR TOWED. THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. FORD WILL NOT RECALL OR HELP. SPLINE IS TO THIN, AND, OUT OF SPEC. IN REGARD TO THICKNESS. *TR

WHEN IT GETS COLD OUTSIDE, THE DOOR LATCH BECOMES STUCK AND THE DOOR WILL NOT LATCH AND CLOSE PROPERLY AND THE DOOR FLIES OPEN. THE PASSENGER DOOR LATCH WILL DO THE SAME THING. SO YOU HAVE TO DRIVE HOLDING THE DOOR SHUT UNTIL THE DOOR LATCH/SENSOR DECIDES TO UNFREEZE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE YOU MAY THINK THE DOOR IS SHUT BECAUSE THE SENSOR LIGHT GOES OFF AND THEN YOU START TO DRIVE AND THE DOOR FLIES OPEN. IF YOU LOOK ONLINE, SEVERAL MODEL YEARS FROM 1997 AND UP OF THE TAURUS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING AS WELL AS THE MERCURY SABLE AND A FEW OTHER OLDER FORD MODELS. I JUST READ ONLINE THAT THEY RECALLED 2010-2013 FOR DOOR LATCH ISSUES. PLEASE MAKE THEM EXTEND THE RECALL FOR OLDER FORD TAURUS BEFORE SOMEBODY DIES OR GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR

OTHER CAR WAS APPROACHING HEAD ON I SWERVED TO AVOID HEAD ON COLLISION GOING 45 MPH FLEW INTO A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY HIT THEIR PARKED VAN WHICH SPUN SIDE WAYS. MY DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY ONLY THE PASSENGER SIDE WORKED. *TR

CAR KEEPS ACCELERATING WHEN I LET UP ON GAS PEDAL, ALSO ACCELERATES BY IT'S SELF ONCE I RELEASE BREAK AT STOP. IF I PUT IN NEUTRAL AND REVEV ENGINE FEW TIMES IT GOES BACK TO NORMAL RPM. ALMOST GOT ME T-BONED THIS EVENING!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. UPDATED 04/10/15*LJ UPDATED 11/5/2015*JS

I BOUGHT A CAR FROM TRI STAR AUTO BROKERS ([XXX]), WITH A TWO YEAR CONTRACT ($217/MONTH) TO PAY THE CAR OFF. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT LIKE CUSTOMERS TO PAY AT THE OFFICE, WE WERE TOLD TO SEND OUR PAYMENTS TO THE P.O. BOX GIVEN BY THEM: P.O. BOX 90252, PORTLAND, OR 97290. I SPOKE WITH [XXX], WHO HANDLES THE PAYMENTS THREE MONTHS AGO IN REGARDS TO THE BALANCE I OWE. ACCORDING TO HER, I HAD EITHER THIS LAST PAYMENT IN DECEMBER OR I MAY HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT DUE IN JANUARY THEN I'D BE ABLE TO RECEIVE MY TITLE. I WENT IN ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, TO SEE IF I COULD JUST PAY THE CAR OFF AND GET MY TITLE. HOWEVER, WHEN I GET THERE, I'M TOLD THE DEALERSHIP HAS NEW OWNERS, AND I NEEDED TO CONTACT THE DMV ON INFORMATION ON MY VEHICLE AND WHAT TO DO. I CALLED THE DMV AND WAS TOLD TO FILL THIS FORM OUT AND SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT ME SOON. IF ANY OTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT/HOW/WHERE TO SEND IT. I'D REALLY APPRECIATE THE HELP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THANK YOU. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

COMING DOWN POWAY ROAD IN POWAY, CA IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP AND IT SEEMED THE ENGINE WAS REVVING. I PULLED OVER TO A SAFE TURNOUT AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STOP COMPLETELY AS THE BRAKES WERE SPONGY. WHEN I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK, THE ENGINE SPEED WAS OVER 2500 RPM. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND COULD SMELL THE BRAKES. SUSPECTING A STUCK THROTTLE, I REMOVED THE PROTECTIVE COVER AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS BEING HELD OPEN BY THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE WHICH HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED AT THE THROTTLE LINKAGE AREA. I REMOVED THE ASSEMBLY AND PUSHED IT ASIDE SO WE COULD CONTINUE DRIVING. I CONSIDER THIS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A GRADE AND I WAS TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES AT THE SAME TIME THE ENGINE WAS PUSHING US FASTER. SINCE IT WAS SATURDAY I DRIVE TO THE DEALER. I KNEW THERE HAD BEEN A SIMILAR RECALL I CHECKED TO SEE IF OUR VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED AND IT WAS NOT BUT THE SERVICE ADVISOR WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RECALL WHICH FORD HAD DONE AS "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 13B04" WHICH HE PROVIDED ME A COPY OF. I HAVE SEEN THIS IN MY SON'S 2002 FORD TAURUS ALSO. THE CLIP THAT HOLDS THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE TO THE THROTTLE LINKAGE DISCONNECTS AND BECAUSE OF THE STIFFNESS, ACTUALLY PREVENTS THE ACCELERATOR LINKAGE FROM RETURNING TO IDLE. ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT FAILED, I CAN SEE THE SAME LINKAGE ON MY 2003 MERCURY SABLE WHICH OF COURSE IS A REPACKAGED TAURUS. THIS CLIP IS A VERY POOR DESIGN IN THAT IT DOES NOT DO A GOOD JOB OF HOLDING ONTO THE ACCELERATOR PIN. FROM OBSERVATION I KNOW THAT IT WAS USED IN AT LEAST 3 MODEL YEARS AND PERHAPS MORE. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A COURTESY FIX AS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AS THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE SHOWN. IT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ANY VEHICLE THAT USED THIS DESIGN. IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF IF IT WILL FAIL BUT AS OUR EXPERIENCE TODAY SHOWS, WHEN. *TR

MY 2004 FORD TAURUS ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN QUITE A FEW TIMES. AFTER GOGGLING THE PROBLEM I SAW THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL. I CALLED FORD & WAS TOLD MY CAR WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THEY ALSO TOLD ME TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. I KNOW THAT BECAUSE I WAS ALMOST IN A FEW ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. I'D HAVE TO PULL OVER, IF NOT AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, PUT THE CAR IN PARK & HIT THE ACCELERATOR A FEW TIMES. I ACTUALLY HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF & BACK ON ONCE TO GET THE RPMS DOWN. I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE TOTALLY REMOVED. THE CRUISE HADN'T WORKED IN YRS. MY MOM OWNED THE CAR BEFORE I DID. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHY MY TAURUS WASN'T IN THE RECALL. *TR

WHEN I DRIVE, THE GAS PEDAL WILL GET STUCK AND EITHER STAY AT THE SPEED WITHOUT ME SETTING CRUISE CONTROL OR IT MAY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. TO GET IT LOOSE, I HAVE TO JIGGLE THE GAS PEDAL (WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING), THIS USUALLY STOPS THE PROBLEM BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT SOMEDAY IT WILL STOP WORKING AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTROL THIS ANYMORE. IF I PUT THE CAR IN PARK OR NEUTRAL IT INCREASES THE RPM FROM 1 TO 3 OR 4. ALSO IF THE RPM ARE INCREASED WHILE IN PARK IT MAKES IT SUPER HARD TO SHIFT TO DRIVE AND IS STRESSFUL TO MY TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.