1999 FORD TAURUS Complaints

REAR DEFOGGER/DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK WHEN NEEDED, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, BUT THEY HAVE NOT FOUND ANYTHING WRONG. *AK *ML

WHILE DRIVING AT 70MPH GOING DOWN A 5% GRADE, CAR WILL NOT HOLD IN CRUISE CONTROL. CAR GOES FROM 70 MPH TO 85 MPH WITHIN SECONDS ON STEEP GRADE. ALSO, BRAKES ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO GIVE GOOD BRAKING POWER. TAKEN TO 2 DEALERS, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE TAURUS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ANOTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT WAS REAR ENDED BY CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. UPON IMPCT, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK

MY HUSBAND TURNED ON THE REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER AND THE WHOLE WINDOW SHATTERED. *AK

ACCELLERATION WITH NO PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL (FOOT COMPLETELY OFF PEDAL) AND NO ENGINE BRAKING. THE UNWANTED ACCELERATION OCCURS MOSTLY AT SLOW SPEEDS SUCH AS IN HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND IN PARKING LOTS. AFTER ACCELERERATING SLIGHTLY, IF I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL AT AROUND 10 MPH, THE CAR WILL FREQUENTLY CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE, AND THEN SHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR, AT WHICH TIME IT LURCHES FORWARD. IT WILL CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE TO OVER 20 MPH BEFORE STARTING TO GRADUALLY SLOW DOWN. THIS OCCURS FREQUENTLY WHEN DRIVING IN CROWDED PARKING LOTS AND REQUIRES CONSTANT USE OF THE BRAKES TO COMPENSATE. IF THERE IS ANY DOWNGRADE, NO MATTER HOW SLIGHT, THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO SPEED UP. THIS IN FACT, IS EVIDENT AT ANY SPEED....DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AT 25 MPH, THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE TO OVER 40 MPH ON A VERY, SLIGHT DOWNGRADE. I MUST USE THE BRAKES CONSTANTLY. DRIVING ON MOST ROADS, I NOTICE THAT I AM ALWAYS CATCHING UP TO CARS IN FRONT OF ME, AND HAVING TO APPLY THE BRAKES, WHILE NO OTHER CARS HAVE BRAKE LIGHTS ON. THE DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER TEST DROVE THE CAR AND VERIFIED THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC HOWEVER, STATED THAT THIS WAS THE WAY THE CAR WAS DESIGNED AND THAT HE COULD DO NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY ACCELERATOR STICKS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SURGE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY, AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *ML

WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED AND ACCELERATED, AND DAMAGED THREE OTHER VEHICLES. VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE CRUISE CONTROL. PEDAL DID GO TO THE FLOOR DURING ACCELERATION. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. *AK

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND COMING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT HIM IT FROM THE LEFT SIDE ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. AIRBAG WENT OFF IN DRIVER'S FACE. THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS FACE BECAME NUMB, AND HIS GLASSES BLEW OFF OF HIS FACE AND BROKE. ALSO, AND BURN MARKS ARE ON HIS FACE. *AK

THE TAURUS HAS EXPERIENCED MANY INSTANCES OF: 1) UNWANTED ACCELERATION AT SLOW SPEEDS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSIVE "CREEP" FROM STANDSTILL, A SHIFT TO SECOND GEAR WITH A SUDDEN LURCH FORWARD. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SLOW SPEEDS WITHOUT FOOT ON BRAKE. 2) NO ENGINE BRAKING. THE TAURUS WILL NOT SLOW DOWN WITH AT ALL WHEN ALL PRESSURE IS REMOVED FROM THE ACCELERATOR....AS IF ON CRUISE CONTROL. 3) EXCESSIVE SPEED INCREASE WHEN DRIVING DOWN A GRADE, NO MATTER HOW SLIGHT. DRIVING ON NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE BY 15 MPH OR MORE WITH NO PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL. THIS NECESSITATES RIDING THE BRAKE FREQUENTLY.*AK

WAS DRIVING VEHICLE WITH CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. PRESSED ON ACCELERATOR TO RELEASE CRUISE CONTROL WHICH FAILED TO RELEASE. VEHICLE CONTINUED AT SAME SPEED. APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. MOVED TO SIDE OF ROAD & TURNED VEHICLE OFF. RESTARTED VEHICLE & CRUISE CONTROL WAS NO LONGER ENGAGED. *AK