1997 FORD TAURUS Complaints

THERE WAS A CHAIN LIKE TICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE, I AS A TECHNICIAN OBSERVED IT TO BE A CAMSHAFT GETTING READY TO FAIL, WHEN IT FAILED MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS DRIVING LUCKILY ON A SIDE ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE HAD LOST ALL POWER AND MAKING IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER, NOW THE 1997 SHO JUST SITS B/C I CAN NOT AFFORD THE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS! ESPECIALLY WITH A BABY ON THE WAY. *JB

I HAVE A 1997 FORD TAURUS LX. I WAS ON MY WAY TO LAS VEGAS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP AND SOMETIMES NOT WORK AT ALL. I HAD TO TURN AROUND AND HEAD HOME(IN ORDER TO NOT GET STRANDED IN VEGAS) AND ON THE WAY THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO NOT WORK AT ALL. I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE ABOUT 45 MPH THE WHOLE 3 HOURS BACK TO MY HOME ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS CALLS AND EVERYONE I HAVE TALKED TO HAVE SAID THAT YEAR TAURUS HAS BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS...WHY DOES FORD NOT RECALL THE TRANSMISSION?*JB

I OWN A 97 FORD TAURUS WAGON, I PURCHASED IT USED FROM A NON FORD DEALER IN 2000 WITH 43,900 MILES ON IT. IN MAY 2001 I HAD TO HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION PUT IN AT 54,000. MILES. NOW IN AUGUST 2005 AT 112,000 MILES ANOTHER TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE PUT IN. I DEFINITELY THINK THERE IS SOME TYPE OF PROBLEM OR DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS IF THE CAR IS NOT EVEN 10 YRS OLD & IS GOING ON IT'S 3RD TRANSMISSION. FORD DID REPLACEMENT OF THE PREVIOUS TRANSMISSION, TOLD ME IT WAS A NEW ONE. *JB

RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED TIRE. FORD HAS A RECALL FOR TAURUS MODEL YEARS 1999-2001 FOR THIS EXACT FAILURE. I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD EXPAND THE RECALL TO INCLUDE EARLIER MODEL YEARS. I WAS LUCKY, IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED ON OPEN HIGHWAY.

DT: BRAKE LINE RUBBED THE BRACKET THAT THE SHIFTING ROD RUNS THROUGH, WHICH WORE A HOLE, AND CAUSED THE BRAKES TO FAIL.*AK *NM *NM

DT: CONSUMER HAS 40000 MILES ON VEHICLE AND VEHICLE HAD TO 3 TRANSMISSIONS. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TO FLORIDA ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT PULL. THIS WAS AT 27, 000 MILES. AT 40000 MILES THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE GARAGE. VEHICLE IS IN GARAGE TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING RACK REPLACED, WHEN CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE LEAK WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID HE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO DEALER OFTEN FOR DIFFERENT REPAIRS. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY. CONSUMER HAS HAD ALL RECALLS REPAIRED ON VEHICLE. DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THAT THERE MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE IN CAR CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. VEHICLE IS DRIVEN LESS THAN 4000 MILES A YEAR. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED WITH ABOUT 20,000 MILES. CONSUMER OWNED VEHICLE FOR 6 YEARS. SAME DEALER HAS DONE ALL REPAIRS ON VEHICLE, EXCEPT ONE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN IN LIMA, OHIO. THIS WAS DONE BY FORD DEALERSHIP.*AK

I OWN A 1997 FORD TAURUS SHO. THE FIRST SIGN OF PROBLEM BEGAN WHEN I KEPT HEARING A TICKNG SOUND IN THE ENGINE. I TOOK IT IN TO A FORD DEALER AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A MIS- FIRING CYLINDER. I COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE THE DEALER FIX IT SO I FOUND A MECHANIC WILLING TO WORK ON THIS TYPE OF CAR. I HAD THE TWO MIS-FIRING CYLINDERS REPLACED. THE TICKING IN THE ENGINE STILL WENT ON. BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE DONE THE CAR ACTED LIKE THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN. FINDING A MECHANIC THAT HAS ACTUALLY WORKED ON THESE TYPES OF CARS IS HARD TO FIND, INLCUDING A FORD DEALER MECHANIC. I HAD A FORD MECHANIC THAT NOW WORKS OUT OF HIS OWN GARAGE LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A BROKEN CAMSHAFT 4 BAD VALVES AND BENT PISTONS. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 86,000 MILES ON IT. THE MECHANIC FEELS THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE. I HAVE ALSO DONE RESEARCH INTO A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST FORD REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. TO DATE THERE ARE 550 VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS MORE THAN JUST A FREAK INCIDENT WITH JUST MY CAR.

RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED TIRE. FORD HAS A RECALL FOR TAURUS MODEL YEARS 1999 - 2001 FOR THIS EXACT FAILURE. AS THIS IS A CRITICAL FAILURE MODE, I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD EXPAND THE RECALL TO INCLUDE EARLIER MODEL YEARS.

1997 FORD TAURUS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING. *MR THE POWER STEERING HAD GONE OUT DUE TO THE WRONG AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID BEING PLACED IN THE VEHICLE. *SC *JB

THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON HAS BEEN ON FOR FEW MONTHS. CAR SEEMS TO RUN OK BUT CAN NOT GET CAR INSPECTED BECAUSE OF THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. TOOK THE CAR TO AUTO ZONE THEY DID A DIAGNOSIS AND SAID THERE WHERE TWO CODES THAT CAME UP AS A FAILURE. I READ ON YOUR WEB SITE THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL IN DEC. 2001 ON THE DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM UPGRADE. *JB