1997 Ford Taurus

WAS PROCEDING ACROSS INTERSECTION, STARTING UP SLIGHT GRADE WHEN I LOST FORWARD MOTION OF VEHICLE. I ACCELERATED ENGINE AND THE ENGINE REVOLUNTIONS INCREASED. I PUT TRANSMISSION IN PARK, THEN BACK INTO DRIVE AND SAME THING HAPPENED. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. I THEN PLACE TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE AND THE CAR MOVED BACKWARD AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO. NO PROBLEM IN REVERSE. AGAIN, I ATTEMPED TO PLACE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, THEN 2ND, THEN LOW RANGE AND COULD NOT GET ANY FORWARD. MOVEMENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST (AFTER DICSUSSING ISSUE WITH DEALER). THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST SAID HE GOT INTO THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING AND CAR RAN FINE. HE TOOK FOR TEST DRIVE AND CAR RAN FINE. HE INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HE REPLACED FLUID AND CHANGED FILTER. THE CAR RAN OKEY FOR SEVERAL DAYS, THEN ON 3/16/00, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND REPORTED THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. ESPECIALLY WHEN STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN SHE WOULD PROCEDE FORWARD, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP, THEN JERK THEN ULTIMATELY CONTINUE IN A SOMEWHAT NORMAL FASHION. I CALLED DEALER, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE STATED THE FLUID WAS BURNED AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER INDICATED HE WMAY GO $1,000 OF THE ESTIMATED $2,100 REPAIR FOR A REBUILD TRANSMISSION. I REPORTED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS TO FORD MOOR CO. CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER. LIKEWISE, THEY INDICATED THAT FORD MAY PAY A PORTION FOR THE REPAIR. THE FORD REPRESENTATIVE INDICATE HE WOULD FORWARD A REPORT TO HIS REGIONAL AND DISTRICT OFFICE AND THAT A REPORT WOULD BE SENT TO THE DEALER. IT WAS INDICATED THAT THE DEALER SHOULD RECEIVE A FORMAL REPORT FROM FORD MOTOR CO. WITHIN TWO WORKING DAYS AND THAT I WOULD THEN BE NOTIFIED AS TO WHAT THE FINAL STATUS OF THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE. *AK

WE BOUGHT THIS 97 TAURUS WITH 56,816 MILES ON 3/17/99. A WEEK LATER THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER ADVISED US TO GO TO HIS MECHANIC AND HAVE IT CHECKED. THE MECHANIC READ A P1744 CODE, CLEARED THE CODE, ROAD-TESTED THE CAR, AND ADVISED US TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE, AND SEE IF IT WOULD RESET OR NOT. IN THE ONGOING MONTHS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON THREE MORE TIMES. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS AND THE CAR WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. THESE THREE TIMES IT WAS TAKEN TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP, THE CODE CLEARED AND WE WERE SENT ON OUR WAY. THE LAST TIME, HOWEVER, WE SAID THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS GOT TO BE SOLVED! THE FORD DEALER SAID IT COULD BE MANY THINGS, AND WOULD COST $63.00 TO INVESTIGATE. AFTER INVESTIGATION, THE DEALER SAID IT WAS IN THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY, APPROXIMATELY $750.00 TO OVERHAUL. THE DEALER WAS GIVEN THE OKAY, AND THE END RESULT WAS A $1,245 BILL TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE VALVE BODY AND PUMP SHAFT. THE NEEDLE BEARING HAD FAILED AND THE PUMP SHAFT SCORED THE BORE IN VALVE BODY. THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THIS REPAIR 1/19/00 HAD 61,808 MILES. THIS IS A DEFINITE CASE OF PREMATURE FAILURE, CAUSED PROBABLY BY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT.*AK

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTINTLY COME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE I TOOK IT BACK TO THEM TWICE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIX IT. NOW THE PROBLEM IS ESCULATING. THE CAR NOW SHUTS OFF THE POWER TO THE RADIO SPEAKERS, POWER WINDOWS, POWER ASSIST AND PROBABLY OTHER COMPONENTS WHEN THE GEAR SHIFT IS TAKEN OUT OF PARK. ALL COMPONENTS WORK FINE WHEN CAR IS IN PARK SHIFT POSITION. OF COURSE I'M REQUIRED TO PAY TO HAVE THIS FIXED EVEN THOUGH IT COULD PROBABLY BEEN FIXED RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE DECISION TO STOP GOING BACK TO THE DEALER IS BASED ON THE WORK THEY DID DO (SHABBY) AND THEIR NOT BEING ABLE TO FIX THE MAIN PROBLEM I TOOK THE CAR BACK INTO THEM. IS THE CAR SUPPOSE TO HAD A HIGH WIND NOISE - I WAS TOLD THAT WAS PART OF THE DESIGN AND THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THAT WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR. *AK