1997 Ford Taurus

AUTO TRANS. SHIFT QUAD QUICKLY BECAME SLOPPY AND IN FACT SOMETIMES WOULD NOT START IN PARK POS. AND YOU HAD TO HUNT FOR NEUTRAL WHERE IT WOULD ALWAYS START. THEN ON THE THIRD DAY, WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, IT DID START IN PARK, BUT WHILE ON A VERY HIGH IDLE I GOT OUT OF THE CAR FOR A SECOND AND WHILE STANDING BESIDE THE CAR IT SLIPPED OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE KNOCKING ME TO THE GROUND AS IT RAPIDLY SPED REARWARD TILL IT HIT AND CAME TO REST AGAINST A CONCRETE WALL

THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A NOISE WHEN I TURN RIGHT AT TIMES. I HAVEN?T HAD IT FIXED YET. SOMETIMES MY WINDOW ON THE DRIVERS FRONT WON?T ROLL DOWN. IT HASN?T BEEN FIXED. THE CAR WOULDN?T GO FORWARD WHEN YOU HAD TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN FIXED. THE FORWARD CLUTCH PISTON HAD TO BE CHANGED. I COULDN?T DRIVE IT FURTHER AS IT WOULDN?T GO FORWARD AFTER I STOPPED.

BOUGHT 97 TAURUS WITH 53,000 MILES IN 03-2001 AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP, WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY [CHRYSLER 24/24]. TOOK IN FOR OIL LEAK 3,000 MILES AFTER PURCHASE. OIL PAN GASKET REPAIR WORK WAS SAID TO BE DONE. APPROX. 8,000 MILES AFTER THAT, I TOOK CAR IN AGAIN FOR OIL LEAK AND POSSIBLE COOLANT LEAK. AGAIN GASKET REPAIRS WERE SUPPOSSEDLY DONE; NO REPORT OR REPAIR ON SUSPECTED COOLANT LEAK. APPROXIMATELY 9,000 MILES AFTER THAT, CAR BREAKS DOWN ON FWY; WILL NOT CRANK/TURN OVER. HAD CAR TOWED TO SAME DEALERSHIP; REPORTED FINDINGS WERE: NO COOLANT IN RADIATOR, COOLANT IN OIL BASKET, NO COMPRESSION. EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO BREAK DOWN. THEY SAY THE PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS AREN'T RELATED TO PRESENT PROBLEM. I FEEL THE REPAIR WORK EACH TIME I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE WAS INCOMPLETE, OVERLOOKED, OR MIS DIAGNOSED.

CAM SENSOR, CAM SYNCHRONIZER BROKEN = FORD TAURUS 1997 = KNOWN FAULTY PART. MILEAGE: 36,806. FORD IS WELL AWARE THAT THE TAURUS, 1997 YEAR ONLY, HAS A FAULTY CAM SENSOR, WHOSE MAGNET FALLS DOWN OFF THE CAP AND INTO THE CAM SYNCHRONIZER DESTROYING IT. WHEN MY MECHANIC CALLED FORD W/ THE COMPUTER CODE THAT CAME OFF MY CAR, HE WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THE 1997'S HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAM. FORD TOLD HIM THAT, BUT WHEN I CALLED THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER TODAY IN DETROIT, THEY COULD NOT ACCESS THIS INFORMATION! THEY SAID SINCE I HAD NOT USED A DEALERSHIP I WAS OUT OF LUCK W/ ANY KIND OF REIMBURSEMENT. SO FORD IS WELL AWARE THAT THEY INSTALLED A FAULTY PART IN THE '97'S. I HAVE THE BROKEN PART IN MY POSSESSION. I DO NOT USE THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, S & C FORD, BECAUSE THEY NEVER GET ANYTHING RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. THEY ARE LIKE WORKING WITH LAUREL AND HARDY, SWEET BUT INEPT. I GOT TO KNOW THEM DURING MY WARRANTY PERIOD FOR THIS VEHICLE. THIS REPAIR WAS DONE BY MY AUTOMOBILE CLUB RECOMMENDED MECHANIC, ALLIED ENGINE & AUTO REPAIR, SAN FRANCISCO, LAST EVENING BETWEEN 5 P.M. AND 6:30 P.M., IE. AFTER MY WORKING HOURS & I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP THE CAR ON THE WAY TO WORK THIS A.M. - A SERVICE NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE DEALER. TOTAL OUT OF POCKET: CAM SENSOR $55, CAM SYNCHRONIZER $124, LABOR 98 = $277 I SEEK REIMBURSEMENT FOR THIS AMOUNT FROM FORD.