1997 Ford Taurus

WHILE DRIVING ON A LOCAL STREET VEHICLE THEN REMAINED STANDING AT AN INTERSECTION AT A RED LIGHT WITH TWO VEHICLES AHEAD. ANOTHER VEHICLE, TRAVELING SOUTH BOUND ON CONNECTICUT AVE MAKING A LEFT TURN ONTO VAN NESS, WAS TRAVELING TOO FAST, LOST CONTROL AND SIDE SWIPED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, PUSHING IT ONTO THE SIDEWALK. A CHAIN REACTION STARTED IN WHICH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HIT HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT, PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED AFTER THE PASSENGER HIT THE WINDSHIELD, AND THE SEAT BELT DIDN'T LOCK IN PLACE. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

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

DRIVING AT 55 MPH I APPLIED THE BRAKES LIGHTLY AND THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT IT WOULD NOT SLOW THE CAR AT ALL AND IT WAS HARD TO STEER , THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMED TO TRY TO PULL TO EITHER SIDE, BACK AND FORTH BUT I KEPT IT GOING AS STRAIGHT AS I COULD,THEN THE ABRUPTLY PIVOTED 180 DEGREES ABOUT THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL AND THE CAR SLID SIDEWAYS ACCROSS THE RIGHT LANE AND HIT THE GUARDRAIL WITH THE LEFT FRONT CORNER AND LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR. *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

THE PROBLEMS WITH MY TAURUS ARE THE RESULT OF THE POORLY DESIGNED COOLING SYSTEM OF THE 1997 MODEL. A COOLING SYSTEM BYPASS KIT WAS INTRODUCED BY FORD. I AM TRYING FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT A RECALL WAS DONE. IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS, STARTING NOV. 1999, THREE FREEZE PLUGS HAVE BLOWN. THE FORD SERVICE MECHANIC SAYS THIS IS DUE TO THE ACID BUILD UP IN THE CORRODED COOLANT IN THE COOLING SYSTEM DUE TO THE POORLY DESIGNED COOLING SYSTEM. SO FAR THE HEAD FREEZE PLUGS, THE BLOCK FREEZE PLUGS, THE WATER PUMP, THE THERMOSTAT, AND THE OVERFLOW TANK HAVE BEEN REPLACED BECAUSE OF CORROSION AT A COST OF $800. AFTER THE LAST REPAIR OF THE BLOCK FREEZE PLUGS AND WATER PUMP, WITHIN 30 MILES OF DRIVING THE HEAD HAS EITHER CRACKED OR WARPED, OR THE HEAD GASKET HAS BLOWN. I HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF $1211 TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR (IF NO HEAD CRACKS). I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS ENIVITABLE THAT THE TRANSMISSION FREEZE PLUG, RADIATOR, AND HEATER CORE WILL FAIL. THE ONLY WAY TO GUARANTEE PROPER RUNNING CONDITION WOULD REQUIRE A REBUILD AND REPLACEMENT OF RADIATOR AND HEATER CORE AT A COST OF $4500. FORD HAS BEEN APATHETIC ABOUT MY PROBLEMS. IN THIS SITE, I HAVE FOUND COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS DUE TO THE COOLING SYSTEM CORROSION. COMPLAINTS OF BLOWN HEADS AND LEAKING HEATER CORES. I FEEL FORD SHOULD REMEDY MY PROBLEM IN SOME WAY. PLEASE CONTACT ME I YOU CAN HELP ME. *AK