1998 Ford Taurus

VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW, 2000 MILES TRANSMISSION QUIT WORKING WAS REBUILT UNDER WARRANTY BY FORD. TRANSMISSION IS OUT AGAIN CAR WILL NOT MOVE WITHOUT INCREASING RPMS TO 2,500, TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE. MAKES LOUD KNOCKING SOUND. ESTIMATED $2,500 REBUILD NEEDED. HEAD GASKETS WENT OUT AT 80,000 MILES AND WERE REPLACED FOR $600, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH TAURUS. *LA

AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM MY DRIVEWAY ABOUT 5 MPH I HEARD A LOUD NOISE BETWEEN HOOD AND FRONT SEATS. I SOON REALISED THAT WHEN I STEPED ON THE ACCELERATION PEDAL THE CAR WON'T GO FOWARD. I PARKED THE CAR IMMIDIATELY AND TURNED OFF WAITED FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES I GOT OFF FROM THE CAR AND I PERSONALLY INPECTED THE CAR FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE MOTOR, AND UNDERNEATH OF IT AND NO OIL WAS SPILLED (MOTOR OR TRANSMISSION). I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON STEPED ON THE BREAK AND SHIFTED TO DRIVE, AND STEPED ON ACCELARATION PEDAL, BUT CAR WONT MOVE. I ALO TRYED REVERSE AND DID NOT MOVE ASWELL. WHEN U PUTTED THE CAR INTO 2ND GEAR IT TOOK A COUPLE OF SECONDS FOR THE CAR TO MOVE. I ALSO TRYED 1ST. GEAR AND IT DID NOT MOVE AS WELL.*AK

WHILE TRAVELLING TO WORK ON FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 5, I HAD JUST ACCESSED INTERSTATE 65 NORTH AND HAD TRAVELLED ON IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES. I HAD REACHED MY NORMAL CRUISING SPEED OF 80 MPH WHEN I BEGAN TO CROSS THE BRIDGE OVER THE TENNESSEE RIVER. ON THE DOWNSIDE OF THE BRIDGE, I HAD NO WARNING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRANSMISSION CEASED TO FUNCTION. DUE TO THE SPEED I WAS TRAVELLING, I WAS ABLE TO COAST UNTIL I EXITED THE BRIDGE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1/4 A MILE, I SAFELY PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND CAME TO A STOP. I PROCEEDED TO CHECK ALL THE GEARS TO DETERMINE IF THE TRANSMISSION HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAD. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THERE WAS NO NOISE, NO JERK, NO ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 135,000 MILES ON IT, AND I ENSURE THAT ROUTINE SERVICE IS PERFORMED ON IT. TWELVE MONTHS PRIOR, I HAD THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY SERVICED. THIS COMPLETE FAILURE CAME AS A SURPRISE TO ME AS NO WARNING SIGNS WERE EVIDENT. TODAY, I AM HAVING TO SHELL OUT $1600 FOR A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. THE COMPANY I HAVE PERFORMING THE REPAIRS IS KNOWN TO BE VERY REPUTIBLE AND TOLD ME THAT A GREAT DEAL OF DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION AT OR JUST PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL FAILURE. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED VERY SIMILAR SITUATIONS. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS INDEED A FLAW IN THE FORD TAURUS TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.*AK

1998 FORD TAURUS; 78000+ MILES: RECURRING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. OWNERS MANUAL INDICATES THAT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT MAY NOT BE REFERRING TO A MECHANICAL PROBLEM THAT WILL AFFECT PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE. OUR LIGHT CAME ON ONE MONTH AFTER WE PURCHASED THE CAR. IT WOULD GO OFF WHEN WE CHANGED FLUIDS OR BRAND OF GASOLINE. ON JUNE 28TH THERE WAS A NOTICABLE CHANGE IN DRIVABILITY AS THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER SHIFT FROM LOW GEAR. THE ENGINE WOULD REV TO 5000 RPMS TRYING TO SHIFT BUT COULD NOT. I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THIS TO BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE TRYING TO MANEUVER IN 55 TO 65 MPH TRAFFIC. AAMCO NOW TELLS ME THAT IT WILL COST 1500 T0 2000 DOLLARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I RAN A 1993 FORD VAN TO 270,000 MILES BUT I DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS MODEL HAD A 12 YEAR HISTORY OF SEVERE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *AK

TODAY, WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 55 MPH ON RTE 1, MY 1998 FORD TAURUS WAGON SUDDENLY STARTING TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AS LOUD NOISES LIKE BOTTOMING OUT ON SEVERAL BOULDERS EMANATED FROM BENEATH THE CAR. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN SMOOTHLY AND THE A/C PUMPED OUT COOL AIR, BUT WHEN THE CAR CAME TO REST AT A STOP LIGHT IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD UNTIL THE RPM GOT QUITE HIGH AND ONLY THEN AT A VERY SLOW, HERKY, JERKY PACE. THE CAR SMOOTHED OUT AT AROUND 25-30 MPH, BUT THE PROBLEM GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. I NOTICED BLUE-GRAY SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR AND PARKED THE CAR IN A RELATIVELY SAFE PLACE. I NOTICED LIQUID DRIPPING FROM BENEATH THE CAR NEAR THE REAR OF THE OIL PAN. MY HUSBAND CHECKED ON THE CAR ON HIS WAY HOME FROM WORK TO ASCERTAIN THAT THE LIQUID IS TRANSMISSION FLUID. WITHOUT HUMOR I RECALLED A WOMAN TELLING ME JUST TWO WEEKS AGO THAT SHE HAD A CAR JUST LIKE MINE THAT SHE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN RECENTLY, AND I TOLD HER AT THE TIME THAT MY CAR WAS RUNNING FINE. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS ON RTE 1 AND NOT ON I-95, AND IN THE DAY TIME ON A HOT SUNNY DAY AND NOT ON A COLD, WET NIGHT. *NLM

1998 FORD TAURUS WOULD OCCASIONALLY NOT MOVE FROM A COMPLETE STOP. THIS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2002 AND THE PRESENT. AFTER THE FOURTH TIME (MAY 2, 2003), THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2800. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR A SECOND OPINION. THEY FOUND METAL SHAVINGS IN THE PAN AND BURNT MERCON V. TOTAL COST FOR REBUILDING THE TRANSMISSION WAS $1400-$1800. THIS IS A PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE SINCE THE SHOP HAS TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT USED FOR TRAILER TOWING OR RACING. ENGINE IS THE DURATEC V6 AND THE TOTAL MILEAGE IS 64077. THIS IS TO ME A SERIOUS CONCERN SINCE A VEHICLE SHOULD LAST AT LEAST 100,000 MILES WITHOUT A MAJOR FAILURE AS WHAT HAS HAPPENED. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE FROM A COMPLETE STOP WAS AT A CONGESTED INTERSECTION, AND ONE OF THE TIMES THIS OCCURRED WAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY WHERE THE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT IS 65 MPH. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. *NLM