1998 Ford Taurus

TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO COULDN'T LOOK AT IT FOR 2 DAYS. DROVE ACROSS THE STREET TO HAVE ANOTHER SHOP RUN IT ON THEIR COMPUTER. AFTER TURNING CAR BACK ON, IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR OR MOVE. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO ANOTHER SHOP. WHEN THEY TOOK THE TRANSMISSION PAN OFF FOUND BROKEN CHUNKS OF METAL. HAD TO HAVE A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REBUILD TO THE COST OF $2600. ALWAYS KEPT OUR DODGE PRODUCTS TO 190,000 MILES WITH NO MAJOR PROBLEMS. AFTER BOUGHT THIS CARD HEARD FORD TAURUS OFTEN HAS TRANNY PROBLEMS. WON'T BUY ANOTHER FORD. NLM

I BOUGHT THE 1998 FORD TAURUS USED BUT IN GOOD SHAPE,AT 70,000 THE COMPLETE EXHAUST SYSTEM FAILED THE DEALER FIXED IT BUT 5 MORE THOUSAND MILES AND IT WOULD HAVE COST OVER 1000.00 DOLLARS.ON JULY 31 2002 THE CAR HAD A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE INCLUDING ALL THE COMPONENTS THAT CONNECT IT TO THE ENGINE.I TAKE VERY GOOD CAR OF MY CARS BECAUSE I LIVE IN A RURAL AREA WITH THE NEAREST CITY OF ANY SIZE 45 MILES AWAY.THE MILES MIGHT SOUND LIKE ALOT BUT THEY ARE ALL EASY HIGHWAY MILES.I CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER BUT THEY SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARANTY AND SAID IT WOULD COST OVER 3500.00 TO FIX,I HAD IT WORKED ON IN A SHOP IN RENO NV AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE DAMAGE WAS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND THEY WORK ON HUNDREDS OF TRANSMISSIONS ON FORD CAR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH IT IS A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH MANY FORD'S WITH THE 3.0L AND 3.8L V-6 ENGINES.IT SEEMS WRONG FOR A RELATIVELY NEW CAR THAT I AM STILL PAYING ON TO HAVE THIS KING OF MAJOR PROBLEM AND FORD NEED'S TO COME CLEAN THAT THIER IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW. P.S I AM ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2001 FORD WINSTAR'S TRANSMISSION TOO

ROTOR SERVICE ON FRONT END OF VEHICLE ONCE EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, HOWEVER UNABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*AK THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED TIRES SHAKING, CLUNKING NOISE IN FRONT WHEELS WHEN TURNING, AND SQUEAKING NOISE IN REAR END WHEN BRAKING. THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER MAKE A BUZZING NOISE, THE BRAKES PULSATE. THE REAR RIGHT BRAKE AND ROTORS FAILED. THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. ENGINE MAKES A BUZZING NOISE WHEN START. THE VEHICLE IS NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY. THE DRIVER DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START DUE TO BATTERY FAILURE. *YH

WHILE PRESSING THE CRUISE-CONTROL "ON" BUTTON, THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY LOST FORWARD DRIVE POWER AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. THE SPEEDOMETER ALSO REGISTERED "ZERO MPH" EVENTHOUGH I WAS PROCEEDING WITH FORWARD MOTION. AFTER I SAFELY GUIDED THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC FLOW I TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION BUT COULD NOT. I PRESSED THE CRUISE CONTROL "OFF" BUTTON AND THEN TRIED TO REENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE AT WHICH TIME IT DID ENGAGE. THE TRANSMISSION AT THAT POINT ENGAGED BUT DID NOT PERFORM IN A NORMAL OR SAFE PATTERN! IF THIS SITUATION OCCURED IN A MORE DYNAMIC TRAFFIC AREA I AM AFRAID OF WHAT THE POSSIBILITY FOR AN ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A (VSS) VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR. DUE TO THE LOW MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS CONDITION. WHEN IT OCCURS, DRIVEABILITY IS SERIOUSLY IMPAIRED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.*AK

TRANSMISSION WAS NOT SHIFTING SMOOTHLY, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, FORD DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS LOW TRANSMISSION PRESSURE ERROR CODE. THEY REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION, FOUND IT HAD FAILED AND REPLACED IT. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED MOST, NOT ALL, OF THE COST, BUT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT SHELL OUT AFTER ONLY 49,000 MILES ON A WELL-MAINTAINED CAR. I DON'T THINK THE FORD ENGINEERS HAVE A GOOD MATCHUP OF COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION HERE, IT SEEMS TO SEARCH FOR GEARS TOO OFTEN AND HESITATE DURING DOWNSHIFTS. I ESPECIALLY HATE THE WAY THE COMPUTER KICKS UP THE IDLE TO SIMULATE A FREE-WHEEL SPRAG THAT BETTER AUTOMATICS USE. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO COAST UP TO DANGEROUS SPEEDS ON LONG DOWNHILL STRETCHES - I HAVE HAD THE CRUISE SET UNDER 60, BUT THE CAR HIT 80 WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM ME - THIS IS ON HILLS THAT NO OTHER CAR I DRIVE GAIN MORE THAN 5 MILES-AN-HOUR. *AK