IllustrationDURING BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS (RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW) DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES & VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL WHICH RESULTED IN ANCOLLISION. UPON IMPACT, BOTH AIRBAGS DID NO DEPLOY WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURY. ALSO, STEERING FAILURE. *AK
1998 Ford Taurus
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Ford Taurus do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 318.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Taurus years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
80–25K
1325–50K
3550–75K
3075–100K
39100–150K
16150K+
141 reports with mileage · 404 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
61 crash reports14 fire reports38 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
74 reportsVEHICLE DRIFTS OFF TO THE RIGHT ,AND WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE SHIMMIES EXCESSIVELY. DEALER SAYS STEERING COLUMN WAS MALFUNCTIONING. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.
WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 25 MPH AND UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES, THEY FAILED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO REAR END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS. *AK
PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED UNEXPECTEDLY, CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO RESPOND TO ANY OF ITS FUNCTION. ALSO, BRAKES AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTER FAILED; AND KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COAST INTO A TREE AND THEN FLIP OVER. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
ABS BRAKES FAILED. YH
ON TWO OCCASINS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM FAILURE CCAUSING GRINDING. *YC
POWER STEERING PRESSURE HOSE FAILED. YH
BRAKE PADS FAILED.
WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PUSHED THERE ARE NO BRAKES. EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURS. DEALER 4 TIMES CONTACTED, AND STATED TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT FAILURE TO CHECK. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. NO REMEDY TO REPAIR. *AK.ET.
ROTORS FAILED AND WIRING ASSEMBLY FOR ABS FAILED CAUSING BRAKE FAILURE.
Official recalls
298V198000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
Aug 25, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL SEAT TRACKS. THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ATTACHING STUD MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY HEAT TREATED. THIS HEAT TREATMENT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN CRACKS DEVELOPING IN THE STUD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE STUD IS CRACKED, IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE MOUNTING BRACKET AND STUD ASSEMBLY.
98V028000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Feb 10, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE TEXT AND/OR GRAPHICS FOR THE VEHICLE HEADLAMP AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES ARE REPLACED, CUSTOMERS MAY BE CONFUSED BY THE AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES CAUSING THE HEADLAMPS TO BE IMPROPERLY AIMED.
Remedy: OWNER GUIDES CONTAINING REVISED AIMING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.