1998 Ford Taurus

I OWN A 1998 FORD TAURUS WAGON. THE REAR SEATBELTS DO NOT WORK. I CAN NOT GET THEM TO PULL OUT AT ALL. FOR THAT MATTER, I CAN NOT BUCKLE MY CHILD IN. BOTH SIDES ARE AFFECTED. THE CENTER BUCKLE DOESN'T HAVE AN EXTRACTING BELT SO THAT IS THE ONLY USABLE SEAT BELT IN THE REAR. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I HAVE TO TRANSPORT CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS. THE COVER WAS REMOVED IN ATTEMPT TO FIX THESE AND I AM STILL UNABLE TO GET THEM TO WORK.

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

REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRING 1998 TAURUS WAGON.*MR THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM RECURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING PARKED AT THE DEALER FOR A REPAIR ESTIMATE. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL WERE INOPERATIVE AND BELIEVES THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE CLOCK SPRING. *NM

WHILE TRYING TO BACK OUT OF OUR GARAGE, THE FRONT LEFT SPRING COIL IN OUR 1998 FORD TAURUS BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE, CAUSING A BLOW OUT. IN RESEARCHING THE NHTSA WEBSITE I LEARNED THAT THE 1993 FORD TAURUS, 1998 FORD CONTOUR, AND 1998 MERCURY MYSTIQUE WERE RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO FOUND A COMPLAINT INDICATING THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE 1998 AND 1999 FORD TAURUS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A CHRONIC PROBLEM, AND I FEEL FORTUNATE THE INCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR, AS IN OTHER REPORTED CASES, WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE DEALER AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY WERE INFORMED OF HIS PROBLEM BUT HAVE MADE NO EFFORTS TO CONTACT ME REGARDING THIS SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO, I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE WE HAD REPORTED EXCESSIVE VIBRATION OF STEERING WHEEL AND WOBBLING OF THE CAR TO THE DEALER IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 2003 BUT WERE TOLD THAT OUR BRAKES WERE OUT OF ROUND. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO US, AS THE PROBLEM OCCURRED NOT ONLY WHEN BRAKING, BUT ALSO AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND WHEN ACCELERATING. I BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS MISDIAGNOSED AND PUT OUR SAFETY AT RISK. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM, AS I HAVE CONCERN FOR OTHERS DRIVING THE 1998 FORD TAURUS. I WOULD ALSO APPRECIATE SOME ASSURANCE THAT OUR CAR IS NOW SAFE- I HAVE READ THAT IN OTHER SITUATIONS A SHIELD WAS INSTALLED TO PREVENT A BROKEN SPRING FROM MAKING CONTACT WITH THE TIRE IN THE FUTURE. I HAVE KEPT MY REPAIR RECEIPTS AND AM HOPING THAT THIS WILL BE TREATED AS A RECALL AND RESULT IN REIMBURSEMENT FOR MY EXPENSES.*AK

FORD TAURUS THROTTLE STUCK OPEN. I STARTED THE ENGINE AND PLACED THE TRANSMISSION INTO REVERSE. PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO BACK OUT, THE PEDAL WOULDNT BUDGE. WHILE APPLYING MORE AND MORE FORCE, THE PEDAL FINALLY GAVE IN, COLLAPSING TO THE FLOOR AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE STUCK AT FULL THROTTLE. BEING IN REVERSE, THE TAURUS TOOK OFF AT FULL SPEED OUT OF THE CARPORT TO THE SIDE OF A HILL. RAMMING THE CAR INTO DRIVE CAUSED ME TO GO FORWARD AT FULL SPEED. UNTIL I SLAMMED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND CUT OFF THE ENGINE, DID I FINALLY COME TO A STOP ABOUT 100 FEET DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE IS NOW SITTING AT THE PHIL LONG DEALERSHIP IN COLORADO SPRINGS, WAITING TO BE ANALYZED. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS CENTER AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING. I HAVE MADE A VIDEO DEPICTING THIS PROBLEM. I WILL BE CAPTURING THIS TO A VIDEO FILE SHOULD ANYONE CARE TO DOWNLOAD IT. PLEASE ADVISE ME AS TO WHAT I SHOULD DO. BEST REGARDS DAVID L. POWELL. *AK

LAST SUMMER, MY 1998 FORD TAURUS BLEW AN ENGINE. IT WAS ABOUT 4000 MILES OVER WARRANTY. THE GARAGE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOTHING THAT I HAD DONE. THE PROBLEM WAS PROBABLY' A FAILURE IN THE OIL PUMP, THAT MY CAR HAD EXPERIENCED OIL PRESSURE PROBLEMS. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY REGRETTED THAT MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE A NEW ENGINE. THEY SENT IN A REBUILT ENGINE, REPLACED THE BAD ENGINE, AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES. THEN, THIS JULY (JULY 25,2003) I WAS DRIVING THE SAME 1998 FORD TAURUS WITH THE PREVIOUSLY BLOWN ENGINE. THE ADD COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE CAR. WATER WAS POURING FROM EITHER THE RADIATOR OR HOSE. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME (ABOUT A DISTANCE OF 60 MILES). I HAD IT TOWED TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC. ON MONDAY MORNING, THE MECHANIC CALLED AND SAID THAT I HAD MANY MORE PROBLEMS THAT JUST A LEAK. HE SAID IT LOOKED LIKE I HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. HE COULD NOT EVEN GET THE CAR TO START. BECAUSE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, I HAD IT TOWED TO THE BOWLING GREEN LINCOLN & MERCURY IN BOWLING GREEN OH. THIS IS WHERE I HAD ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE PLACE THAT HAD REPLACED THE ENGINE THE PREVIOUS SUMMER. AFTER WAITING NEARING TWO WEEKS TO GET PERMISSION FROM DETROIT (?) TO FIX IT, AN INSPECTOR WAS SENT DOWN TO EXAMINE THE DAMAGE. HIS REPORT INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FROM A DEFECTIVE ENGINE, BUT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION. THEY VOIDED THE WARRANTY. I ASKED WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION MEANT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE INSPECTOR HAD DECIDED THAT MY CAR HAD BEEN IN A FLOOD. I WAS TAKEN BACK. MY CAR HAD NOT BEEN IN A FLOOD. THE MECHANICS, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, AND SERVICE MANAGER ALL CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT THE CAR WAS IN A FLOOD. I PERSONALLY HEARD THE SERVICE MANAGER TALK TO SOMEONE IN DETROIT CONFIRMING THAT THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN IN A FLOOD. DETROIT SENT OUT ANOTHER INSPECTOR WHO TOOK FLOOD SAMPLES FROM THE CAR.