IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE IS CLINKING NOISE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. AND THERE IS ACCESSIVE SPEED. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. MR
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
What owners actually said
545 reportsCONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE LIGHTS UNDER THE DASHBOARD WILL STAY ON AND THE CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS UNLESS VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR
CONSUMER STATES THAT SPEEDOMETER STAYS ON 10 MPH WHEN VEHICLE IS ACTUALLY GOING 40 MPH, CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED. RPM'S RAISE HIGHER THAN NORMAL. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING LOSS BRAKING ABILITY, LOSS CONTROL OF VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER. CONSUMER GREY SMOKE STARTED TO FILL CAB AREA, POWER WINDOWS WERE NOT WORKING. CONSUMER FEELS LUCKY ONE OF THE WINDOWS WAS HALF WAY DOWN, AND CONSUMER CRAWLED TO SAFETY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING LOSS ALL BRAKING ABILITY, CONSUMER LOSS CONTROL OF CAR FLIPPED OVER. CONSUMER STATES THAT GREY SMOKE FILLED CAR, POWER WINDOWS LOCKED UP. TS
CONSUMER STATES THAT AFTER REPLACING THE STEERING PUMP THE RACK AND PINON STOPS WORKING. CONTACTED DEALER. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. MR
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE TO FUEL PUMP. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR
WHILE MAKING A TURN ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STEERING COLUMN LOCKS UP. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. MR
CONSUMER NOTICED THE BACK SYSTEM SEAT BELTS LAP DO NOT RETRACT AFTER RELEASING BUCKETS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE VEHICLE LOCKED UP. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. ME
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.