IllustrationWHWN I REMOVED MY OOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR SUDDENDLY ACCELERATED (FULL THROTLE). I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR BY APPLYING BRAKES. THE CAR GOT OUT OF CONTROL AND RAN INTO AWALL.*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
What owners actually said
545 reportsWHILE DRIVING, DRIVER REMOVED FEET FROM GAS PEDAL, ENGINE STARTED RUNNING AT A FULL THROTTLE, CAUSING SUDDEN ACCELERATION AT A HIGH SPEED, VEHICLE TURNED AT A 360 DEGREE ANGLE. VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN IT HIT A WALL.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AND WIT NO WARNING WHEN TRYING TO APPLY BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR ,CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, REVVING WITH HIGH IDLE WHILE PARKED. OWNER HAS REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE DUE TO THE UNWANTED ACCELERATION KICKING IN WHEN BRAKING. OWNER HAS HAD A TOTAL OF 3 OCCURRENCES; AUGUST 13TH/ 15TH AND 22ND OF 2002. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
WHEN STARTING VEHICLE IT WILL KICK OVER BUT FAIL TO START. AFTER NUMEROUS TRIES VEHICLE WILL START, THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED BY DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, MECHANIC FOUND NO PROBLEM.*AK
AN INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION PROBLEM---POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE WAS REPROGRAMMED
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING TRANSMISSION COOLING LINE CRACKED, RESULTING IN A FLUID LEAK. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
THE CRUSE DOSENT HOLD WHEN GOING DOWN HILL IF SAT A 60 , IT WILL INCREASE TO 75 OR MORE .ALSO THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE THAT IS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF CAR THE FASTER AND IN INCLINE IT GETS VERY VERY LOUD. AND THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES A LOT.ALSO FORD HAS GRINDED DOWN THE HUBS THREE TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THE BRAKES…
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THE CRUSE DOSENT HOLD WHEN GOING DOWN HILL IF SAT A 60 , IT WILL INCREASE TO 75 OR MORE .ALSO THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE THAT IS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF CAR THE FASTER AND IN INCLINE IT GETS VERY VERY LOUD. AND THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES A LOT.ALSO FORD HAS GRINDED DOWN THE HUBS THREE TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THE BRAKES ARE GOING BAD AGAIN. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING DOWN A HILL TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES AND WENT INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
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 O…
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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
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.