1998 Ford Taurus

IN JUNE 2008 I STARTED MY REGULAR YEARLY MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE OF MY 1998 FORD TAURUS WAGON. I HAD MY OIL CHANGE & ROTATED/BALANCED MY TIRES. IN OCTOBER 2008 I HAD TWO TIRES REPLACED (ALL OF MY SERVICE WAS DONE @ A FORD DEALERSHIP IN MY CITY) AND A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION FOR MY VEHICLE INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT MY CAR NEEDED REAR SHOCKS, AS THE OUTER CASING WAS ROTTED! LEFT INNER TIE ROD WAS LOOSE & FRONT BRAKES WERE WORN. I WENT IN ON OCT 23, 2008 AND HAD ALL OF THE WORK DONE!,$417.45 FOR FRONT BRAKES, RESURFACED FRONT ROTORS; REPLACED FRONT INNER TIE ROD. THEN ON 11/10/08 I WENT IN TO HAVE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED AND WAS ADVISED THAT IT FAILED, THE ROCKER PANELS WERE ROTTED OUT! I MADE AN APPT FOR 11/19/08 TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO FIX THIS & LEARNED THAT THE ROCKER PANELS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FROM FORD & THAT I NEEDED TO FABRICATE NEW ONES! MY CAR, WHICH HAD 142,555 MILES ON IT, WHICH I THOUGHT TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION, DID NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE OF SUB-FRAME ROT! THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY FORD DEALERSHIPS, WHO HAD JUST POCKETED $621.45 OF MY MONEY TO PERFORM WORK ON A CAR THAT THEY REFUSED TO INSPECT! IN SEARCHING FOR ESTIMATES TO REPAIR THIS DAMAGE I LEARNED THAT ALL TAURUS' RUSTED IN THE SAME PLACE! UNDER THE ROCKER PANEL COVERS, RIGHT WHERE MINE WAS ROTTED. I WAS TOLD BY EVERY COMPANY TO JUNK MY CAR! I CALLED FORD TO EXPRESS MY CONCERNS AND WAS ONLY TOLD "YOUR CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY". I JUST LEARNED TODAY ABOUT RECALLS ON FORD VEHICLES DUE TO SUBFRAME ROT! MY CAR IS STILL SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IT AND HAVE NOT JUNKED IT YET BECAUSE I AM SO SADDENED THAT IT WAS NEVER FIXED BY FORD. I HAVE EVERY RECEIPT FOR ALL THE WORK PERFORMED ON MY CAR AND WOULD LIKE MY CAR TO BE INCLUDED IN THE UPDATED RECALLS ON FORD VEHICLES! THANK YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

1998 FORD TAURUS WITH RELATIVELY LOW MILES. ALWAYS CARED FOR. MECHANIC INFORMED ME IT HAS A ROTTED SUBFRAME. THIS HOLDS THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION. DEALER STATED THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. THE CAR (WHICH IS IN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION) IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT THIS POINT. 3 INDEPENDENT MECHANICS WERE SURPRISED TO SEE THIS LEVEL OF ROT IN A CAR OF THIS CONDITION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING IN REVERSE APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH WHILE IN THE DRIVEWAY AND HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE, FOLLOWED BY THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE COLLAPSING TO THE GROUND. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETECTED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE COIL SPRING FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SIMILAR DEFECT AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL ON THE 1999-2001 MODELS UNDER THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V332000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,450.

I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY AND MY COIL SPRING ON MY 1998 FORD TAURUS WENT THREW MY FRONT RIGHT TIRE. LUCKILY I WAS ONLY PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS, JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE I WAS DRIVING TO SYRACUSE AND GOING 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY, I WOULD HAVE MORE THEN LIKELY DIED DUE TO THIS. NOW FORD KNOWS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE COILS IN THERE CARS BUT YET HAS DONE LITTLE TO FIX IT OR HELP PEOPLE. NOW I AM OUT 600 PLUS DOLLARS BECAUSE I HAD TO REPLACE MY TIRE AND PAY FOR A WHOLE NEW COIL SPING ASSEMBLY FOR BOTH SIDES ON THE FRONT OF MY CAR. ALL I WANT IS FOR FORD TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AND THESE FAULTY COIL SPINGS AND FOR ME TO GET MY MONEY BACK. *LN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND TURNING IT OFF, IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER AND THEY INFORMED HER THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 142,000.

MY FAMILY OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS SE WHICH HAS BEEN UNABLE TO PASS INSPECTION DUE TO SEVERE RUST ON THE SUB-FRAME WHERE THE K-MEMBER BOLTS TO THE CAR, AS WELL AS COMPLETE RUST OUT UNDER FACTORY INSTALLED PLASTIC ROCKER PANEL SHIELDS. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY OUR MECHANIC THAT THE ENGINE K-MEMBER COULD FAIL DURING DRIVING CONDITIONS IF THE VEHICLE WERE DRIVEN THROUGH ANOTHER PENNSYLVANIA WINTER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE ANTI THEFT DEVICE ENGAGED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTANTLY. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND SHE STATED THE FAILURE RECURRED AT LEAST SIX TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. THE CONTACT STATED THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY CABLE, A METAL WIRE TO THE BATTERY AND THE KEY WAS REPROGRAMMED AND REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 158,273.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD BANG AND STOPPED. WHEN HE EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE HAD BEEN PIERCED BY A BROKEN COIL SPRING. HE REPAIRED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF. TWO MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE BUT THE TIRE HAD NOT BEEN PIERCED. HE AGAIN REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 61,000.

MY SON IS AWAY AT COLLEGE AND WAS DRIVING OUR 1998 FORD TAURUS SE WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING THE CAR JUST STOPPED AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. FROM READING OTHER COMPLAINTS THIS SEEMS TO BE A TRANSMISSION DEFECT IN THE FORD TAURUS. WE HAVE BEEN THE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE SINCE BEING PURCHASED NEW OFF THE DEALER LOT. COST TO FIX THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS PROHIBITIVE AND MAKES NO FINANCIAL SENSE GIVEN THE CURRENT KBB VALUE. FORD NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND CORRECT THE DEFECT. NOW WE HAVE OUR CHILD STUCK AT COLLEGE 3 HOURS AWAY WITH A JUNK VEHICLE ALSO STUCK 3 HOURS AWAY WHILE STILL PAYING COSTLY INSURANCE ON IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS RIDING IN THE VEHICLE AS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH. THE PASSENGER'S FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ATTACHING STUD FAILED AND HE WAS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED DURING THE CRASH AND SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 98V198000 (SEAT BELTS: FRONT: ANCHORAGE) THAT WAS ISSUED IN 1998 BUT HE AS UNABLE TO CONFIRM IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS UNKNOWN.