IllustrationHUBS ON THE ROTORS HAVE BEEN CHAFED SEVERAL TIMES. VEHICLE SHAKES WHEN TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE. *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 reportsEVER SINCE I STARTED USED CRUISE CONTROL ENGINE ACCELERATES-RPM AT 2 1/2 WHILE PARKED
PASSANGER SEAT RESTRAINT LOCKS WHEN A LARGE PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. EVERYTIME THE BELT REALS IN A BIT IT STAYS LOCKED, RESULTING IN A VERY TIGHT AND UNCOMFORTABLE RIDE. REPLACEMENT OF THE SEAT BELT SOME MONTHS AGO RESOLVED THE ISSUE FOR A WHILE, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM HAS RE-EMERGED, AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE UNIT AGAI…
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PASSANGER SEAT RESTRAINT LOCKS WHEN A LARGE PERSON IS IN THE SEAT. EVERYTIME THE BELT REALS IN A BIT IT STAYS LOCKED, RESULTING IN A VERY TIGHT AND UNCOMFORTABLE RIDE. REPLACEMENT OF THE SEAT BELT SOME MONTHS AGO RESOLVED THE ISSUE FOR A WHILE, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM HAS RE-EMERGED, AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE UNIT AGAIN. IT SEEMS TO BE UNSAFE RIDING IN A CAR WITH THE SHOULDER BELT SO TIGHT THAT MOVEMENT IS IMPOSSABLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT DUE TO MY FAT STATURE THE SEAT BELT IS MAL FUNCTIONING, BUT WHEN NORMAL SIZED PEOPLE ARE IN THE SEAT THE RESTRAINT FUNCTIONS PROPERLY.
STEERING GOT TIGHT, WHEN TURNING WHEEL, IT MADE NOISE. RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
POWER STEERING PUMP, RACK AND BALLJOINTS ALL FAILED WHILE DRIVING, CREATING AN UNSAFE CONDITION. *AK
RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS 1998 FLEET VEHICLE WITH 70,700 MILES. TWICE IN THE PAST WEEK, APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES DRIVEN VEHICLE HAS LUNGED FORWARD DURING A STOP. BOTH TIMES IT WAS CAUSED BY THE ENGINE FAILING TO REDUCE RPMS DURING DECELERATION. AGAIN, IN BOTH CASES I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR JUST PRIOR TO…
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RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS 1998 FLEET VEHICLE WITH 70,700 MILES. TWICE IN THE PAST WEEK, APPROXIMATELY 75 MILES DRIVEN VEHICLE HAS LUNGED FORWARD DURING A STOP. BOTH TIMES IT WAS CAUSED BY THE ENGINE FAILING TO REDUCE RPMS DURING DECELERATION. AGAIN, IN BOTH CASES I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR JUST PRIOR TO APPROACHING THE STOP SIGNS. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY APPLYING SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO BRAKE, AND ENGINE RETURNED TO NORMAL. I CAME TO THIS WEBSITE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS OR SIMILAR REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL AND FOUND WHAT MAY BE A RELATED PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN CARS NOT REDUCING RPM DURING DECELERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. MY CAR DOES THIS ALSO. THAT WAS THE FIRST DIFFERENCE I NOTICED BETWEEN THIS VEHICLE AND THE 1999 FORD TAURUS I USED TO DRIVE AS MY FLEET CAR. BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS ONLY RANDOM, I WAS RELUCTANT TO TAKE THE CAR TO A DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION AS THEY WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY OBSERVE THE PROBLEM. WHAT SHOULD I HAVE THEM CHECK? *AK
AFTER CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE IN PARK ENGINE ACCELERATED, ENGINE REVVED. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT SHUT OFF WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED, AND BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT SHINE AT SAME TIME. IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED, BUT CONSUMER WANTED TO REPORT IT. *AK
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.