2011 Ford Taurus

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, TRAVELING UPHILL WHEN MY 2011 TAURUS SHO SPUTTERED AND QUICKLY LOST POWER FOR MORE THAN 5 SEC. WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME. I AM GLAD THERE WASN'T ANYONE DRIVING BEHIND ME BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY WOULD HAVE REAR-ENDED ME. ONCE I REGAINED CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE, I NOTICED MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS SHAKING AND SPUTTERING AS IT WAS TRYING TO MAKE IT UP THE REST OF THE HILL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK. BY THE TIME I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE HILL THE VEHICLE SEEMED BETTER BUT I KNEW FROM EXPERIENCE IT WAS IN LIMP MODE. I MADE IT HOME SAFELY DRIVING AS CAREFULLY AS I COULD. I DID NOTICE THE CAR SHOOK MUCH MORE WHEN I SLOWED DOWN TO STOP FOR STOP-SIGNS, ALMOST LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. I EVEN RAN A COUPLE SIGNS BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE IT HOME, SAFELY. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP GUS JOHNSON FORD IMMEDIATELY TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. I TOOK IT IN, MY SERVICE ADVISOR CALLED ME DAYS LATER AND SAID HE ADVISED I PUT A WHOLE NEW ENGINE IN MY CAR. CYLINDER #4 MISFIRING, FOUND LEAK THAT IS CAUSING LOW COMPRESSION. HE SAID THEY COULD TEAR APART THE MOTOR AND INSPECT FURTHER BUT DOING A COMPLETE ENGINE ASSEMBLY COULD COST UPWARDS AROUND $10,000. I WAS PARALYZED! I FOUND OTHER STORIES AND COMPLAINTS JUST LIKE MINE WHEN I CAME HERE TO NHTSA. IF FORD WAS, OR STILL IS AWARE OF ANY DEFECTS TO THE ENGINE THROUGH MANUFACTURING OR BAD DESIGN THAT MAY CAUSE LOSS OF POWER, SHAKING, SHUDDERING, SPUTTERING, STALLING, LOSS-OF-POWER DURING ACCELERATION, THEY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

I HAD A INTERNAL WATER PUMP FAILURE FILLING THE ENGINE WITH COOLANT. THIS RESULTED IN A ENGINE HYDRO LOCK CONDITION (LUCKILY I WAS ABLE LIMP A VERY ROUGH RUNNING CAR IN THE EMERGENCY LANE AT 15MPH TO A NEARBY EXIT). HAPPENED FRIDAY EVENING FEB 3RD 2017 ON A COLD 27 DEGREE EVENING. I WAS STRANDED NORTH OF NASHVILLE, TN ON I65. THIS IS A VERY VERY BAD DESIGN FLAW. I AM MECHANICALLY INCLINED AND MOST CARS HAVE EXTERNAL WATER PUMPS -- EXCEPT THIS ONE. NOT JUST THE TAURUS, BUT ALL 3.5 (AND 3.7) MOTORS HAVE A INTERNAL WATER PUMP DESIGN; DRIVEN OFF THE OVERHEAD CAM CHAIN. WHEN IT FAILS, IT FAILS BIG, DUMPING ALL COOLANT (SEVERAL GALLONS) INTO THE CRANKCASE. END RESULT: IS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ENGINE FAILURE AS ALL COMPONENTS INCLUDING IN MY CASE THE ECO BOOST TURBOS SUBMERGED IN COOLANT / ANTIFREEZE. LEARNING NOW IT MAY BE $8-9K FOR A NEW MOTOR. BESIDES THIS EXPENSE IS TO KNOW THIS ENGINE WILL HYDRO LOCK WITH ALL THE COOLANT IN IT AND CANNOT BE EASILY DRIVEN TO A SAFE LOCATION SEEMS VERY VERY DANGEROUS TO ME. IF THE EXIT WERE NOT LESS THAN A 1/2 MILE AWAY I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK. NO ONE WANTS TO BE ON A DARK FREEWAY FOR 1-2 HOURS WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK ON A COLD FRIDAY NIGHT. ALL IS TAKES IS ONE PERSON FROM BEHIND TO SLIP OFF INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND THEN IT'S ALL OVER.

CATASTROPHIC WATER PUMP FAILURE LEAKED A LOT OF COOLANT IN OIL - DRIVER WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON HIGHWAY WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN THE MOTOR JUST DIED (STALLED), FORCING THE DRIVER TO HARD STEER TO THE SIDE OF HIGHWAY. THE GAUGE AT THE TIME JUST SUDDENLY JUMPED TO H - IN A SPAN OF FEW SECONDS AND ALL DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. VERY LITTLE STEAM WAS COMING OUT - VERY LITTLE FLUID WAS LEAKING. NOTICED SMELL OF COOLANT RIGHT AWAY. LOOKED/DOUBLE CHECKED UNDER THE CAR - LITTLE LEAK AGAIN. IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT MAYBE WATER PUMP OR AT LEAST RADIATOR HOSE LEAK, CHECKED THE COOLANT - IT WAS EMPTY. HAD IT TOWED TO PAUL MILLER FORD IN LEXINGTON. VERY UNFRIENDLY CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY MENTIONED THAT IT WAS A "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE" - COOLANT HAD MIXED IN WITH THE OIL AND WAS PRETTY MUCH SITTING THERE. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THIS HAS NOT CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT AS I EXPLAINED IT WAS REAL DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER IT STALLED. WE FOLLOWED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE - WE ARE VERY ANAL ABOUT THAT. MY HUSBAND HAS A FORD EXPLORER HIMSELF. I AM JUST AT DISBELIEF THAT WE HAD A ENGINE FAILURE AT 108,000 MILES. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS IS COMMON AMONG THE 3.5L V6 DOHC 24V ENGINE. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT FORD HAD DESIGNED THE WATER PUMP TO BE INTERGRAL PART OF THE ENGINE (PRETTY MUCH INSIDE THE ENGINE NOW BEHIND THE TIMING CHAIN COVER, WHERE YOU HAVE TO REMOVE SEVERAL PARTS TO GET TO IT. MOST PEOPLE KNOW WATER PUMP FAILED BUT TO BE A PART OF INTERNAL ENGINE AND TO HAVE IT POUR COOLANT INTO ENGINE, MIXING UP WITH OIL AND SIT IN THE OIL PAN???? HUH? COSTED US SEVERAL GRAND TO GET THE ENGINE REPLACED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE CONSUMED THE WATER FROM THE RADIATOR, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE RODS TO SNAP. THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000. UPDATED 11/01/16*LJ *TR

HAD THROTTLE RELATED ISSUES THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY "REPAIRED" AT THE DEALER WHICH ARE STILL PRESENT. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES BY ITSELF AND SHOWS A WRENCH ICON ON THE DASHBOARD WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. IF THE VEHICLE IS PUT ON DRIVE IT MOVES BY ITSELF AS IF ONE WERE PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS IS A POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD POSSIBLE KILL SOMEONE OR EVEN GET ME KILLED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE (WHICH I DON'T). RIGHT NOW IT'S AT THE DEALER AND HAD TO BE TOWED AWAY SINCE THE VEHICLE COULDN'T BE MOVED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED, STALLED, AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,467.