1998 Ford Taurus

VEHICLE CAN BE IN DRIVE AND MOVING, OR IN PARK AND SITTING STILL, THE ENGINE WILL BEGIN TO HESITATE AFTER RUNNING FOR 10-15 MINUTES. THE DASHBOARD INSTRUMENTS GET EXTREMELY HOT, THE LIGHTING WILL DIM ON ITS OWN. ALL ELECTRONICS (I.E. RADIO, AIR CONDITIONING ETC...) WILL FAIL. THE CAR WILL THEN CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE ALSO LUNGES FORWARD IF IN PARK OR STOPPED WHILE IN DRIVE, IF IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR 10-15 MINUTES OR MORE.

WHEN THIS CAR IS RUNNING MORE THAN 40MINUTES, THE ENGINE "BUCKS"/JERKS/HESITATES AND IS NOT RESPONSIVE--AS IF IT WOULD STALL BUT NEVER DOES, 'THOUGH THE DASH "TROUBLE" LIGHTS BLINK FOR 1/2 SECOND EACH TIME. THIS WAS REPEATED 2-3 TIMES AT EACH OF 5 SEPRATE INCIDENTS. I HAD THE ENGINE CHECKED WITH A SCANNER AT MY REGULAR MECHANIC'S PLACE AND THE TRANSMISSION CHECKED AT A RELIABLE TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALIST. NOTHING FOUND. VARIOUS ROAD TESTS COULD NOT REPRODUCE THIS EXPERIENCE. I DID REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER. OTHER INCIDENTS OCCURRED 6/21 ABOUT 15-MIN. LATER AFTER BEING STUCK IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC FOR 20 MINUTES ON A 55-60MPH ROUTE I ALWAYS USE. THE 3RD INCIDENT WAS 7/6, ACCELERATING AFTER A FULL-STOP INTERSECTION. 4TH&5TH WERE ON 7/8 WHEN DRIVING @25-30MPH, BUT DRIVING FOR A WHILE. I DO NOTICE AFTER DRIVING 15-20 MINUTES REGULARLY, THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT @BETWEEN 35-40MPH HESITATES. I HAVE BEEN KEEPING MY HIGHEST SPEEDS DOWN TO 60MPH OR LESS, AND USUALLY DRIVING NO MORE THAN 1/2HR. EACH TRIP. I'M AFRAID TO TAKE A LONG TRIP FOR FEAR THE CAR WILL HESITATE, LOSE POWER, OR SLOW DOWN IN HEAVY EXPRESSWAY TRAFFIC. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY.*AK

WHEN IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC WITH NORMAL ACCELERATION CAR SEEMS TO SURGE AT ANY GIVEN TIME .YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR IN THAT KIN OF TRAFFIC THAT THE CAR WILL DO THE SAME THING AND SURGE.THE ONLY THING THAT WILL SLOW THE CAR DOWN IS PUTTING YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE.YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE CAR WILL SURGE. DEALERSHIP PUT A NEW TRANS , REPLACED AIR BY PASS VALVE,REPLACE SOME COMPUTER CHIP, REPROGRAMMED PCM. CAR HAS BEEN IN 4 TIMES IT STILL SURGES DEALERSHIP STATES CAN NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM AFTER KEEPIN CAR FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS. .

TURNING CORNER AT APPX 20MPH HEARD LOUD CLONK NOISE UNABLE TO STEER VECH,RACK & PINION SNAPPED, LIFTED HOOD BELT HAD CAME OFF WHEEL WAS ON THE GROUND, FORD MECHANIC TOLD WARRANTY REP THAT IT WAS MY FAULT BECAUSE I RAN LOW ON POWER STEERING FLUID. I DROVE A 24FT TRACTOR AND 53FT TRAILER COMBINATION FOR 6 YEARS ACROSS THE US CANADA AND MEXICO AND HAD TO DO MY OWN MAINT. AND MINOR REPAIRS TO MY TRUCK DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMEONE THAT JUMPS IN AND OUT OF A CAR WITHOUT CHECKING FLUID LEVELS,OR DOING PROPER MAINT ON THEIR VECH?? I ONLY HAD THE VECH FOR 38DAYS BUT ALWAYS KEEP ALL FLUID LEVELS CHECKED, BEFORE THIS HAPPENED I WOULD HEAR A LOW HUMMING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL BUT THE POWERSTEERING FLUID WAS AT THE NORMAL LEVEL.

CAR HAS NO ENGINE BRAKING ON COAST DOWN. IN FACT THROTTLE SEEMS TO OPEN WHEN COASTING DOWN A GRADE. THIS REQUIRES BRAKING TO PREVENT RUNAWAY. BELIEVE THIS HAS RESULTED IN PREMATURE BRAKE WEAR AND WARPED ROTORS. THE LAST CAR I OWNED THAT HAD THIS PROBLEM WAS A 1972 NOVA, WHICH OPENED THE THROTTLE TO PREVENT NO2 EMISSIONS. I THOUGHT WE HAD PROGRESS. FORD NEEDS A BETTER WAY TO CONTROL EMISSIONS. *AK

AFTER 40 MPH THE CAR HAS A SURGING PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO MY DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR WHICH THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY CALLED FORD MOTOR CO AND FOUND OUT THERE IS A SURGING PROBLEM WHEN THE HYDROCARBON BUILDS UP. THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM SO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO RECALL THEM UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE RPM'S GO UP. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GO DOWN. PATALANO FORD EXPECTS ME TO PAY FOR THE THROTTLE SENSOR EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I AM RIDING IN AN UNSAFE CAR. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS?

WAS DRIVING TO WORK AR 5AM ON 6-21 AND IT WAS RAINING WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN AN 18 WHEELER PASSED AND CAUSED WATER TO SPLASH UP AND MY CAR DIED. I STARTED THE CAR AND WENT ON TO WORK AND WORKED 7.5 HOURS ON MY WAY HOME I WAS MOTIONED OFF THE ROAD BY ANOTHER DRIVER AND TOLD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR THAT THERE WAS FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM THE CAR THIS DRIVER TOOK ME TO GET A TOW TRUCK AND WHILE WE WERE GONE THE FIRE DEPT HAD TO BE CALLED TO PUT A FIRE OUT ON THE CAR. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT PUTNAM LINCOLN FOR OVER 2 MONTHS BECAUSE IT HAS TO HAVE A NEW MOTOR AND FORD WILL NOT REPLACRE THE MOTOR BECAUSE THEY SAID I DROVE THROUGH WATER THIS HAS CAUSED ME MUCH STRESS AND MENTAL TRAUMA AND BECAUSE OF THIS I MIGHT HAVE TO FILE BANKRUPTCY IF I CAN NOT GET HELP GETTING MY CAR BACK ON THE ROAD. I WAS TOLD BY PUTNAM THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ANOTHER FORD CAR THE SAME DAY AND HAVE BEEN TOLD ABOUT SEVERAL 1997 FORD VECHICLES THAT THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO AND THAT THE CONSUMER HAS TO PAY TO FIX THE VECHICLE I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE VECHICLE AND IT IS NOT SAFE FOR A VECHICLE THAT WILL CATCH ON FIRE TO BE ON THE ROAD AND IF THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ME DRIVING IN THE RAIN THAT AM WHY AND HOW COULD IT CATCH ON FIRE THAT AFTERNOON. I NEED HELP DESPERATELY PLEASE I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT FORD CAN NOT DETERMING THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE FIRE UNTIL THEY GET THE 3500. NEED FOR THE NEW MOTOR AND GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN ALL FORD HAS OFFERED ME IS TO EXTEND TWO MONTHS PAYMENTS I AM SCARED OF THIS VEHICLE AND DO NOT REALLY WANT IT BACK BUT I NEED TO GET THE WHOLE SITUATION RESOLVED SOMEHOW I HAD THIS VECHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR FUEL PUMP PROBLEMS WHIE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY I THANK GOD THAT I WAS NOT INJURED BUT I NEED SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THE CAR