IllustrationWHILE 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
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
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
111 reportsUNINTENDED 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
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 PRESSING THE CRUISE-CONTROL "ON" BUTTON, THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY LOST FORWARD DRIVE POWER AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. THE SPEEDOMETER ALSO REGISTERED "ZERO MPH" EVENTHOUGH I WAS PROCEEDING WITH FORWARD MOTION. AFTER I SAFELY GUIDED THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC FLOW I TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION BUT COULD NOT. I PRESSE…
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WHILE PRESSING THE CRUISE-CONTROL "ON" BUTTON, THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY LOST FORWARD DRIVE POWER AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. THE SPEEDOMETER ALSO REGISTERED "ZERO MPH" EVENTHOUGH I WAS PROCEEDING WITH FORWARD MOTION. AFTER I SAFELY GUIDED THE VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC FLOW I TRIED TO RE-ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION BUT COULD NOT. I PRESSED THE CRUISE CONTROL "OFF" BUTTON AND THEN TRIED TO REENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE AT WHICH TIME IT DID ENGAGE. THE TRANSMISSION AT THAT POINT ENGAGED BUT DID NOT PERFORM IN A NORMAL OR SAFE PATTERN! IF THIS SITUATION OCCURED IN A MORE DYNAMIC TRAFFIC AREA I AM AFRAID OF WHAT THE POSSIBILITY FOR AN ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A (VSS) VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR. DUE TO THE LOW MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS CONDITION. WHEN IT OCCURS, DRIVEABILITY IS SERIOUSLY IMPAIRED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.*AK
WHILE IN MOTION, CONSUMER APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP AT AN INTERSECTION, AT THE SAME TIME VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO FULL THROTTLE CAUSING A NEAR COLLISION. *JG MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *TT
WHILE STARTING VEHICLE AND WITHOUT WARNING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT PROBLEM. THIS WOULD BE THE 5TH TIME THAT THE MECHANIC HAD NOTED AND DOCUMENTED THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE EVERY 15 THOUSAND MILES.*AK CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE WAY THE THROTTLE BODY IS BEING MADE. *SCC
VEHICLE IN PARK, ENGINE RUNNING, VEHICLE IDLING NORMALLY AT ABOUT 1000 RPM. ALL OF A SUDDEN ENGINE IDLE WILL GO UP TO ABOUT 3500 RPM, CANNOT KICK DOWN. THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS TO SHUT ENGINE OFF AND RESTART.*AK
CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE AT A SET SPEED WHEN GOING DOWN HILL. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE WELL BEYOND PRESET SPEED. VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE 15 MPH OVER PRESET SPEED. BRAKES ROTORS WARP CONSTANTLY. ROTORS HAVE BEEN RESURFACED OR REPLACED OVER 5 TIMES. ENGINE SPEED WILL NOT DECREASE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS NO…
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CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE AT A SET SPEED WHEN GOING DOWN HILL. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE WELL BEYOND PRESET SPEED. VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE 15 MPH OVER PRESET SPEED. BRAKES ROTORS WARP CONSTANTLY. ROTORS HAVE BEEN RESURFACED OR REPLACED OVER 5 TIMES. ENGINE SPEED WILL NOT DECREASE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS NOT RELEASED. DEALER CLAIM ALL TAURUS WITH 3.0L DURATIC ENGINES HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THEY CLAIM NO TECHNICAL BULLETINS HAVE BEEN ISSUED TO RESOLVE ANY OF THESE ISSUES. THIS REQUIRES CONSTANT BRAKING AND CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTES TO ACCELERATED BRAKE WEAR AND POSSIBLY THE ROTORS WARPING SO OFTEN. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND NONE HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. NHTSA HAS COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS IN YOUR ELECTRIC FILES REGARDING THESE SAME ISSUES, YET NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. WHY? *PH *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT OVER TO ARTEMIS**751827
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. VEHICL…
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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.
WHILE TRAVELING NOTICE BRAKES WERE SPONGY WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKES TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN, BUT VEHICLE COUNTINED TO S TRAVEL. CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE IN PARK MODE, AND TURNED ENGINE OFF, AND VEHICLE STILL TRAVELED. CONSUMER STATED THAT ACCLERATOR WAS STUCK. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*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.