1998 Ford Taurus

WHILE TRAVELLING TO WORK ON FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 5, I HAD JUST ACCESSED INTERSTATE 65 NORTH AND HAD TRAVELLED ON IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES. I HAD REACHED MY NORMAL CRUISING SPEED OF 80 MPH WHEN I BEGAN TO CROSS THE BRIDGE OVER THE TENNESSEE RIVER. ON THE DOWNSIDE OF THE BRIDGE, I HAD NO WARNING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRANSMISSION CEASED TO FUNCTION. DUE TO THE SPEED I WAS TRAVELLING, I WAS ABLE TO COAST UNTIL I EXITED THE BRIDGE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1/4 A MILE, I SAFELY PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND CAME TO A STOP. I PROCEEDED TO CHECK ALL THE GEARS TO DETERMINE IF THE TRANSMISSION HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAD. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THERE WAS NO NOISE, NO JERK, NO ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 135,000 MILES ON IT, AND I ENSURE THAT ROUTINE SERVICE IS PERFORMED ON IT. TWELVE MONTHS PRIOR, I HAD THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY SERVICED. THIS COMPLETE FAILURE CAME AS A SURPRISE TO ME AS NO WARNING SIGNS WERE EVIDENT. TODAY, I AM HAVING TO SHELL OUT $1600 FOR A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. THE COMPANY I HAVE PERFORMING THE REPAIRS IS KNOWN TO BE VERY REPUTIBLE AND TOLD ME THAT A GREAT DEAL OF DAMAGE HAD OCCURRED WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION AT OR JUST PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL FAILURE. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED VERY SIMILAR SITUATIONS. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS INDEED A FLAW IN THE FORD TAURUS TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.*AK

SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF VENTS WHEN AIR CONDITIONING WAS TURNED ON. IF I TURNED IT OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES, THE AIR CONDITIONING WOULD WORK AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I TRIED TO USE THE AIR CONDITIONING. IN SEPTEMBER, WHEN I TRIED USING THE HEATER, IT DID NOT WORK. I CHANGED THE THERMOSTAT AND HAD ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM FLUSHED. HOWEVER THIS STILL DID NOT RESOLVE MY PROBLEM. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP,. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 98 TAURUS. THE ENGINE COOLANT FORD MAKES YOU USE CLOGS THE SYSTEM AND TURNS THE COOLANT INTO SLUDGE. THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE. THEY ALSO STATED THAT ON AVERAGE I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE EVERY OTHER YEAR. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. *LA

HEATER ABRUPTLY STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING LAST WINTER. SINCE THEN THE COOLING SYSTEM HAS BEEN FLUSHED 6 TIMES. EACH TIME IT WILL WORK FOR A WEEK AND THEN IT STOPPED AGAIN. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE BLEND DOOR MOTOR, CHARGED $230 FOR IT AND IT DID NOTHING. IT WAS GIVEN A "CHEMICAL FLUSH" FOR $125 WHICH DID NOTHING. THEN THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD NEED THE HEATER CORE AND BLEND DOOR REPLACED. I WAS TOLD BY ANOTHER DEALERSHIP THAT THIS WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THE OTHER WORK AT ALL. APPARENTLY THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON THE TAURUS FROM 96 ON. I FOUND A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET COMPLAINING ABOUT THE EXACT SAME THING AND WAS TOLD THAT THE NHTSA HAD ADVISED FORD IN 96 OR 97 THAT THEY SHOULD PROBABLY RECALL THE CARS FOR THIS PROBLEM WHICH CAUSES THE DEFROSTER TO NOT WORK AND THEREFORE MAKES IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT ALL IN THE WINTER. APPARENTLY FORD DID A " CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" RECALL WHICH EXPIRED IN 99 BUT WAS NEVER DONE ON MY CAR (I BOUGHT IT USED IN 2000). I CALLED FORD TO ASK WHY THIS WASN'T A RECALL SINCE FROM WHAT I HAVE FOUND IT EFFECTS ALL TAURUSES FROM 96-99 AT LEAST. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE SO IT WOULDN'T BE A RECALL. I SUBMITTED THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU CANNOT SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD IN THE WINTER AND SINCE WHEN OURS STOPPED WORKING WE WERE ON I-70 BETWEEN ST. LOUIS AND KANSAS CITY DURING A SNOWSTORM AND HAD TO STOP BECAUSE WE COULDN'T SEE. THIS IS A $1300 REPAIR THAT FORD KNEW ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME, I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. *LA