IllustrationTRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE GEARS WHILE DRIVING AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK WHEN THE SHIFTING CABLE BROKE, THE VEHICLE BECAME INOPERATIVE. *YH
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 reportsWHILE 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
FIRE INSPECTOR AND PRIVATE INSPECTOR UNABLE TO DETERMINE EXACT CAUSE OF FIRE ALTHOUGH LOCATION DETERMINED TO BE NEAR FIREWALL, CENTER REAR OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT.*AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL JERK AND THAN STALL OUT.*AK
TRANSMISSION WAS NOT SHIFTING SMOOTHLY, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, FORD DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS LOW TRANSMISSION PRESSURE ERROR CODE. THEY REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION, FOUND IT HAD FAILED AND REPLACED IT. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED MOST, NOT ALL, OF THE COST, BUT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT SHELL OUT AFTER ONLY 49,000 MIL…
Read full complaint
TRANSMISSION WAS NOT SHIFTING SMOOTHLY, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, FORD DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS LOW TRANSMISSION PRESSURE ERROR CODE. THEY REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION, FOUND IT HAD FAILED AND REPLACED IT. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED MOST, NOT ALL, OF THE COST, BUT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT SHELL OUT AFTER ONLY 49,000 MILES ON A WELL-MAINTAINED CAR. I DON'T THINK THE FORD ENGINEERS HAVE A GOOD MATCHUP OF COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION HERE, IT SEEMS TO SEARCH FOR GEARS TOO OFTEN AND HESITATE DURING DOWNSHIFTS. I ESPECIALLY HATE THE WAY THE COMPUTER KICKS UP THE IDLE TO SIMULATE A FREE-WHEEL SPRAG THAT BETTER AUTOMATICS USE. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO COAST UP TO DANGEROUS SPEEDS ON LONG DOWNHILL STRETCHES - I HAVE HAD THE CRUISE SET UNDER 60, BUT THE CAR HIT 80 WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM ME - THIS IS ON HILLS THAT NO OTHER CAR I DRIVE GAIN MORE THAN 5 MILES-AN-HOUR. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 35 TO 40 MPH ON WET PAVEMENT, CONSUMER HIT A TELEPHONE POLE AND DRIVERS AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY UNTIL AFTER CONSUMERS HEAD HIT WINDSHIELD.DRIVER WAS INJURED, AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK *MJ
CONSUMER WAS LOWERING VEHICLE WITH JACK AFTER CHANGING TIRE, VEHICLE DROPPED, THREAD ON JACK WAS STRIPPED. NO INJURY.*AK *SLC
REAR WINDOW COME DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING WHEN VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. CONSUMER WILL FILL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS GOING 35MPH AND REAREND ANOTHE VEHICLE. THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. PLEASE ADD MORE INFORMATION.*JB
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.