1999 Ford Taurus

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE FLATTENED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FRONT COIL SPRING FRACTURED AND PUNCTURED A HOLE THROUGH THE TIRE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V332000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS); THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY $900 FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 96,000.

WHILE DRIVING MY 1999 FORD TAURUS TO WORK ON APRIL 16TH OF THIS YEAR, I NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE LIGHT COLORED SMOKE COMING OFF MY TAILPIPE AS I SAT AT A STOPLIGHT. AT THE NEXT STOPLIGHT, THE SMOKE WAS MORE INTENSE. AT THE SAME TIME, I NOTICED MY BRAKES SEEMED SPONGY. WHEN I GOT TO WORK, I CHECKED THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR AND DISCOVERED BRAKE FLUID WAS POURING OVER THE EXHAUST PIPE, JUST BEFORE THE MUFFLER AND WAS BURNING OFF. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AT A LOCAL FORD DEALER, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE LINES LEADING BACK TO THE DRUMS IN THE REAR WERE SEVERELY CORRODED JUST IN FRONT OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE. ONE LINE HAD BURST OPEN AND THE SECOND HAD A CRACK IN IT. THIS OCCURRED SIMULTANEOUSLY. BOTH SYSTEMS WERE COMPROMISED AT THE SAME TIME. HAD I CONTINUED TO DRIVE IT, I WOULD HAVE LOST ALL BRAKE FLUID AND BEEN LEFT WITH NO BRAKING CAPABILITY WHATSOEVER. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED SIMILAR CORROSION JUST BELOW THE MASTER CYLINDER NEAR THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL, ALTHOUGH THAT HAD NOT BEEN BREACHED. THE CAR IS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD AND HAD 65,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE FORD DEALER (WESTFIELD FORD IN COUNTRYSIDE ILLINOIS). I TRADED THE CAR IN ON A NEW MODEL THAT DAY. AFTER CHECKING THE INTERNET, I BECAME AWARE OF NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH THE SAME EXACT COMPLAINT. ALTHOUGH I NO LONGER OWN THE CAR, I AM CONCERNED THIS PROBLEM WILL SURFACE WITH THE THOUSANDS OF TAURUS VEHICLE CURRENTLY ON THE ROAD. IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR WITH OUR TWO CHILDREN IN IT, SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER NOTICED WHAT WAS HAPPENING UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. THIS IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. I CONTACTED FORD CUSTOMER CARE ON 4/20/09 AND MET COMPLETE INDIFFERENCE. I WAS TOLD MY COMPLAINT WOULD GO ON FILE AND TO HAVE A NICE DAY. IF THESE BRAKE LINES WERE MADE WITH SOME TYPE OF DEFECTIVE STEEL AND THERE ARE MORE MODELS OUT THERE LIKE MINE, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY START RUPTURING AND CAUSING ACCIDENTS WITH INJURIES OR DEATH OCCURRING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING SPLIT IN HALF AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD INSTALL NEW COIL SHIELDS UNDER THE WARRANTY FOR FREE, BUT WILL NOT REPAIR THE COIL SPRING. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 140,000.

ON FEBRUARY 10TH, 2008, MY FRONT WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY SHATTERED, LEAVING A HOLE IN IT'S CENTER AND "CRACKLING" THE REMAINING PART OF THE WINDOW, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SEE THROUGH IT. I IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES (THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD AT THE TIME) CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK VIOLENTLY TO THE RIGHT 90 DEGREES AND SLAM HEAD FIRST INTO AN ELECTRICAL UTILITY BOX. THE CAR CONTINUED TO SPIN AROUND WHICH DROVE IT OVER AN ISLAND IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD AND INTO A ROAD SIGN AND WHILE STILL SPINNING, SMASHED INTO A UTILITY POLE NEXT TO THE UTILITY BOX. DURING THIS ENTIRE INCIDENT, I COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND WAS NOT AWARE WHAT THE CAR WAS HITTING OR WHAT DIRECTION IT WAS MOVING. WHEN THE CAR HIT THE UTILITY BOX, I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH. AFTER REBOUNDING FROM THE UTILITY BOX INTO THE CENTER ISLAND AND SPINNING TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE I HIT THE UTILITY POLE, THE VEHICLE FINALLY CAME TO REST. DURING THE SPINNING AND HITTING AND BOUNCING (A LIGHT WORD FOR WHAT WAS HAPPENING) THE SHOULDER HARNESS ON MY 1999 FORD TAURUS SE FAILED TO HOLD ME SECURELY AGAINST MY SEAT AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. IT HAS NOW BEEN 49 WEEKS SINCE THIS HAPPENED AND AFTER MANY COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN MYSELF AND ANTELOPE VALLEY FORD IN LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA, WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH 2005 AS A PRE-OWNED VEHICLE WITH 52,000 MILES ON IT, AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH FORD MOTOR CO. IN DEARBORNE, MICHIGAN, TO WHOM I SENT ALL REQUESTED DOCUMENTS AND COPIES OF LETTERS TO AV FORD RE: THE 4 TIMES I TRIED TO GET THEM TO FIX AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM CAUSING IT TO PULL RIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER "CAR WILL ALWAYS PULL TO RIGHT DUE TO FRONT WHEEL DRIVE TORQUE". I ASKED FOR MY $5,000.00 DOWN PAYMENT AND RELEASE FROM THE CONTRACT. I WAS IGNORED. FORD MOTOR CO. SAID NOT ENOUGH IMPACT FOR AIRBAGS. THE CAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED. I NOW KNOW THE COMPUTER MODULE FOR AIRBAG USE WAS NEVER SET, BUT NO DASH WARNING LIGHT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD TAURUS. AT 43,400 MILES, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT THE COST OF $1,400. WITHIN A YEAR, IT HAD TO BE REBUILT A SECOND TIME AT NO CHARGE. ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2008, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT FOR THE THIRD TIME AT 53,600 MILES. THE REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION SKIPS SECOND GEAR AND THE VEHICLE JERKS OFTEN. THE CONTACT DOES NOT DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY, ONLY IN TOWN. SHE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE IS AT 5,000 RPM WHEN DRIVING. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR, BUT THE VEHICLE ONLY ACCELERATES BETWEEN 5-10 MPH. THE VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT RETRIEVED HER VEHICLE FROM THE REPAIR SHOP ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2008. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,408.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY WAS HINDERED BY DUST FROM THE LARGE STREET SWEEPING VEHICLES. SHE DID NOT SEE THE PRECEDING VEHICLE AND REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND THE CONTACT WAS NOT GIVEN AN EXPLANATION AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE AIR BAG FAILURE. THE DRIVER WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND SUSTAINED NUMEROUS BRUISES AND SWELLING. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT SHE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 140,000.