Ford Taurus Problems

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Several months back I started having problems with my Ford and out of that experience came this article. Since that time, I've had a number of other issues which I will soon be writing about and giving some advice and tips.

This is not a complaint about Ford, I just want people to be aware of some of the things that can and does go wrong with a Ford Taurus. And to be wise when it comes to repairing your vehicle and keeping it good shape for the longest life.

This may be a little difficult to understand as I wrote another article pertaining to some of the problems that can go wrong so please bear with me. In the first article the problem was that my car had stalled in the middle of the freeway.

Since I first wrote this article alot has changed. Eventually a fuel injector had to be replaced and the dealership concluded that was the problem that caused it to die on the road. I've never had another problem with it like that again and it now has almost 156,000 miles up from 118,000 miles when I wrote the original article. Unfortunately, when it hit 135,000 a number of things went wrong. Nothing that ever stranded me but nevertheless costly car repairs. Before I get started I would love to hear from other Ford owners.

Once we were about 50 miles from home when we came out to notice antifreeze leaking on the ground. It was a cracked coolant reservoir which is not that uncommon since it's just plastic and it got old. Then came the sway bar links which cost me my tires which were almost brand new. There is very little warning on this except a roaring coming from the wheels and a ticking sound. Then came the idle air control valve and gas cap which caused the service engine light to come on. There is almost no warning with the control valve either just the RPM's being a little high and you can tell it's not running exactly right but overall continues fine. The dealership however did say that over time it can cause the car to stall at every stop depending on where the valve gets stuck which can be all the way open, closed or halfway in between like mine. I'm glad I replaced the cap with a locking cap from Ford. I'm very pleased with it. It is much better than the one from Walmart. Then there was maintenance. Mostly flushes.

Now some say that Honda and Toyota are better for the high mileage and don't have the problems that american cars will with age. So far, I'm pleased despite four repairs. It's really a matter of opinion. I've heard some Ford owners complain and can't wait to get rid of their Ford's. Like any car some last and some don't.

This was the original post: Well, wouldn't you know it? I have a problem with my 2001 Taurus. I've had other problems with other Taurus's but never any that stranded me on the side of the road. A few months back I had my AC compressor seize on me while I was traveling. I stopped at a truck stop and that is where I had it towed when I heard an awful chain sound coming from under the hood that I thought was the timing chain. It cost me a couple of days in the hotel which I was less than pleased with.

Now a couple of days ago I'm coming home after five days on the road when about 20 miles from home my car dies in the road. I manage to get it to the left hand side of the road because they are doing road work in the area.

I'm able to start it right back up but when I put it in drive it starts rolling backwards even though the brake pedal is depressed. I get it towed.

Now I'm quite frustrated. The dealership determines it's not the transmission even though it has the AX4N transmission which is said not to be the most reliable.

They don't know what's wrong with it. It starts fine and goes into gear like it's supposed to. They drive it for over an hour and it won't repeat the bad behavior.

I get it and leave rather angry. Not so much that they can't figure it out but that my Ford is giving me a problem that no one knows how to fix.

I've been a ford fan for awhile now and have never had major problems with them certainly not any where the car stalls in the middle of the road.

I travel alot so I'm more worried than most might be. I'm not so worried about getting stuck around town, that would only be a minor inconvenience but getting stuck a 100 or 200 miles from home is more than a minor thing to me.

I bought the car with 79,000 miles on it and put an extended warranty on it. It now has 118,000 miles(still under warranty) and since I've owned it it's mostly road miles. Up to this point I've been pretty pleased with the car.

I don't want to get rid of the car I just want to know what's causing a problem so it can be fixed.

There are a number of things that can go wrong with a vehicle and this is just one of them. I hate not knowing.

Now I know what the problem was.They never did figure out what was wriong with it per se. They assume it was the fuel injector and I think it might have been the idle air control valve. There's no way to know. The car never did this again and it's now 60,000 miles later.

This is an unfortunate complaint I hear quite a bit on the forums. Their car(it can be any make/model) gives them a problem and the technician has absolutely no idea what is causing the problem or how to figure it out. I warn, do not throw money at the problem. If the technician isn't 100% sure what the problem is don't think if you start replacing parts that sooner or later you will fix the problem. More than likely you will put hundred's or even thousand's of dollars into your vehicle and it still won't be fixed. Eventually, if you're lucky and find a good mechanic, you will find the problem and find it was a $200 fix and could have saved yourself alot of money and headaches. If no one can figure it out and won't run right there's only one solution to this problem and that is to sell it and buy something else. It's simply not worth it.

It's important to pay attention to your vehicle, how it sounds, how it handles, rides, etc. and if anything changes take notice, it might be time to have it looked at and if the service engine light comes on that's a clear indication to have it serviced. Ignoring this warning can cost hundreds or thousands if left ignored.