Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1987 Ford Taurus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 68 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 68, in the owner's own words
THE VEHICLE STALLS OCCASIONALLY WHEN ON WARM TRIPS LONGER THAN A MILE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER INSTALLED THE IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENT, TFI-IV MODULE KNOWING THAT IT COULD FAIL WHEN THE VEHICLE OVERHEATS. *YH
WHEN COMING TO A STOP VEHICLE SHUTSDOWN. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS NOW HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, THE FUEL LINE INJECTION SYSTEM WAS REPLACED, VARIOUS ELECTRICAL COMPONETS INCLUDING THE IGNITION SYSTEM AND WINDSHIELD WIPER WAS REPLACED. *MJ
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING UNDERNEATH DASH AROUND IGNITION. VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. HAD TOWED. REPLACED LINKS IN IGNITION. PROBLEM RECURRED AGAIN . DEALER CONTACTED
TFI MODULE WENT OUT AND COST ME A LOT OF MONEY AND TOWING SERVICE AND RUINED MY BIRTHDAY PARTY AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET ALL MY MONEY BACK I PAID THE FORD DEALERSHIP HERE IN LOS BANOS WHERE THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE BE CAUSE I WAS A WOMEN AND THEY NEW ALL THE TIME THERE WAS A BAD TFI MODULE RECALL THEY SAID THE JUDGE WAS OUT OF THEIR JURIDICTION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP, AND IGNITION MODULE HAD FAILED, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE OF A MALL IN A PARKING LOT. CONSUMER DIDN'T TURN VEHICLE ON, AND THERE WERE FLAMES AND SPARKS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. VEHICLE BURNED DOWN TO THE GROUND. *AK
ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER'S SHOP, AND PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. *AK AFTER SEVERAL REPAIRS, THE CONSUMER FOUND OUT ON INTERNET THE TFI MODULE ON FORD TAURUS WAS ON RECALL. THE DEALER HAD NEVER TOLD THE CONSUMER ABOUT THE RECALL AND THE CONSUMER WANTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES. THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID THE COURT JUDGE HAD NO RIGHT TO RECALL THESE CARS. *YH
WHILE TRAVELING WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE WOULD STALL . *AK THE CAUSE WAS FOUND TO BE THE IGNITION MODULE FAILURE. *YH
IGNITION MODULE FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. *SLC
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME VEHICLE WAS STALLING. A MECHANIC COULD NEVER FIND A CAUSE UNTIL VEHICLE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT TO BE IGNITION MODULE. PROBLEM HAS NOT OCCURRED. *AK
VEHICLE FAILS TO START WHEN IGNITION IS ENGAGED. ITS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. BEEN TO DEALER, 3 TIMES FOR PROBLEM. WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC COULD BE A COMPUTER GROUND WIRE. COULD NOT LOCATE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK
DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR BURNED OUT WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL WOULD ENGAGE ON ITS OWN & PICK UP SPEED. FOOT NOT ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL. PROBLEM GETTING WORSE. HORN KEEPS BLASTING WITHOUT BEING TOUCHED OR HIT. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. ALSO, FRONT END FELL WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT TIME. HAD STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN A BLUNK NOISE WAS HEARD. HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER & PARTS WERE BEING ORDERED. *AK
BRAKES FAILED, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.
CONSUMER HAD JUST GOTTEN OUT OF VEHICLE, AND VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WIRES BURNED UP COMPLETELY AND WERE THE CAUSE OF FIRE. *AK
THE WIRING IS OVERHEATING AND IS CREATING A FOUL SMELL IN MY CAR AND THE PLUG FOR THE WIRE IS MELTING. WORRIED THAT THIS FAILURE WILL CAUSE A FIRE IN THE DRIVERS COMPARTMENT. PROBLEM STARTS WHEN THE HEATER BLOWER IS BEING USED. SAFEGUARD NEEDS TO BE PUT IN PLACE TO ASSURE DRIVERS THAT THEY WILL NOT GO UP IN FLAMES. I ALSO OWN A 89 FORD TAURUS STATION WAGON AND IT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED ASAP.
FUEL PUMP FAILED.
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE PARKED IN CONSUMERS DRIVEWAY. REASON UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME, CONSUMER WILL ATTACH A COPY OF FIRE DEPT REPORT. *AK *JG
THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH IGNITION SWITCH. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM KEPT GOING OUT, SO WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK THEIR VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, THEY DIAGNOSED THAT WIRES FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH MELTED, AND MADE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BLOW A FUSE, RESULTING IN A FIRE. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
CONSUMER EXPRIENCING PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IGNITION SWITCH. THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED TWO TIMES. CONSUMER BELIEVED THIS IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR FOR THIS PROBLEM UNLESS THERE IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT CONCERNING THIS MATTER. DEALER NOTIFIED AND WILL NOT REPAIR WITHOUT COST TO THE CONSUMER. *AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME TO PUT OUT THE FIRE, AND STATED THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT STARTING PROPERLY THE PREVIOUS DAY WHEN CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. THE FIRE WAS UNDER THE HOOD, AND HAD TOTALLY BURNED UP UNDER THE HOOD. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
ENGINE WILL CRANK BUT NOT START DUE TO NO SPARK IN PLUG WIRES.
HAD NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING WHEEL. PARKED VEHICLE & CALLED DEALER. NOT ON RECALL. HAD VEHICLE CHECKED & WAS TOLD IGNITION WIRES HAD STARTED MELTING. HAD IT REPLACED. *AK
THICK FILM IGNITION DEVICE. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH IS FAULTY. WHEN THE MOTOR IS RUNNING DRIVER HAS IGNITION SWITCH FORWARD TO MAKE THE TURN SIGNALS AND THE BACK UP LIGHTS WORK. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *SLC
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .