Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1988 Ford Taurus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 35 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 35, in the owner's own words
PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S FUEL LINE. *MR CONSUMER WAITING FOR SETTLEMENT ON REPAIRS MADE ON FUEL PUMP, ENGINE MOUNTS, POWER BRAKE BOOSTER, MASTER CYLINDER, AIR CONDITIONER, MANIFOLD, TIRES, AND TRANSMISSION. *LA
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
MECHANIC STATED THAT BAD MOTORS MOUNTS OR BAD CYLINDER IN THE TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHUDDER THEN LUNGE FORWARD WHEN DECELERATING THEN ACCELERATING SUCH AS IN A TURN. *ET
CONTACTED FORD VIA WEBSITE WITH NO FEEDBACK AND CONTACTED LOCAL FORD DEALER WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK
KNOWN FAILURE OF ORIGINAL COMPONENT AT LOWER THAN NORMAL LIFE EXPECTANCY. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THIS TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REBUILT TWICE IN A 6 MONTH SPAN/I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL TRANSMISSION SHOPS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS TRANSMISSION WAS NOT RIGHT WHEN IT COME OUT OF THE FORD PLANT ,RATHER THAN FIX IT BEFORE IT GOT TO THE SHOWROOM,THEY PUT OUT A SERVICE MEMO TO HAVE IT FIXED AFTER IT TORE UP SOMETHING TO DO WITH A FLUID COOLING PROBLEM OUR CAR HAS HIGH MILEAGE ON IT BUT ANYONE WHO HAS ONE HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *AK
LEMON SINCE THE DAY I GOT IT. FORD WON'T HONOR HERTZ RESALES. AT 31K ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION BLEW; MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, LIST OF DEFECTS WOULD BE TWO PAGES LONG--SOME MAY STEM FROM SEVERE CORROSION ON UNDERSIDE BUT CAR WAS ONLY ON EAST COAST FOR 1 YEAR. FORD NONRESPONSIVE. *AK
FORD TAURUS - HISTORY OF MULTIPLE FAILURES EVEN ON THIS INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE. AXLE FAILED TWICE, CYLINDER HEAD CRACKED TWICE (DIFFERENT UNITS), FRONT DRIVE AXLE SUFFERED COMPLETE FAILURE, PLASTIC RADIATOR FATIGUED AT MOUNTING POINT AND CRACKED. I WANTED TO ADD THIS INFO FOR YOUR HISTORICAL RECORDS. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF THE RECALL (98V-323) PRIOR TO NOTICE RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY, OUTER TIE ROD ENDS, LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS ON TWO OCCASIONS.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
IS THERE ANY RE-CALL OR HELP FROM FORD ON THE TRANSMISSION. NO FORWARD GEAR!!!!!
TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES REPLACED HOWEVER ERROR IN REPAIR CAUSED CONTAMINATION WHICH RESULTED IN HARD SHIFTING. MJS
MOTOR MOUNTS BROKE THREE OR FOUR TIMES, AND VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP FOR REPAIRS. WHEN DRIVING AT 30 MPH CONSUMER CAN HEAR KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM VEHICLE. ALSO, WHENEVER GOING INTO ANOTHER GEAR, THERE IS A PROBLEM AND VEHICLE STALLS. CONSUMER JUST GOT A TUNE UP. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
TRANMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. ALSO, CAN HEAR KNOCKING NOISE COMING THE VEHICLE. *AK
VEHICLE HAS TO RUN FOR A WHILE BEFORE THE REVERSE WILL RESPOND, AND ON AN INCLINE THE VEHICLE DRAGS UP THE HILL, IT GET JUST ENOUGH POWER TO DO THAT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE BECOMES DISCONNECTED FROM THE RADIATOR/ENGINE STALLS AT REDUCED RPM
CAR WAS TOWED TO TRANSMISSION BUSINESS, AND THE SERVICE PERSONEL COMMENTED THAT THIS WAS TYPICAL FOR A FORD TAURUS THAT JUST TURNED OVER 100,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE MADE IT TO 115,000. WHEN I ASKED HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST, THE GAVE ME THE PRICE AND TOLD ME THAT FORD JUST GAVE THEM A BULLETIN WHICH WOULD INSTALL A TRANSMISSION IN A TAURUS AND SABLE (BOTH HAVE THE SAME ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION) THAT WOULD LAST FOR 2 YEARS! THEY COULD ONLY WARRANT THIS TRANSMISSION FOR TWO YEARS! AFTER SEVERAL CALLS TO DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION BUSINESSES, THEY ALL SAID IT WAS TYPICAL FOR A FORD TAURUS, JUST OVER 100,000 MILES TO NEED A TRANSMISSION. WHAT A RIP-OFF.
TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE AND REPLACED. YH (FIRST FAILED JULY, 1995- 67048 AND THE SECOND FAILED JULY,1996- 110512)
TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING SINCE OWNING VEHICLE. ALSO FUEL PUMP FAILED TWICE, AND POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED ONCE. *AKE
TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE COOLING FAN CAUGHT ON FIRE, ALSO REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND TRANSMISSION PAN/LINES. *AK
PURCHASED CAR USED, AS IS THE TRANSMISSION THE FRONT PLANETARY UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
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 .