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 1990 Ford Taurus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 36 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 36, in the owner's own words
I HAVE A 1990 TAURUS LX WAGON THAT HAS ONE OF THE FAULTY AXOD TRANSMISSIONS. LAST YEAR THIS TRANSMISSION FAILED, AND I REFUSED TO REPAIR IT. AFTER RESENT RESEARCH,IT APPEARS MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS AND ONLY A FEW HAVE RECEIVED ANY RESTITUTION FROM FORD (1993-95 TUARUS/SABLE OWNERS). *LA
CONSUMER STATES HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. CONSUMER IS AWARE OF SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING PROBLEM WITH AN ALUMINUM PISTON WHICH TENDS TO CRACK AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH A STEEL PISTON. VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TT
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HGHWAY TRANSMISSION EXPLODED CAUSING A FIRE. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT OFFERED NO SOLUTION.*AK
WE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN AUGUST OF 2000 AND NOW WE ARE HAVING TO REPLACE IT AGAIN FORD TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY AND DENIES THERE BEING A PROBLEM. *AK
TRANSMISSION CAN'T TAKE HILLS, TRANSMISSION HAS TO BARE DOWN GOING UP HILL, AND TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS AROUND MAIN SEAL. THIS WILL BLEED TRANSMISSION DRY. CONSUMER HAD IT TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION COMPANY, AND HAD IT REBUILT AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. THEN 6 MONTHS LATER, TRANMISSION FLUID IS LEAKING OUT AGAIN.*AK CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A LOSS OF HEAT AND AIR CONDITIONER. WINDHSHIELD WIPERS WORK POORLY. DRIVER SEATBELT IS DEFECTIVE. ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. *SLC
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL ENGINE RELATED PROBLEMS, THE FOLLOWING WERE REPLACED/REPAIRED: RADIATOR, WATER PUMP, ENGINE MOUNTS, VALVE COVER GASKETS, AND THERMOSTAT, THERE WAS ALSO AN OIL LEAK AND ANTIFREEZE LEAK, THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ALSO ILLUMINATED. *SLC
THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES, ONCE WITHIN A YEAR AND THREE TIMES WITHIN 6 MONTHS. *CJ
TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES WITHIN A 1 YEAR PERIOD. TRANSMISSION HAS BURNED OUT EACH TIME. WHEN STOPPING THE VEHICLE JERKS & CUTS OFF. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK
WAS DRIVING VEHICLE & STARTED TO MAKE RIGHT TURN, VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE. ALSO MADE CLICKING NOISE. HUSBAND CHECKED UNDER VEHICLE & NOTICED TRANSMISSION MOUNTS WERE BROKEN. WOULD NEED TO HAVE THEM REPLACED. AT DEALERSHIP, MECHANIC INDECATED STRUTS WERE GONE &ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK
THE TRANSMISSION HAS EXTENDED SHIFTS EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IT RECENTLY BEGAN DOWNSHIFTING HARD, AND UPSHIFTS VERY QUICKLY, SOMETIMES ROUGHLY UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION. THE MOTOR MOUNTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE SINCE PURCHASE IN 1996.*AK
HEAD LIGHT SWITCH FAILED. YH
WHEN YOU PUT TRANSMISSION IN REVERSE 2 OUT OF 4 TIMES THE VEHICLE WILL START TO SHAKE AS IF THE BRAKES WERE ON AND YOU ARE TRING TO GIVE IT GAS AND THEN THE VEHICLE SHOOTS BACKWARDS. *AK
CONSUMER OWNS 2 FORD TAURUS VEHICLES, A 1990 AND A 1994, BOTH TRANSMISSIONS HAVE FAILED. *ET
AFTER COMING TO A LIGHT AT AN INCLINE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED AND ALLOWED THE CAR TO START TO ROLL BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF GAS BEING APPLIED AND GOING FORWARD. VEHICLE NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. NLM
GEARS WILL NOT SHIFT ON THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION CABLE HAS DETERIORATED. DEALER SAID PARTS WERE NO LONGER MANUFACTURED. *AK
HEATER CORE FAILED CAUSING SMOKE. MJS
WHILE HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED AT A PRIVATE SHOP, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT ENGINE MOUNTS WERE CORRODED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *ML
TRANSMISSION FAILURE.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO LOSE A LITTLE STEERING. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED. DEALER PUT THE VEHICLE UP ON THE COMPUTER, AND STILL CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM THAT HAS RETURNED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY LOCKED UP. COULD NOT CHANGE FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL OR PARK. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY LOCKED UP. COULD NOT CHANGE FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRALOR PARK. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT & COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. *AK
INNER SOCKET ASSEMBLY BROKE, CAUSING TIRE TO TURN SIDEWAYS AND LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 45MPH VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 60MPH FOR NO REASON. DEALER IS UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM, OWNER IS CONCERNED FOR HIS SAFETY. ALSO, REPLACED TRANSMISSION. *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
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