Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||||
| 9716 | 01/02/1997 | 51361 | Some power steering hoses have been replaced with a revised design and should no longer be used for service. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| BC9584961001 | 10/01/1996 | 50503 | Information for concerns of grunt or groan during wheel return from full right turn. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| 95191 | 09/01/1995 | 46461 | The power steering system may have a 'grunt' and/or 'groan' noise. this may be caused by hydraulic fluid movement within the power steering rack. | 04/25/1996 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 12570 | 03/01/1999 | 6091815 | Some vehicles may exhibit front outer tie rods squeak and / or pop noise over bumps and / or turning. *tt | 11/15/2000 | |
| 5897 | 03/01/1999 | 605254 | Experiencing a squeaking and / or popping noise from the front outer tire rods. *tt | 06/04/1999 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| EA94008 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/16/1994 | 02/27/1995 | BROKEN TIE RODS | ||
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
| PE93058 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 06/15/1993 | 02/16/1994 | BROKEN TIE RODS | ||
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 04/13/2008 | 137000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford taurus. while driving 45 mph, the rear mounting attachment for the engine cradle deteriorated on both sides of the vehicle. the failure was caused by road salt, debris, and other natural materials. the contact noticed that the failure could cause major safety hazards. if the engine cradle is not supported, a loss of steering and a crash may occur. he was able to successfully drive the vehicle to his residence. the vehicle has not been repaired. the dealer provided him with a reassembly kit, as if the failure were common. the failure mileage was 137,000. updated 5/19/08 *cn | |||
| 04/03/2006 | 1 | 03/01/1992 | |
| 1992 taurus steering problem. *ts | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states while making a left hand turn, there was a noise, in which the subframe had detached from the vehicle, and because the subframe mount failed, it caused the steering to go out, and consumer lost control of the vehicle. *scc | |||
| 10/01/2000 | |||
| When turning left or right there is a cranking noise coming from steering. driver feels there may be a problem with steering. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 06/11/1998 | |||
| Was leaving from the driveway when the water bottle fell and consumer attempted to pick it up, vehicle lost control/ went off the road,resulting in a crash. driver's airbag deployed, and the residue from the airbag did something to consumer's face and left a 7 inch scar. consumer also suffered a whiplash, and lost 15 pounds. *ak | |||
| 11/12/1998 | 03/01/1997 | ||
| While driving at any speed there is corrosion within the steering, and it is difficult to steer when driving straight ahead or making a slight turn. *ak *ml | |||
| 12/01/1992 | 1 | 04/21/1992 | |
| Steering fails intermittently. | |||
| 04/01/1997 | 1 | 01/31/1992 | |
| Steering will not turn past a certain point making it difficult to drive on curved roads. | |||
| 12/05/1995 | |||
| While driving, lost engine power; difficult steering/braking; low speed; wire that supplies power to eec/fuel pump broke. tt | |||
| 11/29/1994 | |||
| Noise in vehicle uncertain if its the steering or transmission. tt | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| Anti-theft device built in; when key is pulled the steering will lock and lock into park. this is occurring with key in or out, and without being pulled out and will not disengage cruise control. *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 07/23/2000 | 1 | ||
| Pin-like hole in steering hose caused fluid to spray onto the exhaust which created a fire under the hood. nlm | |||
| 01/22/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| I have owned the car for less than one month. i bought it from an as-is dealer with one-year warranty on the transmission. we found smoke came from under the hood on january 21, and had my car checked by a mechanic. the reported problem was power steering leaking and then the related pressure and return hoses were replaced. it seemed ok. but on january 26, my car was suddenly on fire when we were driving with our teacher. we had to call 911 to smother the fire. many wirings were damaged, thus the car cannot be driven anymore. and later we still found the power steering leaking. in both cases, the instrument panel demonstrated everything was ok even when three persons were on fire! is the auto safe? could you please tell me how to find an authorized office in reno, nv to inspect the cause of the vehicle fire? thank you. *ak | |||
| 12/22/1997 | 1 | 07/22/1997 | |
| Power steering reservoir and return lines failed causing leakage. | |||
| 10/01/1994 | 1 | ||
| Power steering hose replaced due to power steering fluid leak. *sd | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 12/22/1997 | 1 | 07/22/1997 | |
| Power steering reservoir and return lines failed causing leakage. | |||
| 08/23/1996 | 1 | 12/07/1991 | |
| Belt tensioner failed, causing loss of power. | |||
| 08/14/1996 | 1 | 11/01/1993 | |
| Power steering pump leak. | |||
| 08/20/1992 | 0 | ||
| Power steering pump replaced due to leak. *sd | |||
| 09/01/1994 | 1 | ||
| Power steering pump replaced due to lost power steering fluid. *sd | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 1 | 02/01/1994 | ||
| Power steering fluid leaks. | |||
| 03/19/1996 | |||
| Driver experienced total loss of power steering while driving. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1992 | 1 | ||
| Power steering leaked. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 01/12/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2001 | |
| Follow-up -- i.e., add'l complaints about failures for such a low-mileage car. these caused safety problems and also concern by consumer's certified mechanic. manufacturer should assist for payment of defects and failures. no safety defec tlisted. *ak | |||
| 06/17/2000 | 1 | 11/01/1999 | |
| If this part failure happened at speed there would have been a very serious, possibly catastrophic accident. the car has been meticulously maintained and sensibly driven. i am friends with the previous owner and know that he took exceptional care of the car and also drove it very conservatively. i have the failed part available for inspection if you need it. i believe the part failed due to poor machining or incorrect heat treating. as popular as this model is i felt it very important to report this situation.*ak | |||
| 04/19/2000 | 1 | 10/01/1991 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 11/04/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1993 | |
| Turning right after stop, car made a pop noise. car veered left across oncoming traffic lane and hit stationary metal pole causing extensive damage to automobile body and suspension. car has been totaled by insurance. air bags did not deploy. | |||
| 10/25/1998 | 4 | ||
| When vehicle is warmed up & would start to turn steering wheel, it would make grinding noises in the right front. sounds like metal to metal. taken to dealer several times. had both struts, tie rods, oxygen sensors replaced. noise still exists. mechanic could not locate problem. *ak | |||
| 09/01/1996 | 4 | 11/01/1993 | |
| Automatic transmission failure. also replaced tied rod/engine valve over and cracked serpentine belt. *ak | |||
| 03/23/1997 | |||
| Consumer started to turn into driveway when tie rod broked due to missing motor mount bolt. ford has a bulletin on both components. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||
| 01/07/1997 | |||
| With the steering wheel in the free position the gear shift would not disengage from the park position unless you wiggle key a bit first. also the cruise control did not disengage when hitting the brakes the first time. vehicle not taken to dealership. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ROD - RELAY - CONNECTING | |||
| 11/17/1998 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Tie rod failed prior to recall notice causing driver to loose steering ability and cross the center line of the roadway and struck a sign and tree.recall campaign #98s36. (attorney for consumer). | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 06/14/2005 | 154553 | 7 | 06/14/2005 |
| Dt: 1992 ford taurus. the u shaped housing that holds up the engine rusted. consumer took vehicle to a mechanic, and they told him that it was an unsafe vehicle. the right outer tie rod, engine cradle rusted. also, the front, emergency, service and rear brakes were no good, the key broken in the ignition. there were other problems with the vehicle. the consumer acquired vehicle from an auction house. he had a mechanic inspect it, and found it was bad. he took it back the auction house and he kept the title. consumer believed that they might have tampered with the odometer . the incident date he took it to the mechanic and he rejected the vehicle. it was taken back to capital auction 603-622-9058.*ak | |||
| 04/01/1995 | |||
| Tie rod ends continously break. consumer has had to change them 5 times already. contacted dealer, and dealer said it was regular wear and tear.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Would be driving vehicle when transmission would slip out of gear when going over 65mph. vehicle would also jerk and stall out. took to mechanic, and a broken tie rod was found.*ak consumer states that for the last 6 months while driving from 30-65 mph, the transmission slips out of gear. *slc | |||
| 07/09/2000 | 11/01/1997 | ||
| While making a right turn into a business parking lot, the tie rod end snapped off causing the driver side wheel to turn in the opposite direction and throwing the car to stop. fortunate for my wife that she wasn't driving down the highway when this happened. the car was towed by aaa to a ford dealer where driver side tie rod was replaced for 170 dollars. i am very concerned that the passenger tie rod could similarly snap while the vehicle is being driven down the highway! | |||
| 06/06/2000 | 2 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Pulled up to a stop sign and right side inner tie rod broke. about six weeks ago, inner tie rod on the left side broke. both of the tie rods broke by the ball joint. both tie rods have been replaced at owner's expense. *ak *ml | |||
| 07/24/1999 | 1 | 08/17/1998 | |
| The right side tie rod end broke in half while backing out, causing total loss of steering. ford manufacturer has been contacted. *yc | |||
| 12/18/1998 | |||
| While driving at 5mph and making a left turn tie rod end broke, causing left wheel to stay straight up. was unable to make the turn while the right wheel made the left turn, making a screeching sound. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| 08/04/1998 | 1 | 07/22/1997 | |
| Outer tie rod caused front end looseness. | |||
| 05/24/1998 | 1 | 01/31/1995 | |
| Inner tie rod fractured. (qcaw) | |||
| Vehicle pulls to the right and left , replace front tie rods three times, put brake on, to no avail. | |||
| 10/09/1996 | 5 | 05/01/1994 | |
| Tie rods failed. | |||
| 03/21/1997 | 10/01/1993 | ||
| Inner tie rods broke, causing the fuel lines to break also, resulting in loss of control. in addition, the wheel pointed in opposite direction. prior investigation open. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1992 | 02/01/1992 | ||
| Too much play in steering wheel since purchased new. | |||
| 06/24/1996 | 1 | ||
| Outer tie rod broke, causing wheel to fall off. | |||
| 06/20/1996 | 1 | ||
| Inner tie rod snapped/sheared, causing loss of steering. | |||
| 08/14/1996 | 1 | 11/01/1993 | |
| Tie rods worn. | |||
| 09/18/1996 | |||
| During vehicle operation the steering was loose, as a result, the front right tie rod had broke. *ak | |||
| 04/18/1996 | 8 | ||
| Right inner tie rod shaft broke. *dsh | |||
| 06/01/1995 | 1 | ||
| Inner tie rod broke while attempting to park vehicle in parking lot between two other cars. | |||
| 07/10/1995 | 1 | ||
| Replaced worn tie rod in. *ak | |||
| 06/23/1992 | 1 | ||
| Worn tie rod ends, causing excessive play in steering. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 08/14/1996 | 1 | 11/01/1993 | |
| Rack and pinion failure. | |||
| 03/10/1993 | 1 | ||
| Rack and pinion assembly failed, resulting in stiff steering/noise while driving. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||
| 1 | 03/01/1992 | ||
| Power steering rack seal leaks. | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 12/01/1998 | |||
| Steering wheel is very hard to turn when driving at any time which might cause an accident. *ak | |||
| 01/20/1998 | 1 | 12/01/1994 | |
| Steering column broke at the tube assembly | |||
| 02/01/1996 | 1 | 02/27/1992 | |
| Horn failed due to failed contact assembly in steering column. | |||
| 06/03/1993 | 09/01/1992 | ||
| The steering wheel is very loose. took vehicle to dealer and they said that it was a loose column bolt. it has a lot of full play in it. loose play was corrected by tightening the bolts. *ak | |||
| 04/30/1994 | 0 | ||
| Steering wheel loose, causing loss of control/accident. *sd | |||
| 05/29/1996 | |||
| Steering wheel started shaking and lost its power only on long rides. *ak | |||
| 05/23/1995 | 3 | ||
| Steering wheel vibrates. *sd | |||
| 07/31/1995 | 1 | ||
| Excessive play in steering wheel. | |||
| Steering wheel has 1 to 2 inches of free play, with constant wandering. ford dealership unable to detect cause. please describe details. tt | |||