Ford Taurus 1993 - Steering - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Ford Taurus 1993

Technical Service Bulletins
Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	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
STEERING
PE93058	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	06/15/1993	02/16/1994	BROKEN TIE RODS
	There is no summary currently available
EA94008	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	02/16/1994	02/27/1995	BROKEN TIE RODS
	There is no summary currently available

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
STEERING
03/15/2003	0
	Motor mounts replaced. steering pins replaced 4 days after motor mounts replaced, the car catches on file from an electrical short. i drove the car 1 time after it was out of the shop. 11 hours after i drove it, the whole engine was on fire from an electrical short
09/03/2001		2
	Vehicle stalls out while driving. contacted dealer, had head gasket replaced. however, problem reoccurred. had head gasket replaced again. ak consumer has been advised that the entire engine needs to be replaced, the pan plug left undone causing vehicle to lose oil, the radiator had to be replaced due to over torque bolts which bursted around the core, the engine is knocking and the oil light illuminated due to lack of oil. consumer has lost trust in the dealership. head lights failed, light switch was replaced. the wipers were noisy, dealer replaced the multifunction switch and wiper motor. there is a popping noise when turning, there is a rubbing noise in the right front on turns and when backing up. the air conditioner is not blowing cold air, shrater valve and a/c refrigerant was replaced. the key switch failed. the faulty antenna motor failed. the master cylinder had to be replaced. tie rod was replaced. tt
12/01/2001		1
	Wiring harness caught on fire, causing electrical system to malfunction. dealer has yet to be contacted. ak consumer stated she and daughter were trapped int he vehicle, consumer also stated the steering locked up.slc
06/01/1996		2
	Vehicle stalling intermittently, at any speed/any time. dealer stated this was due to a faulty ignition device. ak vehicle will not start whether it is in park or neutral. starter, sparkplugs, and battery have been replaced, door chime would sound when keys were not in ignition. transmission slipping and experiences erratic shifting. faulty front struts cause vehicle to oversteer, tires were rotated and front was aligned to help problem, however did not remedy. dashboard rattles, however dealer can not remedy this problem. driver side door does not close properly and there is wind noise when driven over 20 mph, left door was not aligned properly. keyless entry failed, passenger side rear door lock inoperable. emergency brake was never installed. there is a consisent wind sound in vehicle. front end experienced shaking. excessive fuel consumption. difficult and noisy steering occurred, dealer replaced power steering line. front brake pads replaced. exhaust replaced. fuel pump replaced. windshield wiper switch was replaced. vehicle currently has only 47114 miles on. slc
09/01/1998		1
	Ignition is inoperative. key gets stuck in the ignition & doesn't line up correctly. this makes it very easy to stealthe vehicle. vehicle's air bag & horn are not working relating to this. dealer has never tried to find a remedy for the problem.ak cruise control failed as well. steering system malfunctions. yh
09/08/2000		2	06/01/2000
	Car is difficult to control.
11/08/1998		1	11/09/1993
	Traveling 10mph & made a right turn. heard a clunk noise. vehicle steering locked up. had vehicle towed to dealer. noticed body mounts had worn out & engine had dropped down. recall 93v106002. recall repairs completed. *ak

	Steering is hard to turn when brakes are applied. tt
12/15/1994
	Vehicle stalls out over 30 and under 50, resulting in steering and braking ability loss, dealer can not locate problem. tt
STEERING - COLUMN
11/28/2001		1
	The vehicle's headlight switch and wire harness, steering column covers, turn signal/wiper switch were replaced. ph nm
STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
10/14/1996		1	02/01/1994
	At 14k mil drive steering gear broke into pieces and travelled through the engine; oil pump required replacement in addition to the gear replacement; no reason for failure id by dealer
08/28/1996		1
	Steering gear binding internally causing the steering wheel to lock up while manuvering a curve resulting in loss of control.
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
11/01/1997		1
	High pressure power hose misrouted from the rack and pinion to the power steering pump, switch worn hole in hose resulting in leakage and power steering loss.design flaw causing chafing.
05/18/1998
	Power steering hoses are leaking while driving, not a major leak, but a few drips on pavement which will get worse in due time. dealer recommended costly repairs. *ak
		1
	The power steering hose broke.
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP
		1	01/01/1993
	Power steering pump failed which was replaced. *yc
		6	10/01/1995
	Replaced head gasket and motor mounts, dealer denied responsibility. windshield wipers stuck in raised position for the last 40000 miles. power steering pump replaced twice, dragging rear brakes, replaced once, active again. *ak

	At 73,000 miles the power steering pump and the water pump had to be replaced. please give any further details. *ak
08/14/1993		4
	Ongoing problem with various parts failing to work properly. they include the following: engine head gasket blown/one dead engine cylinder needs replacement/one engine mount broke and other is cracking/power steering makes grinding noises whenever wheel is turned, and seat belt on driver's side intermittently fails to retract. *ak
08/04/1997
	Power steering hose has crack in line, causing fluid to leak out, could cause fire or loss of vehicle control. dealer has ordered parts/kit to relace line/hose. *ak
07/17/1995		2
	Power steering pump overheated, resulting in a fire/injury. tt
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
05/04/2001
	While driving 65 mph on highway vehicle began to jerk and downshift. vehicle started stalling as consumer was attempting to pull over. also, power steering failed.*ak
02/26/1996		3	06/01/1993
	Vehicle experienced many power steering problems including noise, steering pump was replaced once, faulty rack and pinion caused the steering wheel to lock up while making turns replaced three times, variable assist valve was replaced twice.
11/18/2000		30	06/01/2000
	Power steering on extreme left gets stuckup momenteriarily many times. *ak
		1
	Vehicle experiences intermittent power steering loss causing problems in steering control. *mjs

	This report is made by the onondaga county medical examiners office, 100 elizabeth blackwell st., syracuse, ny 13210, phone 315-435-3163, fax 315-435-3319, reported by inv. michael s. birchmeyer. this vehicle was involved in a fatality in which the driver was killed. for unknown reasons, the vehicle crashed proceeded through an intersection and struck a tree head-on in front of a school. the accident was also investigated by the camillus police and the onondaga county sheriffs department. we are forwarding this info to you because we are not sure if there may have been a problem with the vehicle. thank you. *ak
		1	08/01/1997
	Where do i start, this car has been a money pit from day one! the brakes had to be completely replaced 3 days after we bought the car--signature ford claimed it was are fault after some argument they finally reimbursed us for the brakes. we discovered a small leak, we found it to be coming from the heater hose. we decided to trust signature ford, they claimed that we needed a new heater hose, water pump and radiator. we took are car back to the first mechanic who looked at it and he swore that those things were not leaking when they left his shop, no proof though so we haven't filed a complaint against signature ford. we have since replaced the heater hose and water pump. we are taking the radiator in to be checked out very soon. we had the starter replaced at signature ford, since it was fixed the keyless entry stopped working. we've had the brakes complely fixed, three times. we have had the oxygen sensors replaced. the airconditioner will not work, we were told that we need a new compressor and clutch. there is a short that causes a fuse to blow, resuliting in loss of gauges. one of the back windows will not work. the molding around said window does not fit properly. the power steering makes a strange noise and sometimes does not seem to be working; we took it in to signature while under warranty and were told that it was fine. when we first purchased the car the tires that were on it were too big resulting in excessive wear. the current tires show signs of excessive wear on the inside front passanger tire. the transmission has been totally rebuilt, the tech. who fixed it said that this is typical of sho's. the fog lights sometimes fail. the lamp out light comes on even when no lamp is out. the check engine light comes on sometimes during acceleration. the door ajar light comes on and goes off at various times. if we had known then what we know now we never would have purchased this vehicle. we cannot afford all of these costly repairs! *

	While driving, experiencesd steering malfunction when constantly pullin to right and steering wheel had excessive play at high speeds, making hard to control.
06/02/1995		1
	Power steering burnt out. *ak
STEERING - LINKAGES
01/23/2001		1	01/01/1993
	Steering wheel tie rod broke while driving in residential street. *ak
05/05/1997		2	10/01/1993
	I had no resolution on tie rods from dealership at the time this happened, and currently with the failed head gasket at only 48,000 miles, dealership did not know of any problem with this model taurus. i did find this problem with tie rods and and engine cooling system on service bulletins at this web site. *ak
03/15/1998
	While driving the lower a-frame bracket separated from the vehicle, causing the tie rod to become warped , and the rack and pinion steering to rear down. the delear has been notified. *ak
03/02/1995
	Broken tie rod causing loss of steering control. please describe details. tt
STEERING - LINKAGES - ROD - RELAY - CONNECTING
05/29/1997		2	02/01/1993
	Outer left tie rod and window motor failed.
STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
09/03/2001		2
	Vehicle stalls out while driving. contacted dealer, had head gasket replaced. however, problem reoccurred. had head gasket replaced again. ak consumer has been advised that the entire engine needs to be replaced, the pan plug left undone causing vehicle to lose oil, the radiator had to be replaced due to over torque bolts which bursted around the core, the engine is knocking and the oil light illuminated due to lack of oil. consumer has lost trust in the dealership. head lights failed, light switch was replaced. the wipers were noisy, dealer replaced the multifunction switch and wiper motor. there is a popping noise when turning, there is a rubbing noise in the right front on turns and when backing up. the air conditioner is not blowing cold air, shrater valve and a/c refrigerant was replaced. the key switch failed. the faulty antenna motor failed. the master cylinder had to be replaced. tie rod was replaced. tt
09/01/2000		1	02/01/1993
	Vehicle makes a popping noise when steering mainly to right. dealer checked and found it was front inner tie rod. no cause determined, but cost is on consumer.*ak
10/18/1998		3	12/06/1995
	When vehicle is being driven it would vibrate. the check engine light would come on & stay. took to mechanic & told motor mounts had snapped & the tie rods were damaged and they needed replacing. *ak
09/01/1997		1
	Inner and outer tie rods failed causing vibration, steering rack failed
05/01/1998		1	01/24/1996
	Head gasket blew out, and dealer charged to repair it because vehicle's warranty expired. consumer believed that the problem was occurring way before the warranty ran out, and the dealer was giving him the run around. ak wiper motor stops in the middle of the window, dealer replaced multi switch. 2 outer tie rods replaced and set toe due to loose steering. slc
05/01/1997		0
	While driving at 5 mph the steering: inner tie rod snapped completely off, disconnecting the wheel, cause the fuel line to break open. please describe details. *ak
06/21/1996		1
	Inner tie rod failed. *sd
STEERING - RACK AND PINION
12/12/1993		5	09/01/1993
	The rack and pinion has failed or been replaced 5 times on my vehicle. ford advised us to have the strut plates cut to keep the vehicle in alignment and this did not help either because the rack kept going out ford motor company was notified but they never responded to our complaints it is like the ford explorer major front end problems please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions!!! i have read many complaints for the same problem on the internet but ford still has not recalled this year model. *ak
12/12/1995		5	09/01/1994
	The rack & pinion pulls apart and causes the front end to become out of alignment and also causes the vehicle to steer terribly. the right front motor mount burst because it is hydraulic this always happens when the rack and pinion goes out. the transmission also has a defect in the fourth gear ratio and shows on the diagnostic computer when serviced.
02/26/2001		0
	While driving could try to make a turn and steering wheel will make noise. will be hard to steer like it did not have power steering. dealer told consumer that problem was with the rack and pinion steering. *ak
03/15/1999		3	06/01/1993
	I will be mailing you a letter sent to mfr. on the problems i have had since 2/8/99 through 12/18/00 on the rack and pinion, and head and timing cover gaskets. *ak
06/12/2000		2	05/01/2000
	Car was bought from original owner. the condition was excellent, only 69,000 miles on engine. it started to fall apart within 3 weeks, first steering, then transmission, now the engine. according to lemonaidcars.com the 1993 taurus is full of problems. ford said its not there problem and ref'd to green valley ford this dealership we do not trust. they always add on things to a cars 'problem'. we are not buyin a ford ever again!
06/12/2000		2	05/01/2000
	Car was bought from original owner. the condition was excellent, only 69,000 miles on engine. it started to fall apart within 3 weeks, first steering, then transmission, now the engine. according to lemonaidcars.com the 1993 taurus is full of problems. ford said its not there problem and ref'd to green valley ford this dealership we do not trust. they always add on things to a cars 'problem'. we are not buyin a ford ever again! *ak
04/29/2000			11/01/1997
	I took m y car in for an oil change and i noticed problems w/ the steering. the wheel would be hard to turn when making sharp right hand turns. i had a friend tets drive the car and he told me that it may be the racket pinion system. i also noticed that there was a problem with the right rear safety belt. i checked the internet to see what recalls there was for ford taurus and i was surprised to see so many that ford hasn't contacted me on. is this something that i need to contact ford about? *ak
10/01/1999		1
	Car was running rough. consumer took vehicle to mechanic, and he said it was a blown head gasket. also, transmission is slipping/ shimmying/ shaking, and popping in and out of gear. consumer said it sounded like engine was going to fall out. when running car for more than 20 minutes, it became very hard to steer and won't turn. consumer feared steering in traffic. headgasket and cooling replaced, but there is still transmission and steering trouble. ak ml
		3
	Steering rack and pinion is prematurely wearing. has been replaced three times. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak
12/14/1998
	Rack and pinion steering blew out while driving, reason unknown . vehicle only had 61,000 miles of wear. beleived this condition was due to a manufacturer's defect. dealer/ manufacturer notified. dealer refused to repair unless cost goes to consumer. *ak
		20	04/01/1993
	Intermittent failure of windshield wipers to function on any setting. there is often a noise heard from under the i.p. this problem started about 2 years ago @ approximately 15,000 miles. the washers also do not function. additional safety issues with this vehicle which ford motor refused to do anything about are brake shudder caused by warped rotors & a leaking rack & pinion steering gear. the intermittent operation of the windshield wipers is a real safety issue. *ak
09/12/1996		1	09/12/1996
	Rack and pinion failed.
03/15/1998
	While driving the lower a-frame bracket separated from the vehicle, causing the tie rod to become warped , and the rack and pinion steering to rear down. the delear has been notified. *ak
09/02/1995
	Owner states while driving vehicle he has difficulty in steering, while trying to make a right or left turn the steering locks up. owner also notes he replaced rack&pinion and still having problems with steering. *ak
STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK
09/01/1997		1
	Inner and outer tie rods failed causing vibration, steering rack failed
11/01/1994		1
	Replaced leaking steering rack.
STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR
02/26/2001		0
	While driving could try to make a turn and steering wheel will make noise. will be hard to steer like it did not have power steering. dealer told consumer that problem was with the rack and pinion steering. *ak
		1
	Was driving vehicle & driver noticed the steering wheel was acting up. was not able to turn vehicle. hit a concrete barrier and neither air bag deployed.*ak
		1	08/19/1996
	Steering wheel jumps out. mjs
01/23/1999		100	01/01/1999
	Woman ahead of me stopped in an intersection, i tried to brake but hit her. injured my wrist. steering wheel grip is loose at top, wiggles due to sun on adhesives.
02/01/1994		1	11/01/1993
	Steering noise.
01/25/1996		5
	Steering problem. *sd