Ford Taurus 1994 - Exterior lighting - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Ford Taurus 1994

Recalls
Technical Service Bulletins
Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

Recalls

Campaign	Manufacturer	Manufacturing date	Type	# of units affected	Date Owner notified Mfg	Recall Initiated by	Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products	Report Recieved Date	Record Creation Date
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH
98V009000	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	from 12/01/1992 to 09/30/1993	V (Vehicle)	506000	04/15/1998	ODI	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	01/21/1998	01/26/1998
Defect Summary	Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the headlights can flash intermittently as a result of the circuit breaker opening. the vehicle's headlights can go out for brief intervals.
Consequence Summary	Loss of headlights during vehicle operation can affect a driver's ability to navigate the roadway and reduce the visibility of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will install a headlight switch that incorporates a cricuit breaker of revised design and installation of a wiring harness connector and wiring, if needed.
Notes	Owner notification is expected to begin april 15, 1998. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Replacement Bulletin	Item no.	Summary	Added
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS
99139	06/28/1999		606508	Conditions with the brake lamps inadvertently disabling the brake shift interlock. *tt	08/26/1999

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject	Recall campaign
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
EA96019	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	07/31/1996	01/26/1998	HEADLIGHT FAILURE	98V009000
	Headlights go off whild driving

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
02/05/1998		1	10/01/1994
	Rear cut off switch failed due to corrosion from water leakage, causing interior lights to remain on continuously.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BACK UP LIGHTS
04/01/1998		1	09/01/1994
	Glass on both high center stop lights melted and warped.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS
12/31/1999			08/29/1994
	Cruise control failed to release when brakes were tapped to slow down. also, there were no rear brake lights, and vehicle failed to shift out of park. would need to apply brakes to edge vehicle to shift. took vehicle to mechanic for repairs. owner has parts. ak ml
03/20/1996
	Brake lights not illuminating when depressing the brake pedal. *ak
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS - SWITCH
05/23/1998		1
	Brake light switch wiring came apart causing the gear shift lever to stick into parked gear and brake lights to become inoperable.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
12/01/2004	80000	4
	The headlights go off and come back on by themselves. consumer is concerned there is potential for an accident.ak the consumer stated that when driving at night the lights turn off. the consumer stated that it may be a short in the headlight wiring system. tc
02/12/2003	137719		06/10/2000
	Front headlights will not funtion after replacing headlight switch. worked for 15 minutes and then shut off. fuses checked ok other troublshooting checks did not remedy situation. noted 2 burned plug holes in wiring harness at switch. vehicle model and year is on a recall from ford for the same problem. told by ford service tech that my vehicle (vin# 1falp57u7ra213930) was not in recall. also rear light over hatch has leaked since new and caused light to short out. noticed many other 94 wagons with same problem.

	Headlights intermittently fail to operate at night while driving at any speed. consumer feels this problem causes an unreasonable risk to safety because visibility is reduced to zero. dealership serviced vehicle for recall campaign 98v009000 on 16-nov-1998, and informed consumer any repairs for additional problems will be done at consumer's expense. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak
04/03/2000		1
	When turning off headlights sometimes they won't go off, and sometimes they'll come on by themselves, and drain battery.ak possible bolt failure in subframe caused clunking sound. yh
10/15/1995
	Headlights are severely fogged and cause poor visibility at night. dealer notified, and was unwilling to help in this matter. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak
12/01/1998
	When driving the headlight's will come on and go out,causing visibility problems. consumer will not to have a good view while driving. also, headlight's get dim. *ak
02/26/1998		70	12/01/1994
	The headlights keep going off on the vehicle at any speed and at anytime!!!!! the go off then in a few seconds come back on!!!! very dangerous

	Recall 98v009000 and manufacturer recall 98s01, headlights. consumer stated that the dealer has moved and is not in business. the manufacturer recommended that the consumer drive 100 miles for service. *ak
01/03/1998		2
	Recall 98v009000/98s01; while driving lights kept going off and on. when taken apart the switch had been burn., dealer and manufacturer aware of the problem, vehicle does not comply to the recall, problem still exists. *ak tehe problem has been corrected. consumer is trying to get the bills reinbursed , since the problem became a safety recall.
05/01/1998
	Consumer contacted the dealer in reference to recall number 98v00900, manufacturer's recal 98s01, headlights. on a number of occasions headlights malfunctioned.the dealer stated parts not are available to remedy problem. *ak
			05/01/1994
	Head lights go out unexpectedly.
02/10/1997
	#ea9609, while driving the headlighs on the vehicle went on and off intermittently. vehicle has not been serviced. *ak

	Upon depress of brake pedal, head lights blink, dealer says it's inherent. tt
12/03/1994		1
	Headlights cannot be adjusted due to low/high beams being too high, resulting in poor visibility. tt
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - CONCEALMENT DEVICES
11/11/1998
	The headlights would blink on and off whenever they were being used. the headlight switch was burned out and replaced at owner's expense. vehicle not included in recall # 98v009000 ford/headlight circuit breaker.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH
11/12/2001
	Low beams on headlights don't work. when putting on low beam light doesn't come on, and everything on dash just rapidly blinks. when using high beam everything goes away. contacted dealer, and dealer stated no recall. *ak
			03/01/1996
	While driving on highway lights went out this happened 3 times. after dimming lights,continued on. no problems until i tried driving with brights' again,lights went out again...this is the same problem i had in 1998,and had switch replaced on recall. *ak
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH
02/02/2006		3	11/14/1997
	Recall 98v009000 headlamp flash intermittently my 94 ford taurus does not comply with ford oasis system in regards to factory recall ending on vehicles manufactured 2 months before mine . your recall goes from 93 to 95 ford vehicles. *jb
01/19/2006	100000	1	07/21/2004
	Dt: the contact stated the exterior daytime running lights intermittently work. the lights go out for brief intervals. the lights had to be turned on manually using the switch rather than automatically illuminating when the key was in the ignition. there is a nhtsa recall, # 98v009000, regarding the exterior lighting. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the vin. nm
09/15/2005		1
	Dt: noticed on september 15, 2005, after driving the vehicle for about 15 minutes the headlights flashed intermittently. there was recall 98v009000, for the same thing. however, this vehicle was not included not included in the recall due to vin. there no forewarning and no noise. contacted the dealer they said the vehicle was not part of the recall, and l that the consumer would have to pay out of pocket to have it fixed. *ak
10/10/2004	150000	1	02/14/2001
	Recasll 98v009000 concerning headlight circuit breaker. headlights would flash intermittently while driving 50 mph at night. dealer was contacted. dealer informed consumer that t vehicle was not covered under this recall. *ak
06/15/2004	969467	1
	The switch for the headlights melted and nearly caused a fire. the mechanic informed the consumer that a fire was imminent if the problem was not fixed. nm sc *jb
		1	11/01/1995
	There was a problem with the headlight switch.jb. jb
10/15/1997
	Plug on back of headlight switch overheated, causing the switch to malfunction,resulting in loss of head lights.*ak
10/28/2001		2
	Recall 98 v 009 000/headlight circuit breaker: headlights would intermittently go out for a brief interval while driving at night., dealer notified, and informed consumer that manufacturer's recall repairs were done, problem still reoccurred. ak yh
02/06/1997		1	12/01/1994
	I have complied to ford about the headlights but they said i was not under the recall. i explained the problem about the headlight going off and on while driving and they told be i should get it fixed and save the receipt in case it was ever recalled but that they would not since it wasn't involved in the recall. when i replaced this headlight switch i noticed that the plactic part around the wires leading to the headlight switch were melted and very burned. this concerns me greatly and has the possibility to cause a fire not to mention the headlight going off them selves. i have saved the old ford style headlight switch and would be more than willing to give it to you.*ak
11/01/2000		8	12/10/1994
	Headlights went on and off intermittently. consumer took headlight switch a part, and dicovered that wires inside of bracket were melted . also, motor mounts were defective. *ak
12/31/1997		4	06/01/1997
	The headlight switch has been replaced 3 times and the headlights continues to flash. ford cannot seem to fix the problem and refuses to take responsibility for this defect. while driving, on a highway or in traffic the headlights flash on and off. sometimes they flash quickly other times they stay off for a few seconds. this is a real problem and a safety hazard that warrants your attention. ford refuses to put my car under the recall that exists for a similar problem with 1994 tauruses because of my vin number? i have had the recall work done at my own expense and still have the problem. this is going on two years. *ak
04/05/1999		1
	Vehicle was inspected for recall 98v-009, dealership said vehicle was fine, within 3 1/2 months vehicle experienced failure of the component and was denied services per recall. mjs
12/18/1998		2	12/21/1995
	When driving a long distance, headlight switch will overheat, causing the lights to short out. dealer has been contacted. ak consumer attached photos of wire harness heat damage and defective switch. tt
06/25/1998		1	06/10/1994
	Headlight switch failure, other 1994 taurus models recalled for this failure, however consumer's vehicle was denied due to vin #.
01/01/1997			08/01/1994
	The headlamp switch overheated, causing the headlights to go out. additionally, the connector is melted. problem is the sames as recall #98s01, but this vehicle is not included.

	Headlight switch located on dash board will overheat, causing the headlights to become inoperative unexpectedly. no warning given, manufacturer claims vehicle is not included in recall. *ak
		1	10/01/1994
	Head light switch failed, recall work denied due to vin#.
			05/01/1994
	Headlights go out unexpectedly.

	Headlights: when driving down the highway the headlights will go out for approximately 20 seconds. they will come back on and stay for a few seconds and go out again. was told by dealer there was a short in the relay switch which was causing the lights to come on and off. *ak
10/12/1997		3
	While driving vehicle about 60-65 mph the headlights switch malfunctioned,causing headlights to go off, leaving vehicle without light in the dark. but the lights on the dashboard are on. the dealer was contacted, they could not find the problem. manufacturer not contacted. *ak
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS
		1	07/02/1994
	Left tail light burned out. yh
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL
05/16/2003	8927	1
	When the left turn signal was activated, the headlights went out. when the right turn signal was activated the head lights remained on. *jb ph
04/14/1997		1	11/25/1994
	Right signal lens broke.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL - SWITCH
09/15/1999
	Windshield wipers stop working whenever the headlight dimmer switch is used or the right side turn signal is applied. dealer notifed. *ak
01/01/1997
	Experienced light switch assembly failure while driving at night. when switched off high beam lights, all lights went out, dash/courtesy and headlamp lights, played with until lights came back on, dealer. replaced switch assembly loom head light. *ak
		1	11/01/1994
	While driving in rain experienced windshield wiper switch failure, just stopped working, also, intermittently wipers failwhen using turn signals, not fixed. ak slc