Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 03181 | 09/15/2003 | 10004027 | Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt | 11/14/2003 | |
| 98246 | 12/07/1998 | 604059 | Ford motor company has released a new electrical grease ( f8az - 19g208-aa ) to reduce the possibility of moisture corrosion at the terminals. *yc | 03/16/1999 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| BC0307A97020 | 02/01/1997 | 51616 | Battery oes dead overnight. *tw | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0307972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51414 | Battery goes dead- check the current draw with an ammeter. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| BC0309972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51418 | Surge at steady cruise (power train shuffle), misfire codes, stalls at high ambient temperatures. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER | |||||
| 0162 | 04/02/2001 | 619266 | Vehicles equipped with passive anti-theft system (pats) may not start or crank. *tt | 05/22/2001 | |
| 12154 | 11/01/1998 | 613173 | Some vehicles equipped with pats (securilock) except certain models now have availability of fleet keys through rotunda. *mjs | 06/19/2000 | |
| 983566 | 01/01/1998 | 607837 | Information on programming / diagnosing any passive anti-theft system (pats) related issues. *tt | 10/13/1999 | |
| 983566 | 01/19/1998 | 607484 | Information regarding programming / diagnosing passive anti-theft system (pats) related issues. *tt | 09/23/1999 | |
| 98110 | 01/19/1998 | 605570 | Subject regarding passive anti theft system (pats) diagnostic service tips. *tt | 07/09/1999 | |
| BC3272970207 | 02/07/1997 | 51870 | Vehicles are equipped with passive anti-theft system (pats) - vehicle will not start without the correct ignition key. *tw | 07/17/1997 | |
| BC1025097230 | 01/23/1997 | 51621 | Passive anti-theft system. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||||
| 980314 | 04/01/1998 | 603508 | Experiencing a hard start / long crank. *yc | 02/23/1999 | |
| 9767 | 03/17/1997 | 51986 | Malfunction indicator lamp (mil)- diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0172, p0175, p1130, p1150 and/or p1152 stored in memory and/or stall on low speed acceleration or deceleration- 3.4l sho vehicles only. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| BC0309970201 | 02/01/1997 | 51624 | Surge at steady state cruise (power train shuffle), misfire codes,stalls at high ambient temperatures. *tw | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0042970201 | 01/02/1997 | 51016 | For 1996 3.ol 2-valve vehicles stop updating the processor to the r-12 calibration. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| 962511 | 12/02/1996 | 50968 | Powertrain control module -reprogram powertrain control module (pcm) - service procedures - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 97111097234 | 11/10/1997 | 53660 | Vehicles exhibiting a squeaking or chirping from the blower motor at low blower motor speeds. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| 99222 | 10/18/1999 | 6089681 | Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. *tt | 02/11/2000 | |
| 96246 | 11/18/1996 | 50905 | Wiring - electrical diode identification and service replacements. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||||
| 8016 | 04/01/2000 | 613611 | Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent loss of integrated control panel (icp) illumination. **mr** | 07/26/2000 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | |||||
| BC0850961007 | 10/07/1996 | 50432 | Concerns of vehicle stall, hesitation stumble, rough idle, missing, fuel pressure, or fuel pressure related check the rear ground. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 06/14/2009 | 1 | ||
| My door switches in my 97 ford taurus need replaced again. i had all 4 replaced 3 years ago and they keep leaving the dome light on again. having the dome light on at night makes it difficult for me to see. i know there are several other people that are having or have had the same problem, someone should look into it. *tr | |||
| 06/23/2005 | 96500 | 2 | 12/15/2002 |
| Interior lighting will not turn off, this is a continuous problem with this car as it has been repaired more than once for the same problem. *jb | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 13000 | 3 | 01/01/2004 |
| While driving it was hard to shift gears/steer the vehicle. the brake and tail lights failed to work. *ak the electrical system was intermittent, the radio would go off when the steering wheel was turned and when the vehicle was in drive. the problem would start when the vehicle was in park, reverse, or neutral. the seat belt light flickered on and off without cause. *sc *jb | |||
| 04/05/2004 | 27000 | 17 | 12/01/1999 |
| While driving at any speed abs light appeared on the dashboard. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. *ak the check engine soon had also come on. the consumer stated that the lights would come on intermittently, both at different times. *sc | |||
| 7 | |||
| Defective steering column in a 1997 ford taurus. request a defect investigation. *ph prior to the incident, the red light had come on the dash which indicated a problem with the battery and the steering locked up on two separate occasions. the previous owners of the vehicle experienced four incidents of steering lock up. *scc *jb | |||
| 65000 | |||
| The vehicles interior lights and door ajar chime came on and stayed on after the vehicle was started. *nlm | |||
| 03/28/2003 | 68000 | 9999 | |
| All lights, brake lights, hi-low beams and running lights work! all panel lights and interior lights work. turning signals & emergency flashers do not work at all! it is as though the wires in the steering column were disconnected from both the turning stick (switch) and the emergency switch? checked every fuse in fuse box under hood and they all look ok. assume no bulb problem because there was and is no fast blink... it seems like the problem was first noticed during an all day rain storm...very dangerous situations came about because i assumed directional were still working during several turns...then someone almost hit me when i was changing lanes....i thought it was just a dumb driver till it happened a few more times....then i noticed no turn signals...very scary (vin: 1falp52u4tg256813)! | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | 08/23/1997 | |
| Consumer states while putting vehicle in reverse, radio and windows quit working, sometimes when putting vehicle in reverse the steering wheel will get tight, possible electrical problem. | |||
| While driving and without warning lost power steering. only warning that was received by consumer was a short in electrical components. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | 08/23/1997 | |
| Consumer states while putting vehicle in reverse, radio and windows quit working, sometimes when putting vehicle in reverse the steering wheel will get tight, possible electrical problem. | |||
| Fuel injection system grounds, causing leakage and complete loss of electrical system which results in vehicle completely shutting down. please give any further details.*ak | |||
| 05/18/2000 | |||
| Electrical short caused power windows to fail. also, steering malfunctioned intermittently. dealer notified, and appointment was received. *ak | |||
| 08/27/1998 | 02/25/1998 | ||
| Torque converter failed/electrical system failure. | |||
| 05/01/1998 | |||
| Severe shock from static electricity build up. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 09/03/2001 | 1 | 06/01/2001 | |
| A/c compressor seized causing drivebelt failure and loss of steering, alternator, and power brakes. *ak | |||
| 02/18/2001 | 1 | 05/30/1998 | |
| Consumer was traveling about 30mph on a side street, and there was another vehicle parked on side of road, and consumer's vehicle hit other vehicle from behind. upon impact, driver's side airbag did not deploy.whenever the alternator gets wet the light gomes on and the power steering fails making it difficult to control the vehicle. nlm | |||
| 07/01/1999 | 2 | 12/20/1997 | |
| While driving through a water puddle, the vehicle and driver experienced an approximate 4-5 second loss of power steering and the alternator light came on. *ak *ml | |||
| 08/10/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1997 | |
| Altenator went bad at only 38,989 miles. also had to replace battery due to altenator draining it. | |||
| 10 | 05/01/1997 | ||
| Within the last 6 mos. when car hit approx. 60000 miles when the ignition is turned on it will not start. everything is dead. however, power in vehicle will come back if the interior front hood lever is activated. power will come back and the radio will always be on am and the clock will be at 12:00. i have not contacted the manufacturer because this happens very sporadically. in other words there is no way to predict it will happen and/or make it happen. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Alternator failed, serpentine belt failed. | |||
| While driving over puddles vehicle loses power steering. also alternator malfunctioned. dealers have no remedy for problem. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 02/25/2006 | 79985 | 2 | |
| This incident has happened before the date below but this time i decided to make a complaint after it happened again. when there is a lot of water and you turn right, my car turns off, the battery light comes on and then it makes this squealing noise. and then it starts right back up. i had this checked out but nothing was found wrong with my ford 97 taurus. i've driven through a lot of water going forward in the car and it doesn't turn off or make any noise, just when turning right. i never noticed it when turning left. *jb | |||
| 6 | |||
| Ltr fm m.l. moody (tx) re defective steering column in a 1997 ford taurus, requests a defect investigation . *mr the red light had come on the dash which had indicated a problem with the battery and the steering column locked on two separate occasions. the owner of the repair shop stated the steering locked up four times. the consumer requested reimbursement for the mechanical error. *scc *jb | |||
| 11/07/1999 | 1 | 09/13/1997 | |
| Battery failed without warning. nlm | |||
| 09/05/2000 | |||
| Consumer was traveling about 15mph and ran over a puddle of water, and fronts wheels locked up. there was a horrible of noise, and battery lights came on. dealership was aware of problem.*ak | |||
| 04/13/2000 | 2 | 04/01/2000 | |
| Door ajar light on dash stays on. sometimes ocasionally it goes off, interior lights won't go off because of it, resulting in a dead battery, back window doesn't always work, engine check light goes on and off. the dealer thinks i'm crazy cause whenever i take it in to be repaired the lights are all off. they told me it was a relay switch and they said they fixed it and it still is broken. *ak | |||
| 02/10/1998 | 2 | 01/01/1998 | |
| In less than two years of ownership with this car, my battery has blown twice. i go to start the car and battery just blows up. the first time i simply heard a crackling noise. the second time i heard a pop like that of a balloon popping. individuals have told me that this could potentially cause a fire. the dealership cannot find anything wrong; they just replace the battery. they do tell me that it must develop an electrical spike, but they have no way of knowing where it comes from. i believe this is dangerous. the service department at the dealership says that even if they check all the wiring harness, they might not find the problem. *ak | |||
| 01/06/1998 | 10/10/1997 | ||
| Battery. | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Battery failed. yh | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| Battery failure. *yc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 90000 | 5 | ||
| The turn signals and flashers were inoperative. *ak the dealer found both fuses pulled and flashers disconnected. *scc *jb | |||
| 01/01/1998 | |||
| Switch in door to advise if door is open stays on. when this occurs, it causes for dome lights to come on. consumer has had repairs on vehicle on two different occasions, but problem continues to occur.*ak | |||
| When sun hits vehicle or even when temperature is hot at night, interior lights and door ajar light come on. lights stay on for an hour or more before going out. this causes poor driver's visibility when driving at night. dealership was not able to determine what was causing this problem. | |||
| 04/17/2000 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Safety hazard caused by failure of interior lights to turn off, and automatic unlocking of only the driver door, immediately after using power lock button to lock all doors. | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 0 | ||
| When you first start the car brake lights do not work. once vehicle is very warm brake lights will start working again. consumer feels that if making a sudden stop the other driver may not see consumer. *ak *ml | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/01/1997 | |||
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| 04/17/2001 | 0 | ||
| While driving about 65 mph engine stalled without a prior warning, and consumer lost cotrol and vehicle went off the road. found out that ignition coil fuse was blown and had to be replaced. consumer was concerned of an accident.*ak | |||
| 12/17/1998 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Stall, rough idle, ignition missing. wiring replaced, but vehicle continues to run rough. dealer check fuel system but no problem found. unable to determine cause via diagnostics. this problem has existed and grown worse with this vehicle since purchased in 04/98 at @17000 miles. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Ignition system failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 01/09/1997 | |||
| Vehicle will stall without warning, computer module failure, but dealership does not how to reprogram the failure. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 04/29/2004 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Ignition switch locked. as a result, the key was unable to come out of the ignition. *ak | |||
| 08/25/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that after putting keys into the ignition to start vehicle, keys got stuck as a result of the ignition switch locking up. contacted dealer. had part replaced dealer unable to remove keys.*jb | |||
| 3 | 04/04/2002 | ||
| Transmission gear shift will not engage from park, found a broken shift control cable, replaced. ignition key turns and does not start car, problem in steering column, rr steering column and replaced link from ignition switch to lock cylinder. | |||
| 03/01/1997 | |||
| The windshield wipers are multi-speed, but they only run on slow. you have to turn them off and on several tmes to get them to work right.the ignition switch was replaced because when you took the key out the accessories continued to run like the radio would keep on playing with no key in the car .they changed the ignition switch and it helped for a few thousand miles but now the car is out of warranty and the problem is back again.also i am having problems with the power windows. *ak | |||
| 01/23/1999 | 1 | 11/01/1997 | |
| When starting the automobile the key was inserted into the ignition, which is made of plastic and the plastic igntion part broke, leaveing the auto unable to start but still with the battery still in the on position. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| While driving at 65 mph starter malfunctioned without warning, causing vehicle to come to a complete stop. please provide further details if needed.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 114500 | 10 | 04/17/2005 |
| Every time i put it in reverse, my radio goes out, my pl, ps, and pw stop working. if i drive longer than 5 - 10 miles, the lights and all electrical start blinking and the ps goes on and off. i almost hit a car along side of me the 1st time it happened, i only drove it out of town one time after that, now i don't drive it out of town at all. even in town if i'm driving all over, it does it. i tried talking to ford corp. and they blew me off, even though i told them nobody knows what it is. help!! *tr | |||
| 04/10/2008 | 1 | 11/15/2006 | |
| My car has a electrical prob or something it makes my steering hard and won't let windows roll down and makes all lights in flash. have taken it in to several garages and they can see what's wrong. but do not know what causes it. i have almost been in several accidents. i need help figuring out what this is so i can get it fixed!!!! *tr | |||
| 09/30/2007 | 142000 | 1 | |
| Power steering intermittent failure; first began when placing shift lever into reverse gear, then later occurred also in forward drive gears. suspect electrical/electronic problem since radio speakers also go silent and power windows do not operate when this occurs. all other fuses working properly. dealer is not yet contacted. *tr | |||
| 05/07/2005 | 85000 | 1 | 11/11/1997 |
| Overhead dome light shorted out, repaired short, $110.00. three months later the alarm system stopped working, replaced alarm system with 2005, and replaced complete wiring harness. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 40000 | 50 | 02/17/1998 |
| The instrument panel will display the door ajar warning icon and the dome light will remain on while operating the vehicle. after exiting and securing the vehicle, the dome light will remain on for an indefinate amount of time. the problem is intermittent but can continue to malfunction for a week-at-a-time and not have a recurrence for up to a month. dealer told me that unless i could localize the source of the failure, they could not begin to solve the problem.*ak | |||
| 09/16/2003 | 76340 | 1 | |
| The vehicle's fuel pump wires arched which could have caused a fire in the vehicle. please provide additional information. *nlm fuel pump had to be replaced. *ph | |||
| 04/24/2002 | 98000 | 1 | |
| While traveling at highway speeds, all the dash lights illuminated and the engine shut off. the mechanic stated the wiring harness was routed in a way were it caused friction and wore out the installation which caused the wires to be exposed. *jb | |||
| 09/18/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2097 | |
| Re: 1997 taurus 3.0 vulcan - frost plug corrosion and head gasket blown!. *ak | |||
| Wire insulation inside fuel tank was worn through because of the way it was mounted. *ak | |||
| 10/24/1999 | |||
| Vehicle parked. owner noticed smoke coming from inside of vehicle. vehicle windows were blown out & black smoke escaped & then flames. fire department was called & put flames out. gave no indication of origin of fire. insurance inspector checked vehicle & indicated a possible electrical short in the wiring system that caused the fire. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 06/20/2002 | 130000 | 6 | |
| Headlights fail without warning headlight plug melts from overheating and electrical contact is lost causing lights to go out | |||
| 12/17/1998 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Stall, rough idle, ignition missing. wiring replaced, but vehicle continues to run rough. dealer check fuel system but no problem found. unable to determine cause via diagnostics. this problem has existed and grown worse with this vehicle since purchased in 04/98 at @17000 miles. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 08/16/2001 | 10 | 09/01/1999 | |
| Interior map light is also the dome lights. cannot shut off when the door is open. when the door sensor breaks the sensors thinks the door is open. this is hazardous at night since there is glare coming off the windshield. *ak | |||
| 04/17/2000 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Safety hazard caused by failure of interior lights to turn off, and automatic unlocking of only the driver door, immediately after using power lock button to lock all doors. | |||
| 10/20/1998 | 4 | 10/01/1998 | |
| When i first bought the car the door ajar light would intermittintly come on. i took the vehicle i took it back to them twice and they were unable to fix it. now the problem is esculating. the car now shuts off the power to the radio speakers, power windows, power assist and probably other components when the gear shift is taken out of park. all components work fine when car is in park shift position. of course i'm required to pay to have this fixed even though it could probably been fixed right in the first place. the decision to stop going back to the dealer is based on the work they did do (shabby) and their not being able to fix the main problem i took the car back into them. is the car suppose to had a high wind noise - i was told that was part of the design and they could do nothing about that when i first bought the car. *ak | |||
| 12/03/1999 | |||
| Before parking there was a burning smell. while parked, smoke came from underneath the dash, then flames were coming out, police officer pulled the fuses/ battery and then fire went out. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 04/01/1999 | |||
| The door ajar light comes on when the weather is warm. this causes the interior lights to stay on, and the driver side door will not lock when using the power lock button when this occurs. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Faulty wiring in the harness causing the door adjar light to remain on when temperature is above 80 degrees and malfunctioning of the power door locks mechanism. mjs | |||