Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT | |||||
| 00E11 | 12/01/2000 | 616814 | Service action bulletin regarding on-board diagnostic system upgrade. *tt | 03/13/2001 | |
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER | |||||
| 02208 | 10/14/2002 | 10013060 | Climate control a/c service tech tips. *eh | 04/07/2005 | |
| 11773 | 08/01/1998 | 615273 | Subject regarding service evaporator assemblies. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| 4655 | 08/01/1998 | 615191 | Information on the service evaporator assemblies. *tt | 01/03/2001 | |
| 99196 | 09/20/1999 | 6090087 | Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems. *tt | 03/08/2000 | |
| 99195 | 09/20/1999 | 6090085 | Service information for musty and mildew type odors coming from the air conditioning / heating system. *tt | 03/06/2000 | |
| 99B01 | 04/01/1999 | 606323 | Experiencing a loss of air conditioning function, due to a fracture of the compressor's internal rotor. *tt | 08/16/1999 | |
| 9735 | 02/03/1997 | 51662 | Air conditioning- r-134a tracer dye installed in a/c system and three o-ring spring lock couplers- service tip. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0541961107 | 11/07/1996 | 50780 | Vehicles may exhibit a whistle condition from the a/c evaporator. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | |||||
| 8316 | 03/01/2000 | 612739 | Some vehicles equipped with compact disc changer may exhibit a 6 disc cd changer that is not ejecting the magazine or is not responding to command from the radio. | 06/12/2000 | |
| 99129 | 06/14/1999 | 606460 | Experiencing a whine / buzz type noise in the speakers of the entertainment radio or two-way radio on vehicles with an in-tank electric fuel pump. *tt | 08/24/1999 | |
| 9873 | 04/13/1998 | 601341 | Experiencing a whining / buzzing noise in the speakers of the entertainment radio or two-way radio. *tt | 07/24/1998 | |
| 97090297184 | 09/02/1997 | 54070 | Some vehicles may experience static in the am band of the radio while driving. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| BC1013997010 | 01/02/1997 | 51202 | May have no audio in cddj mode. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 63941 | ||
| Service engine light will not turn off...transmission has been replaced and repaired and is now needing repair again...tires from normal wear...brakes from normal wear... | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| Air compressor appears to be one of the experimental units with no replacement new or remake . 1997 taurus air compressor is cracked it is a shame the ford motor co. can get away with these sort of things the 1997 taurus is a ford lemon. ford make right your big goof i am sure if the public knew of this the 1997 taurus would have no resale value. *ak | |||
| 03/13/2004 | 109000 | 1 | 01/19/2004 |
| The air conditioner compressor motor froze up causing the serpentine belt to snap. i have bought 2 different belts and the have both snapped in two. there is no way to bypass this problem and the part must be replaced in a shop. *jb | |||
| 08/10/2002 | 4 | 08/01/2002 | |
| Air condition unit sealed now leaking again the cv joints went out and the auto repair shop (marty's auto discount at 13 and harris ave) who was supposed to fix the repairs said the lower arm control and the axle were in unsafe condition to drive . the car is still not right , the dealer wants me to continue to make payments on this vehicle and i want to trade the car for something else .i believe there are more promblems coming in the near future. | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 1 | ||
| I have a 9197 taurus that has what i believed to be a very simple air conditioner problem.but things have gone from bad to worst. as we began to find the original problem(2 very small cracks on the outer casing of the compressor), we thought it would be easy to cross match the yr/make/model to find the correct compressor. when i purchased the compressor and compared it to what was on my car there was not even the slightest resemblance.we then proceeded to get the compressor # off the part on my car, when we crossed referenced that # the part was no where near the part on my car.we contacted a ford dealership's service dept. and found out that that yrs model had a pilot program for approx. 5000 cars or so w/ a compressor that has no original part for replacement of the compressor. i am still in the process of trying to fix my a/c in texas in august.i am fortunate that i have some honest and dedicated mechanics around me that are trying to solve this problem for me.i have already purchased an accumulator and orfus line which will have to be installed when or rather if we can find a way to get a compressor to fit.i am frustrated and angry that ford did not inform the public of this pilot program, and offer to replace or at least make a part that can replace the morphed part that is on these cars out there.this problem keeps costing me more $$$$$$. it is unfortunate that ford feels it needs to be deceptive to sell cars. i will never, never buy a ford again and i will be very vocal on the problems i have had w/ their cars.*ak | |||
| 09/03/2001 | 1 | 06/01/2001 | |
| A/c compressor seized causing drivebelt failure and loss of steering, alternator, and power brakes. *ak | |||
| 04/13/2001 | 1 | 10/01/1999 | |
| Air conditioner and compressor and related parts failed. total cost of repairs $1539.51. ford would not assist with costs due to car being out of warranty (since it is a '97 vehicle).*ak | |||
| 09/06/2000 | 07/01/2000 | ||
| No summary | |||
| 06/26/2000 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| Air conditioner failure. *slc | |||
| 08/24/2000 | 11/01/1998 | ||
| A vehicle which is less than three years old suffers a failed clutch on the air conditioner. after checking into possible part recalls through nhtsa, a hard copy shows the layout of what the part should look like , with serial numbers to identify the part. upon inspection of the compressor, no serial numbers were found, just what type of refridgerant should be used. this leads me to believe the part i now possess is not the original part that was used at time of manufacture. further research has shown that this problem is frequent with the taurus, but my specific model has yet to be listed. i now wish to make it known. the theory of the part not being the original seems to be something that was passed over and suppressed from the consumer. additionally, as of 09/15/00 one of the power windows failed and no longer works. this on a vehicle less than three years old. i previously owned a vehicle for ten years and never had these sort of problems. i wish to relay the information of what i have gone through with this model for the record. thank you( dot number: tire size: p205/65r15 ) | |||
| 1 | 07/01/1997 | ||
| A/c malfunctions. yh | |||
| 06/25/2000 | 0 | ||
| A knocking noise was coming from underneath the hood. air conditioner belt came loose. *ak | |||
| 05/23/2000 | 1 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Air conditioner was an experimental unit for that year. replacement of the unit costs 1500 dollars and every part must be replaced. no compressor can be purchased to replace the old one. *ak | |||
| 1 | 09/01/1997 | ||
| Air conditioner failed. | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| Air conditioning malfunctioned. *yc | |||
| EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | |||
| 06/01/2002 | 1 | 07/01/2099 | |
| All's well in park and neutral, but when in reverse or drive, the radio quits, intermittent wipers fail, windows won't work, loss of about 75% of power steering. put it in nuetral and all is well. it turned out to be the transmission range sensor. i found 10 other people who have had the same failure in a 96 or 97 ford taurus. | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 20 | 01/01/2099 | |
| When the gear shift is in reverse & drive, radio goes off, power assist goes off at anytime. very dangerous. sounds like a reaccuring problem based on reports i have seen. electrical of some sort. | |||
| 01/29/2002 | |||
| While driving and applying brakes power steering willgo from off to on intermittently. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer indicated sensor was going bad in steering column. please add vin. *ak | |||
| 04/02/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| 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. discovered that removal of 15amp fuse controlling backup lights/heater return power steering and radio control. all other fuses working properly. dealer is not yet contacted. | |||
| 1 | |||
| The radio shorted out, and caused a fire while driving. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Cd player failed. yh | |||