Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||||
| 98-4737 | 09/01/1998 | 607151 | Engine spark knock on acceleration. *ak | 11/03/2000 | |
| 12163 | 11/01/1998 | 613178 | Some vehicles may exhibit a slight vibration during acceleration only. *mjs | 06/19/2000 | |
| 13250 | 09/01/1999 | 6090649 | Information regarding slight vibration upon acceleration. *mjs | 03/22/2000 | |
| 983221 | 02/12/1998 | 607433 | Exhibiting a vibration at sppeds of 45 mph and above with the cruise on. | 09/23/1999 | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | |||||
| 5203 | 12/01/1998 | 615335 | Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start / long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern. *tt | 01/13/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 03/13/2008 | 0 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. the contact stated the acceleration pedal sticks when the vehicle speed control was being used. the contact had to depress the brake and remove the vehicle speed control usage. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who checked the vehicle speed control but found no problems or issues. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage and the current mileage was unknown. | |||
| 11/09/2009 | 75469 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. while the contact was driving at approximately 60mph using the cruise control, the contact applied the brakes and noticed that the vehicle suddenly began to acclerate. the contact pushed the cruise control deactivation button which stopped the acceleration. there were no warning lights before the failure occurred. the vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealership at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 75,469. updated 05/07/10. *lj | |||
| 11/21/2008 | 152350 | 1 | |
| I purchased a used 1997 ford taurus on november the 10th of 2008 from a local dealer. on 11/21/08 at approximately 2100 hours my 17 year old daughter was driving the aforementioned vehicle, when for no apparent reason the vehicle suddenly accelerated by it's self. my daughter tried to stop the vehicle by applying both feet to the brake pedal but was unable to stop the vehicle, at this time she decided to jump from the vehicle. after doing so the vehicle climbed a 6 % grade hill approximately 700 feet through a field, before ramping a 6 foot pile of limestone. the vehicle traveled 14 feet through the air before impating the ground. after impacting the ground the vehicle made a right turn and traveled another 1500 feet before impacting a ditch and a tree. witnesses stated the vehicle had to be traveling nearly 90 mph as traveled through the field, the engine was still accelerating after striking the tree. the ignition had to be turned off for the engine to stop accelerating. total distance the vehicle traveled without my daughter in the vehicle was 2190 feet. remember the first 700 feet was up hill through a field (the hill was approximately a 6 % grade). *tr | |||
| 02/10/2005 | 107760 | 1 | 02/10/2005 |
| While the vehicle was parked in the driveway it commenced to roll forward and hit the garage door. dealer was notified, and informed the consumer that this vehicle was not covered under a recall.*ak | |||
| 10/12/2004 | 42000 | 1 | 09/15/1997 |
| While braking at a stop sign, the vehicle accelerated and lurched forward into the rear bumper of another vehicle. *jb | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving and upon pressing the brakes vehicle accelerated. the only way consumer could stop the vehicle was to put the vehicle in neutral. however, the last time she did that the vehicle accelerated at full speed. there were no accidents or injuries. took vehicle to the mechanic. however, the problem recurred. *ak | |||
| 08/12/2004 | 124000 | 1 | 02/01/2004 |
| Speedometer would stop operating and vehicle would stall after driving two miles. vehicle had been to several repair shops. each mechanic could not determine the problem. they informed consumer that it might be the catalytic converter or the oxygen sensor . *ak | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 96200 | 2 | 09/01/1997 |
| When the consumer released the brake the vehicle bolted backwards and struck a building. *ph the consumer found out the a recall was issued for 1997 taurus' for the automatic transmission, however his vehicle was not included. *nm | |||
| 07/11/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the speedometer has failed, causing a distraction to the consumer. deale notified. *ak | |||
| 06/17/2003 | 1 | ||
| The pump that is attached to the transmission is aluminum and is causing the part to fail and overheat. while the vehicle is in drive it will not move at all and will accelerate without prior warning.*ak | |||
| 05/08/2003 | 40000 | 1 | 06/18/1997 |
| The automatic transmission failed to shift properly. *jb when coming to a complete stop at a stop light, etc., the transmission disengages, especially to the overdrive position. the vehicle won't move unless the vehicle revved. the problem can immediately be corrected by turning off the engine in park and restarting. this problem usually will occur 3-4 time per day. the dealer cannot duplicate. *scc | |||
| 07/20/2001 | 57500 | 1 | 08/01/1998 |
| Vehicle would not accelerate from a stopped position without shaking violently. 57500 miles at the time, $1900 to fix it. *ak ****dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*****749177. | |||
| 06/24/1999 | 100 | 10/01/2097 | |
| The car will not drive at 25mph without breaking since the idle will run at 1500 rpm or more. the car has been to the dealer several times but they can't find the problem. the car will continue to pull as if it is accelerating until you brake to 0 mph then idle seams ok. ford must have a problem since i have seen a lot of reports like this. i will not buy another ford product if this is what their cars are like.*ak | |||
| 09/29/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Car was at a complkete stop in a parking space, when it suddinly accelerated uncontrolable forward and stopped when it hit a tree/. *ak | |||
| 02/01/2001 | 02/01/1999 | ||
| Symptoms of problem: when car comes to a stop the clutch can disengage unexpectedly. once gas is applied, it varies in the amount of time the car will re-engage and will abrubtly lurch forward. this results in unintended and unexpected vehicle movement which can result in personal injury and property damage. i was advised by my dealership that this was a known defect in the transmission. the mechanic advised that the forward clutch piston collapses and requires the transmission to be rebuilt or sometimes replaced. the dealership has advised this defect has been corrected in later models but previous models will not be fixed unless requested by the owner at his or her expense. i did some research and there are several stories on the internet of the same failures with ford taurus transmissions at varying mileage levels, one as little as 40,000. i am concerned that the loss of engagement or unpredictable re-engagement can cause loss of property damage and personal injury. please investigate. thank you. | |||
| 04/23/2001 | 1 | ||
| Randomly vehicle races and surges forward if it is in drive. if in reverse, it surges backward. consumer stated he has had an accident because of this problem.*ak the manufacturer declined to take the responsibility for the problem. *yh | |||
| 04/01/1999 | 6 | 06/01/1997 | |
| Whenever coming to a complete stop or slowing down and pressing on brakes,vehicle will accelerate. contacted dealer, and dealer said they don't see anything wrong with vehicle. *ak | |||
| Vehicle surges, rpms will go up passing 3, and then down while in park/ idling at a stop. dealer recognized defect caused by throttle sensor unit which was replaced twice, but defect keeps reoccurring. *ak | |||
| 01/05/2001 | 0 | ||
| While driving at any normal speed power steering will kick out sometimes. also, seat belt light will come on and off/ door light will come on, and speed control will come on. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 1000 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Best way to describe is throttle sticks it is an electronics control problem but similar to older cars where auto chokes stuck, when coming to a stop engine will continue at 2500 to 3000 rpm and you have to stand on the brakes to stop. problem is ongoing and has been demonstrated to two different dealers with many visits over last two years with no result. one dealer told me that ford knows about problem but has no good fix. it is very dangerous at times as car will cruise at 30 mph with foot off throttle. it will usually idle down after a few seconds but very dangerous in garage and parking situations. also if you accelerate (as when pulling out into an intersection) and than suddenly lift off the throttle, it continues to accelerate. i nearly ran over a pedestrian who stepped out in front of me. i am not one to be to picky about cars but after researching your site, it appears this has been reported numerous times. | |||
| 07/07/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Original transmission failed at 35,000 miles replaced by a factory rebuilt dealer tranny. second tranny failed at 43000, dealer stated that no factory rebuilts were available. rebult transmission inhouse. both transmissions failed due to shifting from 1 to neutral. after the repair of the second transmission the car started to accelerate by itself . starting from a stop , pressing on the accelerator pedal the car shifts from 1 to 2 nd to 3rd , if i take my foot off the accelerator pedel the car continues to gain speed and the tach needle does not drop down but continues to stay in the 2 to 3 thousand rpm range, it i put the tranny in neutral the tach need jumps up to 3,000 rpms. *ak | |||
| 11/23/1997 | 1 | 05/01/1997 | |
| Driving at 55 mph i applied the brakes lightly and the car started to accelerate, i stepped on the brake pedal but it would not slow the car at all and it was hard to steer , the steering wheel seemed to try to pull to either side, back and forth but i kept it going as straight as i could,then the abruptly pivoted 180 degrees about the left front wheel and the car slid sideways accross the right lane and hit the guardrail with the left front corner and left side of the car. *ak | |||
| 12/22/1999 | |||
| While driving throttle system got stuck, causing vehicle to suddenly accelerate, and would not slow down, which may have resulted in a crash. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 11/24/1999 | |||
| While driving the vehicle, it seems cruise control activates unexpectedly and without warning, causing vehicle to idle and acclerate unexpectedly, and may result in a crash. dealer replaced two sensors with electronic timing and idler. problem is reoccurring. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 09/02/1999 | 3 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Surge at steady speeds even with cruise control on also when setting at a red light | |||
| 07/10/1999 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while driver was manuvering a curve resulting in the vehicle jumping a ditch,roll over and stop against a power pole upside down. nlm | |||
| 08/04/1999 | 1 | ||
| Coming to a stop at a red light and the engine racing and pulling.consumer contacted dealer. *ak | |||
| 11/21/1998 | |||
| Whenever the brakes are applied, it would have high idle & acceleration. would have to keep foot on brakes to maintain stop. had taken to dealer several times for high acceleration & idling, but problem is never found. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| While stopping vehicle will lunge forward, and may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the cause. *ak | |||
| 03/21/1999 | 2 | 01/01/1997 | |
| While driving cruise control activated, and caused the throttle to remain in open position, resulting in a crash. been to dealer, but they couldn't determine the cause of the problem. *ak.et. | |||
| 04/20/1999 | |||
| Backing up & noticed pole, shifted into drive & vehicle accelerated & hit store front. accelerator pedal could not be controlled at the time.upon impact, air bags did not deploy. *ak | |||
| 04/01/1998 | 2 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Problem is dangerous. when come to stop, engine occassionally races to over 2200 rpms. when crusing and let off gas, car idle does not naturally go down. was fixed by dealer once, now recurring. very concerned about unpredictable idle/acceleration conditions. | |||
| 04/21/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| I put my car in reverse to back out of a parking space. i hit a concrete pole which was located in the parking lot. the accident occurred when i braked to shift from reverse to drive. the car took off leaving black marks 9 feet long. i did not have a chance to hit the accelerator. the car was acting on its own. i hit the front of the store. the only thing that stopped my car was the steel door frame and the brick building. my car was still moving after i got out because i had not put it into park and turned it off. i had jumped out quickly because glass was coming through my sunroof onto me. a witness said oh my god, your car is still moving. i had to get back into the vehicle to put it into park and turn the ignition off. this proves that the car was getting fuel somewhere besides me. i feel as though the fuel shut off button located in the trunk should have prevented this accident. but it did not work; in fact, i am thinking something malfunctioned and instead of shutting fuel off the car was getting fuel wide open. | |||
| 04/20/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| Spouse backed out from a parking space and when she put the vehicle in drive the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed, and before any action could be taken she collided with a store front. the cruise control had been used the day before and there is reason to believe it was malfunctioning and caused the sudden forward movement. the reason for this assumption is that i had driven the car on a previous recent occasion, and noticed the light indicating cruise was on although i had just started the car. i thought perhaps i may have bumped it but now i am sure it was malfunctioning. this was reenforced when i talked to three other people who had similar incidents with ford products. *ak | |||
| 12/25/1998 | |||
| Recalls 97v097000/96v166000; while driving the rpm's went up, zoomed up, and the car died, coasted to the side and parked. dealer contacted, and stated the vehicle did not comply with the recalls. provide further information. *ak | |||
| 2 | |||
| Vehicle experienced sudden high rpm and acceleration on two occasions, on second incident before stopping motor the right side drive axle broke at cv-joint. | |||
| 08/10/1998 | |||
| Consumer has been experiencing problems with vehicle acceleration. while driving, vehicle would accelerate for unknown reason. vehicle has been in/out of dealer shop on several occasions . dealer informed consumer that nothing could be found. sudden acceleration has caused vehicle to be in one accident. vehicle has been repaired, but condition still remains. *ak | |||
| 09/01/1997 | 10 | 07/09/1997 | |
| Vehicle experienced uncontrollable acceleration upon coming to a stop. *ak | |||
| 07/14/1997 | 3 | ||
| When driving at night, speed control does not light up; cannot tell which button to push. has to use overhead dome light to see. *ak | |||
| 07/14/1997 | 4 | ||
| When driving vehicle & putting vehicle on cruise control, it would not light up; do not know which button to push; would have to turn on overhead dome light just to see. *ak | |||
| 03/07/1997 | |||
| Vehicle has been experiencing erratic operation with sudden acceleration. *ak | |||
| 01/28/1997 | 4 | 01/01/1987 | |
| Cause of sudden acceleration cannot be determined. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||
| 10/16/2002 | 97900 | 5 | 02/02/2001 |
| While in motion, consumer pressed on the accelerator to merge into traffic. the accelerator pedal stuck in the downward position. consumer pressed again, hoping the pedal would disengage itself but to no avail. *jg *jb | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 14 | 06/09/1997 | |
| When coming to a stop sign, accelerator locked up and vehicle sped up. consumer had to put gear selector in neutral to keep from hitting another vehicle, dealership is aware of problem.*ak the engine also revs when coming to a stop. *tt | |||
| Foot had slipped off accelerator pedal, and vehcle hit a trailer. upon impact with trailer, air bags failed to deploy. took vehicle to dealership, and was informed by mechanic that air bags were faulty. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | |||
| When at a complete stop consumer applies gas pedal, pedal goes down, but engine does not rev nor is vehicle moving forward. then all of a suuden, it will surge forward. sometimes consumer has to shut off engine to get vehicle to respond. numerous times to dealer, cannot remedy.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 2 | ||
| At early start and upon applying force to accelerator pedal, pedalsticks. also,after applying great force to pedal it goes to floorboard which causes unwanted and unexpected acceleration. consumer has contacted dealer. *ak consumer states accelerator pedal sticks in up position at idle requiring great force, vehicle lunges forward when pedal brakes free. *slc | |||
| 10/13/1999 | 15 | ||
| When applying the gas the vehicle does not move. the driver has to keep foot on gas pedal until the vehicle jumps forward. dealer says there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. in march of 1999 vehicle acted up again. brought it to dealer, claimed transaxle failed. talked to others who claimed that vehicle had a cracked pinion gear. called dealer severazl times. but dealer has not responded. *ak | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CABLES | |||
| 10/16/2002 | 1 | 02/01/2001 | |
| The accelerator stuck, when i pressed it down trying to merge on the freeway, so i pressed it down hard hoping it would pop back up, but it did not. so i held the brake down hoping this would bring the accelerator back up but that did not work either. so as a result i had to jump out of the car while merging onto the freeway, i did this while holding the brake down to slow the car up. i was not seriously hurt. my car instead of crashing into the off ramp wall decided to proceed straight onto the freeway to the center divide where the front tire stopped it. i was given a ride by a motorist that almost hit me when i jumped out the car. when my car was found the tires were still spinning because the pedal was still stuck, neither of the airbags deployed in the crash. dt | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | |||
| 08/11/2001 | 60000 | 1 | 11/15/1997 |
| Cruise control does not turn off with brake or off button. engine continues to try to make the car go 65 mph while trying to slow down. cruise control will not disengage. have not used cruise control since original incident. *jb | |||
| 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. | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - LINKAGES | |||
| 01/30/2001 | |||
| When pressing on brakes cruise control does not go off. this is caused by restraint wiring breaking off cruise control, cancelling switch. *ak | |||
| 07/16/1999 | |||
| Intermittently when the brakes are applied vehicle will accelerate. the dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 08/05/1999 | |||
| Upon starting vehicle and applying the brakes to shift into gear, vehicle suddenly accelerated up to 12 mph, causing consumer to crash into garage doors. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| 11/21/1998 | |||
| The consumer has been experiencing problems with power steering and accelerator. while driving power steering went out, and vehicle constantly decelerated and accelerated. the manufacturer has yet to be contacted. *ak | |||
| 11/23/1997 | 1 | ||
| Sudden acceleration, causing accident/injuries. *ak | |||