Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM
98232011/23/1998603780Some vehicles with a very low odometer reading may experience a lack temperature control. *yc03/04/1999
BC103269702002/01/199751783Vehicles have a cabin air filter that must be changed every 15000 miles. *jd07/17/1997
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - CONTROLS/WIRING
0223611/25/200210008314Erratic operation of the cool/warm function of the temperature control system - repair procedure for stratification (secondary) temperature blend door. *tt07/27/2004
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE
0115608/06/2001623944Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc10/31/2001
VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
0026312/22/2000616828Some vehicles may exhibit a power window that will not operate downward because it's stuck / bound to the weathership header. *tt03/13/2001
1223812/01/1998615496Some vehicles may exhibit an inoperative power window concerns. *tt01/17/2001
530112/01/1998615406Information on vehicles exhibiting an inoperative power window. *tt01/16/2001
98251312/21/1998603651Exhibiting an inoperative power window. *yc03/01/1999
VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD
9622110/21/199650940Windshield and interior glass - fog/film. *tw06/17/1997

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM
05/01/1997
 A pungent odor is coming from the ventilation system similar to a urine smell. this odor exists anytime the ventilation system is turned on regardless of whether it is the air conditioning system or heater. in contacting the dealer i was told there is a problem with mold and mildew build-up in the ventilation boxes of the late model taurus's. the dealer indicated there is a technical service bulletin published on this issue but they won't perfrom the work because of the health risk to service technicians using the required cleaning solvent. no only is this an irritating problem, i am concerned about the health risk to myself and my family from mold and mildew spores or any other biological health hazards created by this problem. please advise. thanks. *ak
02/10/1998110/30/1998
 Defrost vent deformed.
109/02/1997
 Rear defroster slow to clear up moisture from rear window.
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - BLOWER
04/01/20021
 Defroster, heater and air conditioner do not work due to part failure, the electric motor. dealer and manufacturer were not notified at this time. *ak *yd
VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE
10/01/199823882605/01/1998
 1997 taurus heating system failed. this was caused by a failure in the radiator. *ts ***no answer required*** the radiator failed. *jb
11/01/200252000103/26/2001
 Consumer stated the heater failed. ts *jb
 A foul odor coming from the vents which cause windows to become fogged. consumer contacted dealer for this, and was told that heater core was defective. please provide further details.*ak
11/21/2000103/01/1998
 Heater core and expansion tank crack and leaks causing steam and anti-freeze smell to enter car causing poor visibilty and also nausea from smell of anti-freeze. *ak
04/01/1999305/11/1992
 Heater core replaced on two occasions due to failure, the second replacement failed also causing loss of coolant. *mjs
03/01/19990
 Coolant fluid shot out of radiator onto engine and vents, and mist appeared all over passenger's compartment. took to dealer, and dealer replaced radiator and hoses. five months later, water was leaking from bottom of vehicle, took to dealer, and they said it was related to heater core recall. dealer they replaced heater core pump assembly and core assembly. 14 months later, radiator started leaking. dealer said it was part of the same recall, but they were going to charge consumer.*ak
04/13/2000211/01/1996
 Heater core failed after 4 times and 2nd engine failed. cooling problems never found.*ak
10/27/1999311/01/1996
 The heater core is inoperable, causing the windows to fog up, obstructing the driver's view. dealer repaired the vehicle three times, and the problem still exists. *ak *ml
01/11/2000
 Dealer poured a new anti-freeze into the system which caused heater core to crack and cause fumes to enter into vehicle, steaming up the windows, and resulting in visual difficulty. dealer will replace the heater core at owner's expense. please provide further information. *ak
10/26/1999
 Heater core went out, causing coolant fluid to leak and odor/ fumes getting into the vehicle. *ak
VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR
04/13/2000204/01/2000
 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
03/06/2000
 Mother was driving and pulling into a driveway while daughter was seating in the rear with the window open only. after pulling into the driveway window bounced and came down quickly, and slammed shut into her face. *ak
VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
04/10/2008111/15/2006
 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
10/15/200332000
 The steering wheel makes a noise when i turn right at times. i haven?t had it fixed yet. sometimes my window on the drivers front won?t roll down. it hasn?t been fixed. the car wouldn?t go forward when you had to stop at a stop sign or light. the transmission has been fixed. the forward clutch piston had to be changed. i couldn?t drive it further as it wouldn?t go forward after i stopped.
09/15/200344200
 Right rear window won't always close after opening. transmission slips during low speed starts through intersection or parking lot. feels like it is in neutral. then when transmission engages, it suddenly lurches chirpping the tires.
06/01/2002107/01/2099
 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.
06/14/2001403/01/1997
 The original drivers side window motor was replaced august 3,2000.that motor failed and was replaced on august 25,2000.that motor failed and was replaced on september 26,2000.the first replacement motor was replaced with 45,431 miles on the car. all work has been done by turnpike ford of gallipolis,ohio.i have to think that their is another problem. *ak
04/02/2001103/01/1998
 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.
06/26/2000107/01/1997
 Window failure. *slc
107/01/1997
 Window malfunctions. yh
07/23/1999107/01/1999
 #1 door ajar switch,light in dash stays on and interior lights stay on while driving. #2 window did not work at all, repaired by dealer, #3 window would not roll up, took to dealer, told to take door apart and beat on motor, was able to get window up.
1
 Left power window failed. *yc
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
112/01/1997
 Driver's side window motor failed.
VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD
04/10/1998
 In warm or moist temperature rear left window is inoperative.*ak
08/01/20011
 Dome light remains on once vehicle is shut off or when doors are closed.also, driver's side rear windows work intermittently. dealer has been contacted. *ak
08/16/20011009/01/1999
 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
11/01/1997111/01/1997
 When it rains and consumer turns on windshield wipers there is a grayish fume that covers windshield, making it difficult to see, especially at night.*ak
05/31/2000411/01/1996
 This is the fourth time in seven months core has failed,safety involved in that windshield fogs on failure. *ak
04/01/1998103/21/1998
 Stress crack on front windshield.
109/11/1997
 Windshield distorted.
01/01/19981
 While driving the defroster grill reflects on the windshield, causing difficulty for the driver's visibility. may cause an accident. *ak
03/15/1998403/01/1997
 The car had been pre-inspected for lease-turn-in in jan 1999, and then remained parked until feb 8, 1999. at the time of the inspection there was no visible damage to the windshield. on feb 8, 1999, there was a large crack in the windshield, originating from the top center of the windshield, down 4 inches and trailing off 4 inches to the left. the windshield was inspected at the time of replacement, and no chip marks or trauma to the glass was found. glass installer stated that the crack was a stress failure. while driving at night both headlights went off at 55 mph. after stopping, shutting off the car and restarting, they came back on. also, the passenger side headlight become disconnected on several occasions. *ak
09/03/1998211/29/1997
 Owner noticed 12 inch crack in windshield of park vehicle. driving at approx. 5 mph, heard loud pop followed by a 13 inch crack in windshield.
 Windshield has cracked on vehicle. there has not been any trauma to windshield . the manufacturer has been notified. *ak
10/23/19961
 While driving vehicle a glare reflects from windshield, causing vision problems. *ak *jb
VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
03/01/200488000306/01/1999
 Random changes in the windshield wiper speed, regardless of setting. hazard signals failed or only one side flashing. turn signal failure (of exterior and interior console lights). failure of interior lighting to turn off after doors closed. failure of power windows (all four). short in electrical system resulting in required replacement of gem module. turn signal/wiper controls replaced. gem module replaced.*ak
06/01/2002107/01/2099
 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.
09/09/2001106/01/1997
 Windshield wiper assembly has been working intermitently for a few weeks. it has now progressed to total failure. the wiper assembly will not work on any setting.*ak
08/31/2000108/01/2000
 Intermittent windshield wipers would not work. also,windshield wipers would speed up for no reason. had to have entire signal arm replaced.*ak
12/30/1998611/01/1997
 Windshield wiper speed changes from setting,sometimes to only intermittent. occurs after windshield wipers are used for a while, and when turn signals are used. dealer couldn't duplicate problem.*ak
5
 Whenever windshield wipers are in use they would work erractically. sometimes not at all. this causes poor visibility for the driver. the switch can turn wipers on & then wipers would stop. also, transmission failed to shift into gear properly, and power steering failed to work properly when turning steering wheel. taking vehicle dealer to check out problems. *ak
09/10/199902/01/1997
 While driving on i95 during a rainstorm, i experienced a total failure of the windshield wipers when i activated my left directional signal. visibility suddenly became zero and i narrowly avoided a serious crash. i finally was able to restore partial use of the windshield wipers by switching on my high-beam headlights. i tried this procedure because the headlights as well as the directional signals are all controlled by the same handle. i believe there is a defect inside the stalk that houses the wiring for these controls. i have rarely used this car in the rain ( there has been a virtual drought in my area) and this is the first real workout of the wipers.*ak
01/01/1998
 1. windshield wipers do not always operate at the rate selected. they operate at a lower rate than selected. 2. the driver's side door light switch does not operate properly. the interior lights will not turn off for long periods of time. the driver's side door will not remain locked during this switch failure with the key in the ignition and/or the engine running.
03/01/1999109/01/1998
 Windshield my wipers will not work on any selector, but high. *ak
03/01/19995
 When turned on high speed windshield wipers work on an intermittent speed. if turned on low the wipers dont work at all. dealer can't duplicate the problem. *ak
05/01/1997
 Wipers and fluid work intermittently. have been to dealer and found nothing wrong. it's obvious when it rains and would consider it a safety hazard. please help!
 Windshield wipers fail when they are set on low speed or intermittent speed, causing loss of visibility. *ak
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
08/14/1998206/01/1998
 No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak
06/01/1997
 Windshield wipers on passenger's side were stripped due to manufacturer's defect. dealer replaced windshield wipers. also, front brake rotors had to be replaced due to shaking in steering. provide further information. *ak
06/01/199810/09/1997
 Windshield wiper changes speed on its own. changes modes when using the turn indicator. will not always go into high mode.
VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - MOTOR
106/10/1997
 The consumer states that the windsheild wipers while on high or low speed will go into intermittent mode. which started happening after he had purchased the vehicle. (each time he would take the vehicle in for repairs, it would work okay) the consumer had taken the vehicle back to the dealer and it went on intermittent mode while on high or low speed wiper mode. they installed switch part #xw3z-13359-caswitch 357698-1ea, which worked for a while, but eventually started again.-some what after repair, but less than often *scc
07/15/19981
 Consumer states that the vehicle has problems with the windshield motor wiper also states that the dealer has been notified. *mrwhile operating on high or low speed, will go to interval wiper mode. consumer has taken vehicle to the dealer several times. finally, the dealer was able to duplicate the problem and a switch was installed. some time after the repair, the problem started again, this time not as often. *jg
06/12/200110/01/1999
 Windshield wiper motor is failing/timing is off/needs new motor per my mechanic. *ak