1997 Ford Taurus GL review from North America

Transmission line failure near trans. connection.

Oil Pan gasket failure - twice.

Power Steering line failure.

Intake/Exhaust manifold gasket failure.

Trans. torq. converter seal and pan gasket failure.

Stabilizer Link failure.

Rear lift gate brake light lens retainer clip failed. Water leaked inside of lift gate and has caused the gate opening latch to stay squeezed/stiff in the open position after it is opened. Have to manually push back into place every time before closing gate.

EGR sensor.

O2 sensor.

MAF sensor.

Paint peeling from wiper arms and factory roof rack (wagon).

Current problems:

Pinging/detonation occurs usually when warm and under load, but, not only then.

I had Ford Dealer work on it. Their solution was a new MAF sensor. Didn't change a thing. Tried 89 instead of 87 octane and problem is gone.

Daylight running lights are staying on.

Temporarily solved the problem by pulling the appropriate fuse.

If you are going to buy a Taurus, change your mind and buy something else!

If you insist on getting one then buy a 98 model or newer. As they will have significantly fewer problems overall.

This car has had over $5000 in repairs over the last 16 months. I have a private warranty and have about 7000 kilometers left on it. Thank goodness. I've only had to pay about 1/5 of the above amount, but, I am truly worried as this model (pre-1998) has a reputation for being below average for reliability/overall.

Positive things about this car are:

The looks, roominess, comfort, good fuel mileage (600 Kilo. to a tank, avg), versatility, nice creature comforts (GL wagon).

Negative:

The vehicle is slightly underpowered with the Vulcan 3.0, V6.

The transmission behaves erratically at slow speed and shifts hard into 2nd gear. Not always, but annoying nonetheless when it occurs most of the time.

Have a "ghost" in the electrical system.