2002 Ford Taurus SES 3.0 Vulcan V6

Summary:

This model has room for improvement

Faults:

The water pump failed at 66,350 miles.

An expensive shop bill as a result and an example of Ford's "quality is job 1" slogan.

This is the 3rd Ford that has had a water pump failure before hitting 100,000 miles for me. A Ford trait I guess.

General Comments:

Aside from the water pump issue, the car rides a bit rough even with good tires.

This has not been a comfortable "ride".The seats could be lot more comfortable.

Gas mileage is not great.

The hood release in the cabin does not fully release the hood.

The motor is surprisingly snappy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st March, 2006

2002 Ford Taurus SE

Summary:

A good go-to car with no frills, but not a car designed to withstand high miles.

Faults:

Electrical gremlins.

Interior light stays on for a few seconds after closing the door sometimes, other times it does not.

Driver's side seatbelt is starting to retract improperly or not at all.

The transmission started acting skippy and irregular at around 80k.

Squeaks under the hood when idling.

Some rattles around the climate control / console area, usually initiated upon acceleration.

The automatic driver and passenger side windows make an abrasive grinding noise when they reach the top from being rolled up. This happened on our other Taurus, too.

Driver side automatic window squeaks when being let up or down.

Black area appeared on the bumper above the muffler at around 40k. Does not wash off.

One day, the car would not crank. A mechanic came out and furnished no explanation, but a few days later, it would crank again. This has not happened again.

Since this car was new, a strange plasticy, almost fishy odor comes from the vents when the heater is engaged. This has not really gone away over time.

General Comments:

Thusfar, the car has produced a few minor annoyances, but nothing really serious other than the transmission at this point. It has been well-maintained and driven cautiously, so it is mildly surprising that the transmission has started giving us problems before the 80k mark. It is generally noted that Fords don't produce the world's greatest transmissions by any stretch. While I feel that the car is reliable, I wouldn't want to hang onto it after 100k miles, nor do I plan to. I think of the Taurus as a sort of "disposable" car...they're great to buy with low miles and drive for a year or two, but when the miles get high, I wouldn't want to be stuck with it.

Generally, the car is pretty quick and gets me from point A to point B without any fuss. The interior is nothing special, very basic, and the seats prove to be rather uncomfortable on long rides. The front seats have a lot of legroom, but the passengers in the back have significantly less. The trunk is very roomy and the cloth seats resist stains fairly well.

The interior lighting is pretty gloomy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th January, 2006

29th Oct 2006, 12:00

My 2002 also wouldn't start in Jan. '06. The garage said the battery was dead and installed a new one. In April it did it again. I tried to jump start it without luck. This time I had it towed into the shop. They checked it over and it started. Now I'm having the same trouble again. I bought a new alternator and that doesn't seem to have fixed it either.

2002 Ford Taurus SES Dynatec

Summary:

Goes down hill quickly

Faults:

Blower motor replaced at 38622.

In for replacement of the left rear coil spring.

Noisy air leaks.

General Comments:

Rear coil spring breaking cut a tire; could have be serious at freeway speeds.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th April, 2005

29th Aug 2007, 22:29

OMG, I have the same kind of car. I heard the rear coil springs were prone to breaking. But you pointed out that this can result in the tires being punctured! Now I'm scared to drive my car now. It's in the shop for minor body work. It's got 130,000 american miles on it.

I need to have the rear suspension replaced now after reading this. The rear suspension is already sagging anyway. It started sagging at around 90,000 miles.