Faults:

Car lights flashed off and on - had to replace battery and alternator at 25,000.

Steering has been whining since purchase.

In August 2010, rear axle had to be braced and welded due to cracking - before the recall!

The van still rattles and sounds like it is going to fall apart. People look at me when I drive by.

Recently the noise on turning became awful.

Today, September 7,2010, the mechanic told me the rack and pinion steering has to be replaced.

In addition, the gas mileage is not even close to what the manufacturer said it would be.

We also own a 2000 Taurus and 2002 Taurus. We had to replace the transmission on the 2002 at 56,000.

General Comments:

The car is a money pit.

Faults:

Replaced transmission a year after we bought it.

Replaced front window motors numerous times.

Replaced rotors.

Replaced fuel pump.

Replaced brakes a few times.

Replaced alternator.

Speedometer and odometer, heat and air are not working.

General Comments:

Worst purchase we ever made.

It is currently not running after replacing the fuel pump.

The heat and air, speedometer and odometer are not working.

The interior is OK, but not very roomy in the back. With a carseat and a booster in the back, the child in the middle is very cramped.

The captain seats in the second row seat slant in a way that make long trips uncomfortable.

The van is paid for, so we are hoping to fix it and drive it a little longer.

Faults:

Only replaced one front driver's side hub.

General Comments:

We have had this van for 4 years now, it has been very reliable.

Doing the brakes and the front driver's side hub were the only repairs we have needed to do.

The kids love the entertainment package, keeps my head clear when driving.

For a family van it hauls ass, but you pay for it in the fuel mileage. Averaging around 18-20 mpg (city/hwy combined). Would buy another one if the gas mileage was better.

Faults:

Rear door power locks are sometimes intermittent.

Right rear door wiggles in its mounts when closed and driving (I suspect this is because of the seatbelt buckle being closed in the door several times by accident).

Check engine light has been on for about 100,000km.

Tire pressure monitor not entirely reliable (do it the old fashioned way - use a tire gauge!)

6-CD changer got confused and stopped playing (or ejecting) discs - replaced by JVC.

General Comments:

This is actually my in-laws' vehicle, but I've been doing some maintenance on it and have had enough seat time to tell the good story. I know so many others have had problems with their vans, and maybe they got one of the good ones (a Tuesday car?) but it helps to tell the other side of ownership. Yes, brake parts are expensive, but they are pretty sizeable units for a van this heavy. The transmission has been solid and reliable, without so much as a hiccup since they bought it in Jan. 2002, and to my knowledge they have not had the tranny fluid flushed since new (I'm not advocating that!).

As for the electrics in the door; there is a service bulletin on that regarding corrosion in the wiring under the plastic sill plates, so it doesn't hurt to pop those off and give a cleaning. One dealer near me sprays the floor and metal under-plate with a rust paint to keep it from going bad again, and also checks the drain holes underneath (some were mistakenly filled with sealer either at the factory or by undercoating, which lets water stand on the wires.) WD-40 is a good tip too. Anyone with brake light problems: be aware that there are bulletins from NHTSA and Transport Canada regarding brake fluid possibly leaking into the electronics and also into the cruise control module wiring. We haven't seen this problem ourselves.

We took a family trip to Florida from London Ontario (over 5000km trip) with 4 adults and 3 kids, plus all of our luggage, and the van consistently returned 22MPG and never had a problem maintaining at least 110km/h, even through the mountains of Tennessee. No transmission problems happened at all, despite being (my guess) over the GVWR for the whole trip. It did not lack for power or search through the gears at all. In fact the only problem we had was right before we left town, when a piece of glass punctured a tire before we got to the highway.

This van has been solid and reliable enough that my wife and I are looking at getting our own this week. I am a mechanic myself and will of course be checking our prospect with a fine-toothed comb, but I'm optimistic that the 2001 we are looking at will be OK. I've talked to the dealer's mechanic (we have a mutual friend) and am confident that I'm getting the straight goods from him. Best advice for anyone having trouble with all this stuff: check NHTSA and Transport Canada for recalls (some dealers may not be doing the recall work, or could be charging you for it) as I know for a fact some models are affected by issues relating to the sliding door function. Research the heck out of your problems, and if you're not happy with one dealer, try another! Don't forget that you can get the federal agencies involved for safety issues ( but likely, not transmission issues).