2000 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 V6 from North America

Summary:

Most likely you will have quite a few problems

Faults:

At about 40,000 tires, and rear brakes were shot and the front brake rotors were damaged.

Engine knocks unless premium gasoline is used. Dealer said there is nothing they could do.

Trunk often will not open with the button inside or with the keyless remote.

On three occasions the car died for no apparent reason. Since the check engine light did not remain on, the dealer cannot figure out why - scary!

Fuel filter was clogged causing the car barely to run and it was quite expensive to replace.

Electrical problem with brakes that caused failure of the car to shift out of park, the brake lights would not work and the brakes failed to turn off cruise control.

General Comments:

I have never had so many problems with a car in such a short amount of time. I like the size and style of the Taurus, but I think I should have bought another manufacturers car.

I previously owned a Ford Aspire (which was actually made by Kia). I had it for seven years and only ever had to replace the battery, brakes and tires.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2002

11th Nov 2003, 23:36

Actually, the Aspire WAS made by Kia!!!

Hyundai only recently acquired Kia. Check your facts next time before you attack someone else!!!

Oh yeah, Kia made the Festiva too. Den.

And YES I know the engine's a Mazda.

10th Sep 2004, 23:07

I have a 2000 Taurus SEL and I have no problems with it knock on wood. You must just have a lemon. Your car must have been built on a friday lol.

18th Mar 2005, 08:21

On the engine knocking problem, I had same issue. Dealers (tried two different dealers) couldn't find anything. I took a guess and replaced egr valve. Problem fixed.

16th Jul 2006, 22:18

It may not be of any worth to anybody, but I went through a bunch of lectures from Kia about the history and the cars produced by them for quite a while.

Kia made the Festiva, true. Fairly decent car, but not great.

Kia designed the Aspire, but Ford manufactured it. Kia supplied the engine, transmission, and pretty much the whole list of parts on the car.

This is what "Kia" claims, and I quote their factory rep. It may or may not be true.

2000 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 OHV, non-FFV from North America

Summary:

A nice car--but do yourself a favour and get the DOHC engine

Faults:

The engine knocks in warm weather using 87 octane fuel. The car has been back to various Ford dealers five times for this problem, but it just won't completely go away. Ford replaced the mass airflow sensor once, cleaned the sensor another time, reprogrammed the computer three times, changed the fuel filter, decarboned the combustion chambers, and changed the engine coolant. Though the spark knock hasn't completely gone away, the car performs MUCH better now than it was new, even if I do have to use midgrade fuel. The car also gets better fuel economy using midgrade fuel, so it's not a significant additional expense.

The original Continental tires caused a vibration in the steering--after several balancing attempts, I gave up and replaced them with some Goodyear tires from Wal-Mart.

The brake rotors warped and were replaced under warranty at about 30,000 miles.

The front stabilizer bar bushings failed at 40,000 miles.

General Comments:

Except for the engine troubles I've experienced, I've found that the 2000 Taurus is a nifty, well-thought-out vehicle. The dashboard, controls, and gauges are especially well-designed.

The power driver's seat with lumbar support is comfortable.

The standard stereo does a fine job with jazz and classical music, and also has an excellent AM tuner--the best I've ever experienced in an automobile.

The cruise control with +/- 1 MPH set/coast is very convenient and accurate.

The trunk is generously sized and usefully shaped.

The Taurus gets better fuel economy than the much smaller, automatic-equipped Aspire I traded in for it.

The only complaint I have, other than the engine maladies, is that the upholstery material seems too fragile for a family car. I've hauled some cardboard boxes for a short distance on the rear seat and the edges of the boxes left permanent mars in the upholstery.

A prospective Taurus buyer can avoid the spark-knock issues that I and other Taurus owners have faced by getting a car equipped with the uplevel DOHC engine instead of the standard engine. I haven't heard of any problems with the DOHC engine. If you plan on towing with your Taurus, the DOHC engine gives you 500 more pounds of towing capacity--1750 versus a measly 1250 for the standard engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2002

6th Mar 2003, 10:49

My 2000 Taurus has the DOHC 24 valve engine and still has some of the same problems you described! I have had it in the shop numerous times this winter for a whistling sound that no one can figure out what it is. I had engine, rear axle and transmission seal leaks at 33,000mi. The engine blew at 51,000mi! Now, at 62,000mi it started getting only 18-20mpg. I was up until this time, getting 26-28mpg.

I'm now going to have the transmission fluids changed and a new fuel filter put in. Hopefully that helps. Anyone know what the whistling could be? It sounds like it is sucking air... but the EWSD computer at Ford showed no problems.