1997 Ford Taurus LX from North America - Comments

- Transmission slips every so often. Sometimes not for weeks, then sometimes it does it all day (doesn't want to shift out of first). When it's slipping you have to feather the gas so it won't slam.

- Power antenna sometimes does not go up all the way or down all the way, but it's not bent.

- Replaced all the brakes when I got it, as normal, not really a problem, just maintenance. (four wheel disc brakes)

- Keypad; I don't know what or where to get the code. Looked in the usual spots and didn't find it.

- Exhaust heat shield rattles.

- This Taurus LX is almost like the SHO, has lots of power.

- Chrome alloy wheels from factory have a great finish and still look good.

- Leather seats are nice - but cold in the winter.

- Sunroof is power and is great!

- Gets almost 400 kms per tank hwy..

- For the money, it's the best car yet to date.

- NOTHING really has gone wrong with this car. NOTHING to leave it stranded.

I used to have a 1997 Sable. When it was about two years old it developed a problem where it would not shift on time when accelerating. The dealer reprogrammed the transmission and then the shifting was fine. A year later, somehow the programming reverted back to the intermittent late shifting, and I had it reprogrammed again. That fix lasted about four years until I sold it.

I miss that car and wish I had kept it, but when the babies came along, my wife insisted we get something with a nicer interior since I had been pretty hard on the leather seats with dirt, wet clothing, dogs, Kentucky Fried Chicken, tools, etc. I still think she was being a little picky, but she assures me she wasn't. The door seals had gotten a bit drafty in cold weather just from age, which I guess worried her with the babies since I usually did not warm the car up first before driving off to daycare.

The only other repair I had during our six years of ownership was the sensor for the windshield washer fluid level had to be replaced. I guess it didn't really need to be replaced if you didn't mind a light on the dash being lit all the time. Otherwise we did all the normal maintenance, brakes, oil, etc.