1st Jun 2008, 08:08

I've had my 1999 Ford Taurus for close to four years now, and when I first purchased the car for $2,800 with 111k on it, I was in love. It was a huge upgrade from my 90' Nissan Stanza, and everything worked in the car properly. It ran well, looked good, and seemed like a steal. Since then, I've ran into the following problems:

- "The Dreaded Dome Light Syndrome". Gonna try the WD40 trick today.

- The loud humming when driving a speeds higher than 35mph. I'm going to replace the front wheel bearings today to see if that will help. (Thanks for that advice everyone who posted)

- Power locks, cruise control, and all other buttons on steering wheel do not work. Fuses are fine, so not sure where this problem has risen from.

- The car is not pushing as many RPMs as it should. I'll be doing 55 on the highway, but I'll only be pushing a little over 2,000 RPMs. This problem started when the humming came about, so we'll see if fixing that will kill two birds with one stone.

- It's slow to start, and every now and then it needs a little jump - I'd say maybe once every two months. Alternator has already been rebuilt, and trans has had much work done on it, so I can't imagine it is either of those two giving me the problem. It's not too serious, so I'm not worried about it.

I love this page because it showed me that most of the problems with my Taurus are common, and I'm not the only one suffering. Thanks for the advice everyone, and I'll be sure to post another comment when I complete all the tasks at hand.

Bryan.

New Jersey.

5th Jun 2008, 13:27

I have a 97 Ford Taurus sedan, and we had the dome light problem. We pulled the fuse, but we may try the WD 40 trick. Half of the time, the alarm system doesn't beep once, but twice, due to the dome issue, I think. If we fix the dome light problem, we may be able to fix the alarm issue, too. Currently, at about 101.000 miles, we have a bumping sound turning corners or hitting bumps. Ball-joint problem? We are taking it for diagnostics soon. The chirping sound seems to come from the right passenger door, only occasionally, and is not an issue. We feel the car door may have been in a wreck before, as we are not the first owners. Otherwise, this car is great. I want to drive it into the ground, because it is cheaper than making payments. Also, gas mileage is good, and the car has great headroom, legroom, and a huge truck for groceries. I think it's definitely worth it. Drives wonderfully on the freeway, with a smooth acceleration (why I bought the car in the first place).

11th Jun 2008, 11:13

To Bryan 6/1/08...at 55 MPH, the RPM's should be at 2000 RPM's. Which, actually, is quite normal for the Taurus, even though it has a 4 speed auto. transmission. And in doing so, you will get the best highway gas mileage (approx. 29mpg) that the car could possibly get going 55MPH. At 65 MPH, the RPM's are up at 2650 or over, which equals less fuel economy. Ford Taurus 4 speed transmissions are very different from say, GM. Most 6 cylinder, 4 speed trans. cars run below 2000RPM at 55MPH.

My 95 buick (4 speed auto trans.) at 70 MPH would only turn 2000RPM, and got 31 mpg highway. It's the difference in transmissions, and engine combustion. Never should have gotten rid of that car to opt for a 99 Taurus.

9th Jul 2008, 12:49

I have a 99 Taurus, 6cyl gas, 24vDOhc, that gets an impressive 250 mile to the tank. The check engine light says the EGR valve is bad. When I went to the local auto parts store they had two different valves but did not know which one to sell me. Will simply replacing this valve help the gas mileage? I have heard this is another problems that Taurus (or maybe even Found on Road Dead {FORD}) have? Anything else that I can do? Can someone please help.

6th Sep 2008, 12:08

I bought a 99 Ford Taurus and immediately started having steering problems. I was on a road trip and took it in, and a mechanic told me it was the power steering pump. It was replaced but still did not work. I went to a new mechanic that told me it was the steering rack. 300 for the pump and 800 for the rack and I still have problems. The car seems to steer fine at low speeds (below 30) and high speeds (above 55) But not otherwise. It seems to steer fine always to the left but when steering right it feels like someone is holding the wheel and suddenly it releases and turns easily. The fluid seems low but if you add fluid it just runs out the cap on the reservoir when I shut the car off. Each mechanic tells me it is the others fault of course???.

11th Sep 2008, 13:38

I own a 99 Taurus and after replacing the Alternator, there's a loud humming noise and vibration that happens at certain speeds. It gets progressively louder as I speed up then goes away at around 90km/h, then gets really loud at 100km/h. Everything started after the alternator was replaced - could it be the the belt or something else in the area?

Would this be a result of the alternator not being put back in properly, or is this a front end issue (i.e. barrings etc.)?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

26th Nov 2008, 13:15

I bought a 2000 ford Taurus at an auction. It had no engine or transmission, and it had no steering rack. I bought it for two thousand dollars.

Now with all the problems I am hearing I do not know if I should fix it or sell it for parts.

6th Jan 2009, 13:13

I bought a 99' Taurus Wagon in 2003 with 18,000 miles on it.

I had it one week when the fuel pump went out.

In 2007 with 30,000 miles on it, I noticed that my wipers would come on when I made a right turn. My headlights started to flicker, the horn would not work and the cruise control would not work either.

Here are the total repairs:

Running lights module, battery junction box rewiring, and multifunction switch. Total, $933.25.

Oh yes and I have had one ball joint replaced and 2 stabilizer pins.

Now it's 2009 and my power antenna is stuck in the up position. All told a great car so far! Dealers want between $300-$400 for a new power antenna which includes the motor and mast. My son-law solved the problem by disconnecting the motor so now I can put the mast up or down manually. Recent problem with the door ajar light staying on and the dome light too. Some say just lube the latches.