1998 Ford Taurus Wagon SE review from North America
"I would not ever own a Ford Taurus again"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
At first my Taurus Wagon seemed like a nice car.
After I had the car for one week, I went through the car wash. The rear brake light fell off! Took it to the dealer and they told me that wasn't covered. So, I took it to another Ford dealer, and he couldn't believe it, he said it is covered bumper to bumper for 3 yrs/30,000 miles. He glued the part back on in 5 minutes.
One month after we had it a piece of the luggage rack flew off as I was on the freeway (we had never even used the luggage rack. Over the past four years various plastic pieces have "broken" off.
One year later, we were attaching a bike carrier to the rear and the rear hatch door cracked (apparently that is cheap plastic also).
Last winter (03) had the heater thermostat replaced ($125 repair) only to have no air conditioning come summer. Now it is winter 04 and no heat again. My husband replaced radiator hoses, thermostat, radiator reservoir- still no heat.
Dome light sometimes won't shut off, or a couple of miles down the road, dome light will shut off and doors will lock.
Once when the car was running, I shut the hatch and the doors locked with the car running and my baby inside!!!
General comments?
Thank god the car hasn't "broken" down and left us stranded, but the constant repairs are getting old.
We will never buy another Ford ever again. Cheap, cheap, cheap.
Recommended reviews
| Great handling, poor reliability |
| An embarrassment to modern automotive engineering |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 13000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 80000 miles |
| Previous car | Chrysler Concorde |
| Date of Entry | 29th November, 2004 |