Electrical gremlins.
Interior light stays on for a few seconds after closing the door sometimes, other times it does not.
Driver's side seatbelt is starting to retract improperly or not at all.
The transmission started acting skippy and irregular at around 80k.
Squeaks under the hood when idling.
Some rattles around the climate control / console area, usually initiated upon acceleration.
The automatic driver and passenger side windows make an abrasive grinding noise when they reach the top from being rolled up. This happened on our other Taurus, too.
Driver side automatic window squeaks when being let up or down.
Black area appeared on the bumper above the muffler at around 40k. Does not wash off.
One day, the car would not crank. A mechanic came out and furnished no explanation, but a few days later, it would crank again. This has not happened again.
Since this car was new, a strange plasticy, almost fishy odor comes from the vents when the heater is engaged. This has not really gone away over time.
Thusfar, the car has produced a few minor annoyances, but nothing really serious other than the transmission at this point. It has been well-maintained and driven cautiously, so it is mildly surprising that the transmission has started giving us problems before the 80k mark. It is generally noted that Fords don't produce the world's greatest transmissions by any stretch. While I feel that the car is reliable, I wouldn't want to hang onto it after 100k miles, nor do I plan to. I think of the Taurus as a sort of "disposable" car...they're great to buy with low miles and drive for a year or two, but when the miles get high, I wouldn't want to be stuck with it.
Generally, the car is pretty quick and gets me from point A to point B without any fuss. The interior is nothing special, very basic, and the seats prove to be rather uncomfortable on long rides. The front seats have a lot of legroom, but the passengers in the back have significantly less. The trunk is very roomy and the cloth seats resist stains fairly well.
The interior lighting is pretty gloomy.
Sounds like you bought yourself a Flood Damaged Vehicle to me. You should have had an Independant Inspection performed prior to purchasing this sorry Vehicle.
My 2002 also wouldn't start in Jan. '06. The garage said the battery was dead and installed a new one. In April it did it again. I tried to jump start it without luck. This time I had it towed into the shop. They checked it over and it started. Now I'm having the same trouble again. I bought a new alternator and that doesn't seem to have fixed it either.
I seem to be having a similar problem with my 2002 Taurus. Right after I purchased it in 2005, I drove it to lunch with no problems and no indication that there were any battery problems on the horizon. I went to start the car after lunch and the engine wouldn't turn over - not even catch like it was trying to start. Since it was just a month after I bought the car from the dealer, they paid for the cost of towing and replaced the battery at no charge (Thanks, Carmax!) Since then I had no problems starting the car. Now, here I am less than 2 years later and once again with no apparent warning, the car won't start. All electrical systems are working - windows, radio, door locks, power seat, etc. but it just won't turn - not a whirring, not a grinding, no rrr rrr rrr - nothing! I just think it's really weird that there would be no warning that the battery is dying or the charge is running low. I have it sitting on a battery charger right now and hope that by morning, there's enough charge to start it, get to the nearest parts store and get an new battery! Anyone have any thoughts?
If you buy a car with guages instead of lights... you will be warned what is wrong.
Could it be a bad ignition switch? Sounds like bad contacts in the switch to me.
When you get the new battery get the charging system checked as well. This might lead you to a weak ground connection. Then have everything turned off, I mean everything including that light bulb under the hood, and check the battery for any draw. This might lead you to a short, or a failing body control module or something like that.
Good luck.
I've had the same "no start" issue with my 92 Toyota Corolla. By trial and error, I've learned that if you move the gear shift lever it goes away. It turned out the "neutral start switch", a device that only allows the starter to spin in either P or N, has to be tuned up. It's tricky, so I just briged the terminals in the connector with household aluminum foil. Works ever since.
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