1994 Ford Taurus GL from North America - Comments

I have had to replace the shock absorbers on this car three times in 110,000 miles, and the current ones are close to needing replacement again. The suspension design in the Ford Taurus is downright awful.

The transmission started roughshifting around 102,000 miles and is now in dire need of replacement.

The power steering went out around 106,000 miles and according to my mechanic much of the steering assembly now needs replacement.

The power window assembly on the back-left door died around 60,000 miles, and the window no longer opens or closes.

The cap on the lock of the back-right door broke off. It was not handled roughly by any means, it just came off and had to be replaced.

My parents bought this 1994 Ford Taurus in 1995 when it had only 5,000 miles on it. They later gave it to me when I got my license in 2000. The car had its first problems around 35,000 miles. Since then, it has given us headache after headache. My family has owned many cars, including the Taurus's twin, the Mercury Sable. Both that car and the Taurus have proven to be the most unreliable cars we have ever owned. The other cars we owned were Japanese cars: a Toyota Corona, Nissan Stanza, Mazda 323, and most recently an Acura 3.2TL. Those cars have been real workhorses, with few or no problems.

Ford's dealer service is horrible, every time I took it to the dealer to get a problem fixed, it came back with a new problem. I think these guys must be milking Ford for money under the warranty plan by creating new problems so the car must be serviced again.

So enough about the mechanical failures of the car... what about the car itself? The engine is not a very high performing design. It is a 3.0L V6, but it only puts out 140hp, so the design must be very inefficient. The car is not even capable of peeling out when the accelerator is pushed all the way to the floor from a standstill in the lowest gear. Handling is secure and predictable, but nothing special.

However, on the inside the car is very comfortable. The seats are soft and not all that supportive, but they are a pleasure to sit in even on long drives. Even the back seats are pretty good. Controls are all easily accessible and easy to figure out. There is plenty of space for storing things, and the trunk has ample room. I must point out the terrible design of the cup holders though. They are positioned so that putting anything in them blocks the radio controls. Plus, the design is such that nothing bigger than a can of soda will fit in them. You'll have a hell of a time trying to shove a coffee cup or a Coke from Burger King in there.

I have driven this car's main two competitors, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry (of the same model year as well as the newest versions). Overall, the Ford Taurus is a couple of notches below those two cars. There are some good things about the Taurus, but all in all I see no reason to buy this car. The Camry and Accord are only slightly more expensive, have much better designs, and are renowned for their reliability. Trust me: whatever small amount of money you save by buying a Taurus instead of a Camry or Accord, you will more than make up for it in all the extra repairs it will cost you.

My name is Tabatha Ryan from Chipman, New Brunswick and I was reading your report. To my surprise my car, a 94 Ford Taurus GL, has the exact problems right down to a tee. So if you get any results please let me know. I am a single mother and can't afford all these repairs.

My e-mail address is Tabbyybabyy@hotmail.com

We currently own three Fords one of which is a Taurus GL Flex Fuel Sedan. We were unaware of the Flex Fuel part when we first bought it. Car was great at first (despite it being used) unbelievable gas mileage too. Now it's getting poor fuel economy and I mean poor (our 85 E-350 Van gets better Gas Mileage). Water Pump needed replacing at 65,000, new Radiator at 68,000, too many problems too list here.

I own a 1993 ford taurus GL... the worst car ever produced. The whole design of the car is just downright stupid... I have replaced almost everything on this sorry vehicle. Ford KNEW about the problems with the transmissions and 3.8L head gaskets and did absolutly nothing!!! I had to have my transmission replaced at 60,000 miles and the head-gaskets just blew up... there was white smoke all over the place!!! 3.8L engines and FORD in general are just plain terrible!

I have a 1994 Ford Taurus GL Sedan (3.0 liter engine).

I had my drivers side door lock switch replaced ($50) and emergency break feedback sensor repaired ($140) at 50,000 miles.

My condenser was replaced ($400) at 95,000 miles. (I had to make three trips to the mechanic at Penske because the initial repair failed.)

My idle bypass had to be replaced ($150) at 103,000 miles.

I replaced the A/C compressor ($1,000; at a Ford dealer) at 107,000 miles.

I had to replace my radiator and water pump ($800) at 116,000 miles.

I am currently at 123,000 miles.

I am the owner of a 1994 Taurus GL station wagon, in fact it is in the shop as I type this. I have had this car for 1 year and have had to replace the serpentine belt twice already. The air conditioner compressor went out had to be replaced and it broke the belt then and just recently I had the water pump replaced and the belt had to be replaced then also. My latest delima is that the water pump got fixed and I picked up the car at the garage, I drove it for not even one whole day and the belt tensioner pully fell off as I am going down the road, luckily I was near the garage that does my work and was just able to pull off the road there. All of the trouble that I have had has come from that area of the car. As far as liking the car, I love it, I just don't know how long I can trust it. When it runs good it is a great car and then all of a sudden you have 2 or 3 things that need immediate attention, being a single parent I work 40 hours a week, but it is still hard to make so many repairs.

For many years, I have desired to own a Ford Taurus Wagon. Behold, in July of 2001 I purchased a '94 Taurus GL in wagon form. As I write this some two years later... I have my regrets. I like the overall design and appearance of the vehicle. That's where it ends. Unless potential Taurus owner has deep pockets... I would not recommend my Taurus to anybody. In 38,000 miles of ownership since July '01: the transmission, radiator, tires, thermostat, water pump, battery, windshield, rack & pinion steering, front brakes all needed to be replaced. Those are the major items. I won't include the minor items. The Taurus was my 3rd Ford in 30 years. It will be my last Ford. My next car I expect to be a Buick because they have a pretty good track record. My Dad owned a few Buicks over the years and were happy with them. Thanks for your time.

I have a Ford Taurus (1994) with 139000 miles on it. It was bought new in 1994 by my mom. It was then handed down to me in 2001. I have had nearly NONE of the problems many of you have been referring to. The transmission did go out at 110,000 miles, but other than that only scheduled maintenance has been performed on this vehicle. Tune ups, oil changes, etc. have been done when due. This vehicle has been very reliable.

The first post contained one error I would like to point out. It is a Toyota Corolla not a Toyota Corona.

We've never had any of those problems with our 1994. The back struts were replaced in ours and we've had problems with the sway bar link kits. All the power options work fine.

We had head gasket problems before and it's loosing antifreeze again now too. The transmission was rebuilt. Brakes and exhaust work is expensive.

They're a nice car to drive, but the seats aren't comfortable on very long drives.

I am the proud owner of a Mercury Sable 1994 3.8L. I have driven it 10k so far with no problems.. And it's at 92 000 now. I used to own a 3.0L Taurus and the difference in torque is HUGE. I can peel out on dry pavement no problem with the 3.8 (215 f pounds at 4000RPM) however the 3.0 would just bog out.

As for the transmission I am very nervous. My old Taurus's transmission died at 240k, which is amazing considering when everyone else's transmissions died. I just have a bad feeling that due to the amount of torque and my crazy peel out style driving my transmission won't last long!

I believe this is some good news for me, the previous owner had a head gasket failure (the 3.8L's were prone to this in the mustang, and Taurus/sable) which was covered by warranty and fixed. I was also told that they did a transmission rebuild at the same time because of the high failure rate of the transmissions, and because of the warranty coverage.

I honestly can't complain about the sable. Sure it has a problem plagued tranny. However for the price you can purchase them for, and the overall good reliability of the car, you really can't go wrong. And for you racers out there with a tiny budget (me :) ) it can kick some Honda ass lemme tell ya :P (make sure you have the 3.8, if you will be eating blue exhaust from those civic hatchbacks :P)

Anyways...for a first car or something to just get around it's a steal, I would go for it. This is my second Taurus/sable for a reason.

P.s if your transmission starts slipping or getting rough, take it in immediately for servicing!

I have a 1994 Ford taurus It is the best car in the world. I have had no problems. I bought it new I now have 134,500 miles on it. I love the car.

Cory.

Hello my Name is Nathan Johnson

I have a 1994 Ford Taurus, To be truthful with everyone on this site. Ya the car isn't that much at its best, But if you take complete car of the car you will know in the long run that it is actually a decent car. I mean I have had my ups and downs, ya I have had my share of ups and downs. But I haven't had that much of a problem for over 2 years. My mom have a 1996 ford taurus and it's a very relable car, the reason why she have had bad luck would be because she does things she shouldn't do to her car. But anyways I not saying anything wrong about what you guys have done or how you guys have taken car of your cars, But me personally I have farly good complements and my car is well tooken car of. Maybe you guys shouldn't be so ruff on cars, you have to be thankful for the car and you will got things in return. for a example if you think your going to get sick your going to get sick eventually. (and that was a honest statement from personal experience.)

I found myself shaking my head as I read the above posts. Why gripe about a car that is made to be economical? The for-mentioned Taurus's were nearly 15-20 years old, give me a break! For students and others simply working for a better life they do the job. My father is constantly working on my 1993 Ford Tempo, that is what you do with an old car! You check, change and maintain parts, come on! My car has been from California to Kansas and then from Kansas to Washington State 3 times, and it still gets the job done. It has been passed down 3 generations of family and is headed on to 4 at the end of the month. Why am I here? My next car (already purchased) is a 1994 Ford Taurus, oh yes, I'm moving up on the Ford scale! Where is it now? BEING WORKED ON, accept it and move on. If you endlessly whine about having to maintain your car it is my belief you are not suited to own a USED car- go out and pay $600 payments a month, and DEAL WITH IT!

I agree. Do any of you complainer's know anything about cars? Your talking about a ford taurus. Not a mustang. And if you're replacing the same parts over and over again in a short time, it isn't the car. It's your mechanic. Either he doesn't know what hes doing or hes riping you off with cheap parts. All replacement parts are as good as if not better than factory parts and come with a warranty. And someone paid $800 for a raditor and wator pump? Man, you got major hosed. Any used car can have problems whether japanese or otherwise. You think hondas are so good? You'll spend more than 3000 more on one than a lower mileage taurus. Ever price a timing belt or broken axel on a honda as they go often? Hondas may not break as often, but when they do, Wham, they cost big bucks to fix. Find a good honest mechanic, use the best parts and a good clean well maintened 3.0 taurus can live a nice comfy life as a daily inexpensive commuter car, what it was designed to do.

I agree with the people who say they are used cars, and things will going to go wrong with them. I first had an old 1962 ford, then a 1984 Dodge Omni which kept eating alternators. Then I purchased a new 1991 Toyota Camry; from the first 2weeks I had it It was in the dealers shop more than I could drive it till the day I traded it in for my 1994 Taurus GL wagon. Of which Iam still very pleased. It has had a few problems in its old age. I even had to neglect for a time due to lack of money. But when properly maintained it is a very reliable comfortable car for me.I think some people who have problems with their trans missions may actually have just a modulator problem,which is outside of the trasmission and not that expesive to replace. But jump to conclusions due all the bad rap given to all Tauruses. In 1993-1994 models were given different transmissions than the older models Maintence is the key for any car. And watch out for lousy machanics.

My brother has a 1994 Ford Taurus GL. He used to take his car in for an oil change on the east side of town. Every time he brought the car home, it started having problems. He took it back to them and they fixed that problem at 800.00 or more and it started having other problems.

I started going over the car myself and I found out that spark plug cables were on plugged or vacuum tubes were disconnected. These were minor things, that seemed big.

I learned everything that I could about the 1994 Ford Taurus and did the oil changes myself. from that point on we have had no problems with his car.

His car is 11 years old and has 233,475 miles on the original motor and transmission. The only major things that have gone wrong with his car was that the starter went last year and his alternator went a few months ago. We are going to do the first oil change in three years. The motor doesn't burn oil. it gets hot inside about a minute after starting the engine, even on the coldest Milwaukee days. The air conditioning works super. It gets freezing in the car within a minute even on the hottest Milwaukee days.

I call the 1994 the 57 Chevy of the 90's. I know a lot of people who have 1994 ford Taurus's, and they never have had problems with their cars.

Our Taurus was built FORD TOUGH. It has been in a t-bone accident. Our right side doors have been crushed in. The windows weren't touched or damaged. He still uses the front right door as if nothing happened to it. He's afraid to try the back right door. He thinks it won't close again. The car that hit his car, was totaled out. Their car's engine ended in the front seat. Several yellow school buses tried to make right turns from the left lane and hit his car's left front fender. Their buses were all messed up and my brother's car only got some yellow paint scrapped on his left front fender.

His car only goes through about a quart of oil a year. We never had to add automatic transmission fluid or power steering fluid. Every couple of years we need to buy new tires from Walmart's and have them put them on.

He uses Douglas tires for the front and Goodrich tires for the rear. He has never rotated any of his tires.

He still never used his small extra tire that came with the car in 1994.

His car takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

His 1994 Ford Taurus a great car.