The Taurus is a complete piece of junk
Transmission failed FOUR TIMES in the past 60k miles!
MANY other problems... CV joints, ignition module, heater core, pretty much the complete electrical system... etc etc.
NEVER buy a FORD!!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 30th April, 2005
It's old, it makes a great work car
Well, I bought the car as a work car. It has problems such as the A/C doesn't work, and the transmission shifts hard from 2nd to 1st, and a oil leak from the front seal. But hey, the car is 17 years old and is still running and getting me to point A to point B.
Quiet, comfortable smooth ride.
Good on gas.
Still running after 17 years with over 155000 miles on the engine and transmission.
Heck of a car for the $500.00 I paid for it.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th March, 2005
Reliable and Comfortable
Replaced alternator at 165000 Km... (Diodes died)
Re-built transmission when bought at 115000 Km.
The transmission was noisy when I bought this car.. spent a couple hundred bucks, and no problems since. The previous owner and I have performed the routine maintenance required, and as a result the cars starts, drives, and looks great. The 3.0L provides good power, and is a real workhorse. It's very comfortable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th January, 2005
Should have just thrown my money away
Basically everything that could!
A few fuel pumps.
Two starters.
Fuel gauge.
Radio light.
It rusts like bare metal.
Almost every plastic part on this car is cracked.
Hood supports.
Right now the car has various unsolved problems.
It rattles during acceleration.
It struggles at speeds over 50 mph.
Sometimes the heater will not work.
Somewhere there is a bad connection to the turn signal, as these do not always work.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 12th January, 2005
They do not age very gracefully
The clear coat started coming off the car in around 1996. By the year 1999, there was no clear coat left on the top of the car and the color coat was fading away to reveal the primer.
Rust started to appear on the door handle at around 1995. The quarter panel had rust holes in it in the year 2000.
CV joints at 70,000 miles.
The lightbulb in the radio, the lightbulb in the clock, and the Air conditioner failed at 70,000 miles.
The alternator generates too much electrical interference on the AM radio.
Complete brake overhaul (calipers, cylinders, rotors, drums) at 80,000.
Water pump, heater core, transmission gasket and a rear suspension part all failed in rapid succession at 90,000 miles.
The CV joint failed a second time.
The passengers side rear power window seized up and wouldn't roll down.
The power seat, only moved extremely slowly.
The power locks only worked on the driver side.
The rear doors became very difficult to open because the door mechanism was gummy/rusted.
A well known transmission defect started to occur at 110,000 miles. I decided to get rid of the car.
The 3.0L Engine is very reliable and never required any work.
The transmission was always a bit strange in the shift between 1 and 2. The cracked aluminum piston defect in the transmission started to make its presence known when the car would rev into neutral after a sudden stop.
What I couldn't stand about this vehicle was the clear coat delamination. It made the car a horrible eyesore for many years. Most darker colored fords in that era had the exact same problem.
Replacing the light bulb in the radio required that I tear my whole dashboard apart. The light bulb was custom and cost me $20.00 at the dealership.
I think the doors have water penetration issues which causes the failure of the power windows, door locks and door mechanism.
I can't imagine that there are many 1989 Ford Tauruses that are in anything but poor condition today.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 15th September, 2004
All I can say is...AMEN! I have an '89 with many of the same problems, including the radio light. The car is rusty and requires repairs often.
I have an '89 Taurus L wagon with the 3.0L V6, which I bought new. It's been a workhorse and surprisingly, I have not yet had any major repairs. The car looks like hell because of the paint fading off and rust on the bottom of both front doors. The car has 137,000 miles. I have had to replace the A/C compressor twice and the heater core twice. Also, about five years ago, the car kept stalling at speed. I finally found a mechanic who diagnosed the problem - it turned out the be a malfunctioning sensor attached to the cooling system that thought the car was out of coolant and kept shutting the engine down. The trans is starting to slip a little in city driving, but it runs fine on the highway. I'm sure I also need some suspension work. The car is very handy to have as a spare with its huge cargo area, so I plan to keep it going as long as I can. For fun, I drive my 2003 Maxima. Vroooooooooooooooom!
30th Jan 2005, 16:06
I have an 88 Ford Taurus that runs and drives great. This is my 3rd Taurus and I enjoy these cars very much. Comfortable to sit in and drive short or long distance. I will buy another Taurus soon, but It will be much newer.
I do have a problem with my current car though. When it gets hot, the engine cuts out and eventually dies, and then is not able to start, but when it cools off, it is fine again? Anyone have any idea bout this?