Faults:

Since I have had the car, I have had to replace the following:

- windshield wipers.

- a mechanism inside the steering wheel column that prevented the windshield wipers from working.

- the rear license plate light.

- the battery.

The cruise control is faulty - the Check Engine light comes on every time I try to use cruise control. I have not yet had this fixed.

Other faults:

- The paint job is extremely faded due to the sun.

- The car has several rust spots and scratches on it.

- The bottom rubber liner to the front driver's side door is constantly coming loose and hanging outside of the car.

General Comments:

I've had to have relatively few and minor repairs made to the car, but it isn't in very good shape.

It was/is my very first car, and it does a good job of getting me back and forth to high school across town and for short trips.

However, I would not trust it to take me back and forth to my university two hours away, and am currently looking for a replacement car.

On the up side, it doesn't take much gas to fill it up.

Faults:

Transmission busted after 3 weeks of purchase.

1 year after changing transmission (1600$) with oil cooler, it busted again.

Hard shifting, feels like you are driving a dune buggy.

Gas tank leaks when full.

Cracking sound in direction,

General Comments:

First of all, it is the worst car I've ever owned. I will never buy a ford product again.

The 4 speed transmission on the Taurus/sable is a piece of crap.

It has very poor gas mileage.

Please...never buy a Taurus unless you are a mechanic with a lot of time to spare.

Faults:

Transmission replaced just after I bought it.

Tire rod ends replaced twice.

Fuel pump went.

Rusting out all over.

Engine light on continually.

Replaced computer chip for engine flooding itself out.

Air conditioner not working.

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable inside, lots of room and good on highway.

The cost of repair is extremely high.

The car has been reliable in the sense that it starts even in very cold weather, but major things always going.

Faults:

Minor normal repairs, that tend to arise.

Struts needed to be replaced at the time I acquired the car.

The odometer stopped working around 130,000 miles. It now reads error. This car is equipped with a digital dash board.

Head gaskets blew at 128,000 miles. If this repair is not done correctly, the lower end of the engine are at SERIOUS risk - especially on the 3.8l, due to the long crankshaft stroke.

General Comments:

NOTE: This car was modified for oval track racing. I drove the car for a year before converting it into a "pure stock" class race car.

For a family/business sedan, the car handles beyond my expectations. All steering and suspension parts are put under EXTREME stress in this situation. So far we have had to change only the rear struts (due to normal wear), and a tie rod (due to a collision).

The AOD transmission is known for it's poor reliability. We have had no problems with this transmission so far. With the recommended services performed, it has proved valuable during its 2 years of pounding.

In its stock form, not considering reinforcements added, the car is very structurally sound. We have gotten into several hard impacts and the vehicle has stood up well.

NOTE: The 1986 - 1991 Taurus did undergo a recall, and some cars have NOT had this performed. The bolts that attach the uni-body to the front sub-frame were not zink coated, allowing them to rust. This causes the sub-frame to rust and allows the bolt to pull though the floor. When this happens, the vehicle's front member is detached from the car, losing all steering and possibly braking controls. It is very easy to check to see if this recall has been performed. If you pull the carpet back on the passenger side floor board, the will be a plastic plug in the shape of a circle, approximately 2.5 inches in diameter. If this plug is not there, the recall has NOT been performed. In this case, call your local Ford dealership and they will be happy to perform this on your vehicle. They did it on my Taurus for no cost.