Faults:

Transmission was noisy when NEW. It was replaced when 2 weeks old, under warranty.

Windshield wiper comes on by itself occasionally.

This 1999 Taurus is much noisier than my 1996 Taurus, and MUCH MUCH noisier than my 1999 Camry.

The transmission is starting to make a chirping sound when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. When accelerating very SLOWLY, no noise. But under normal conditions, I get a chirp. I fear that I'm in for a repair soon.

A brake repair shop said that the rotors are just about shot (47,000 miles). He smoothed the rotors, and the brakes are working properly, for now.

The power driver seat gets stuck in the back-most position. Manually nudging it forward frees it up, until the next time.

The car began knocking EXTREMELY badly somewhere around 20,000 miles. Premium gas helped a little, but it would still knock. One Ford dealer said he could do nothing about it. Months later, another dealer did an adjustment, but that did not help. On the second visit, they cleaned the engine cylinders to remove carbon deposits. That cleared it temporarily.

After 2-3 months, the knocking returned. Another cleaning (days before the warranty expired) cleared it again.

One week later, the check engine light came on. My mechanic looked at it: EGR valve problem.

Months later, the knocking returned. Not as bad as before. It only happens when the engine has been run for perhaps 10 miles or more.

There is a spot on the dashboard, above the speedometer where the plastic layers are separating. This is unsightly, but causes no performance or safety problems.

General Comments:

The lumbar support on this car is better than on my similar 1996 model, which lacked the lumbar adjustment. But I still preferred the bench seat of my 1992 Taurus.

Acceleration is acceptable, but not exceptional.

Leg room is excellent. This car is adequate for two adults and three kids. But three adults in the back seat can only be comfortable for short-distance travel.

Faults:

About 8 months after I bought the car, the rack and pinion steering failed. It was an expensive repair, about $1,200.

Other than that and normal wear and tear, it has performed flawlessly.

General Comments:

I don't like the fact that the side view mirrors are fixed. They should be spring loaded to avoid damage when coming too close to an object.

The gas tank is too small.

Faults:

On 3/17/01- we were stranded on the side of the road when the car just quit. After being towed we were told the alternator was bad. At our personal cost it was replaced. The alternator was again replaced in August 2001. Then again the lights went dim, the dome light stayed on, the wipers went on whenever and the power door buttons just went up and down whenever. Again in August 2002 the Ford dealer replaced the alternator. Now in Feb. 2004 the same problems are happening. However 749 miles after the extended warranty the dealer is now saying that there is an electrical problem causing the alternator problem. Why was this never discovered before? Why doesn't Ford stand behind its repairmen and servicemen? I was always led to believe Ford was a better company and had better products. The 1999 Ford Taurus does have some type of system electrical/alternator problem that Ford is denying. This makes the vehicle unreliable.

General Comments:

Ford needs to stand behind the electrical problems and the cars just dying before a crash and death occurs.