1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L 145HP Vulcan V6

Summary:

A comfortable car, both for short commutes, and long road-trips

Faults:

So far, nothing major has gone wrong. Everything that has been done to the car has been covered by manufacturer warranty. The only problems I am having now are my secondary power port (passenger-side knee) and the rear driver's side window doesn't work anymore. Both are minor annoyances that will be addressed by my Extended Service Plan (I am waiting for something major to happen to justify the $50 deductible).

General Comments:

The car (my second Taurus now) treats me well. I have friends who have other cars in the same price range/class who had problems far worse than mine. The car is easy to drive, easy to maneuver, and a great value for the price. My next car will be a Taurus.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th January, 2003

1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0

Summary:

At Ford quality is no longer job one.

Faults:

Electrical problems when new. After multiple tries diagnosed as defective connector in dash behind radio.

Steering rack had to be replaced at around 15,000 miles.

Heater core at approx. 33,000 miles.

Visor clips have broken at least twice.

Center console vinyl separated from console top.

Center console top broken.

Cigarette lighter fell out of ash tray back into console. I am non smoker.

Presently at just over 46,000 miles auto door locks do not work and heater does not work.

Right front pass. seat (leather) loosing color appears to be a bad piece of leather as does not meet quality/appearance of rest of seats.

General Comments:

Too many problems and failures for a well maintained, clean car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2002

13th Sep 2004, 14:48

I bought a used '99Taurus with 90,000 highway miles. I am disabled and only drive ab. 6,000 miles a year. I've had it 13 months now with the the following problems: Replaced rack and pinion (OUCH!), emergency brake seized, electrical- wipers coming on for no reason, overhead light comes on/stays on, automatic locks click on-off while driving and recently cruise cuts out and disables speedometer! Never again Ford. For me it's Fix Or Repair Daily.

1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 V6

Summary:

An excellent family car.

Faults:

The check engine light came on when I first purchased the car for a loose gas cap. (dealer no charge)

Battery went at 26500 replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

We have taken several cross country trips car performs flawlessly.

Seats not as comfortable as when we first bought it.

Excellent car for money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th December, 2002

22nd Sep 2005, 21:32

Update! I still have this car. I replaced the coolant reservoir ($35.00) at 87000. I recently replaced the water pump ($55.00) at 95000 miles. Also replaced the battery and alternator($135.00 total) at 90000.I am at 98000 now and don't expect any major problems.All of this seems pretty standard to me. Less than $500.00 dollars over almost 6 years and 75000 miles is fine by me. Judging from all the other reviews I guess I got a good one. No rattles, a few accidents and the car still looks good and rides beautifully.

28th Sep 2005, 20:13

So... where did you find the coolant reservoir? My 1998 has just split in multiple places, 80,000 miles, and my in-laws had to replace theirs as well. Can you find them on line?

1999 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 V6

Summary:

A fast beauty!

Faults:

The only thing that was wrong with this car when we got it was front end problems. After I got it it got backed into and a kid ran out in front of me. I made sure they both paid for the damage.

General Comments:

This car has been a great car. The car is black with a sunroof and has a remote keyless entry/alarm. It also has aluminum plushrd rims. The 3.0 V6 gives it a lot of pickup. It can burn rubber big time, and it is save for teens and comfortable for elderly people.

I love my car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th December, 2002

1999 Ford Taurus SE

Summary:

A low-performance rip-off

Faults:

My front rotors were warped within 2,000 miles of purchasing the car.

Power steering fluid leaked and caused the need for replacement of the pump at 60,000 miles, 61,000 miles, and 62,000 miles.

Steering rack needed to be replaced after 59,000 miles.

Dome light and door ajar warning would not shut off after 63,000 miles.

There were also alternator, battery, and starter problems around the time of the steering rack problems. There were no signs of problems previous to this.

General Comments:

When purchasing this car it appeared to be a very decent, quiet, and comfortable car. However, I have been informed that many of the '99 models have had power steering and steering rack problems.

Many newer Fords have had problems with the dome light/door ajar warning and there is not a dome light override switch.

Many Tauruses have also had front rotor problems before they should.

This is not a good for the money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th December, 2002

1st Feb 2003, 23:01

I've got a 99' LX Taurus. What's gone wrong? Read on:

1. When I bought the car new the cruise control did not work. 10 miles.

2. The multifunction switch would turn on the windshield wipers intermittently while driving & hitting small bumps. 2K miles. This was a big joke with everyone I took to lunch & shuttled around town, they all would comment on "there goes that automatic dust removal system". HA HA HA...

3. It developed, & still has, an annoying "rattle" that comes from behind the headlight switch. I broke the first switch & the dealer replaced it with a new one. That one started making noise shortly thereafter. I've given up on this one & have decided to just live with it. 8K miles.

4. Front rotors started going at about 20K miles. Finally after I couldn't take the wheel shake any longer I did replace the front brake pads & had the rotors resurfaced. 40K miles. All the machine shops I took the rotors to advised me that they couldn't machine them down because they were already worn down so thin that they were under specification. All, but one shop, that is... I couldn't believe that this would happen to original rotors, "virgin" rotors, if you will. They all told me I could thank FORD for that, going as cheap as they could get away with.

5. The seat belts in mine went too. Just like everyone else's. It seems they went as cheap as they possibly could here too. Fortunately, I had a dealer replace all of them at 35.9K miles, just before the factory warranty expired. Still it's frustrating to have to deal with being without wheels, for any given amount of time, because of something that should have never given out in the first place.

6. I just hit 60K miles & now I too have the dome light issue I'm reading so much about. This problem is compounded by my after market alarm now not arming itself because it thinks one of the doors is not closed. I'm going to "lubricate" the door hinge area, where I understand the switch has been relocated to, and pray that this resolves the current issue.

7. Just recently, 50K miles, I've noticed a worry-some clunking (or something feeling loose & knocking) at very low speed while making turns into driveways. It feels like something on the front end is working itself loose. Something with the front suspension or drive train...??? Time to pray again…

As for the positives on this car:

1. It's never left me stranded.

2. The 200-horse power duratec is spunky & yet averages an acceptable mpg output.

3. It does well in cold, snowy, & icy conditions. That is, with the front wheel drive.

4. It is fun to drive & does handle well.

5. The Motorcraft battery is still cranking, 4 years later. Sometimes in below zero wind chill weather.

6. None of the bulbs have burned out yet. Knock on wood.

7. I've only waxed it once & the finish is still great looking. That's more than I can say for the 98 other brand I own.

To sum it all up, overall it's been a good car. It still is a good car. Would I buy another FORD? Sure. In a "HEARTBEAT", oh wait a minute, that term belongs to another brand. Oh well… I believe that no matter what type of car you buy, you're going to have problems. What's important is how those problem are handled, & how quickly they can be resolved. If more people came forward about specifics maybe the car companies would pay more attention.

Sure the foreign car companies have much better track records, but look at the intensive maintenance schedule/process, & look at how much that schedule costs. The average Joe would be challenged to keep up with it.

Sign me,

PRO AMERICAN CARS & TRUCKS.

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