General Comments:

Heater blows cold air. Changed thermostat 3 times, flushed 3 times forward and back, had good flow, changed water pump, clamped bypass line, heater works moderately when engine rpm high.

It can't be blend door or blend door motor as the temp controller functions normally. I believe design problem, either poor flow, but more likely air lock issues due to height relative to the rest of the cooling system not sure. I can't believe somebody doesn't have a real fix for this stupid problem.

Faults:

Power steering pump twice.

Serpentine belt 3 times.

Power steering pressure hose.

Water pump.

Rack and pinion.

Ball joints.

General Comments:

I have been VERY lucky with this car. Last Thanksgiving my wife ran to the store for a last minute item (the store is about 1 mile away.) She was gone a little while and then walked in our back door so I knew something was wrong. Well the car would not start and died on her. I got in my truck and went to look. Turn the key and nothing. Tried to jump it and nothing, Put in some dry gas and nothing. I was stumped (I know next to nothing about cars).

Well after having it towed the next day about 1 hour later we got the call. The mechanic said it is ready to go and it will be 65 dollars. I said what was wrong and he said "You ran it out of oil". I felt like a dumbass. I asked well what other problems did that cause and he said "It should have caused a bunch of problems, but we have looked over and over again and we can't find anything else wrong".

Well a little over a year later and it's still going strong.

Now, the real problem. Power steering has been an issue. 2 pumps, 3 belts, 3 pulleys and the hose all within 2 months and 2 different mechanics. Now we might be having more of the same problem.

Are 1999 Taurus notorious for power steering problems? And what can I do next?

Faults:

No heat after five years of usage - facing a heater core replacement.

I'm having this constant problem of no heat for the past five years. I had it checked by my mechanic three times, now the fourth. It was fixed at one time in 2005, but only temporarily. Then I survived two winters WITHOUT heat, believe it or not. I don't want to risk my life for a third year. So I sent it to repair and was told that heater core replacement is the only way. My mechanic said this is the problem for many Tauruses he's seen.

Is there hope for a re-call by Ford?

General Comments:

This is a generally reliable car, except for this particular problem - no heat, which can be fatal.

Faults:

Freeze plug failure around 83,000 miles.

Water pump (replaced just for GP)

Rack & pinion replacement at 90,000 miles; both outer seals failed.

Strange heating problem; only blows hot for 30 seconds... (more than likely bleeder door stuck)

Motor mount (did not fail, was worn)

Both lower ball joints (did not fail, was worn)

Front sway bar (did not fail, but was extremely worn)

Unusual coolant leak from either the coolant reservoir or one of the lines connecting it... (after a Google search, see the reservoirs on these tend to crack and leak) does make car run hot. It just weeps coolant at normal operating temperatures; annoying.

General Comments:

High maintenance car! But reliable if maintained properly.

Vehicle is surprisingly still drivable in the event of a mechanical failure.

Can handle triple digit speeds for extended periods of time.. seriously.

The 3.0 L "Vulcan" engine is extremely strong, durable, and well built iron block and iron heads make this one heavy a__ engine that's hard to blow-up.

Weak points of this car:

Definitely its transmission. MUST BE ROUTINELY MAINTAINED!!!

Its extremely over engineered cooling system that use so many Ford developed high pressure lines (which fail with age ALL the time) instead of regular hoses. Makes repairing a coolant leak somewhat difficult to find the proper part.

Secondary system (AC, power steering, alternator) will require routine maintenance and up keep.

If the manual recommends replacement every 30,000 miles, trust the part won't last much beyond that!

Easy to predict when the car will need maintenance if you pay attention.

Gas mileage on highway excellent; I squeeze 38MPG average.