Faults:

Brakes - replaced rear at 47000.

Heater blower/fan motor - mechanic showed me the Ford circular (not a recall) on water damage causing fan motor failure (shorting out). Fix requires a Ford manufactured shield to divert rain from fan motor. Apparently only 2001 model is affected. Fairly expensive (>$300) to repair.

Recall for potential front spring failure (I experienced no problem)

General Comments:

2001 incentive was free leather seats - nice, but slightly impractical for a "utility" car (dogs, kids, etc)

Traction control and ABS handle New England weather.

Decent gas mileage and performance.

Lots of wind noise over 80 mph.

Poor resale value - buy one to keep forever.

Faults:

No problems.

General Comments:

This is the third Taurus Station wagon that I have owned, the previous cars were 1987 & 1996. I put about 130,000 km on each of the other cars with no unusual problems, front brakes had to be rebuilt but all the other work was minor. The 2001 car has proved to be comfortable, handles well, good brakes and the Vulcan engine is completely reliable.

It has the best roof rack of any car, and when the back seats are folded down I can sleep in the back.

Faults:

A ball joint and the stabilizer links needed to be replaced at 55,000 miles. It was fixed on the extended warranty, which I recommend highly.

Brakes wore kinda fast, they were replaced at 55,000 also, but didn't need it right away.

General Comments:

Overall good family car for the price. Reliable and a smooth driver.

Motor reliable, but a little mean on gas and it spark knocks on hard acceleration. The flex fuel only means a pretty badge on the fenders to me. I would recommend the duratec since the 3.0 is pretty slow.

Tires on it sucked! I replaced them with Goodyears and it was a big difference in traction and ride.

With regular maintenance and some care the Taurus is a good car.

Faults:

The brakes have come to squeal regularly, and though we have had them done, they continue to do so.

The turn radius is such that it requires a 3-point turn on a normal 2-lane or neighborhood street.

The car's turn signals tend to shut themselves off to our frustration. I think that is a safety issue. There are certain angles of the steering wheel (very commonly used angles at stops) where the signal will not stick on. It just comes right back to center position.

This is a low car, and sometimes that limits your visibility on the road.

General Comments:

The car is dependable, powerful, front-wheel drive and great on snow. It has an uncanny ability to pretend it's a truck, e.g. carrying rocking chairs in the back seat, bringing home a new bed on top, etc. Safe seatbelts, dual front airbags. Front & rear defrost work superbly.

It's extremely family-friendly and child-friendly; there is plenty of room in the back seat, and it has six child-restraint latches plus 3 top anchors. Its seat slope is appropriate for most child carseats. The car has a large storage capacity, including large trunk, large glovebox, large center console, and a cupholder that makes allowance for a handle on your cup.

Its stock sound system is clear, with realistic voices and enough bass. It has great pickup, the heater is strong, the seats are comfortable with plenty of legroom.

The car feels well-built, heavy and sturdy, but not unwieldy. Fully loaded with adult passengers, the vehicle still maneuvers easily and has good pickup. It's a low car, flat and not likely to roll over. Easy to drive!