2001 Ford Taurus SE 3.0 Vulcan FFV from North America
Summary:
Good Cars. Worth cheap cost at new
Faults:
This review is for 3-cars.
2000 Taurus SE 61,000-miles FFV Regular V-6 3.0 not DOHC
2001 Taurus SE 74,000-miles Non-FFV Regular V-6 3.0.
We got both cars new.
The 2000 has had the transmission rebuilt 3-times.
Transmission Rebuild
1-at 60,000-miles
2- new valve body at 60,500
3-New pistons at 61,000.
The transmission overheated due to driving the car in a ditch and busting a line. My wife got the car out of the ditch on her own and kept driving for about 13-miles, till the car would not go.
The ford dealer rebuilt the transmission due to it being severely overheated.
All they replaced was the clutches, packing, and all gaskets and seals.
The ford 12-motnh 12,000-mile warranty on rebuilds only covers parts that were replaced during the first rebuild. So guess what, we have to pay the bill.
Our First Extended Service Corporation Dallas Texas warranty denied the claim due to the fact that the transmission was rebuilt with out us notifying them. Yes they have denied all future claims on that transmission because we didn't tell them of the first claim that our own insurance company paid for.
We know that the ford dealer who rebuilt the transmission missed those parts during the first rebuild, but we have to pay. We are getting shafted.
Also the rebuild took place 200-miles from home. We took the car to our local dealer because we thought that the car had a 12/12000 mile warranty on the transmission.
They told us that if it was a problem with workmanship, that only the dealer who did the work will warranty the workmanship. So we were forced to have the car towed 200-miles. See if our home dealer broke the transmission apart and found a workmanship issue, then the warranty would not pay. We would have to pay the full bill and try to get our money back from the dealer who rebuilt the transmission. This is why we took the car back to that dealer.
Anyway on the 2000- no other problems other than a wheel bearing and the coolant tank busted. Lots of Taurus' are busting their pressurized coolant tanks. They crack and bust on the bottom and being that the tank is pressurized with the radiator, you will looses all your coolant in just a few minutes. All the coolant circulates into the tank by a hose. The tank is part of the main flow.
If your coolant tanks does bust, and you overheat and damage your engine, your warranty will not cover the cost of the engine. All extended warranties will only pay for the replacement of the tank. And that is if you can prove that you had the coolant changed on time. A ford guy told me this in the shop.
I ask him how many taurus' have been having coolant tanks bust. He said a lot. He said the tanks last about 4-years or so.
The 2001 has been a better car so far. The check engine light comes on at all times. We was told that the EGR valve is bad. We paid to have it replaced. The light stays on. Ford told us that unless it is creating a drivability problem, then we should not worry about it. HE said some Taurus are so sensitive and the light does not hurt anything.
Both cars kind of pulsate a bit when I first start them and put them into drive and take off. I guess this is normal.
The trunk will not pop up sometimes on both. Ford said that we need to clean and lub the seal. We did this and it cured it.
Just take come auromer all and run over the trunk seal. How ever you spell it.
They seem to be good cars.
No vibrations.
General Comments:
Good cars.
I wish we could get our SE's to light up the cruise control buttons. FOrd said this would cost an arm and leg.
The SEL's cruise control buttons light up.
Excellent cars for room and comfort and power.
Steering is a bit too hard. I like super easy steering.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th November, 2004
9th Aug 2005, 12:56
I bought a Ford Taurus 2001 (in 2004).
Problems so far (August 2005) :
- Ball joints had to be replaced. Price - 250$ CAD.
- 2 wheel alignments in one year (!?). I guess the reason could be the roads rather than the car, but anyway - 160$.
- One of the inner tie rods got loose, had to be replaced. Price - 50$ for the part and another 80$ for the mechanic who took 1 hour to replace it.
- Engine light went on once and in several hours went off by itself. Being a conscious driver I immediately took the vehicle to the vendor’s service. EGR valve was replaced (at least my vendor said so). Price - 80$.
- Stabilizer links both got loose. They have to be replaced too.
- The engine started losing power. RPMs are seriously dropping when going uphill. I still have not figured out the reason for this one.
- Car battery had to be changed. Price 120$ (engine power seems to have restored a bit)
- Coolant tank got busted. I hear this is a very common problem with this car. And the fact that Ford dealers are selling it for more than 140$ definitely doesn’t help.
All prices were given in $ CAD.
Warranty comment:
I purchased an extended warranty for 1500$. The dealer (Montreal Autoprix) advertised it as a "Bumper to Bumper Warranty". Scam!!! It never covered even a cent from all the problems I described so far. I already got used with the idea that I gave them 1500$ as a present.
18th Oct 2008, 21:23
"All they replaced was the clutches, packing, and all gaskets and seals."
The 2000-2007 (fourth-generation) Tauruses did not have clutches. They were all automatics (four-speed or three with overdrive, depending on how you look at it).
Just figured I'd let you know.
2nd Sep 2009, 10:38
All automatic transmission have clutches. They work like a manual clutch but are actuated automatically like the gear changes. They are wet clutches, running in oil (like a motorcycle), and the friction lining can burn or be damaged if the oil leaks out or overheats.
23rd Nov 2004, 10:39
I mean 2-cars.