4th Feb 2007, 13:06

Have a 99 taurus se wagon and consider it fairly reliable. had to replace the power steering rack a couple of years ago, and the front brake rotors turned down twice. plus one ABS wheel sensor broken, a noisy short suspension arm, and the horn sensor air bag module.

Now am working on finding a solution for a stuck heater blend door, only comes out hot now. plus was just told the rear brake rotors need to be replaced, plus the front strut bearing plates.

At 105,000 miles will try to keep it around for a couple of more years.

16th Feb 2007, 14:26

I too have the dreaded, but common problems associated with the infamous 1999 Ford Taurus. (FFV- flex fuel vehicle) No to low heat, dome light on & door open warning light, camshaft position sensor replaced, cracked/leaking coolant reservoir, & now the dreaded power steering "vomit when turned off" syn-drone. Diagnosis on power steering problem is different with every opinion I get from auto repair shops. "Needs new pump", "Needs new rack", "Needs new filter on low pressure hose", Possible hose crimp not allowing adequate flow", etc. etc. etc. Could spend serious bucks just to figure out what is wrong given what most mechanics' consider a preferred method of repair- Start replacing parts until the problem goes away. I purchased this vehicle two years ago as a cheap alternative to an SUV, but have found reliability is practically non existent since I wonder what will go wrong next. Thought $2400 for a car with 92,000 miles was a deal-WRONG.

21st Feb 2007, 08:49

I posted back on Jan 24 about my Taurus. It turns out, its not the steering pump as I thought, but it's a rack and pinion problem. Cost to repair about $700, instead of repairing, I'm trading in my car.

Over all, the Taurus has been good to me. I've had it 8 years and this is the first major problem, but I'm ready for a new car and I don't want to put more money into this one if I don't have to.

23rd Feb 2007, 10:46

I've had my 99 since Aug. of 04. I bought it with 30K on it and I've put 40K of basically worry-free miles on it.

Brake design is bad - of course

Dome light issue was easy enough.

But now I have a bad vibration and groan coming from the front end starting at 35 mph and getting worse/louder as the speed increases. At high speed the speedo needle will bounce. I think it is the wheel bearings, but need to find out.

Bummer to hear everyone has had problems. Amazing to see how many updates this complaint page receives.

14th Jul 2007, 17:52

Can anyone give me advice on purchasing a 1999 Ford Taurus? The company I work for is selling the 99 Ford Taurus next week. It has been well-maintained, 128,000 miles, inspection due in November. Looks like I can probably get it for about $1,400. I'm a bit worried at this point by reading the comments, but would like to know any additional opinions.

Please write back fast as this is going to be settled the week of 7/15/07. Thank you!

24th Jul 2007, 19:28

Sir: I have a 99 Taurus with 121,000 miles on it. I purchased it in 1993 with 84,000 on it.

This year I have replaced the idle control sensor, the transmission cooling lines for $200.00, and just got it back today from having the transmission repaired for $1,902 dollars.

My transmission specialist advised me that Ford installed transmissions with pumps that have the bushing on the wrong end. If I was to have bought a new transmission from Ford, it would have the same inherent problem. With him repairing it, I now have a 12 month, 12000 mile guarantee.

At the time of it breaking down, I was doing 35 mph and just cruising. Without any warning or sound, it just seemed to go into neutral. Shifting into any gear was useless, forward or reverse. I have seen this same problem by a lot people on these forums. I wish I would have known this a year ago.

27th Oct 2007, 08:35

I bought a 1999 Taurus in Dec 2006 for $4,000 with 30,000 miles. It came from a body shop that had repaired it after an accident, and looked like it came straight from the dealer's showroom. Perfect shape. I can't see where another driver even sat on the seat for 7 years.

Soon, I notice a really bad "clunk" when upshifting from 1st to 2nd. The mechanic tells me the subframe bushings are bad (they appear to be) : $300. Then the clunk continues, and my speed sensor gives out entirely. That's easy enough to diagnose, but the design of the transmission requires $300 in labor to replace a $100 part, but repairs the rough shifting.

Then the radiator starts leakign; the left and right sides are made of plastic and break, eventually. The mechanic had to remove much of the front of the car, it seemed, to remove this. Another $1000. Then at 50k I needed brakes and got two competitive quotes, both in the $800 range, to replace the rotors (too worn to turn) pads and drums. And a tie rod was bent, which I can't blame on Ford (I hit a curb, maybe, or I bought it this way?) so this plus an alignment plus new tires was another $1000. But now it runs straight and true and quiet. Prior to the alignment, the steering wheel was always tilted 30 degrees to the right.

Except... now that winter's here, I'm getting almost no heat, a problem that also plagues my 1991 Taurus (160k). It appears to be a complex and expensive problem to fix since the diagnostic steps I've followed suggest it's the blend valve hiding under the dashboard.

Personally, I aim for a "10c/mile" rule; i'll put $1,000 into repairs if I think I can get another 10k miles. I need to drive this car to 120,000 to 'break even" on my 10c rule. My 160k Taurus is costing me 5c/mile (100k miles on a $4,000 investment). I don't include oil and tires in this mental exercise, only mechanical and purchase costs.