10th Aug 2005, 14:24

Sounds like you bought a used car without checking it out very well. It also sounds like the car got wet in the electrical components. Don't blame the car; blame the previous owner. Maybe that is why they sold it to you.

28th Apr 2006, 13:14

I just bought a 1997 Ford Taurus for a Christmas present and when I got it my service engine light stayed on. In March I noticed that my emergency brake light was coming on also. Now my front drivers window won't roll up.

28th May 2006, 07:48

These are typical problems for fords in that era. To tell someone they must not have checked out the car before buying it.. is ridiculous. We should expect minor repairs, but when companies mass produce lemons (like the 3.8 litre Ford engine that has cost so many consumers sooo much money) there should be some type of help available. Ford's CEO gets an 18 million dollar stock package. Average Joe with his constant repairs has a mortgage and makes just enough to get by each month, without all of these hassles caused by the neglect of these fat-cats. It's really sad.

2nd Jun 2006, 16:03

I received my 94' Taurus GL Sedan as a graduation gift. Overall I have to say it has been a very good first time vehicle. It has cost me money, especially with water pumps and brakes, but all in all, I love it. It has four doors lots of passenger room and it rides really nice. The paint has started to go and the interior isn't as quiet as it once was, but it gets me from point A to point B. I am from Wisconsin and we have experienced -35F below on multiple occasions almost every winter and my Ford has never failed me. It has always started! Most recently, after relocating to Colorado my Taurus has developed an "electrical gremlin" It up and died one day without warning and left me in a turn lane. Moments later it started up and hasn't hiccuped since. The cars life is expiring, but compared to my younger sister who got a 96' Contour my Taurus has been a Rolls Royce!

9th Jul 2007, 18:31

Bought my 94' Taurus GL last year--for $450.00. All-in-all I've gotten more than my money's worth. (driving it for a week would have covered that..lol)

It does have some ODD electrical problems. The radio works when it wants to, but never in reverse. The wipers go on when I turn corners sometimes and I have to flip them on and off again to stop them. The A/C works once in a while. The "Door Open" and seatbelt lights start clicking back and forth sometimes and when this happens, the power to the windows (and the lights in the buttons on the doors) goes on and off.

Very odd car, but it gets this poor college student back and forth from school and work. :)

17th Apr 2009, 20:26

My 1994 Taurus 3.8 sedan caught my lawn on fire. I put it out and didn't die. Those year Taurus didn't have a good catalytic converter shield, thus causing fires. I also had a 95 Taurus wagon that wouldn't die, it was a 3.0 much better engine. 3.0 is good, 3.8 is bad.

24th Jun 2009, 14:50

I have had a 1994 Ford Taurus for 6 years and have done nothing but fix it.

The clear coat on the whole hood has peeled off and there are other spots on the car that are starting to peel as well.

The front doors are rusting on the bottom.

The left rear window has stopped working and the knob on the lock has since broken off.

The rear view mirror has fallen off and had to be glued back on.

The radio buttons on the top of the dash have since stopped working and so has the cruise control.

The driver door has a part that comes unscrewed, causing the door to not close properly, making for a cold, wet and noisy trip.

To top it all off, it has been diagnosed as needing a new thermostat and water pump among other things that add well over $1,000 to fix.

The car is completely not worth fixing, it has been a real lemon!

25th Jun 2009, 09:18

"...it has been a real lemon!"

I disagree. After all it is 15 years old and still runs. You could say: "It is old and at the end of its useful life". That would be a reasonable verdict.

25th Sep 2009, 23:40

My 1994 Ford Taurus is fantastic! So sorry for you guys though! :)

16th Mar 2010, 13:41

I had a '94 Ford Taurus, 120,000 miles on her now... let me tell you, she was a tank in the snow with studded snow tires, and got me from point A to B...

I got a new car since then, but I loved her.

Something needs fixed on her, but I'm not sure what it is. When she has been running for a while or heats up, the transmission fluid leaks, but the transmission was rebuilt in 2001 or 2002. I decided to not get the problem fixed, and just get a new car.

They are a great first-time car, but I got a good 5 years out of her.

24th Sep 2010, 16:23

I have a 1994 Taurus, and I have had to fix just about every problem everyone listed... I will say that it is a great first car.

12th Jan 2011, 08:43

1994 Ford Taurus LX 3.8 decked out. This piece of &%*& I had purchased from my mother in law with 48,000 miles in the fall, and had another car to sell, so I drove that till it sold in a few weeks. The Taurus sat in the garage most of the time, and I would drive it once or twice every week. Then things started happening, like for some reason tons of oil would just leak out for no apparent reason only in very cold weather; a puddle (2 qts or so on the floor) over night.

The next thing was the car would idle rough after a long drive, so I took it to the dealer; they said there was a recall about the head gasket, but I was 600 miles over the replacement time, and they would have to charge me, around $1000. I could not believe it, just 600 miles and I was never notified, but then again, I was the second owner. I'm guessing my Mother in law received the recall and did nothing about it.

We drove the car as is, because the problem was livable, then real problems started happening, between 50 and 58 thousand miles, the list... 2 water pumps, transmission, right rear axle hub, and to top it off, at 58,000 miles, after driving just for 15 minutes, overheating and really rough idling / shaking. I'd had enough, and took it in. The dealer said I needed a new motor, and it really wasn't worth putting it in, because of the value of the car. He charged me $67 for telling me this, and at that point I said no more Fords ever!. This is also true with Chryslers for me; I had 2 of them, top of the line, and both cost me dearly.

I drive Toyota now, and knock on wood, with owning 3 Toyota vehicles, a combined 350,000 miles driven, and never had them in the shop or left me stranded. Ford and Chrysler left me stranded 13 times in 12 years.

22nd Feb 2011, 21:54

I bought my Ford Taurus station wagon five years ago.

I have had no problems. It is the best second vehicle I ever owned. By the way I have 380,000 km, I have put no money into this car. The 3.8 has been a good engine. All my power options still work and I still love this car.

27th May 2011, 17:35

My 1994 Taurus is making noise under the hood. Went to a local mechanic who said that one of the catalytic converters was welded due to a small hole, and that I was in need of replacing both. (I am not mechanical, but thought cars only had one catalytic converter). In any event, has anyone had issues with catalytic converters? What are the symptoms for this issue? Have never had this type of problem. Thank you.