24th Dec 2007, 13:52

Has any one had any problems with the anti-theft system? Seems as if the chip in my key isn't being read properly. I have to wait about 30seconds before the car will start. Any suggestions?

4th Jan 2008, 07:47

"Thank goodness ford stopped making these lemons!! I owned a '95 and it was a nightmare!!"

Whoa, not even near the same car as the one reviewed! You might have had a lemon or got a used one that was abused. I say abused because even with irregular maintenance these cars were reliable.

I had two 1995s and two 1992s and they were GREAT cars. The 95s I sold to a friend and each of them have well over 250k on the clock and still running strong. The big problem with these cars was the ignition module which can be easily owner replaced in 10 minutes.

Unlike the post 1995 Tauri, the transmissions were good if you changed out the transmission fluid every 60k or so. I like these cars so much that even now I am looking for a pre 96 Taurus station wagon with low miles. And it's not that I can't afford "better". These were just great cars.

20th Jan 2008, 06:00

My 2004 taurus ses has a thumping noise at an idle. it sounds like an air pump is misfiring. but I'm not sure what it is.

3rd Mar 2008, 13:08

I have been a loyal Ford customer since 1992 - have driven nothing, but a Ford. In 2005, I leased a 2005 Taurus SE and loved driving it. I took good care of my car and at lease end I opted to purchase it because it gave me no problems. I took it to the dealership for the required inspection at which time the rear brakes were replaced and the transmission flushed. The car had 64,000 miles. Less than a month later I started having problems with the transmission shifting hard between 1st and 2nd gear. I took it back to the Ford dealership and they told me it would take a minimum of ten hours at a rate of $88.00 an hour to brake down the trans just to find out what was wrong. This didn't include labor and parts to repair it. I ended up taking my car to a transmission shop and had them rebuild it. The mechanic informed me that the initial problem was that the Manual Lever Position Sensor had gone bad and that burned up my trans. Is it possible that the dealership knew this and did not tell me, but opted to flush the trans as a possible fix? This whole ordeal has made me rethink my loyalty to Ford and I warn other Ford Taurus owners to beware!

4th Mar 2008, 19:26

Man, transmission flushes are crap! Don't do it, it does more harm than good. You should change the transmission fluid and filter by actually removing the pan every 30,000-60,000 miles. You should also use only the transmission fluid recommended. If you have a late '90s Ford, you should only be using Mercon, and only the correct type. Mercon I, II, III, IV, and V are different.

14th Jun 2008, 11:59

I may only have 88,000 miles on my 2004 Taurus SES, bought new, but so far I couldn't have wished for a better-behaved vehicle. Well, they *did* have to replace the gas cap (!) and horn when it was brand new, but that's all it's had besides changing fluids, filters, and wipers. The original brakes aren't even worn out yet.

24th Jun 2008, 11:58

As a mechanic I totally agree with comment 19:26. NEVER have the transmission flushed. You should always drop the pan and change the filter. Also, unless you are towing a boat or trailer or putting the car through very heavy duty usage, changing the fluid and filter is not necessary (no matter WHAT the dealer tells you!!) I go by the MANUFACTURER'S recommendations (which are in the owner's manual). My GM owner's manual states that the fluid and filter never need changing. We've put 300,000+ miles on vehicles without a fluid or filter change. I've been told by a technician for a major transmission shop that you should NOT change the fluid after 150,000 miles, because it does more harm than good.

As for the Taurus, they are some of the best-built, most trouble-free cars made. The 2002-2007 Tauruses are one of the absolute best buys in a used car that you can find today.

16th Jul 2008, 22:40

I have a 2004 Ford Taurus. I just purchased it on April 7th with 52193 miles on it, and it started out with problems.

Sometimes when I crank it up, I makes a loud screaming noise and won't turn over about 3 times before it finally cranks. I just recently started experiencing cranking up the car, and it makes a grinding noise at the initial crank up after it sits overnight or for hours without driving it. I also noticed a slight shudder when I hit 40 mph.

My first car was a 1997 Ford Probe with over 100,000 miles on it, and I drove it from North Carolina to Florida and never had any problems with it.

Any suggestions as to what it is will be helpful. I'm a single mom and have been without transportation for 4 years. I don't need these problems now.

17th Jul 2008, 09:48

The terms "cranking" and "turning over" and "starting" mean specific things to mechanics, and I'm not quite sure what your issue is with the car.

"Cranking" and "turning over" are generally synonymous, and means that you turn the key and the starter is spinning the crankshaft of the engine (turning over), but the engine has not yet begun to actually run on its own (start).

If you mean, you turn the key and the starter spins, and then you hear a loud, gut-wrenching shriek, it could mean that the starter needs to be replaced (the worm gear is not engaging the flywheel to crank the engine). The grinding noise while cranking also tends to point to a bad starter, which may be too weak to fully engage the ring gear and so just grinds along it.

If you mean, you turn the key, and the engine actually starts, and then you hear a squeal for a few minutes, it probably means that you have a loose belt, which isn't that serious. The rubber has become hard and glazed, and slips past the hard metal pulley, and squeals.

Those things are unrelated to the vibration at 40 mph. First check the air pressure in all tires. Improper inflation is the cause of most road vibrations. If it was a much higher mileage car, you might consider CV joints, but I doubt it on such a new vehicle.