22nd Sep 2008, 17:38

I bought a used 2004 Ford Taurus SES back in 2006 for waay more than it was worth (plus some bunk warranties that didn't cover anything except the nuts and bolts -- that'll teach me...)

In any event, the car had 40,000 to begin with, and 3 months in, I had to purchase a new starter. Then the mold problem started... turns out there was a breach in the firewall or something that sealed the windshield; the dealership said there wasn't anything they could or would do, and insisted I must have left the windows open during a rain storm (GREAT customer service... *sarcasm*).

I had to get a custom job put in to stop the leaking of water coming in on my passenger side floor (it was dripping down behind the glove box, but FORD couldn't seem to figure out where it was coming from, and wanted to run an expensive series of tests on my dime to figure it out), but underneath the carpet was all molded up and I had to get that taken care of as well. The trunk had bad leaks too, and still stinks like mold whenever I open it (I cannot even put a suitcase in there for fear it'll stink like an old, wet attic!)

Additionally, numerous brake repairs and had electronic problems. The electronic readout always says I am empty when I just fueled up, and takes about a week to correct itself, but that's not an issue really...

The BIG ONE was just this last week when my engine started smoking, and I pulled in to a convenience store, and fluid just started pouring out. Thought it was the radiator, but turns out it is a problem with the radiator AND the transmission.

I should have known better than to buy a FORD TAURUS -- my sister had a Taurus and the tranny went within 2 years, but it serves me right for being a green customer who badly needed a car to get from A to B...

This car is a piece of junk; I have been good at servicing it appropriately and keeping up with the recommended check ups and all that, but this car has failed me one too many times. I cannot wait to pay it off so I can trade in the hunk of junk and buy a Japanese car -- at least they have some integrity in their products!

BUYER BEWARE: DON'T GET DUPED INTO BUYING A FORD, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS USED.

24th Oct 2008, 17:34

Very amazed at some of the comments. I owned a 1997 Mercury Sable Station Wagon and I just donated it to charity a couple of weeks ago, while on my hands it started to give some problems lately, some l=engine and transmission leaks and hard shifting between first and second gear, that being said this happened just before it reached the 243,000 mark. I changed the oil every 3-4 months and kept it up to date, I loved that car.

For over six months in 2007-2008, I had to drive every week back and forth between Michigan and Illinois to visit my ill father, sometimes twice a week, so between 700 to 1400 miles a week during winter and terrible snow storms, and this car, already with over 200K, handled everything like a warm breeze in Florida. Even during snow storms I saw so many cars just stopping at the side of the road while I just cruised by without having to stop.

Now I own a used 2004 Taurus SEL, and so far so good, knock on wood. Also had a very close friend how owned three different Taurus' and the only problems he ran into were trees.

18th Nov 2008, 16:25

I have a 2004 Ford Taurus that has about 66000 miles on it and it recently started having problems starting. They say it is an ECH internal communication error. Not sure what this means or how much to fix. When I had it tested there was a lady there with same year, make, miles and same problems. Not sure if this will be a recall or not. Any ideas?

13th Jan 2009, 11:54

I have Ford Taurus 2004. I am having a problem with it a starting. It does not turn over the engine to try to start. I have had a problem with it cranking and not starting until I put it out of park and then back in again. Now it has just quit trying to start at all. Battery is still good. Post on the battery is clean. Just hear a clicking sound when trying to start.

13th Jan 2009, 16:55

In 2005, my wife bought a brand new 2004 Ford Taurus LX because of the rising cost of gas. I actually tried to talk her out of it, but she traded in the Expedition & got the Taurus anyway. In May of 2008, we started to notice that the car wouldn't idle properly & seemed to lurch forward even while on the brakes. She took the car in to find out what was wrong with it & the dealer starts off by telling her it's no longer under warranty, but that it has something to do with the transmission. Cost for this lovely info...$75. I wish she would have consulted with me first because I took the car the very next day to Autozone to have the codes read & wouldn't you know it, the car was throwing over 8 codes! Numerous misfire codes, O2 sensor failure codes, & the infamous transmission range sensor code. Since then I have replaced both O2 sensors ($120), the transmission sensor ($110), and the spark plugs ($65) yet the car still spits codes & cannot pass inspection.

What kind of crap is Ford producing!? And the Big Three wonder why they are doing so poorly these days. That's why I buy Japanese. I've owned one domestic (Ford Tempo) & it was a crap car too. I don't want to see an end to GM, that would mean less jobs for us Americans, but something has got to give!

31st Jan 2009, 20:46

I have a 2004 Ford Taurus LX. When purchased it only had about 37000 on it. It now has about 59000 mile on it. I have had this car for about 17 months and have sunk over $2500 into this piece of junk from Henry Ford's wonderful Ford Motor Co. I have a vibration in the front end during acceleration at about 50-70 mph esp. when going up and incline. I have put new tires on the car, had new inner tie rods ends and sway bar linkage replaced. I also had the an all wheel alignment done. A mechanic also suggested replacing the lower ball joints. The car will coast fine when going down a long hill in neutral, but the vibration returns when put back into gear for acceleration. Could this be an issue with some in the drive-trans axle/CV joints or the transmission?