1998 Ford Taurus Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a front coil spring that breaks and slices into a front tire, usually at low speed in a driveway but sometimes while driving. Transmission trouble — loss of forward or reverse engagement, burned fluid, rebuilds or replacement — and sudden unintended acceleration or a sticking throttle are the next most common themes. The remaining reports are scattered across cooling and heating problems, brakes, power steering in wet weather, and electrical faults, and many come from cars with well over 60,000 miles.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front coil spring breaks and punctures the tire

   Mentioned in 16 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a snap or loud bang from the front end, the car suddenly sitting low on one side, and a flat or destroyed front tire. In most reports the broken spring has cut through the inner sidewall of the tire, and shops replaced both front springs along with struts, mounts, sway bar links or a damaged steering rack. Several owners say the dealer told them their car was not covered by a coil spring recall that applied to other model years. Most often described while reversing or moving slowly out of a driveway, at mileages from under 30,000 to over 130,000, with many reports between about 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Have a mechanic inspect both front springs for cracks or a broken lower coil and check the front tires for sidewall damage. Ask for records showing whether the front springs, struts and mounts have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was pulling out of my drive way and my coil spring on my 1998 Ford Taurus went threw my front right tire. Luckily I was only pulling out of my drive way. This could have been very serious, just two days before I was driving to syracuse and going 70mph on the freeway, I would have more then likely died due to this. Now Ford knows there is a defect in the coils in there cars but yet has done little to fix it or help people. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10381067, filed 2011-02, 115,000 miles

   “Got blowout so had 2 new tires put on front of vehicle. Drove 1/2 mile down road got another blowout on busy highway. We were able to get off road safely and put spare (doughnut tire) on and return to where we had new tires put on. When they checked after removing tire they found the coil spring on drivers side was broken and had punctured tire. We now have the spare still on vehicle as we can not afford the repairs right now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10074468, filed 2004-05, 82,501 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission quits engaging, needs rebuild

   • 51 complaints (9%)
   • median 102,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,550 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2014

   Owners describe the car refusing to move from a stop, dropping out of gear at speed, or losing reverse, sometimes with the service engine light on and transmission codes stored. Shops typically found burned fluid and metal debris in the pan and recommended a rebuild or replacement, while several owners report a dealer quoting a full transmission replacement. A few mention fluid leaking onto the engine and smoking. Reported from about 35,000 miles upward, with most clustered between roughly 60,000 and 120,000 miles.

   What to check: Check the transmission fluid on the dipstick for dark color or a burned smell, and ask whether the transmission has ever been rebuilt or replaced. On the test drive, make several stops and starts and confirm reverse engages promptly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My son is away at college and was driving our 1998 Ford Taurus se with less than 100,000 miles. In the middle of driving the car just stopped and would not go into gear. From reading other complaints this seems to be a transmission defect in the Ford Taurus. We have been the owners of this vehicle since being purchased new off the dealer lot. Cost to fix this transmission problem is prohibitive and makes no financial sense given the current kbb value. Ford needs to recall these vehicles and correct the defect. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10356700, filed 2010-09, 87,000 miles

   “As I was pulling away from my driveway about 5 MPH I heard a loud noise between hood and front seats. I soon realised that when I steped on the acceleration pedal the car won't go foward. I parked the car immidiately and turned off waited for a couple of minutes I got off from the car and I personally inpected the car from the exterior of the motor, and underneath of it and no oil was spilled (motor or transmission). I turned the car back on steped on the break and shifted to drive, and steped on accelaration pedal, but car wont move. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10051535, filed 2004-01, 117,350 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Engine revs or car accelerates on its own

   • 90 complaints (17%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 8.2 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 15 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2014

   Complaints describe the engine revving or the car accelerating without the driver pressing the pedal — while backing up, right after coming to a stop, or when shifting between gears. Owners say they stopped the car by braking hard, shifting to neutral or park, and switching off the ignition. Some point to a throttle pedal or cable that stuck, and in a few cases the dealer replaced or lubricated throttle and cruise control parts without resolving it. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 120,000 miles, though some appear past 150,000, and typically at low speed in reverse or just after a stop.

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle cable, cruise control cable and cruise module have been replaced, and confirm the pedal moves freely and returns on its own. Have a shop look at the throttle body and cruise control linkage before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1998 Ford Taurus station wagon began low power acelerating at stop times 2. A third incident occured from a complete stop with foot on brakes an this time it could not be stopped with both feet on breaks. It ran for about 75 feet and then quit on its own. Took to local Ford delears ship and they could find nothing wrong with my car. I asked if this were common and was told they never heard of such thing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10114289, filed 2005-03, 58,598 miles

   “Ford Taurus throttle stuck open. I started the engine and placed the transmission into reverse. Pressing on the accelerator pedal to back out, the pedal wouldnt budge. While applying more and more force, the pedal finally gave in, collapsing to the floor and causing the engine to be stuck at full throttle. Being in reverse, the Taurus took off at full speed out of the carport to the side of a hill. Ramming the car into drive caused me to go forward at full speed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10056678, filed 2004-02, 77,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Coolant leaks, weak heat, heater core failures

   • 17 complaints (3%)
   • median 97,787 mi at 6.3 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2014

   Owners describe a coolant reservoir leaking from the bottom with no obvious source of rubbing, and a heater that stops producing warm air even after a thermostat change and a cooling system flush. Some had the heater core replaced several times, and one reported smoke coming out of the vents when the air conditioning was switched on. One owner says a dealer told them the specified coolant had clogged the system. Reported from roughly 55,000 to 175,000 miles, often after cooling system service or when the heater is first used in cold weather.

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for crusty residue or wet spots around the coolant reservoir, hoses and water pump. With the engine warm, confirm the heater blows hot air at idle and that the cooling fan cycles normally.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine coolant reservoir sprang a leak on the bottom side. There is about a 1-inch gap between the bottom of the bottle and the fender so rubbing against something was not the cause. I called a parts house who said they had replaced 3 of them in the past 2 weeks. Seems like an odd coincidence the bottles leak. I've never seen one leak on any car I've ever owned.”

   NHTSA complaint #10052492, filed 2004-01, 60,000 miles

   “Smoke began coming out of vents when air conditioning was turned on. If I turned it off and waited a few minutes, the air conditioning would work again. This happened every time I tried to use the air conditioning. In september, when I tried using the heater, it did not work. I changed the thermostat and had engine cooling system flushed. However this still did not resolve my problem. I contacted my local Ford dealership,. They informed me that this a common problem with the 98 Taurus. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10043474, filed 2003-10, 97,787 miles

Buying note. Have any 1998 Taurus inspected for cracked or broken front coil springs and for tire sidewall damage before purchase, and expect transmission work on higher-mileage examples. Service records showing spring, strut and transmission repairs are more telling than the odometer alone.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.