Ask the Car People.SM


Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

3389 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2011 at 11:46 AM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Sedan

Messages Page 321 of 339

#3200 of 3389 Re: What happened to the Taurus [chuck1] by fdthird

Aug 23, 2005 (6:21 am)

Replying to: chuck1 (Aug 20, 2005 8:57 am)
It's been a long time since Ford spent a dime on the Taurus and I think that is a shame.
 
When the first Taurus came on the scene it was a fresh new look at building a mid size sedan. It looked strange for only a few minutes to some and then flew out of the doors of Ford dealers at record numbers. Ford owned the segment for many years and made lots of owners happy and sales made lots of money for FoMoCo.
 
My first Taurus was a 1989 LX Wagon. What a great "futuristic" way to add a wagon to the family motor pool. Like many folks, I ended up having the tranny re-built, but Ford was still selling lots of Tauri and still making lots of money.
 
Our second Taurus is my wifes 2001 SEL and she loves the car. I think the 2000 re-do of the disastrous "oval" Taurus left a good looking car and when we bought it we thought we got lots of value for the money. Problem was that Ford had already given up on the Taurus. Like a first wife that stays with you through school and the hardships of early life, Ford ditched "old faithful" and spent millions on the new "trophy wife" (SUVs)...much of that money having been made for them by the Taurus.
 
While the 2005 looks almost identical to my wife's 2001, Ford has continued to de-content the car taking a little every model year and turning the car into little more than a fleet special.
 
As a multiple Taurus owner I think Ford should be ashamed that they abandoned a car that did so much for them. The fact is that the Taurus name is a detriment to Ford now and the blame for that goes right back to them. The car paid back many many times on their investment and instead of using some of that money keeping the vehicle current and at the top of it's game they diverted funds to other areas. They are paying the price now and while the Accord and Camry solder on, the car that exploded the segment back in the late 80s will be put out to pasture.
 
Whoever decided to put all their eggs in the SUV basket left the Taurus and all of Ford's other car lines out in the cold. Now it looks like they are paying the price for that decision as the Taurus goes out the door and the 500 trys to win an uphill battle against the anti-Ford automobile (not truck) tide. Perhaps this is poetic justice for the way Ford turned it's back on the Taurus but it is still a shame that the nameplate that meant so much all through the 90s leaves the car market with it's tail between it's legs.
 
Shame on you Ford

#3201 of 3389 Re: What happened to the Taurus [fdthird] by chuck1

Aug 23, 2005 (3:52 pm)

Replying to: fdthird (Aug 23, 2005 6:21 am)
FDThird,
 
I couldn't have said it better myself......

#3202 of 3389 Finally reached 30,000 miles! by ohio7

Aug 25, 2005 (7:59 am)

After owning my 2000 Taurus SEL for just over 5 years I finally reached 30,000 miles. On that day last week I had the engine icon come on. I thought: oh, great! Had the codes read and it turned out to be some carbon in the ERG screen or valve - not sure which the guy said. The darn light came on later that day and stayed on for three more days then went out for three more days (today).
 
After reading all of the troubles on the maintenance site I'm just holding my breath and hoping NOT to see that icon again. The mechanic did say that my problem is from NOT driving the car too much (only 6 miles a day).
 
Took the opportunity to have everything that the manual suggests for 30,000 miles done. Only had the fuel filter changed by the mechanic (not into gas spraying all over me ). Hoses and belt were all fine and so was the transmission fluid. Since I put less than 6000 miles a year on the car, mechanic said to check it in a year. Came home and changed air filter and cabin filter for the first time. Air filter didn't look that dirty compared to other cars that I've driven when I was in a carpool and drove 60 miles twice a week.

#3203 of 3389 Re: Finally reached 30,000 miles! [ohio7] by badgerfan

Aug 25, 2005 (10:25 am)

Replying to: ohio7 (Aug 25, 2005 7:59 am)
Not that it means much statistically, but there are a lot more frequency of posts in the Camry and Accord maintenance discussions than there are for Taurus/Sable.
 
My 2000 SES Duratech is approaching 50K miles and I will be replacing the OEM tires soon as I want more tread for the coming winter. Thinking of going with BF Goodrich Traction TA as it appears to be a good tire at a reasonable price.
I will have them take a look at the brakes as well when I get the tires changed, and check alignment. I have noticed just a slight amount of shudder coming down from high speed stops. I must have a slightly warped rotor.
 
Other than routine maintenance, all else is well. Not a single squeak or rattle to this day.

#3204 of 3389 Taurus Transmission Problems by mfs37

Aug 26, 2005 (5:28 am)

I have a '97 Taurus w/ about 93K miles. The service engine light came on. The mechanic scanned for codes and found a code for a bad solenoid. The car has started shifting into overdrive. The mechanic--a trusted local mechanic in a relatively small town--says that the Taurus is notorious for weak transmissions. He says he can replace the solenoid for around $400--apparently lots of labor. But he has no confidence that this repair will work because of what he perceives as the bad Taurus transmission. He recommends a remanufactured transmission at $2400 (including labor), as he says the remanufactured transmission has the weaknesses fixed and comes with warranty.
  
Does this all sound correct? Are Tauruses from the '90s notorious for bad transmissions? (I notice others on the forum have had the solenoid code come back). Is a remanufactured transmission necessary (as opposed to solenoid replacement)? Is the price in line?

#3205 of 3389 Re: Finally reached 30,000 miles! [badgerfan] by ohio7

Aug 26, 2005 (11:11 am)

Replying to: badgerfan (Aug 25, 2005 10:25 am)
Badgerfan, do you think that the lack of postings to this site is from apathy or??? I remember back 5 years ago a lot more of the regulars were posting all the time when our cars were new and redesigned. Since Fords' designers have taken a break from designing anything new for the Taurus I guess we have nothing to talk about. You and I and maybe a couple of others who purchased new, have had good luck with our cars so most of the time I just read the comments. Of course I don't drive it much so maybe my day will come with the complaints.
 
Are the Honda/Toyota folks happy with their cars?
 
Do you also have a Camry and Accord that you take the time to read their sites or are you just curious?
 
I was opening my mouth too soon when I posted last time - last night that darn engine light reappeared on the way home from the commuter lot!!
I guess I'll be back at the mechanic's early Sat. morning after all. Another Sat. morning shot.

#3206 of 3389 Re: Finally reached 30,000 miles! [ohio7] by juswheels

Aug 28, 2005 (7:21 am)

Replying to: ohio7 (Aug 26, 2005 11:11 am)
In my respectful opinion only. As a former Taurus owner (2-time) I think we have to be honest. The Taurus is a "good" car with a "good" record. Since litterally nothing new has been added since 2001, it's actually become quite boring to drive. The features available on the Taurus have become about as exciting as watching your Grandmother knit. The hurtful truth ("Hurtful" to us, the consumers) is, that todays Taurus, as a fleet only car, is right where it belongs. Actually I'm not that disappointed in the car itself, but rather greatly disappointed with Ford for letting it happen.

#3207 of 3389 First Car by bigbaby17

Aug 28, 2005 (3:54 pm)

Just bought a 2002 SEL Premium w/ 32k miles a few weeks ago. Both of my parents have Taurus's and I know how reliable and powerful the 200hp V-6 is. I am wondering if there are any aftermarket accessories or options available?? I'm not really talking about anything to make the car go faster or anything like that, its fast enough for me. I am mostly looking for cosmetic accessories. My car is completely loaded (leather, floor shift, moonroof, MACH, 6 disc CD, automatic climate control, spoiler, side airbags, traction, security alarm, dual front power seats, etc.) so Im not sure if there is anything else I can possible add to it. Ive thought about rims but I dont want to make it look ricey. Any ideas would be appreciated!! As for the car itself, so far I love it.

#3208 of 3389 Re: Finally reached 30,000 miles! [juswheels] by chuck1

Aug 28, 2005 (4:12 pm)

Replying to: juswheels (Aug 28, 2005 7:21 am)
"The hurtful truth ("Hurtful" to us, the consumers) is, that todays Taurus, as a fleet only car, is right where it belongs. Actually I'm not that disappointed in the car itself, but rather greatly disappointed with Ford for letting it happen".
 
I agree with you...but here is another angle. My wife goes on vacation and rents a Nissan Altima. She comes back and says what a nice car it is. Conversely, someone rents a Taurus, (and we all know how time has past the Taurus by) and says to him/herself, "What a piece of garbage."
 
The bad thing is they may NEVER CONSIDER ANOTHER FORD PRODUCT based on their encounter with the "fleet special" rental Taurus. You see, this is the danger when a car maker "decontents and neglects a car for years". At least on this one, I think GM has it right-just manufacture one primary car (the Malibu Classic) for the rental market!
 
I have an '05 Taurus SE (company provided vehicle) and at 28,000 miles the passenger side wheel hub (i.e. wheel bearing) was replaced and now the drivers side is whining! Where is the excuse? They have been making this car for years!!!!!

#3209 of 3389 Re: Finally reached 30,000 miles! [ohio7] by badgerfan

Aug 29, 2005 (8:22 am)

Replying to: ohio7 (Aug 26, 2005 11:11 am)
I just read the Camry and Accord sites out of curiousity, not that I own either.
 
As far as lack of Taurus posts, I am sure it is mostly apathy on the part of owners, as Taurus is coming to a soon end as Ford is replacing it with 500 and Fusion. I am looking forward to when Fusion hits the showrooms and gets into owners hands, even though I will not be in the market for another 4-5 years, assuming my Taurus doesn't get totalled!
 
Like I posted, however, the statistics of frequency of posts can become blown way out of proportion to experience with a particular car, good or bad, just by a few zealous posters.
 
However, if there is something serious affecting a lot of a particular model, you can be assured there will be a ton of posts (like the Camry sludging in the past, or current transmission recalls on most Honda models with V-6 engines).
 
I am seeing little or none of that for the current (and final, allas) generation Taurus, so my assumption is that there are no glaring reliability faults and most owners are happy even if apathetic.

Messages Page 321 of 339

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement