Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
1997 Ford Taurus: fire, smoke or burning smell
11 of the 768 complaints about the 1997 Ford Taurus describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 22 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
On 4/3/2015 my mother in law pulled into the driveway after a 10 mile trip to town. Upon pulling in the driveway the car started on fire immediately, at first she thought the car was overheating (white smoke) then realized the car was actually on fire (black smoke). She had to be helped by an idaho power employee who was driving by. A total of two 15lb fire extinguishers and garden hose were used to keep the fire at bay until the fire department arrived. The car was destroyed from the dash panel forward. The fire department determined the fire started at the power distribution box located by the master cylinder on the firewall. The fire department determined the cause as an "electrical fire", up until the fire the car had no known electrical or major mechanical problems. The car had no modifications and was completely stock. No insurance claim was filed as I only carried liability coverage on the car.
I have a 97 ford taurus gl. The engine caught on fire and the burned rapidly. My family just made it out of the car. I managed to get it away from the house. The house suffered some heat damage.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. While driving 25 MPH, the engine caught fire. The contact pulled over and exited the burning vehicle. The fire department was able to contain the fire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. There was no sign of lost oil or other fluids. The engine was replaced. The insurance company's investigation concluded that the cause of the failure was due to human error. The contact recently became aware of ford recall number 05s28 and she feels that this could be the cause of her engine fire. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 97,000.
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 60 MPH, the check engine light illuminated, then smoke came out from under the hood, and the vehicle began to decelerate. A mile later, the engine stalled, the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed liquid dripping from the engine compartment. The vehicle was restarted and was driven to the contacts residence. Then, the vehicle would start, but not move. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the sprocket that holds the timing chain came loose and the engine needed to be replaced.
Engine has caught on fire. Dealer has yet to be contacted. Please provide further details.
Consumer was traveling about 35mph on highway and heard a grinding noise. She was able to pull over to shoulders, and looked underneath vehicle. There was smoke coming from underneath, and she had to have vehicle towed. Transmission exploded.
While driving white smoke came out. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and mechanic said that it would need a new engine, consumer felt it was too soon to have a new engine.
Before parking there was a burning smell. While parked, smoke came from underneath the dash, then flames were coming out, police officer pulled the fuses/ battery and then fire went out. Please provide further information.
Vehicle parked. Owner noticed smoke coming from inside of vehicle. Vehicle windows were blown out & black smoke escaped & then flames. Fire department was called & put flames out. Gave no indication of origin of fire. Insurance inspector checked vehicle & indicated a possible electrical short in the wiring system that caused the fire.
Engine caught on fire, most likely caused by the fuel regulator--fuel leaked onto the manifold. *ak
Service bulletins that may apply
- Remote keyless entry (RKE) - service tips
- Vehicles equipped with passive anti-theft system (PATS) may not start or crank
- Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent loss of integrated control panel (ICP) illumination
- Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses
- Ford motor company has released a new electrical grease ( F8AZ - 19G208-AA ) to reduce the possibility of...
- Some vehicles equipped with pats (securilock) except certain models now have availability of fleet keys...
- Experiencing a hard start / long crank
- Subject regarding passive anti theft system (PATS) diagnostic service tips
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Ford Taurus fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1997 Ford Taurus?
11 of 768 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Taurus (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1993.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Taurus?
There are 0 recalls and 22 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Ford Taurus
Transmission failure 44Stalling 33Slipping 26Loss of power 24Engine failure 21Overheating 20Wipers 20Jerking 19Brake failure 17No deployment 15Check engine light 14Seat belt 13Grinding brakes 12Fuel pump 12Headlights 12Coil spring 11Harsh shifting 11Tire blowout 11Adaptive cruise 10Power steering loss 10Sudden acceleration 10Knocking 9ABS 8Won't shift 8Door locks 6Power windows 6Steering noise 6Hesitation 5Won't start 5
VIN decoder
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