The gear won't go into park. When its placed in park the vehicle continues to move. I had to call road side assistance because I didn't know what to do. No injuries were cause or the police weren't called. This is dangerous and its a recall for my vehicle.
1997 Ford Taurus: stuck in gear or won't shift
8 of the 768 complaints about the 1997 Ford Taurus describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 40 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Consumer stated that while driving vehicle stopped. First, had it towed to his home. Consumer will have vehicle towed to a dealer later. Transmission failed. After vehicle stopped consumer turned it off and turned it back on. When he turned it back on and tried to put the vehicle in gear, it would not go into gear.
While driving and coming to a complete stop, the automatic transmission didn't shift properly. It would shift from drive to neutral and make loud noise. *ak the consumer's wife was driving when the incident occurred leaving her in a precarious position. By jiggling the shift lever, she was able to shift into reverse then into drive. This had been a common problem for 1991-1998 models. Ford would not take responsibility. *scc
While driving at highway speed, the transmission gear shifted and became stuck in first gear, vehicle would not go more than 10 MPH. Dealer has been contacted. Transmission needs to be rebuilt. *ak consumer would like to know how many 1997 ford tauruses have had this problem. (according to ford dealer, there have been many)
Transmission has been slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears for 3 months, now it jerks very hard and RPM's get very hi being stuck in first gear. Had to replace transmission.
When starting up vehicle and put it in gear, reach about 25mph and does not shift properly. Then, engine revs up to 4,000 rpms and when reach 30mph it shifts. Contacted dealer.
Intermittently when making a stop transmission does not shift down to the last gear. Vehicle hesitates to shift down. When taking off, the transmission does not engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer two times before the transmisson was finally replaced. *ak.et.
Requested dealership to check transmission at time of purchase, felt that the transmission did not shift smoothly, was told nothing was wrong.
Service bulletins that may apply
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
- Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes P0741 or P1744 stored...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park
- Some vehicles may exhibit a park pullout clunk noise when shifting from park to another gear position
- Brake shift interlock
- Some vehicles may exhibit a harsh 2-3 shift after installing a remanufactured automatic transaxle
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with ax4s automatic transaxles. The low/intermediate servo cover can separate from the transaxle while the vehicle is being driven. If this occurs, transmission fluid will leak contacting the catalytic converter.
- Risk
- The catalytic converter temperature may be hot enough to ignite the transmission fluid and cause a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transmission and replace these servo covers.
Recall number 97V097000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
- Risk
- Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Recall number 96V166000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Ford Taurus won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 1997 Ford Taurus?
8 of 768 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Taurus (1%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Taurus?
There are 2 recalls and 40 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 11Fire or smoke 11Harsh shifting 11Tire blowout 11Adaptive cruise 10Power steering loss 10Sudden acceleration 10Knocking 9ABS 8Door locks 6Power windows 6Steering noise 6Hesitation 5Won't start 5
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