Vehicle is now on 2nd transmission the original transmission failed around 60000 miles Ford originally put a brand new transmission in it for previous owner documentation was provided when we purchased the vehicle since move unknown where it's at now but this transmission has only 67000 miles on it experiencing same problems sometimes it will slip between 2nd and 3rd year other times it will slip between 1st and 2nd year sometimes they won't let it go over drive other times he gets stuck In overdrive no rhyme no reason for why it does what it does it just seems to do what it wants when it was but it really sucks when you're on the highway driving 75 mile an hour and decided to come out of overdrive and get stuck in 2nd gear so you have to slow down in front of everybody and it kind of forces you to do so that could easily get someone killed Going from 75 mile an hour to stuck in 2nd year limited speed very quickly with no brake lights Original transmission apparently has something to do with the torque converter or non hearted metals I'm not exactly sure because we were not in possession of owning the vehicle when it was replaced
Ford Taurus transmission failure problems
580 of the 16,905 owner complaints about the Ford Taurus describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 580
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,300
- typical mileage
- 80,333
By model year
Often reported together
Jerking 23Slipping 20Stalling 16Won't shift 13Loss of power 12Engine failure 8Overheating 7Harsh shifting 6
What owners say
On 4 separate occassions, my 2009 Ford Taurus limited automatic transmission dropped out of gear while I was accelerating slowly away from a stop The times they have occurred Is from a stop sign into traffic. It dropped out of gear at about 5 mph and made a growling noise. . I put my foot on the brake. When I started it again everything worked fine. . I was leaving a parking lot and I had reached a speed of 5-15 mph when there was no longer any gear, then it slammed into gear for a moment, went a few feet, then dropped out again, then slammed into gear again. I was able to coast to the curb in a residential area and turn the engine off. Fortunately no traffic was coming.Another time I pulled into traffic and slipped out of gear Iwas able to back up only and parked it. Then several hours later I started the engine again and had no further trouble. so far. I was checking out recalls and service bulletins on it today and I found that other owners reported similar problems. If I had been pulling out into traffic and my transmission failed the way it did, there could easily have been an accident. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE !!!!!!!
I don't even know where to begin. Every problem you could imagine with this car only ay 69k miles after fords pathetic powertrian warranty expires. I bought this car at 66k miles spent 20 grand after tax and only made one payment besides the down payment. First off the ptu failed on this vehicle failed after 2k miles witch is a really common problem on this vehicle witch was a $900 part though ford. Had this replaced and not only 7 days later and barely 1k miles the transmission failed causing the motor to overheat damaging the motor.. Now I have a $400+ payment on a vehicle that needs over $9000 in repairs between the motor and transmission and the dealer wont fix it because I didnt buy and extended warranty and its out of the factory 60k warranty. Note this is a 2016 (performance sedan) (sho) and this has been the most unreliable car I have ever bought. I would like to note I always buy ford and have had issues here and there but nothing like this between break downs I didn't even get to drive the car 30 days and now own 6 years worth of payments... Thks car has literally broke me and ford won't do anything to make it right there was clearly some sort of manufacture defect with this car and it should be recalled I would never recommend buy this car without a serious warranty because I know some people that have had better luck with this car in earlier models with the same drivetrain but mine can't be the only 16 sho that have had these problems and im sure other people have been left in hardship on now not having a car and have 20k in auto loan debt. All this happened under normal driving conditions. This car was built to be able to use on the track and completely failed under normal driving conditions. Very very disappointed and hope ford will recall this major issue in there "performance vehicles"
My 2007 ford taurus was up to 3000 RPM's and my car wasn't letting me drive faster than 19 MPH. When pressing the gas pedal all the far would do it rev higher and jolt forward really fast. I turned my car off and began driving normal again except the fact my transmission was still working way too hard for the speed I was going (3000 RPM's at 45 MPH). This has happened to me 4 times in the past 2 days now. I'm guessing it's my transmission and my car doesn't even have 146,xxx miles on it and never have I beat on it! This problem follows my dead battery cell and starter relay problem. I have read somewhere else that these transmissions go out very soon. I really think they should be recalled. I don't have money to buy a new transmission or vehicle! No reason this transmission should be bad after 145,xxx miles!!
80,200 miles - during a 2 hour drive on the interstate going 80mph, my transmission lost the low gears. As I tried to slow down in construction, my car experenced loud hard jolting shifts when it attempted to downshift, bouncing my mother's head off the dash. It was super sluggish like following and hard to bring it to a stop. When stopped and shifting through the gears you could hear it slam into gear a few seconds after shifting into drive. Resulted in a costly transmission replacement.
Transmission failure at less than 56,000 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving 20 MPH, the transmission failed without warning. The vehicle felt as if it were in neutral. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the torque converter in the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford taurus. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift gears without warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 172,666.
Driving vehicle about 45mph when vehicle, without warning, slipped out of gear and would not reengage. Car engine continued to run however, transmission would not engage in any gear. Car was towed to mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failed transmission. Car transmission was repaired and it was stated by repair facility that this is a common occurrence for this make, model, and year. Transmission failed without any previous signs, symptoms, or warnings.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford taurus. While driving at 40 MPH, the check transmission warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle hesitated to stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that there was transmission failure. The vehicle transmission module was reprogrammed however the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 169,904.
Related recalls
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Explorer, 2014-2015 Taurus and 2014 Edge vehicles equipped with 2.0L or 2.3L engines and front wheel drive. The support bracket for the front drive axle halfshaft may fail.
- Risk
- The failed bracket could result in a loss of park function which can cause unintended vehicle movement, and loss of motive power while driving which increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the link shaft bracket, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners received an interim notification detailing safety risk December 8, 2020. A second letter will be mailed when parts become available in January 2021. The recall began February 2, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S63.
Recall number 20V692000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.
- Risk
- If the halfshaft and linkshaft become disengaged while driving, power will no longer be transmitted to the wheels, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, if the parking brake is not applied before exiting the vehicle, the vehicle may roll away despite the transmission being placed in 'Park', increasing the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.
Recall number 14V393000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equpped with the "california" emissions package. An incorrect transmission oil cooler line was installed. The line contacts the anti-lock braking system module support bracket and over time, can wear and develop a leak.
- Risk
- Transmission fluid leakage onto the exhaust manifold or catalytic converter can result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install the appropriate transmission oil cooler line.
Recall number 98V288000 · Recall details
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
- What is wrong
- The automatic transmission park pawl shaft may not be free to rotate as intended. If the park pawl shaft does not rotate, it would prevent the park pawl from engaging the park gear when the shift lever is in the park position.
- Risk
- This condition could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral with the shift lever in the park position.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft rotation and those shafts with restricted rotation will be replaced with a shorter shaft that will not restrict rotation.
Recall number 96V176000 · 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
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
- Risk
- This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Recall number 96V086000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Taurus transmission failure
Which Ford Taurus years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (93 complaints), 1991 (82 complaints) and 1994 (73 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Ford Taurus?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,300 (median of 64 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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