Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 1997 Ford Taurus, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Ford Taurus year.
20.6 mpg average · 16–26 range · EPA says 20
Over 5 years this costs $4,250 more in fuel than an average new vehicle.
NHTSA lists 5 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Risk: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
Campaign 09E012000
Issue: CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
Campaign 06E026000
Issue: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE TEXT AND/OR GRAPHICS FOR THE VEHICLE HEADLAMP AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Risk: IF THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES ARE REPLACED, CUSTOMERS MAY BE CONFUSED BY THE AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES CAUSING THE HEADLAMPS TO BE IMPROPERLY AIMED.
Remedy: OWNER GUIDES CONTAINING REVISED AIMING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
Campaign 98V028000
Issue: 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.
Campaign 97V097000
Issue: 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.
Campaign 96V166000
Rated configuration: 1997 Ford Taurus 4-DR.
The parts named most often across 867 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
6 crashes · 1 injured
4 fires · 2 injured · 1 death
7 crashes · 3 injured
14 crashes · 9 injured
1 crash · 5 fires · 2 injured
20 crashes · 18 injured · 2 deaths
1 crash · 2 injured
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
4 complaint-reported fatalities on this model.
OIL LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON WHEN LOW. 2. ENGINE LIGHT ALWAYS ON. 3 WHEN I WAS DRIVING THIS WINTER, THE BRAKES, THEY LOCKED UP ON ME AND I ALMOST HAD A COLLISION WITH TWO OTHER CARS BUT I HIT A CURB AND WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR MOVING AGAIN. 4.CAR IS LOUD WHILE DRIVING. 5 CAN'T GET GOOD GAS MILAGE.6.CAR HAS DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK.
AUTO TRANS. SHIFT QUAD QUICKLY BECAME SLOPPY AND IN FACT SOMETIMES WOULD NOT START IN PARK POS. AND YOU HAD TO HUNT FOR NEUTRAL WHERE IT WOULD ALWAYS START. THEN ON THE THIRD DAY, WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, IT DID START IN PARK, BUT WHILE ON A VERY HIGH IDLE I GOT OUT OF THE CAR FOR A SECOND AND WHILE STANDING BESIDE THE CAR IT SLIPPED OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE KNOCKING ME TO THE GROUND AS IT RAPIDLY SPED REARWARD TILL IT HIT AND CAME TO REST AGAINST A CONCRETE WALL
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.
WHEN DRIVING THE CAR AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED A FEW MILES FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON. I SLOWED DOWN TO LOOK AROUND THE CAR BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. I DROVE THE CAR HOME AND JUST AS I WAS DRIVING INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING. VERY LUCKILY, I DID NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE METAL REAR BRAKE LINES RUNNING UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT DOOR WERE COMPLETELY CORRODED AND ONE OF THE LINES HAD BURST (THE ONE AFFECTING THE DIAGONAL BRAKE CIRCUIT FOR THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE). THIS CAME WITHOUT WARNING, AND I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN STRANDED (OR KILLED) ON A BUSY HIGHWAY OUT OF CONTROL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE JUSTIFYING A RECALL. AMAZINGLY, THE OTHER UNDERSIDE COMPONENTS OF THE VEHICLE ARE IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE THAN THE BRAKE LINES. WHY FORD WOULD FAIL TO PROPERLY COAT OR PROTECT A CRITICAL COMPONENT LIKE THE REAR BRAKE LINES SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT CORRODE IS AN INEXCUSABLE SAFETY HAZARD. I HAVE READ OF THIS REAR BRAKE LINE ISSUE ELSEWHERE BEING EXTREMELY COMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE, SO THIS IS NOT A "ONE OFF" EVENT. SOONER OR LATER, SOMEONE WILL GET INTO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR BE KILLED!
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. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD TAURUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS JUMPSTARTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
MUDDY WATER IN OVERFLOW TANK
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE DEALER HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE COMING TO A STOP, THE A FRAME SHEARED OFF AND LANDED ON TOP OF THE STEERING BOX, CAUSING STEERING LOSS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE A FRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 135,000.
ACCELERATED AS NORMAL TO 30MPH, RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AND THE CAR KEPT ACCELERATING UP TO AT LEAST 50MPH. FAILED TO STEER 90 DEGREES LEFT, RESULTING IN THE CAR JUMPING THE CURB. LOST CONTROL IN DAMP GRASS, AND RAN INTO A TREE. *TR
I PURCHASED MY 1997 FORD TAURUS IN FEBRUARY 2010, AND SHORTLY AFTER EXPERIENCED MY ODOMETER STOPPING AND MY POWER STEERING STOPPING AT THE SAME TIME. IT USUALLY HAPPENS IF I DRIVE THE CAR LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES, OR IF I SIT AT A STOP LIGHT TO LONG. IT ALSO SEEMS TO HAPPEN AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH OR HIGHER. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP, AND I WILL FIND MY CAR MOVING FORWARD AFTER STOPPING. I HAVE GOTTEN USED TO STAYING A GOOD DISTANCE FROM CARS SO I HAVE ROOM TO STOP. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR COIL SPRINGS FAILED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 4V332000 (SUSPENSION: FRONT: COIL SPRINGS) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE 1999 MODEL WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. HE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000.
Showing 12 of 867 complaints.