Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum banner

Im so glad I spent 1700 bucks on my Taurus yesterday

7.1K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  KingJeronidas  
#1 ·
Boy oh boy am I glad that I spent all that money on getting an extended protection plan from Ford. See my Taurus is doing that nifty little trick that it did last winter, where if it gets below 10 degrees, it wont let me in the car. Locks come up and then go back down almost instantly. Getting in my car now requires timing. Pull the handle in that split half second when the lock is up. Thats a fun game. I wonder how long it will take for it to not start and sit there flashing the theft light in the tach gauge again while I am trying to leave for work in the morning. That was also a fun game. Did I mention that even if it starts, theres nothing to stop it from dying again while you're driving down the road? This was an even more fun problem to run across about 9 days after buying the car, and its a fun problem to come back across about a year later after they "fixed" it. Im so glad this happened on a weekend when there is no dealership to call and ask about it, so I get to sit here and stew on whats going on with my 28000 dollar car for the rest of my weekend. Oh, did I mention that when it gets this cold, the back up camera displays an upside down picture with out the little green, yellow, red lines, and the sensors dont work? Thats fun too. Then theres all the damn rattling noises this car makes. Passenger seat back rattles, trim behind the back seats rattle, under the steering wheel rattles, the steering wheel itself makes noise when you go lock to lock in a parking lot. This car has been one of the worst cars I have ever owned and Im glad that I wasted that money on an extended plan yesterday when I could have put that towards a different ride.

Also, I got the Philips HIR 9011 bulbs installed. They didn't make any difference. Thanks again Ford, for using a cheap halogen system on a car that retails over 30K. Couldn't just make HID's an option, or hell, even standard on a car this expensive.

Couple all the above joy with the fact that it was just in the shop for a week for transmission issues. This will probably be my last post on here, and most likely my last ever Ford. I cant take this crap anymore. The only vehicle I have ever owned that was worse than this was a 25 year old Caddy, which was 1/15 the price. My 89 ranger that I paid 600 bucks for has been more reliable than this POS.
 
#2 ·
Sounds like you got a lemon. Sorry to hear that.
 
#3 ·
That really stinks man, I've never heard of a new taurus with that many problems. I wish it was as easy as exchanging it for a new car.

Utilize that warranty and have them fix everything.
 
#5 ·
Update:
I can get my car in next Wednesday to get it checked out. I have them scheduled to check out the lock issue and the seat back rattling. If they cant fix both of them, Im probly gonna trade this thing in. Im pretty sure Im gonna try to get a refund on that warranty, too. I'll keep anyone who's interested posted. Im just sick of taking this thing to the dealer once every month or two. Since I got it, I have had a PCM computer replaced, throttle body replaced, tail lights replaced from chrome peeling, bad reverse sensor replaced, transmission modification, and now its going back in. This is ridiculous because I've only had it 11 months.
 
#6 ·
See if theres any way to swap it with a new one, becaue its a brand new car it souldnt be having the problems it has.
 
#7 ·
That stinks man...those new ones look real sharp too... Here in NY, lemon laws would protect you if there had been multiple repairs for the same problem, but not if there is a laundry list of totally separate issues. Sort of a soft spot in that law, IMHO.
 
#8 ·
Lemon laws aren't all they are cracked up to be...remember it has to be the same repair, that is not made 3 times. Also if a company buys a car back, they are allowed to deduct for mileage and damage before settling, so if you have any kind of miles on the car, it really isn't a good deal. It's much better to attempt to get the company to replace the car with something equal. I know a few folks that had really big problems with the new SHO got the car replaced going through Ford, and Ford was very reasonable at replacing the car.
 
#9 ·
Well the apology starts here I guess. I did some researching and its sounding like I could just have a faulty lock actuator which should be an easy replacement if thats the case. Most of my rattles should be able to be taken care of with some dyna mat or something similar, and the dealer is gonna check my seat back when they get it in for the locks. I guess I should probably calm down before I start whining like a baby on a forum. I realize that although it has been quite a list of problems, they have all not been serious, have all been easily fixed and were all free of charge. The only inconvenience was the getting the car in bit. I can also retract my statement about the HIR's. I realigned them up a little higher and all is well. I think my old ones might not have been so bad if I angled them up. I noticed that right in front of me was lit up really REALLY well and then it died off after a bit. Now I can see a bit farther and I haven't been flashed yet. At least not this morning anyways. I apologize to any people I've offended by calling my Bull a POS on a Taurus forum. Uncalled for, I was just a bit angry. I hope the problems stop sometime soon, but I dont think the car is going anywhere.
 
#10 ·
Lol. You're a true owner when you love your bull...until you have a problem. Then you swear every word in the book 5 times throughout the fix, then fall in love with it again afterwards. Yes, I call a friend's SE a POS...cause it is! Mine can be at times, but still love it!

And hey, you're getting the fixes done free! Wish I could. You'll find love to it, just like you did that random girl that now is your wife ;)
 
#12 ·
^
+1!

Hey, I'm in the same boat of loving my car and calling it a POS when something goes wrong.
 
#14 ·
I'd buy you a beer for all your problems with her, but just like a women you have to put up with all their **** before they come through. :lol2:

My bull was just a clunker when I got it, I swore all over the place about it, I fixed her up and it became my most favorite ride ever.
 
#21 ·
I'd buy you a beer for all your problems with her, but just like a woman you have to put up with all their **** before they come through.
A fk'n amen to that brutha :clap2:

Spoken from an experienced male :bowdown:
 
#16 ·
I saw what you posted Sheila, and knew it was you without seeing your name - I knew it! You love to end your sentences with "lol", LOL!
 
#17 ·
I'm sorry you may have a lemon or your bull was either built on a Monday or a Friday. I hope your zealous and determined to make sure you get the parts replaced and any possible compromised wiring in between. A car this new shouldn't be having these issues. Good luck. The "dealer" should give you a loaner SHO while they fix it. To bad the factory can't give you another. Also I would try Slyvania's silver star Ultra's or XTE's. Then again the results are always debatable. But a Statie once had me turn on my silver stars cuz he wasn't sure :)
 
#18 ·
This is from a Fusion, but it might be possible your seat rattle is cause by the same type of problem: front passenger rattling - Ford Fusion Forum - Page 2

As for the headlights, yes sometimes the aiming is more important than the actual bulbs or their brightness. Bumps tend to knock the beams down, so I have to readjust the beams back up every few years.

Consumer Reports recently did a test of various headlight bulbs, and this was their conclusion (to which I fully agree with):
We found that the premium bulbs, as a group, deliver a whiter light and up to 19 percent more output than the standard or OE bulbs, and that can be more pleasing for drivers. But none of the premium bulbs allowed us to see farther on our headlight test course than the standard or OE bulbs. That’s because distance is determined more by the size and shape of the lamp’s reflector or lens than by the bulb. We also found little difference in light output among the premium bulbs; no more than the differences normally experienced from power fluctuations while driving.
So if your headlights seem dim, try re-aiming them first before you bother changing-out the bulbs!
 
#20 ·
So if your headlights seem dim, try re-aiming them first before you bother changing-out the bulbs!
I had the same problem. I changed my bulbs out though because one of them was original with the car from 2000, and probably would fail soon anyways. Plus I hear they get dimmer over time.

Anyways, when I put my new struts in, it raised the front of the car and now my lights seem so much brighter! Haha! A harder way to aim your headlights in an old car - new struts!
 
#19 ·
Thanks for that link. I am taking it to the dealer next week Wednesday so I'll at least give them a shot to fix it before I attempt anything myself. But yeah. Same issue in my car. Seat rattles, if I push on the seat back, rattle goes bye bye. I wish you could direct mechanics to forums because most of the time, consumers come up with better fixes than mechanics for simple problems like these.
 
#24 ·
Well update:
I cancelled my appointment to get the locks checked out because it hasn't been cold enough to cause them to act up. So if and when it gets cold out, like -10-+10 or so, I'll have them check it then. But for the rattle, I stuffed some Mickey D's napkins in the rails of the power seat. Same area that the dude in the Fusion forum said to. Rattle seems to have gone away, but I dont know for sure. It was intermittent before. Often, but still, intermittent. It didn't happen quite every time I drove, just a lot of the time. Im hoping its gone, but my luck and past experience says it's not. We'll see. I'll post updates to say if this has gotten better after like a week or so. It should happen by then if its gonna. Also, I ordered the solid black hood bulge stripes that Mike (bpd1151) has on his ridiculously awesome 2010 SHO. No lettering, solid black. I ordered 2 sets so I can cannibalize one to make little strips for the door handle inlet, just like Mike. He's been a lot of help through PM's about this topic, so Cheers to Mike in Chicago. I appreciate it man.
Jerred