Ford Taurus has been a popular car among the people for more than three decades. The car has been a success because it is a family vehicle within the affordable range. It meet the demands of both commuters and daily drivers.
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But like any other vehicle, Ford Taurus has got its own common problems. Let us take a look on some common Ford Taurus problems which could arise in different models.
Ford Taurus Problems
1-Engine Oil Pan Gasket Leak
Among the Ford Taurus problems is the leakage of oil from the pan gasket with 20 model years affected which include cars from 1990 to 2007 plus 2012 and 2014.
The leakage might not be a serious safety concern but it causes the leaking oil to accumulate on the exhaust system which results in a burning smell.
The leakage has been observed after 112,611 miles on average in the Ford Taurus. The problem can be fixed by replacing the engine oil pan gasket. This repair will cost the owner between $320 to $400 .
2-Engine Misfire and Buck at Freeway Speeds
This is the second most reported problem with the Ford Taurus. The 18 model years of Ford Taurus which are affected by bucking and misfiring of engine at high speeds include cars made from 1992 to 1995 and 1998 to 2011.
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It is one of the scariest feelings when a car starts bucking and misfiring when driving at high speeds on a highway.
To add more fuss to the problem, when someone attempts to find the reason for bucking and misfiring in their Ford Taurus, the control module in the car generates no fault codes and that adds to the anxiety of the car owner.
Some people say that the engine bucking and misfiring happens due to an intermittent problem with camshaft synchronizer assembly.
Ford has covered this concern in its service bulletin and said that citing diagnosis to this problem can be done by monitoring the knock sensor.
The problem starts occurring after an average of 125,646 miles and the only solution to this problem is to replace the whole synchronizer assembly. The diagnosis and testing of this problem costs between $90 to $115.
3-Engine Performance Problems Due to Idle Air Bypass Valve
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Another issue among Ford Taurus problems is the fault in the idle air bypass valve which makes the engine stall when idle and hesitates while accelerating.
The model years which have been affected with this problem include 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 to 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2014.
The idle air bypass valve in these models has been designed to keep the Ford Taurus idle steady at a standstill but a problem in its design causes difficulty in starting it in cold days, causes engine to stall when idling and makes engine hesitate when the driver presses the accelerator paddle.
An 2003 Ford Taurus owner reported that this problem started with slight rough idle after starting the engine and a slight hesitation when accelerating and within days the problem became severe.
He further said that rough idle was present in park, drive and reverse modes and hesitation in acceleration was most noticeable when trying to maintain the speed while going uphill.
The fault in the idle bypass valve has been observed to occur after an average of about141,956 miles. Mechanic cost in this case ranges between $90 to $115 for the diagnosis and testing of check engine light.
4-Ford Taurus Automatic Headlights Malfunction
12 model years of Ford Taurus which also include the early to mid-2000s models have this problem where automatic headlights stop working.
A large number of complaints are reported by the Ford Taurus consumers where the automatic headlights stopped working while driving causing them a lot of issues.
This problem is severe and can be a cause of an accident. If the automatic headlights become faulty on your Ford Taurus, it is recommended to go to the mechanic as soon as possible and let the mechanic do a professional diagnosis to determine the cause of the failure of automatic headlights and then repair it.
The possible reasons for the malfunctioning of automatic headlights is the failure of the sunload sensor, light switch or Smart Junction Box (SJB). In most cases it has been observed that the failure of automatic headlights occurs due to fault in Smart Junction Box.
SJB is the brain of the computer in the Ford Taurus and it is connected to the auto lamp with two relays. One relay connects SJB to parking lamps and the other relay connects it to headlamps.
The SJB becomes faulty after sometime and causes the failure of automatic operation of headlights. In this case, the only method to repair the Ford Taurus is to replace the faulty SJB with a new one.
5-Camshaft Sensor Magnet Damaging Synchronizers
The sensor magnet which is placed on the camshaft in this car has been the cause of many complaints made by the owners.
The camshaft sensor magnet which is there to detect any problems with the position of the camshaft has been a cause of problems in the Ford Taurus.
The magnet gets dislodged from its position on the camshaft and causes damage to the synchronizers and as a result the check engine light comes on and indicates a problem with synchronizers adding to the discomfort of owning a Ford Taurus.
Another indication that the camshaft sensor magnet is misbehaving and damaging the synchronizers is the longer crank time when the owner tries to start the engine .
These Ford Taurus problems were reported in 16 models made from 1995 to 2010. This problem occurs after an average mileage of 126,159 miles.
The solution to repair this problem is to replace both the magnet and synchronizers in the Ford Taurus. The mechanic can charge anywhere between $90 to $115 for the diagnosis and testing of check engine light.
Max Anthony
Max is a gizmo-savvy guy, who has a tendency to get pulled into the nitty gritty details of technology and cars. He attended UT Austin, where he studied Information Science. He’s married and has three kids, one dog and a GMC truck and a Porsche 911. With a large family, he still finds time to share tips and tricks on cars, trucks and more.
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