There are 50 owner-reported steering complaints for the 1989 Ford Taurusin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WE HAVE A 1989 TAURUS W/OD TRANSMISSION THAT SHIFTS HARD AND ROUGH, ALSO THE FRONT AND REAR RATTLES AND SOUNDS LIKE IT IS GOING TO FALL OFF. WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE RECALLS FOR THIS ON OUR VEHICLE. THE PAINT IS BLISTERING WITH ORANGE RUST COMING THROUGH, AND THE STEARING (POWER W/TILT) HAS A JERK IN IT. CAN YOU OR WILL YOU HELP ME WITH THESE DEFECTS?*AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOOSE. ALSO, VEHICLE IS PULLING TO THE LEFT AND THERE IS A SQEAKING NOISE COMING FROM FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
PUT A NEW UNIT ON IN SEPT.98 AND NOW AM GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. FLUID LEAKING OUT. ALSO SOMETIMES WHEN I STARTINCG THE CAR THERE IS A STRONG GAS SMELL , BUT IT GOES AWAY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AND IT SEEMS THE RECALL ITEMS ARE SHOWING UP TOO. *AK
POWER STEERING HIGH PRESSURE HOSE EXPLODED. HOSE FAILURE SPRAYED POWER STEERING FLUID ONTO HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND IGNITED CAUSING ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. WAS A FORD HOSE THAT HAD BEEN REPLACED LESS THAN 12 HOURS EARLIER.
UNDERHOOD FIRE STARTED DUE TO LEAKING POWER STEERING WHICH POURED ON THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD.
TIE ROD END SHAFT BROKE.
POWER STEERING HOSE LEAK CAUSED AN UNDERHOOD FIRE AFTER IT WAS FIXED FOR THIS PROBLEM ONCE BEFORE. ENGINE FIRE TOTALED CAR. POWER STEERING COLUMN FIRE PROBLEM RESULTED . *AK.
VIBRATION DUE TO MISALIGNMENT AND FAILED TIE RODS.
BODY MOUNTS AT REAR CORNERS OF SUBFRAME WERE CORRODED AND REPAIRED A YEAR AGO, BUT PROBLEM REOCCURRED. CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND BODY MOUNTS WILL BE REPAIRED. ALSO, PROBLEMS WITH STEERING SYSTEM. WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT WHICH MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. BEEN TO DEALER, BUT DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. NO REPAIRS FOR THE STEERING PROBLEM. RECALL 93V106000. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
TIE ROD UNSCREWED ON LEFT FRONT WHEEL, CAUSING WHEEL TO BE UNCONTROLLABLE.
DUE TO LOCATION, BOLTS WHICH HOLD STEERING MECHANISM RUSTED/BROKE FROM SALT AND SAND, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING.
THE TAURUS IS THE WORST ENGINEERED CAR I HAVE EVER SEEN. - WFS
WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEED, LEFT FRONT WHEEL RIM TOTALLY SHATTERED; CAUSED VIBRATION, DIFFICULT STEERING; COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT; ORIGINAL WHEELS. *AK
AFTER TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
STEERING COLUMN; ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK IN THE STEERING COLUMN CAUSING THE STEERING COLUMN TO SMOKE. *AK
THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING FROM THE STEERING COLUUMN WHEN STARTING THE CAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
ONE CRADLE BOLT COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF, OTHER ONE LOOSE, CAUSING STEERING SHAFT COMPONENT TO WEAR OUT. *DSH
BROKEN TIE RODS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN A TWO YEAR PERIOD. TT
POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE. *AK
HEARD LOUD NOISE, THEN STEERING WENT OUT, MOUNTS HAD BROKEN. TT
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026