1996 Ford Taurus Steering Problems

MY 96 FORD TAURUS GL HAS THE FOLLOWING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, RADIO GOES OUT, SEAT BELT LIGHT FLASHES AND CLICKS, INTERMITTENT WIPERS FAIL, POWER WINDOWS FAIL, FINALLY POWER STEERING LOCKS UP,AND WHEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP, CAUSING SAFETY CONCERNS. IF PUT IN PARK EVERYTHING GOES BACK WORKING AS NORMAL. TOOK TO SHOP AND THEY SAY IT'S THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR AND THAT SEVERAL 96 TAURUS' THEY HAVE WORKED ON HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM....I AM WONDERING WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL PART IF THAT IS THE CASE...SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG! *NM

PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM FAILURES; INITALLY RAIDO GOES OUT, SEAT BELT LIGHT FLASHES AND CLICKS, INTERMITTENT WIPERS FAIL. FINALLY POWER STEERING LOCKS UP, CAUSING SAFETY CONCERNS. IF PUT IN PARK ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS RESUME OPERATION. TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR REPLACED, AUTOMOTIVE SHOP HAS SEEN 3 OTHER '96 TAURUS' WITH SAME ISSUE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY CONDITIONS BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED ON, AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN PLACE. CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO APPLY BRAKES TO COME TO A STOP, AND SIT FOR A FEW SECONDS WITHOUT ANY INDICATION THAT STEERING WHEEL WOULD UNLOCK. *AK THIS PROBLEM OCCURS MOST TIMES WHEN IT RAINS AND THE VEHICLE GOES THROUGH WATER. *NM

VEHICLE LOSES POWER STEERING AFTER DRIVING THROUGH STANDING WATER. SERPENTINE BELT SQUEALS FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS AND WHEN THE NOISE STOPS THE STEERING POWER IS RESTORED. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AND TURNING LEFT ADJUSTING BAR PULL OUT OF THE TIE ROD. *AK

THE SEAT BELT LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD BLINKS ON INTERMITTENTLY, AND WHEN IT DOES THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKS UP. WHEN THIS OCCURS CONSUMER LOSES CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *AK

THIS CAR CONTINUALLY STALLS OUT , THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON, THE ENGINE REPAIR LIGHT COMES ON, THE UNDERNEATH SUSPENSION SQUEEKS AND GROANS, THE BRAKES SQUEAK, THE WHEEL DOESN'T TURN WHEN THE CAR STALLS OUT. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN I AM TURNING A CORNER, THE CAR STALLS OUT AND THE WHEEL WILL NOT TURN. NOW THE COMPUTOR SYSTEMS ARE NOT WORKING THE AIR CONDITIONING. I HAVE TO RESTART THE CAR TO GET THE RADIO AND THE AIR CONDITIONING TO START UP. THESE THINGS HAPPEN BUT NO ONE CAN FIND A PROBLEM.

THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SELECTOR (ALSO CALLED PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH) SHORTS INTERNALLY AND CAUSES THE VARIABLY ASSISTED STEERING TO MALFUNCTION (STOP ASSISTING ENTIRELY). DATE OF INCIDENT MAY NOT BE EXACT. WHILE TURNING RIGHT AT LOW SPEED INTO AN ALLEY POWER STEERING FAILED MOMENTARILY CAUSING FRONT WHEEL TO JUMP THE OPPOSITE CURB ONTO THE SIDEWALK AND DAMAGE WHEEL COVER. TSB # 96255 MAY DESCRIBE PROBLEM, BUT I'M NOT SURE. FORD DEALERSHIP PULLED UP A REPORT ON THIS FOR ME. REPORT STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SELECTOR MAY SHORT INTERNALLY AND CAUSE THE POWER STEERING ASSIST TO BE REDUCED (ELIMINATED), POWER WINDOWS TO FAIL, AND STEREO TO TEMPORARILY FAIL. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND SPORADIC, BUT SINCE THE STEERING IS ADVERSELY AFFECTED THIS PROBLEM CONSTITUTES A CLEAR SAFETY HAZARD. I FEEL THAT I WAS LUCKY AS THERE WAS NOBODY/NOTHING TO HIT AND THAT ALL I HAD DAMAGED WAS A WHEEL COVER.

THIS FAILURE IS A SAFETY HAZARD. WHILE DRIVING THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING AT RANDOM, THE ELECTRIC WINDOWS QUIT WORKING, AND THE SEAT BELT LIGHT COMES ON! THEY ALL APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THIS MLP/TR SWITCH. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND 4 OTHER OCCURRENCES THAT WERE REPORTED. WHEN I CALL THE LOCAL FORD SERVICE GARAGE, THE SERVICE MANAGER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT MY PROBLEM WAS AND SOLD ME THE SENSOR SWITCH. HE WAS AWARE THAT THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING WHEN THESE SYMPTOMS OCCUR. I EXPERIENCED THE POWER STEERING FAILING ON A TURN AND HAD MUCH TROUBLE CONTROLLING THE CAR. I'M WORRIED THAT MY DAUGHTER WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE POWER STEERING WILL NOT TURN ON OR OFF AND CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO STEER OR TURN. DEALER NOTIFIED TS

MY CAR HAS BEEN AT THE FORD PLACE IN MONROEVILLE,AL AND IT IS STILL NOT FIXED AS FAR AS THE TRANSMISSION AND THE POWER STEERING. *AK

WHILE PULLING UP TO PARK TRIED TO TURN CAR OFF AND IT WOULD NOT TURN. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID THE STEERING COLUMN BROKE.*AK

VEHICLE LOSES POWER STEERING IF RIGHT WHEEL SPLASHES WATER ONTO SERPINTINE BELT. IT ONLY HAPPENS IF RIGHT WHEEL GOES THROUGH A WATER PUDDLE AND SPLASHES WATER ONTO THE SERPINTINE BELT. CONSUMER HAS HAD THE PROBLEM HAPPEN 3TIMES BEFORE. PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPAIRED CURRENTLY. CONSUMER PLEASE ADD VIN# AND MILEAGE TO FORM. *AK

ABS LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN ABS LIGHT IS OFF, BRAKES WORK NORMALLY. WHEN MALFUNCTION OCCURS, THE BRAKES BUZZ ON APPLICATION AND STOPPING DISTANCE INCREASES DRAMATICALLY THEN THE ABS LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE. I CALLED FORD AND THEY WILL NOT OFFER ANY DEALER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.ALSO THE STEERING GEARBOX MAKES A LOUD GROAN AND VIBRATION WHEN RECOVERING FROM A RIGHT TURN. SOME RESISTANCE IS FELT ATTEMPTION TO TURN THE WHEEL BACK TO THE LEFT. THE VIBRATION IS FELT IN THE STEERING WHEEL. AGAIN FORD REFUSES TO ASSIST EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE MULTIPLE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON BOTH OF MY COMPLAINTS IN YOUR LISTINGS.

WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN POWER STEERING WILL QUIT WORKING ON RAINY DAYS WHEN I GO THROUGH PUDDLES OF RAIN ON RIGHT WHEEL. THEN, START WORKING AGAIN AFTER A FEW MINUTES. *AK

POWER STEERING TURNS OFF IN RAIN, AND FORD TELLS US THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO.*AK

WHILE DRIVING HEARD A NOISE IN FRONT END OF VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN MAKING A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN. DEALER STATES THAT NOISE IS DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE RACK AND PINION STEERING. *AK *ML

RACK & PINION STTERING HAD TO BE REPLACED ON FOUR OCCASION WITHIN A YEAR. DEALER DID THE REPAIRS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

I HAD AN ACCIDENT ON 01/14/00 DUE TO MY CAR CUTTING OFF. I WAS TURNING WHEN THERE WAS WATER ON THE STREET. I MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND THE RIGHT SIDE WENT THROUGH WATER. MY CAR MADE SOME HIGH PITCH NOISE AND THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD ALL LIT UP AND THE CAR SHUT OFF. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY CAR AND RAN OFF OF THE ROAD IN A DITCH. I DIDN'T GET HURT. MY FRONT BUMPER WAS DAMAGED. I AM VERY SCARED DRIVING THIS CAR WHEN IT RAINS OR WHEN THERE'S WATER ON THE STREET. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY HAZZARD. I TOLD JERRY'S FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I EVEN CONTACTED THE FORD DISPUTE BOARD AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE NUMEROUS TIMES THE CAR HAD CUT OFF, THEY TOLD ME THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN, TAKE IT DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SAFETY HAZZARD BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE HAS AN ACCIDENT OR DIES. *AK

DEALER INFORMED OF A DEFECTIVE POWER STEERING PUMP. INFORMED CONSUMER THEY WOULD PAY HALF FOR PART AND LABOR , WHICH WOULD BE AT COST OF $500.00. CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE AND WHY SHOULD SHE PAY ANYTHING. *AK