There are 43 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 1997 Ford Taurusin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY DOOR SWITCHES IN MY 97 FORD TAURUS NEED REPLACED AGAIN. I HAD ALL 4 REPLACED 3 YEARS AGO AND THEY KEEP LEAVING THE DOME LIGHT ON AGAIN. HAVING THE DOME LIGHT ON AT NIGHT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE. I KNOW THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING OR HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK INTO IT. *TR
MY CAR HAS A ELECTRICAL PROB OR SOMETHING IT MAKES MY STEERING HARD AND WON'T LET WINDOWS ROLL DOWN AND MAKES ALL LIGHTS IN FLASH. HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO SEVERAL GARAGES AND THEY CAN SEE WHAT'S WRONG. BUT DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSES IT. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. I NEED HELP FIGURING OUT WHAT THIS IS SO I CAN GET IT FIXED!!!! *TR
EVERY TIME I PUT IT IN REVERSE, MY RADIO GOES OUT, MY PL, PS, AND PW STOP WORKING. IF I DRIVE LONGER THAN 5 - 10 MILES, THE LIGHTS AND ALL ELECTRICAL START BLINKING AND THE PS GOES ON AND OFF. I ALMOST HIT A CAR ALONG SIDE OF ME THE 1ST TIME IT HAPPENED, I ONLY DROVE IT OUT OF TOWN ONE TIME AFTER THAT, NOW I DON'T DRIVE IT OUT OF TOWN AT ALL. EVEN IN TOWN IF I'M DRIVING ALL OVER, IT DOES IT. I TRIED TALKING TO FORD CORP. AND THEY BLEW ME OFF, EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS. HELP!! *TR
THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE THE DATE BELOW BUT THIS TIME I DECIDED TO MAKE A COMPLAINT AFTER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WHEN THERE IS A LOT OF WATER AND YOU TURN RIGHT, MY CAR TURNS OFF, THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON AND THEN IT MAKES THIS SQUEALING NOISE. AND THEN IT STARTS RIGHT BACK UP. I HAD THIS CHECKED OUT BUT NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH MY FORD 97 TAURUS. I'VE DRIVEN THROUGH A LOT OF WATER GOING FORWARD IN THE CAR AND IT DOESN'T TURN OFF OR MAKE ANY NOISE, JUST WHEN TURNING RIGHT. I NEVER NOTICED IT WHEN TURNING LEFT. *JB
INTERIOR LIGHTING WILL NOT TURN OFF, THIS IS A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AS IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
OVERHEAD DOME LIGHT SHORTED OUT, REPAIRED SHORT, $110.00. THREE MONTHS LATER THE ALARM SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING, REPLACED ALARM SYSTEM WITH 2005, AND REPLACED COMPLETE WIRING HARNESS. *JB
THERE IS A ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE 1997 FORD TAURES. I REPLACED THE FUSE FOR MY POWER WINDOWS & NOW MY DASH LIGHTS & TAIL LIGHTS DON'T WORK. I WAS LOOKING AT THE LIGHTS & THE SOCKET IN WHICH THE BULBS GO ARE BURNED. MOTOR CAUGHT SLIGHT FIRE BUT CAN'T FIND THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.*AK
MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE . IT WAS PARKED AT 8 P.M ON SAT 2/05/04 AND AT AROUND 4 A.M 0N 2-06-05 I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND MY CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FIRE THE FIRE STARTED IN THE FRONT AND WORKED ITS WAY TOWARDS THE BACK. *JB
IGNITION SWITCH LOCKED. AS A RESULT, THE KEY WAS UNABLE TO COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. *AK
ALL LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HI-LOW BEAMS AND RUNNING LIGHTS WORK! ALL PANEL LIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WORK. TURNING SIGNALS & EMERGENCY FLASHERS DO NOT WORK AT ALL! IT IS AS THOUGH THE WIRES IN THE STEERING COLUMN WERE DISCONNECTED FROM BOTH THE TURNING STICK (SWITCH) AND THE EMERGENCY SWITCH? CHECKED EVERY FUSE IN FUSE BOX UNDER HOOD AND THEY ALL LOOK OK. ASSUME NO BULB PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE WAS AND IS NO FAST BLINK... IT SEEMS LIKE THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTICED DURING AN ALL DAY RAIN STORM...VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS CAME ABOUT BECAUSE I ASSUMED DIRECTIONAL WERE STILL WORKING DURING SEVERAL TURNS...THEN SOMEONE ALMOST HIT ME WHEN I WAS CHANGING LANES....I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A DUMB DRIVER TILL IT HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES....THEN I NOTICED NO TURN SIGNALS...VERY SCARY (VIN: [XXX])! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
CONSUMER STATES THAT AFTER PUTTING KEYS INTO THE IGNITION TO START VEHICLE, KEYS GOT STUCK AS A RESULT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH LOCKING UP. CONTACTED DEALER. HAD PART REPLACED DEALER UNABLE TO REMOVE KEYS.*JB
HEADLIGHTS FAIL WITHOUT WARNING HEADLIGHT PLUG MELTS FROM OVERHEATING AND ELECTRICAL CONTACT IS LOST CAUSING LIGHTS TO GO OUT
WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ALL THE DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE MECHANIC STATED THE WIRING HARNESS WAS ROUTED IN A WAY WERE IT CAUSED FRICTION AND WORE OUT THE INSTALLATION WHICH CAUSED THE WIRES TO BE EXPOSED. *JB
CONSUMER STATES WHILE PUTTING VEHICLE IN REVERSE, RADIO AND WINDOWS QUIT WORKING, SOMETIMES WHEN PUTTING VEHICLE IN REVERSE THE STEERING WHEEL WILL GET TIGHT, POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
INTERIOR MAP LIGHT IS ALSO THE DOME LIGHTS. CANNOT SHUT OFF WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN. WHEN THE DOOR SENSOR BREAKS THE SENSORS THINKS THE DOOR IS OPEN. THIS IS HAZARDOUS AT NIGHT SINCE THERE IS GLARE COMING OFF THE WINDSHIELD. *AK
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL DISPLAY THE "DOOR AJAR" WARNING ICON AND THE DOME LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. AFTER EXITING AND SECURING THE VEHICLE, THE DOME LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON FOR AN INDEFINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT BUT CAN CONTINUE TO MALFUNCTION FOR A WEEK-AT-A-TIME AND NOT HAVE A RECURRENCE FOR UP TO A MONTH. DEALER TOLD ME THAT UNLESS I COULD LOCALIZE THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE, THEY COULD NOT BEGIN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT A PRIOR WARNING, AND CONSUMER LOST COTROL AND VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD. FOUND OUT THAT IGNITION COIL FUSE WAS BLOWN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED OF AN ACCIDENT.*AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 30MPH ON A SIDE STREET, AND THERE WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE PARKED ON SIDE OF ROAD, AND CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT OTHER VEHICLE FROM BEHIND. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY.WHENEVER THE ALTERNATOR GETS WET THE LIGHT GOMES ON AND THE POWER STEERING FAILS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. NLM
SAFETY HAZARD CAUSED BY FAILURE OF INTERIOR LIGHTS TO TURN OFF, AND AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING OF ONLY THE DRIVER DOOR, IMMEDIATELY AFTER USING POWER LOCK BUTTON TO LOCK ALL DOORS.
DOOR AJAR LIGHT ON DASH STAYS ON. SOMETIMES OCASIONALLY IT GOES OFF, INTERIOR LIGHTS WON'T GO OFF BECAUSE OF IT, RESULTING IN A DEAD BATTERY, BACK WINDOW DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF. THE DEALER THINKS I'M CRAZY CAUSE WHENEVER I TAKE IT IN TO BE REPAIRED THE LIGHTS ARE ALL OFF. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A RELAY SWITCH AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT AND IT STILL IS BROKEN. *AK
Showing 1–20 of 43 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