NHTSA Complaint #10404404 — 2004 FORD TAURUS

I BOUGHT MY 2004 FORD TAURUS NEW AND HAVE HAD NO MAJOR REPAIR PROBLEMS. IT CURRENTLY HAS JUST OVER 140,000 MILES ON IT. YESTERDAY MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE, WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AT 70 MILES PER HOUR AND BEGAN MAKING A LOUD "WHINING" NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. SHE WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER, WHERE SHE PUT THE GEAR SELECTOR IN "PARK" AND TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. AFTER LETTING THE VEHICLE SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES SHE RESTARTED THE CAR AND PUT THE GEAR SELECTOR IN "DRIVE". THE LOUD "WHINING" NOISE CONTINUED, AND EACH TIME THAT SHE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR THE RPM'S INCREASED AS THE ENGINE REVVED, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS OF THE TRANSMISSION WERE TESTED. THERE WERE NO MALFUNCTIONS DETECTED IN THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED, AS THE MALFUNCTION WAS DUE TO A FAILURE OF EITHER THE TORQUE CONVERTER, THE TRANSMISSION, OR POSSIBLY BOTH. THE REPAIR ESTIMATES WERE QUOTED TO BE ABOUT $850.00 IF THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER, WHICH THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME WAS A QUITE COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT MODEL, AS THE SPLINES OFTEN STRIPPED OUT. THE SECOND QUOTE WAS FOR ABOUT $1500.00 IF METAL SHAVINGS ARE FOUND IN THE TRANSMISSION PAN, WHICH WOULD INDICATE THAT THE FAILURE WAS A RESULT OF A FAULTY COMPONENT IN THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL. I SEARCHED YAHOO FOR "2004 FORD TAURUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS" AND DISCOVERED AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS INVOLVING THE SAME MANUFACTURER DEFECT. MANY OF THE CONSUMERS FILED COMPLAINTS WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY, BUT FORD REFUSES TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE PARTS, MATERIALS, OR DESIGN. IRONICALLY I FOUND THAT THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS WERE USED IN THE 2002 TO 2006 MODELS. PRIOR TO MY 2004 MODEL, I OWNED A 2000 MODEL TAURUS WITH OVER 100,000 MILES AND NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. *TR