NHTSA Complaint #10574101 — 2000 FORD TAURUS

AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE USED FOR VERY LITTLE MONEY, I HAD A LOT OF WORK DONE INCLUDING SOME BRAKE WORK. THE BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE MY SON IN LAW WAS SLOWING TO EXIT AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. MY SON IN LAW DROVE THE CAR OFF OF THE ROAD, INTO A CITY PARK TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I SPOKE TO SEVERAL MECHANICS. ALL OF THEM INSISTED THAT THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM COULD NOT FAIL AT THE SAME TIME. A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, WHO IS NOT A MECHANIC, AGREED WITH THE MECHANICS THAT A TOTAL FAILURE WAS IMPOSSIBLE. THIS FRIEND SAID HE WOULD DRIVE THE CAR FOR A WHILE TO PROVE TO ME THAT MY SON IN LAW MUST HAVE MISTAKENLY HIT THE ACCELERATOR INSTEAD OF THE GAS. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, HE HAD AN IDENTICAL EXPERIENCE - TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES. FORTUNATELY, IT HAPPENED AS HE WAS PARKING THE CAR AND WAS ALREADY MOVING VERY SLOWLY. AFTER THAT I HAD THE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED SINCE IT WAS THE ONLY MAJOR PART IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM THAT HAD NOT YET BEEN REPLACED. AGAIN, I SPOKE WITH MORE MECHANICS, INCLUDING SOME FORD DEALERSHIP MECHANICS. THEY DID NOT THINK THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER COULD CAUSE A TOTAL FAILURE, BUT COULD NOT COME UP WITH ANYTHING THAT COULD DO THIS. WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AGAIN. I WAS ALREADY WORRIED THAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT NOT BE SOLVED, SO WE HAD BEEN DRIVING EXTRA SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. I COULD NOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SELL OR TRADE THIS VEHICLE SO I TOOK IT TO SOMEONE WHO COULD HELP ME DISMANTLE THE CAR BEFORE JUNKING IT TO MAKE SURE IT DID NOT RETURN TO SERVICE. *TR