NHTSA Complaint #708862 — 1994 FORD TAURUS

ENGINE FAILURE - DRIVING ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY, CAR STALLED - AFTER SEVERAL DIFFERENT ATTEMPTS TO FIND PROBLEM, PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE TEETH ON THE GEAR ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DISTRIBUTOR HAD BROKEN OFF. THIS TYPE OF STRESS FAILURE SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE FORD COMPANY HAD BEEN NOTIFIED AND WOULD NOT CONSIDER ANY RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM BEING OUTSIDE THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED WAS THAT THE SPEEDODOMETER HAD BEGUN TO FAIL.... GOING FROM ZERO TO 60 AND BACK AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF DRIVING. A SPEED SENSOR HAD FAILED. THE CAR WAS ALSO DOING A HARD JERKING AT ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR. FORD DEALERSHIP HAD TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT 2 OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEARS WERE BAD AND WE HAD THEM REPLACED. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I HAD FOUND OUT FORD HAD MANY (I MEAN MANY) PROBLEMS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM IN ALL THE FORD TAURUS VEHICLES. STILL THE DEALERSHIP FORD COMPANY WOULD DO NOTHING INCLUDING FILING THIS COMPLAINT STATING IT WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THAT FORD SHOULD HAVE BACKED SOME IT NOT ALL OF THIS UP CONSIDERING THE MILEAGE AND PROBLEM HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE. DISTRIBUTER GEARS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BROKEN OFF UNLESS THE METAL COMPOUND HAD BEEN DEFECTIVE. *AK