1988 FORD TAURUS Electrical Systemignition Problems

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A FUEL LINE PROBLEM. *AK THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE IDLE, MILEAGE PER HOUR, THE A/C, THICKNESS IN THE FUEL, AND THE IGNITION. (REFER TO: ODI# 10073942) *SC THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND MASTER CYLINDER WERE INOPERATIVE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. DRIVER PUSHED ON ACCELERATOR, BUT AUTOMOBILE CONTINUED TO SHUT DOWN. REACHING SIDE OF ROAD, AND USING BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR, CONSUMER COULD RESTART VEHICLE BY PLACING IT IN NEUTRAL OR PARK. CONSUMER HAS NOT YET HAD AN ACCIDENT. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

CONSUMER LOST TOTAL ELECTRIC POWER TO SPARK PLUGS WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. MOTOR STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER TO VEHICLE. IGNITION SWITCH HAS MELTED DOWN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER KEPT PUTTING VEHICLE ON MACHINES, BUT HAS NOT SOLVED PROBLEM. *AK *SLC

VEHICLE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE AND IT MADE NOISES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE WOULD STALL. DEALER STATED INGNITION MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

CAR HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATED. REPLACED ONCE IN EARLY 1990'S. PROBLEM REAPPEARED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. REPAIR SHOP CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM. RECALL IN CALIFORNIA SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO ENTIRE COUNTRY.

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ENGINE WOULD ACT AS IF RUNNING OUT OF GAS - ENGINE WOULD QUIT, AND THEN COME BACK ON WITHOUT WARNING. ENGINE DID NOT NEED TO BE RESTARTED, BUT WOULD CUT OUT AS DESCRIBED AND THIS CONDITION WOULD CLEAR ON ITS OWN. EVENTUALLY, THE ENGINE WOULD "SKIP" AT ANY SPEED WITHOUT WARNING AND DID STALL. WOULDN'T RESTART RIGHT AWAY, THEN WOULD RESTART AND STALL SEVERAL TIMES, THEN WOULD FINALLY START AND RUN WITHOUT INCEDENT. DEALER DIAGNOSIS WAS TO REPLACE DISTRIBUTOR STATOR AND ELECTRONIC IGNITION MODULE EVEN THOUGH THEY RECOMMENDED NOT REPLACING THESE ITEMS, STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS NOT HAD AN INCEDENT SINCE THE DEALER REPAIR.

WHILE AT AN INTERSECTION, AND GIVING CAR GAS IT WILL SEVERELY HESITATE, THEN POP AND BACKFIRE, THEN IT WILL GO. TOOK TO FORD FOR A TUNE UP, AND PROBLEM GOT WORSE. TFI MODULE WAS NOT REPLACED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN IGINTION MODULE. *AK *SLC

I HAVE HAD 2 IGNITION MODULE FAILURES DURING THE 10 YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED MY 1988 TAURUS. THE FIRST INCIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES AND THE SECOND AT APPROXIMATELY 105,000 MILES. WHILE THESE FAILURES DID NOT RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT THEY DID CAUSE A GREAT DEAL OF INCONVENIENCE AND COULD HAVE HAD SERIOUS SAFETY CONSEQUENCES. FORD DOES NOT SEEM TO THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, YET I HAVE HAD 3 IGNITION MODULE FAILURES ON FORD VEHICLES DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS.

IGNITION OPERATES WITH OUT THE KEY. OCCASIONALLY STOPS WORKING.

DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE TFI IGNITION CABLE WHICH BURNED THE COIL, THE VEHICLE STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. ALSO, DEALER REPLACED THE R&R DRIVE BELTS/SPEED CONTROLCABLE, AND PERFORMED VEHICLE TUNE UP. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

CONSUMER PULLED INTO DRIVEWAY WHEN HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, BURNING ALL OF THE IGNITION WIRING.CONSUMER REPLACED THE IGINTION. *AK

IGNITION SWITCH SHORT, REPLACE CONNECTORS AND SWITCHES IN SEVERAL VEHICLE.

ELECTRICAL SHORT IN IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING WIRING HARNESS TO MELT IN THE STEERING COLUMN. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEED, ELECTRICAL BLOWER AND DEFROSTER, TURNING SIGNALS AND LIGHTS ALL ELECTRICAL FAILED. ENTIRE WIRE AND IGNITION BURNED. *AK

IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT START, DUE TO A SMALL FIRE IN THE WIRING BUNDLE AND INGNITION SWITCH. *AK

IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT START, DUE TO A SMALL FIRE IN THE WIRING BUNDLE AND INGNITION SWITCH. *AK

IGNITION FIRE. *AK

DISTRIBUTOR WIRE BROKE. TT

ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. PLEASE DECRIBE. TT

ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. PLEASE DECRIBE. TT

IGNITION CAUGHT FIRE UPON STARTING VEHICLE, CAUSING INJURY. *SKD