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Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

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Comments

  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    Is that, perhaps, the price you pay for buying a used car??
  • wkohlerwkohler Member Posts: 74
    Please note that probably not all Taurus/Sable vehicles with the adjustable pedals are recalled. I went to the government recall site www.kbb.com, which stated that vehicles built between May 2000 and August 2000 are recalled. My Taurus was built in September and was not part of the recall. By the way, my Taurus SES purchased in October 2000 (now has close to 6000 miles) has been absolutely flawless; no gasoline smell, no vibrating wheel brakes, no misaligned doors/trim, etc., no "stale" smell in the passenger compartment. Put a K&N air filter in it ($44) and have noticed a slight increase in performance.
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I went to the Ford and Chevy dealerships today. The GM salesman said that Impalas only come with seats that have lumbar support. I sat in the seat and it pushed my shoulders forward--very uncomforable. I went on to the Ford place and sat in a Taurus that didn't have lumbar support and my shoulders felt fine. I think the lumbar support seats were probably designed for taller people than myself. I hate to base my decision on which car to buy by seat comfort but it may come to that. I looked at cars at different Chevy and Ford dealerships a week or so ago and sat in the seats and the Impala was comfortable and the Taurus uncomfortable. Does Taurus have seats with lumbar support? That may have been the problem with the Taurus I sat in a week ago. I'm going to look up Chevrolet's web page to see if that salesman was right about Impalas.
  • danielj6danielj6 Member Posts: 285
    wkohler: I went to www.kbb.com and didn't see a
    section about recalls. Which part of the site did
    you enter?
    I bought my Sable at the end of April 2000, and
    when I called Ford Detroit. the rep told me that
    my car had been recalled. I had previously given him
    my VIN.
    My station wagon is flawless and would be a relief
    for me not to have "Ford technicians" put their
    paws in my car.
  • minnesotaartminnesotaart Member Posts: 52
    My 2000 Taurus SEL was built in March 2000 and I got the recall notice.
  • minnesotaartminnesotaart Member Posts: 52
    What model # is the air filter you put in? For the Duratec engine?
    P.S. - My 2000 SEL has also been flawless in all respects.
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    Our 2001 SEL has lumbar on the driver's seat. It is a knob on the right front of the seat cushion.

    It seems like you can crank it up and make it very obvious or back it way off and make it go away.
  • wkohlerwkohler Member Posts: 74
    Minnesotaart: I threw away the box for the air filter, so don't know what the number is. Next time I have the car (have 2 daughters that drive) I'll look and see if the number is stamped on the filter. I can tell you that the same filter is used for the vulcan and the duratec engine. I have the vulcan engine.
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    Actually, the Taurus I sat in a week ago was either a SES or SEL. So I'm sure now that it had a lumbar support and that's why I felt the difference from the one I sat in yesterday. I'm looking at the LX's so doubt they have lumbar unless a special order.
  • wkohlerwkohler Member Posts: 74
    danielj6: For the recall messages, it would be easier just to stay in edmunds. When you log on to edmunds, click on the "safety info" bar on the left of the screen. Then click on "Recalls and Technical Services Bulletins". That will tell you that the site has moved, so just click the bottom of the page to move on to the correct site. Once there, you have the option to click on to "recalls" or "Technical service bulletins". Click on recalls and follow the directions. Should pull up all the information regarding recalls for the Taurus, of which I believe there were 3 recall notices. The first two notices just dealt with child restraint stuff. The third notice discusses the adjustable pedal recall.
  • shank6shank6 Member Posts: 64
    Hockey2, Any regular mineral based oil 5W30 will perform as good as synthetic if your not living in Alaska or Desert Valley. I sell motor oil for a living, and the amount of misinformation that is fed to the general public in the form of "marketing" is unbelievable. I had a 91 Acura Integra which I ran on the road (60% highway 40% city ) and did my own oil changes using WalMart Tech 2000 10W30 and achieved 262,000 miles before I traded the car.
    The oil companies would have you believe you need a new type of oil every 3000 miles if they could get away with it. Look at these 2 new products out now, Valvoline Max Life 10W30 and Pennzoil-Quaker State(they're the same company now) high mileage 10W30. Are we to believe that after 75,000 miles that regular 10W30 is no longer applicable?. What a bunch of hogwash. Do regular oil and filter changes at OEM specs and you won't have a problem, belive me.
  • minnesotaartminnesotaart Member Posts: 52
    I answered my own question by going to the K&N web site. For a 2000 Taurus (either Vulcan or Duratec engine) the K&N Air Filter # is 33-2150. Many stores don't even have it listed in their computers let alone have one, so I had to order it.
  • minnesotaartminnesotaart Member Posts: 52
    Now I am told that the part is "too new" and their distributor doesn't have it so it would have to be ordered from the factory and I would have to pay shipping, etc. So I said to forget it for now. wkohler - where did you get yours?
  • wkohlerwkohler Member Posts: 74
    Minnesotaart
    I got my filter at Auto Zone. As you know, they don't have anything listed in the cataloque. The sales person at Auto Zone will have to call K&N and order the part for you. When they did this, the filter arrived the next day. Of course you'll probably have to pre-pay for the filter. When you get the filter, please note that the new filter element is not nearly as "thick" as the OEM filter; that's the way it should be. Just follow the directions for installation. The instructions say to disconnet the intake box to install the filter seal, but I found that you don't really need to do that. The box can be positioned for easy installation without a complete disconnect. However, please remember I have the Vulcan engine; not sure how much room you have for the Duratec engine. It took me less than 5 minutes for the installation. Bill K sends.
  • bronsonbbronsonb Member Posts: 170
    We recently bought a used 2000 Taurus wagon with the Flex Fuel 3.0 liter 12V V6 engine. The car has performed wonderfully and is my primary car (my wife gets the Passat). However, when I have my wife and our baby in the car, I've noticed the engine knocks and pings a lot going up hill. Does the added weight of 1.5 people really have that much of an affect on the engine? I've filled up the past three times with 89 octane gas, but it only seems to help a little. Should I move up to premium? Is there anything else I can do? The car is still under manufacturer's warranty (and it checked out with my mechanic before I purchased it).

    Also, any other Taurus wagon owners with the FFV engine, do you get knocking and pinging? Just curious. Thanks for your help.
  • ocdocd Member Posts: 7
    I am the happy owner of a 2001 Tausus SEL. I noticed that upon certain warm "start ups" that there would be a small of gasoline coming from the vents. The local dealer replaced the upper and lower fuel gaskets and this has resolved the problem. The car has been flawless otherwise.
  • prestoneprestone Member Posts: 13
    Greetings all,

    I had an appointment Monday morning (April 2nd) to have the corrective work done regarding safety recall # 01S08. I dropped my Sable off expecting the work to take several hours. Within 15 minutes of arriving at the office, I received a call from my service manager informing me that the work was complete! Needless to say, I was pleased. I only wish he'd informed me that it would only take 15 minutes to perform the correction!

    Glad to have the problem corrected now. Fortunately, my Sable never exhibited any of the problems (outlined in the safety recall) before I had the corrective work carried out.

    I'm still enjoying the car in spite of the two problems (incorrectly installed power steering hose and this safety recall) I've experienced in the seven months since I began the lease. Hopefully this will be it. We'll see.
  • larryn2larryn2 Member Posts: 18
    Try a good fuel injector cleaner.You most likely have deposits. The car is made to run on 87 octane any more and you are wasting money. read owners manual about ping/knock. or have injectors cleaned profesonly....LARRY
  • shank6shank6 Member Posts: 64
    larryn 2 is right on the money bronsonb. Additional octane won't reduce ping if the engine is designed to use 87 octane. This kind of problem used to be corrected with a timing adjustment, but fuel injector cleaner would be my first choice too. Good luck.
  • wkohlerwkohler Member Posts: 74
    Larry: Thanks for mentioning about reading the owners manual. Have found that most questions posed in this and other sites could have been resolved if only everyone would sit down and read the Owner's Manual. I know it takes some time and effort to do that, but it really is worth the effort. Also saves some embarrasment when visiting the dealership regarding alleged operating problems that are featured in the manual. Bill K sends...
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    if the Taurus has an aluminum or steel head gasket. I've been trying to find out and can't find the info in any specs.
  • bronsonbbronsonb Member Posts: 170
    Thanks shank6 and larryn2 for your advice. I confess, I have not read the owner's manual cover to cover, but I have read sections (actually brought it to work with me today to review it). Thanks for your advice. I've picked up an over-the-counter fuel injector cleaner. If that doesn't work, I'll give the professionals a try.

    Now for my question. I talked to Ford yesterday about recommended service upcoming for my Taurus. At 30K miles they recommend a $475 service appointment where they do everything from an alignment to a transmission fluid and filter change to a tune up. I thought the Taurus was on a 100,000 mile tune up interval and asked the service guy about that. He replied that the 100,000 tune up interval only applied to the spark plug wires. That yanking feeling must be someone pulling my leg. I checked the scheduled maintenance guide, and it mentions nothing about a tune up OR a transmission fluid and filter change at 30K miles. What are your thoughts? I've heard from other Taurus owners that having the transmission fluid and filter changed every year is a good idea, but why tune up the car if it doesn't need it. Additionally, I take my car to NTB for all alignments and tire service, so Ford can stop pushing that as well. It sounds like this dealer is trying to get as much $$$ out of me as possible. Just want to hear what other Taurus owners have experienced. Thanks!
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    First, you didn't take the car to Ford you took it to a Ford Dealer. I think that makes a big difference.

    I have never gone to a dealer's service department for any of the many brands of car I have owned over the years and not had them pushing services on you far and above what the manufacturer recommends. Sometimes the bill for a simple 15 or 20,000 mile servicing is so much you start thinking about a home equity loan!

    While leaving the plugs in the block for 100,000 miles may be a bit crazy (my mechanic tells me tails of the fun they have trying to break these plugs loose)and you may have your own preferences on the changing of oil and filters and the like, following the schedule that the car maker has outlined in the owner's and or service manual I think is the way to go. If you read the long term tests most car mags do, you'll see that they follow the manifacturer's recommendations for service during the test periods.

    I love my present Ford dealer and have bought 3 cars for our family in the past year but I also have a relationship with a great indipendant mechanic who I trust. Taking my 2000 Mustang convertible to the dealer for the 6,000 mile oil change cost me $75. Taking it to my mechanic for the 9,000 mile change cost me $30.

    The last thing I'll say is that I really doubt that they do all the items on even the Ford checklist. I know my Mom just took her Toyota Camry in for its 5,000 mile service and got it back needing 15 lbs of air in 2 tires.... checking the air pressure is one of the things they say they do!

    Look, I know they are trying to make a buck and they do have a lot of overhead but I think spending money for things you don't need or that aren't done is not my idea of how to spend my maintenance budget!

    Just my opinion.
  • larryn2larryn2 Member Posts: 18
    well about dealers, over priced and dont do enough for the buck. I just bought a 1997 taurus 43000 i just did a major service,coolant flush,trans flush/check, wheel rotate/balance, plugs, wires, injector cleaner, fuel filter.start fresh, stay well thats my opinion stay with the manual keep a good record of all you do to the car local shops are cheeper than dealer. you dont need proof of maintenance for warranty work . i never take my ford to the dealer for service just warranty work (mabey thats why it lasted so long ha ha ) larry
  • shank6shank6 Member Posts: 64
    that yanking feeling sounds more like the opening scene from the movie Jaws!!. I'm not planning any transmission fluid changes or tune ups to my 99 DE in the near future. ( 34,982 and counting)The service departments are what keep the dealerships alive. They may tell you it's car sales, but I equate that to the bar syndrome. The foods' cheap cause the alcohol funds the profits. I do my own oil and filter changes on my Taurus every 6000, and I have a mechanic near me whose opinion I trust. I'm still on the same page as larryn2. When in doubt, consult..... the owners manual!!!.
    Good luck buddy!!
  • danielj6danielj6 Member Posts: 285
    I always took my cars to a shop that I trust. I
    have the deepest mistrust about dealer svce depts
    as I don't believe they do anything to deserve
    to charge me high rates other than to meet their overhead. My mechanic, on the other hand, owns his shop and he used to work for Mercedes Benz in Germany. I've been going to him for the last 9 years. He doesn't work for free but doesn't overcharge me either. He just follows the manufacturer's service
    schedule, calls me by my first name and really listens to me. Never had a problem with the three new vehicles I brought to him.
  • riswamiriswami Member Posts: 192
    The owners manual of my 97 GL, Vulcan states change trans fluid every 30k. I had it done at the dealership last time. They used the machine that gets all of it out.

    I have 59k and the gas mileage is good. Not planing on changing the plugs yet. Basically I've changed brake fluid, oil and antifreeze since I bought the car. It's keep insurance.

    I'd carefully weight not changing the trans fluid verse trans failure due to lack of maintenance!
  • larryn2larryn2 Member Posts: 18
    the trans guy that rebuilds the trans in the cop cars i work on, says the filters get pluged up from normal use and i should change them more offten so we change them at 20,000 miles thats 4 times per the cars life time. cheep ins. its going good so far. larry
  • ehaaseehaase Member Posts: 328
    According to this week's Automotive News (http://www.automotivenews.com), in the 2004, Ford will introduce a tall roof wagon with attributes of minivans and SUV's. It will be built in Ford's Chicago Taurus plant. At that time, Ford will build the Taurus (which is supposed to be redesigned for 2004) only in the Atlanta plant and will cut production of the Taurus/Sable in half. I believe that Ford sales are already too concentrated on trucks, and I am not sure if this is a good strategy.
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    it shows the Vulcan having cast iron block and heads. That has pretty much been the deciding factor between a Taurus or Impala. The 3.4 L Impala has iron block with aluminum heads. Thanks again for info!
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    wow. Good! I'm glad I could help. :)

    I wish I could make up my mind. :(

    The only thing stopping me is if I can give up having a truck. I know others who have gone from a truck to a car and are happy, but I have this nagging voice in the back of my head...

    on Tuesday my truck gets $400 more in repairs. I spent $700 just before X-Mas soooo, maybe that'll shut that voice up!
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I don't know anything about trucks as I've always owned cars but I imagine it would be a difficult transition. I was in a traffic jam on the interstate a few days ago and it took me over an hour to go a mile (to the next exit where I got off). All these trucks and SUV's were driving across the grass median to go in opposite direction. At that time, I wish I had a truck! I'd be afraid to try that in a car.

    Anyway, good luck with your car woes.
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    After driving trucks for the better part of 17 years (an 84 Toyota van, '87 Ford E-150, and a '97 E-150 Hi Top) my wife decided she'd had it with trucks. In Dec we ordered a 2001 Taurus SEL. We've had it for about 2 months now and we are very happy. We too agonized about making the transition and when we really analyzed it we figured there be about 6 or 7 days a year we'd miss the van. We decided we could live with that and went the car route.

    The Taurus SEL is a great car and its a real pleasure to be driving a car that can go anywhere (even elevated parking structures) in style!

    Good luck with your decision... look at it really hard and see if the truck need is really there... then make your decision.
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    fdthird - I imagine the engine on your SEL is a Duratec. I'm looking at the Vulcan engine. I believe it will have cast iron block and cylinder heads which is what I want. My dad says he'll try to get to a Ford place sometimes next week to look at the engine just to make sure.

    My big decision has been base Impala vs Taurus. In the past, I just bought a car I liked and didn't put all this research into it. Car shopping is supposed to be fun but I find the more research I do the more confusing it gets! I'm buying in May so in another month I'll be out of my misery and will just live with whatever I buy.
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    well no. I don't need a truck. But 4wd has really been handy this winter. And the road I drive on everyday is as smooth as driving on rail road ties. I haven't really wanted to subject a new car to that.

    But the 27 or so I could get with a Taurus sounds much better than the 14 I'm getting now... On the other hand, my loan will be paid off in December...

    I'm just one of those indecisive types!
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    That's pretty bad gas mileage. I can see why you think about buying a car. The main reason I've always had a car is because I have a hard time driving a bigger vehicle. We get a lot of street flooding where I live and trucks work out better from that standpoint (depending on how high the water is). Guess there are advantages/disadvantages either way.
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    our streets flood too; but we call it snow! ;>
  • ger2138ger2138 Member Posts: 3
    I'am looking at a 99 Taurus or a 99 4 cylinder 626. Both have about 30k miles and are going for $11,000. Any advice?
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    got erased. I bookmarked the forum you told me about in Smart Shopper but it got erased in my bookmarks as well before I could read it. Will try to find it since I'd like to read it.

    Don't know if you saw the post I sent last night, but it said that the problem I had with that dealer was just that particular town I was in. I had the same problem at the Chevy place. The Ford place where I live had 8 LX's on the lot and that's where I think I'll get the best deal. Although I have a two more places I want to go
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    I just read the info for the X-plan you mentioned. I calculated a price of $16,090 for the LX (invoice minus $300 holdback minus $1500 rebate). How did you come up with the $300 holdback? Will the dealer give you that info?
  • harmarharmar Member Posts: 94
    I've owned Mazda (Protege) and Nissan. I keep my cars 8 - 10 years. Major problems seldom arose, but when they did... parts cost an arm and a leg! And in some cases, those parts had to be ordered out of the regional warehouse (Chicago for me). Fortunately, I was generally able to drive the cars till the parts arrived, but I did have to rent a car one time when the part wasn't in stock and the car couldn't be driven. If your dealership is large, perhaps it stocks more parts than mine did. Best wishes.
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    no, I didn't get to read your post from last night...

    the holdback is 3% of the MSRP listed on the sticker. So, if the MSRP is $19k, then the holdback is $570.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Folks, Town Hall had a severe problem last night, and posts made after sometime yesterday morning disappeared in the process of getting TH up and running again. The technical folks have been working all night - and are still working - trying to get them back.

    I understand some have already been restored, and more may be coming, but there are no promises at this point.

    Please accept our sincerest apologies for this situation and trust that every effort is being made to rectify the problem. Thank you for your patience.

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  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    $500 with the X-plan compared to Edmund's TMV price. Is the X-plan strictly for financing a car? It's certainly worth looking into. Thanks for passing this on.
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    no; it's good for cash or financing.
  • shank6shank6 Member Posts: 64
    Just wanted to see if anyone's in the same boat as me. Bought my 99 Taurus SE new off the showroom floor. At 13,000 miles I noticed the steering wheel vibrating. Dealer said rotors were warped and had to be machined. The problem re-occured at 23,000 miles to the degree where I had to have the rotors replaced under warranty,(different dealer). Now at 34,000 problem is back again. I drive mostly on highway (65 to 70% of the time). Does this seem normal to you folks ?
  • harmarharmar Member Posts: 94
    Scan back through the Taurus and Sable posts and you will see your problem is not unique. One post cited a method of solving it that had worked for him. Best wishes.
  • stnelstnel Member Posts: 338
    My dad got to the Ford place today to look at the Vulcan engine. The web page you gave me seemed to be on the mark. Thanks for that info!

    There's an ad in the paper listing the Taurus's for $300 or so under invoice. I may be buying a car before May. I'm certainly getting the car fever!

    Hope you have a nice Easter weekend!
  • minnesotaartminnesotaart Member Posts: 52
    Do you rotate your tires a lot or put on different tires for winter? A common cause of rotors warping is when the lug nuts are tightened with an air wrench instead of by hand. So, whenever the lug nuts are taken off, INSIST that they be re installed using hand tools only (preferably a torque wrench). If you have aluminum wheels, they may actually be setting the air wrench to a higher (tighter) setting since the lug nuts on aluminum wheels require a higher torque amount than on steel wheels. Get some new rotors under warranty again and then never let an air wrench be used again. Hope this helps.
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