1997 Ford Taurus problems & reliability
770 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Taurus. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
41 complaints report injuries (50 injured, 4 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Ford Taurus vehicles were involved in 10 fatal crashes with 7 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 214 | 28% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 145 | 19% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 67 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 62 | 8% |
| Steering | 59 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 58 | 8% |
| Visibility | 57 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 42 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 28 | 4% |
| Suspension | 28 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 85,000 miles (middle 50% between 57,500 and 119,000 miles), based on 133 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Oil light does not come on when low. 2. Engine light always on. 3 when I was driving this winter, the brakes, they locked up on me and I almost had a collision with two other cars but I hit a curb and was able to get my car moving again. 4.car is loud while driving. 5 can't get good gas milage.6.car has developed an…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Mar 15, 2021
“Auto trans. Shift quad quickly became sloppy and in fact sometimes would not start in park pos. And you had to hunt for neutral where it would always start. Then on the third day, while parked overnight on private property, it did start in park, but while on a very high idle I got out of the car for a second and while…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 11, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of the…”
Engine · filed Mar 28, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
251 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford Taurus. The 10 most recent:
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Surge, idle roll, rough idle only when the engine cooling fans are operating. *tt
18614 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. To include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04.
031404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2004
Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline. *tt this bulletin updates previous bulletin 17358, dated 11/01/2003 to include 2005 models. *tt
17358 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2004
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
In vehicle loctite service procedure for camshaft tube and gear. *tt
03141 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes p0741 or p1744 stored in memory. Models from 1996 to 2003. *tt
03123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457. *tt
0398 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Ford Taurus in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Ford Taurus?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 85,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.