1997 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,003 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Ford Taurus, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 50/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 72,000 miles.
Below average
Where 1997 sits among all Taurus years
What owners report
“Vehicle transmission sensory failed causing vehicle to downshift to 45 mph while on freeway.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
“Engine coolant is turning brown. Changed coolant at 20,000 miles and recently changed again at 45,000.shoud not be happening on a 97' vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
“The door ajar light comes on when the weather is warm. This causes the interior lights to stay on, and the driver side door will not lock when using the power lock button when this occurs.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
“Service engine light will not turn off...transmission has been replaced and repaired and is now needing repair again...tires from normal wear...brakes from normal wear...”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
“Was informed by dealership that this was caused by their repair of my transmission, however, i am to pay for the repair for this myself. What is wrong with this picture? They break it, i pay for it to be fixed. This is ford quality is job1 at its best.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
“All's well in park and neutral, but when in reverse or drive, the radio quits, intermittent wipers fail, windows won't work, loss of about 75% of power steering. Put it in nuetral and all is well. It turned out to be the transmission range sensor. I found 10 other people who have had the same…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Taurus
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 171 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 84,900 miles. Half of those reports fall between 54,275 and 123,100 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE TEXT AND/OR GRAPHICS FOR THE VEHICLE HEADLAMP AIMING INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE OWNER GUIDES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND…
Fix: OWNER GUIDES CONTAINING REVISED AIMING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AX4S AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLES. THE LOW/INTERMEDIATE SERVO COVER CAN SEPARATE FROM THE TRANSAXLE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. IF THIS OCCURS, TRANSMISSION FLUID WILL LEAK CONTACTING THE CATALYTIC…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACE THESE SERVO COVERS.
THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET HAS A SHARP EDGE WHICH CAN CAUSE THE PARKING PAWL TO HANG UP AND NOT ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
Technical service bulletins
251 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1997 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1997 Taurus TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Ford Taurus reliable?
The 1997 Ford Taurus drew 1,003 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 50/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).
What are the most common 1997 Ford Taurus problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Ford Taurus are transmission & drivetrain (228 complaints), engine (173), and electrical (106).
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Taurus problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Ford Taurus problems around 84,900 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 54,275 and 123,100 miles.
Does the 1997 Ford Taurus have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Ford Taurus. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.