1999 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,100 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Ford Taurus, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 56/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Suspension leads the reports, typically around 70,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 1999 Ford Taurus sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2006–2012, 2014–2018.
Avoid
Where 1999 sits among all Taurus years
What owners report
“Drivers side front coil spring breakage. Coils spring broke in half near bottom of spring. 1999 taurus has 75,000 miles on. 80% highway miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
“Front rotor defective, problem has not been corrected and the brake pedal, steering column and front end vibrate and pulsate. This creates a loss of control especially at highway speed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
“Intially diagnosed as power steering fluid leak - turns out that the problem was a leak in the rack and pinion steering.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
“Vehicle experiences continued unintended acceleration, unable to identify failure. Mjs”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
“The transmission would not engage into first gear or would slip and not shift out of first gear or down to first gear. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
“Head gasket required replacement at 51,000 miles on a 19999 ford taurus 3.0 engine”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Taurus
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 404 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 70,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,254 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL PROTECTIVE SPRING SHIELDS. IN ADDITION, FORD IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS IN ALL OTHER STATES, FOR FRACTURE ONLY, UP TO 10 YEARS OF SERVICE OR…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR MAY HAVE A PIN SHAFT IN THE SWITCHABLE ELR/ALR MECHANISM THAT IS INCORRECTLY FORMED. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SWITCHING MECHANISM COULD BECOME NONFUNCTIONAL, PREVENTING THE SEAT BELT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES. ASSEMBLIES WITH JULIAN DATE CODES OF 200 THROUGH 223 ARE SUSPECT AND WILL BE REPLACED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUPPED WITH THE "CALIFORNIA" EMISSIONS PACKAGE. AN INCORRECT TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE WAS INSTALLED. THE LINE CONTACTS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM MODULE SUPPORT BRACKET AND OVER TIME, CAN WEAR AND DEVELOP A…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE APPROPRIATE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A DASH INSULATOR RETAINER CLIP WAS NOT FULLY ASSEMBLED TO THE ACCELERATOR CABLE DASH FITTING. THE CLIP CAN DISENGAGE FROM THE ACCELERATOR CABLE AND FALL INTO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARM PIVOT AREA.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES TO ENSURE PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ACCELERATOR CABLE CLIP, AND RE-INSTALL IF NEEDED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL SEAT TRACKS. THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ATTACHING STUD MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY HEAT TREATED. THIS HEAT TREATMENT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN CRACKS DEVELOPING IN THE STUD.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE MOUNTING BRACKET AND STUD ASSEMBLY.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V332000.
Technical service bulletins
178 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1999 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 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 1999 Ford Taurus reliable?
The 1999 Ford Taurus drew 1,100 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 56/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).
What are the most common 1999 Ford Taurus problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Ford Taurus are suspension (187 complaints), brakes & stability (117), and steering (115).
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Taurus problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Ford Taurus problems around 70,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,254 and 100,000 miles.
Does the 1999 Ford Taurus have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 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.