1989 Ford Taurus Electrical System Problems

SUNDAY AT 11:45 AM, I LEFT MY HOUSE TO GO TO WORK AT WAL-MART. AT ABOUT 4:30 PM, A CUSTOMER AT WAL-MART CAME IN THE STORE AND TOLD US THAT A CAR WAS ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. I WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE WHO CAR IT WAS. IT WAS MINE. IT CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE DASH. THE WHOLE DASH IS GONE. THE FIRE STARTED BY ELECTRICAL IN THE DASH. I HAVE THE REPORT FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I WAS ON IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE. *NM

I HAVE A 1989 FORD TAURUS WITH AN IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM. IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE FOR 1 YEAR AND YESTERDAY WHEN IT WOULDN'T START, IT KEPT CRANKING ON IT'S OWN EVEN AFTER I PULLED THE KEY OUT. IT THEN STATRED SMOKING FROM UNDER THE DASH AND I HAD TO JUMP OUT AND DISCONECT THE BATTERY! FORD RECALLED EVERY OTHER MODEL FOR 1989 BUT MINE AND THE EXPLORER FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHY NOT MINE?

VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS WHEN IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED CAUSE WAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.*AK

ENGINE WOULD STALL WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. *SLC

AS I DRIVE MY CAR IT SHUTS OFF. I CAN ONLY RUN IT FOR 15 MINUTES AT A TIME . IVE AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WHAT CAN I DO ?*AK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: REGULATOR FAILED. *AK

WHILE MAKING A SLOW TURN AT 15 MPH, CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE FROM UNDER HOOD. ALSO, SMOKE COMING INTO INTERIOR. STOPPED AND OPENED HOOD, FLAMES FROM REAR OF ENGINE. *AK

1) ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE MICHAEL BALLACHEY INITIALLY RULED THAT FORD MUST RECALL AS MANY AS 1.7-MILLION VEHICLES IN CALIFORNIA. A FINAL DECISION ON THE RECALL IS EXPECTED IN MARCH 2001. IF THE RECALL PROCEEDS, FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS WHAT TO DO.*AK

CONSUMER STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT AND VEHICLE STALLED OUT, COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER, VEHCILE WOULD START. CONSUMER FELT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH STALLING.*AK

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT ABOUT 25 MPH AND I NOTICED SMOKE AND THEN I STOPPED AD OPENED THE HOOD AND THEN I SAW FLAMES AND ALL THAT I SAW ON THE GROUND WAS ANTIFREEZE, BUT THE WIRING UNDER THE HOOD WAS ALL MELTED

IGNITION SWITCH BURNED. VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 1/2 HOUR. *AK

THERE WAS NOT A FIRE IN THAT I COULD SEE FLAME BUT FAST ESCAPING SMOKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN NEAR THE IGNITION AND FROM THE FAR LEFT DASH RIGHT NEXT TO THE WINDSHEILD, I QUICKLY EVACUATED TWO YOUNG GIRLS FROM THE CAR IN CASE IT WENT INTO FLAMES. THE CAR WAS PURSHASED FROM MY BOYFRIEND AND HE KNEW THERE WAS TROUBLE WITH THE HEATER / BUT IT WAS INTERMITTENT SINCE OCTOBER 1997. HE ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT THE LURCHING (LATER DETERMINATED) AS A MOTOR MOUNT PROBLEM BUT PREVIOUSLY DIAGNOSED BY A TRANSMISSION SHOP AS A BADLY SLIPPING TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AFTER THE MOTOR MOUNT WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED. THE CAR IS AT YOUNG FORD IN CHARLOTTE BEING REPAIRED FOR THE APPARENT BURNED IGNITION AND MAIN WIRING HARNESS AND THEN A FRUTHER LOOK INTO THE HEATING PROBLEM AND ALSO ERRATIC GAS GAUGE, WHICH SOMTIMES SHOWS FULL WHEN I CAN STILL ADD 10 GALLONS OF GAS

EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE THE SCANNER IN THE CAR WILL SAY "BRAKE LAMP OUT" THEN SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTERY LIGHT WILL COME ON AND THE CAR WILL DIE AND NOT START AGAIN.

WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING COLUMN HAS SMOKE COMING OUT OF IT, ALMOST CAUSING A FIRE. BEEN TO DEALER, DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK

TURN SIGNALS AND BLOWER MOTOR STOP WORKING. THEN STARTS WORK AGAIN, THEN STOP, THEN START, FUSES ARE OK, POWER WINDOW PASSENGER'S SIDE STOPS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, ALSO, POWER SEAT DOESN'T WORK, INTERMITTENTLY. SEVERAL OTHE R ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ARE EVIDENT INTERMITTENTLY. *AK

CONSUMER'S SON DROVE VEHICLE TO SCHOOL AND PARKED VEHICLE ON THE LOT, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE HOOD TO DASHBOARD, IT WAS BURNED MORE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAN THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. *AK

A YEAR AGO, THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND SMOKE CAME THROUGH THE STEERING COLUMN. TODAY, WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED THE OWNER HEARD A SHORT CIRCUIT SOUND AND SMOKE CAME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, THE OWNER THEN SHUT IGNITION OFF. *AK TWO WIRES LEADING TO THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SENDING UNIT AND THE BLACK GROUND BOTH ORIGINATING AT THE IGNITION SWITCH COUPLING HAD THE INSULATION BURNT OFF THEM, THE WIRES WERE REPLACED AND THE GROUND WIRE AGAIN OVERHEATED AND THE INSULATION WAS BURNT OFF, A SOLUTION WAS FOUND BY DISCONNECTING THE GROUND WIRE COMPLETELY. *SLC

PULLED INTO DRIVEWAY; NOTICED SMOKE NEAR HOOD; TURNED VEHICLE OFF & GOT KIDS OUT. ATTEMPED TO LIFT HOOD WHEN FLAMES SHOT OUT. FIRE DEPT PUT FLAMES OUT. FIRE INSPECTOR DETERMINED ORIGIN OF FIRE WAS ELECTRICAL WIRING. *AK

I HAVE HAD NUMERUS STALLING &/OR LACK OF POWER WHILE TRAVELING IN HOT WEATHER! I FIRST STARTED IN OCT. OF 97 WHEN TRAVELING TO SAN DIEGO. WE WERE STRANDED IN L.A. ON THE WAY DOWN, AND IN EAST L.A. ON THE WAY HOME. UPON RETURNING HOME, I REPLACED THE IDLE AIR MOTOR AT A COST OF OVER $300. SINCE THAN, I HAVE HAD THE HEAT TUBE TO THE VACUUM SWITCH AND THE SPARK PLUG WIRING REPLACED IN AN ATTEMPT TO COORECT THE PROBLEM! I HAS NOT STOPPED THE PROBLEM. LAST AUGUST, MY DAUGHTER HAD TO BE TOWED 100 MILES (FROM SAN LUIS OBISPO - SANTA BARBARA) DUE TO A COMPLETE STOPAGE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AFTER DRIVING 150 MILES. I HAVE HEARD OF A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST FORD, INVOLVING THE T.F.I. MODULE. I HAVE ASKED MY LOCAL DEALER TO REPLACE THIS MODULE, IN HOPES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF STALLING IN HOT WEATHER. I HOPE TO HAVE THE $340 REFUNDED TO ME, IF THE CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT SETTLES AGAINST FORD. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO COMPLETE THIS FORM TO DOCUMENT ME CASE. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF ANY OTHER ACTION I SHOULD TAKE. THANK YOU, [XXX]. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *JS *TR

ELECTRICAL: VEHICLE IN REPAIR SHOP FOR MOUNTS. MECHANIC BROUGHT CAR HOME ,AND THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS TOTALED. DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. *AK