2004 FORD TAURUS, 125,000 KM, V6 - Without any warning, the "check transmission" light suddenly appeared. I immediately checked the tranny fluid and it was to the limit and light-amber in colour, no metal filings. When I re-started the car, the light went away but came back on twice during the next 1 hour of driving. I promptly took the car to "Mr. Transmission" franchise who performed a diagnostic code check which revealed, "TORQUE CONVERTOR PERFORMANCE" and they quickly informed me it would be approximately $2500 - $3000 to re build the transmission. A second competitive estimate came in at approximately $2100 plus taxes.

I emailed Ford Canada in the hopes that they may assist. I followed by phone and you got it - NO, was their answer because the 100,000 kilometer warranty on the tranny had expired. The female representative of Ford was just doing her job and explained that the "buck stopped" with her and their was no further recourse that I could pursue with the Ford Motor Company. She didn't want to discuss the negative history of the 2004 Taurus transmission problems but advised if I wanted to take the car to my local Ford Dealer and have them diagnose the same problem, it would cost me $90 to find out something I already know - it's the TORQUE CONVERTOR!!

GOODBYE FORD - We have owned 3 Ford vehicles and will be the last. But you know, Ford doesn't care. We will have the tranny rebuilt because it's the most economical and dependable method without going in debt for a new car. I care to join the growing list of unhappy Ford customers that have experienced this and similar transmission problems with the Taurus and no doubt other Ford models. I'm also aware that, like so many other large, troubled USA manufacturers, standing behind the quality of the product and long term customer satisfaction is at the back of the profit bus.

I've had this car for 7 years, and never had any problems with it. I had just pulled out onto the highway to go to town and the car started revving like it got put into neutral. Tried putting it in every gear, and none of them would work. Had my father-in-law tow it home (thank god I was only about 2 miles from home). Had a tow truck tow it to the Ford dealership so there went $150.00. Dealership says it's the transmission and they can get a rebuilt one for around $1600.00, that's not including the labor. Good thing it's been paid off, because it's getting sold and I'm getting a Toyota. I will NEVER buy a Ford again.

Seems to be a common problem here and many of the symptoms I experienced are the same ones here. I had the engine light go on the day before, and the fuel gauge was not registering correctly. Then today, the car stopped moving with no warning and revved like I was flooring it. Couldn't get it to drive, reverse, or anything. Had to have it towed, and now am having if fixed to the tune of 1700. Sounds like I am getting off cheap compared to some of you. 2 things scare me...someone is going to get hurt, and the fact that even when replaced, the problem reoccurs. To think I thought of passing this car on to my daughter at some point. Nope, not chancing that she gets creamed if it stops suddenly again. Ford, please recall!!!!

My Fiance isn't even done paying off this car! He bought it used 3 years ago from a used car dealership. He started having problems when he first got it. The dealer '"fixed" the problem only for it to happen again. The car would pull off slow then, jerk forward as if we are being rear-ended. He would but some stop slip/leak stuff in it which remedied the problem SHORT TERM....

Needless to say we were coming home yesterday and the tranny when out just as we got on our exit. ( thank God we made it that far!) Fortunately, we were able to coast to the end of the exit but, we had to push that car off to the shoulder. We walked the rest of the way home (which wasn't far) and now, we are in the beginning of getting things going to get that tranny replaced. After describing this to my sibling ,my mechanic brother told me flat out "that $#!t is shot! just rip it out and put another one in." We'll have to see how much this is going to cost him....

Yesterday I was going over a bridge in town and the car just stopped. No warning at all. The engine light never came on. Traffic backed up until two gentlemen came and pushed the car into a parking lot for me. I had to get someone to come after 2 hours in 90 some degree heat to help me tow it across the street to a Ford Dealership. That part was actually rather lucky to break down right there.

I am having to borrow the money to have the car fixed. From what I have read this is not the only car of Ford's from 2004 and 2005 with this problem. There are also class action case against Ford for this very thing. They have found that faulty transmissions and faulty Torque convertors were placed in the cars. All the cars developed the same problem sudden car failure. Many have been going down highways when this happened. I live in the mountains, had this happened on the highway I would be dead.

I will be contacting the attorney generals office in NC and also other agencies to try to get a recall on this malfunction that Ford is already aware of from thousands of complaints. Yet there is no recall on this. Ford is endangering all of our lives. What are they going to do...wait until a family is killed?

Regretfully, I own a 2004 ford taurus ses. I bought the car with 26,000 miles on it. At around 40,000, 80,000 and 100,000 miles (3times), I was sitting at a red light and I thought I was rear ended each time. I made my last payment May, 2011, in June, 2011 the transmission started slipping. It had approx. 101,000 miles! It now has 106,000.

I was going to have the transmission fluid changed, but then this happened. The fluid was changed at 30,000 miles. I drive my car like an old man...20-30 miles at a time.

PLEASE CONTACT ME IF THERE ARE ANY CLASS ACTION SUITS IN PROGRESS.

I will never buy another american vehicle (piece of junk) again.

cherrer2@yahoo.com

Congratulations Toyota

Add my 2004 Ford Taurus SEL to the list of transmission failures! With 84,000 miles on the odometer I never expected this sudden and complete transmission failure. The car had been serviced a month earlier at the Dealership, including new tires, front end alignment, oil change and the usual overall check of fluids and systems. I really regret spending that money! I was driving on Interstate 5 when, without any warning, it was if the car popped into neutral. I managed to get the car on to the shoulder, but the highway was very busy and it was scary being stranded, a woman alone, along such a busy road. I called my husband and called AAA to tow the vehicle. Ford quoted me $3,200 for a factory rebuilt. Instead I took it to a local transmission shop (recommended by a friend who is a mechanic) for a cost of $2,300. The rebuild has 36,000 miles/3 yrs. warranty but I have lost faith in this car. What is waiting to happen next? I would love to trade it in but I have put close to $3,000 into it including the tires and recent service. I am sure that the trade-in value is not much more than that and I don't want to feel like I am just giving this away! My mechanic told me it is time to "upgrade". He advised me to stay away from Ford. Darn. I want to buy American! I have taken such good care of this vehicle it looks almost brand new. I am very disappointed, although up to this point the vehicle has been very reliable with no other significant problems. Ford, you have let me down, this problem has been known for a long time and has apparently been ignored and swept under the rug. In the future I will ALWAYS check this site and sites like this before purchasing a vehicle. Thanks for being here.

I had the repair done at a independent repair station had a hard time getting an answer as to what was wrong inside the tranny as they must have replaced it with a rebuilt off the shelf at a rebuilder ,. asked them to check with the rebuilder...came back with a dumb reply, so cant tell you what went out, no mention of the torque converter but did charge for a line flush kit. so must have been the pump maybe there is a valve in the pump ?? so if you think about it only three possibilities: torque converter, the drive from the torque converter hub, or the pump, nothing else that could leave you sitting with no warning or noise and no froward or reverse gear. Ford has to know there is a flaw in this transmission.

Let me start by saying we have been a Ford family for years. We currently own a 99 zx2, 04 FX 4, and an 04 Taurus. We have had great service from all of these vehicles until last night while my wife was takeing our son to a friends house. The Taurus simply would not move in the middle of a busy highway on a bridge crossing over lake Jackson. Fortunately a nice couple assisted her in moving the car to the end of the bridge and over to the side of the road. At this time it appears that the torque converter is the issue. The worst part is that we were just days away from trading the car in for a new Taurus at the local Ford dealership where my wifes mother works. Needless to say this transaction is not going to happen. After looking at several different web sites and speaking with the service manager at the local Ford dealership I have come to the conclusion that Ford is aware of this issue but has chosen to ignore it. I am sad to say that we will no longer be dealing with Ford in the futuer as it appears that they no longer stand behind their product which was always their strong point in the past. looks as if we will no longer be an all Ford family as the wife now wants to put a Honda Accord in the spot where her Taurus used to sit.

I was on my way to visit a friend for a few days and sign divorce papers so that maybe, just maybe, I could start a new chapter in my life. The car has done good for me with no major problems to mention for the last 16 months, had everything serviced just days before leaving home (oil changed, all fluids checked and topped off, tires checked, everything) but 5 1/2 hours into my drive the car just quit going. Thankfully I was stopped paying a toll when it quit rather than in heavy interstate traffic. It showed no signs of problems, no indications on the read screen on the dash, no noises, nothing. I stopped, paid the toll, and when I pressed the gas to leave the toll booth it just reved up but it didn't move. I tried all gears and nothing worked, it was like every gear was neutral.

So, the damn thing left me stranded 5 1/2 hours from home and 3 hours from anyone I know, on the side of an interstate at 9pm by myself. Mind you, I said it had done me good for the last 16 months... I say that because I just put a NEW transmission in this damn thing 16 months ago but the warranty expired 4 months ago. So, now I'm stuck 2 states away from home, with nowhere even remotely close to enough money to have it fixed (almost $2500). Thanks Ford, you really screwed me this time.

I CANNOT believe how many complaints are on this site for the EXACT same problem! I am sickened by this! Ford, do you realize that you have not only put me in a seriously bad spot by being this far from home, but I'll likely lose my job over this?? I have NO way to get this thing fixed and NO way home. The economy is crap and there is NO way my boss is going to wait God knows how long for me to find my way back home. He will replace me. F%$@ you Ford!

I bought my 2004 Ford Taurus in July 2010. In April 2011 the transmission gave out without any real warning. My husband and I would feel the car shake and hear a clicking sound when driving on the highway but driving on the streets, everything seemed okay until one day the RPMs shot up to 3000 after I pulled off from a red light. At the next red light, I stopped and when I went to take off after the light turned green, the engine just revved as if the car was in park.neutral. After searching the web, I discovered that Fords are notorious for this problem. I will NEVER purchase a Ford, a Lincoln or a Mercury vehicle for the rest of my driving days. Ford should man-up and take responsibility for this problem before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. I pray it doesn't come to this!

Bought the car used...thought it was a good deal...low mileage..... had it for two weeks ...Driving the car to work......stopped at a light....and the car just stopped.....would only shift into park and neutral.....engine revved like it was in neutral but didn't move...glad there was a parking lot near that I could push it into....now saving up the money to have the transmission rebuilt.....guy at the trans shop said this is a common problem with that year taurus.....FORD you need to recall this one....thankful I wasn't in a ton of traffic or on the highway....could have been disastrous!

My mother's 2004 Ford Taurus failed on her while driving on the interstate. The tow truck driver told her that he had towed 3 Ford Taurus' this week with the same problem. Even the ppl at the Ford dealership knew what was wrong before even looking at the car. She called the FORD MOTOR COMPANY and lodged a complaint. They said they weren't aware of any complaints or problems concerning the transmission or torque converter being a problem with these cars. They did take her name, address and gave her a claim number all while apologizing profusely for her inconvenience. I urge you to call and COMPLAIN directly to FORD MOTOR COMPANY if you have any problems with the transmission/torque converter in these cars. There is power in numbers and I believe they know that there is definitely a problem and should have issued a recall on these vehicles. Her car had a little over 70, 000 miles on it at the time. Inexcusable. Ford needs to be held accountable before someone gets hurt...or killed!!!!!

So, I decided to purchase an 04 taurus from my sister in-law. The car is in great mechanical condition and looks great for having 116000 miles on it. She had no problems with the taurus other than your typical maintenance. Anyways, we have driven the car for 6 months and managed to put 5,000 more miles on it. I gave it a fresh new set of plugs and wires. (This is when i found the car to be a corn burner.) My sis in law never knew it burnt corn so she was also surprised. No big deal, car runs great and we can now have the option to be green, pay less for corn fuel, and get worse gas mileage. Here comes spring break and the wife wants to drive to phoenix AZ to see her parents and take the kids on a road trip. The boys are 8yrs and the baby is 18mths. Don't ask me what I was thinking driving from the Grand Rapids, MI area all the way to phoenix. Phoenix was great. Through the trip the taurus ran great, no problems until 11 pm 925 miles from home in chandler Oklahoma. I was cruisin down the interstate @ a gentle 75mph. All of a sudden the rpm's were higher than hell. I thought the wife may have accidentally bumped the floor shifter into neutral. No such luck. I pull over on the interstate and get off the road far enough to not get creamed by a raging tractor. So, here I am shifting back and forth through the gears and there is nothing going on. All I seem to have is park, and neutral in every damn gear. There was no symptom what so ever that my tranny was going to experience a massive failure. The tranny was just serviced not 30,000 miles ago by a damn ford dealer. So, the highway patrol was great, at my wifes request, not 1, not 2, but 3 highway patrol vehicles were behind us to protect us from a drunk, or tired driver. That was kinda over done I thought. To my "luck", the car broke down one mile away from a motel and a ford dealership was 100 yard away from the motel. To my request I had the car dropped off to the dealership to be diagnosed or repaired in the morning. To my surprise, the tow truck driver seemed to know my taurus was a piece of sh*t, and so did the owner of the ford dealership. The estimate for a rebuild of my tranny was 2,950 dollars and would take 4-5 days to complete. The estimate for a new tranny installed was 3,500 dollars and would maybe take 3-4 days to complete. F*CK THAT! I need to get home and I need to get home now. At this point I am quite pissed off not thinking real clear. What do you do? I ended up finding a local u-haul dealer and renting a 17 foot moving van with a tow dolly for 786 dollars. The van I drove, which was the only one they had, got a massive 10 miles per gallon. 925 miles to drive 10 miles per gallon and gas @ 4 bucks and i'm towing a big piece of sh*t down the interstate. Do the math. Thankfully we make it home safely but now broke, and I still have a broken car. As luck would have it, a good friend of mine is a diesel mechanic. He loves working on piece of sh*t fords he says. I have not yet determined whether to buy a junk yard tranny or rebuild yet. I'm thinking the junk yard tranny is the best bet since I have no intention on investing into this piece of sh*t no more. As soon as it is fixed, I am regretfully thinking seriously about goin' foreign. It seems that the big 3 auto makers in this country all have their heads up their ass when it comes to the quality of these overpriced vehicles. The engineering department that they each hire are clearly "C" students, but they received their shingle to hang proudly on the wall and got the job anyway. Unfortunately to our expense. Good luck to you and yours.

I want to start by saying, stay away from amco transmission, they are a bunch of fricken liars. First of all, they'll say " we will bring the car in for free, that they will run a computer scan to find the problem" There are no sensors in the damn transmission. The way they get you is, They will ask you to open the trans to take a look to see what the problem is. They cannot open the transmission until you give them the OK. By you giving them the OK, 495.00 dollars is the amount you will be paying even if you decide not to accept their offer which will be around 2500.00 dollars. They will give you all this crap that this broke and needs to be replaced, because of the explosion inside the trans, Parts scattered all in the transmission so they had to rebuild the transmission. Average price to fix the torque converter is about 400 and 700 dollars. I wish someone would put these ba$tards out of business, how they have lasted open so long? I can imagine the number of people they have screwed over. Bottom line, the torque converter is going to be the problem 90% of the time on these 04 Taurus. Be careful Taurus owners. STAY AWAY FROM AMCO TRANSMISSION