Now this is the third damn time my exhaust system has fell from under my car & it is costing me money every year to have it repaired. This time I went to a different mechanic & he told me that I needed a flex pipe & clamps. I don't feel like I should have to keep paying for this problem. I need to know if I can take all the receipts to Ford & make them give me my money back for these repairs because this is really becoming a pain in the ass & money costing. I have never heard of your exhaust system falling from your car 3 times.

My car is 4 years old. I maintain my engine meticulously!!! Out of the middle of nowhere my exhaust system fell to the ground. I was at a stop light. When i took off, i heard an obnoxious noise which I recognized as an un muffled car!!! I was about a half mile from the repair shop and pulled in. Much to my surprise instead of just dragging a muffler like I had envisioned, a pipe the length of my car was hanging on the ground. I was told the next day that the entire exhaust system would have to be replaced to the tune of almost a thousand dollars. After being resuscitated I went online and found these similar stories. I emailed my Ford Dealer quoting the TSB requesting they contact me ASAP regarding the steps necessary for them to take care of this (UPTOWN FORD LINCOLN MERCURY IN MILWAUKEE WI). It's 8:05 pm and apparently there is no one there but sales people who of course can't help me... (they already took my money as the car is paid off). Let's see if I get a response. No way this is my fault!!!!! Not with the pre existing history I'm reading here!!! Will keep you posted!!

I pulled out of my fiances house and not 200 feet down the road the car became loud and there was a grinding sound from under the car. I pulled over to check the problem too find the entire front end of the muffler system was laying on the ground. I could see the pipe looked cracked on the end not smooth like a pipe should look, and both sides of the connectors that held the muffler was still together were the pipe should still be. I had to tie it up with a hanger to get it home. The pipe just slid back in to the connector like if someone didnt tighten the connector. I am not a mechanic so I cant say for sure. This isnt the only major problem I've had with this car.

Just as I was leaving church this evening, the exhaust system fell off! Thankfully there were people. TSB available that were able to jack up my car and re-attach the exhaust system with some wire. They said it looked like the welds holding the exhaust had failed. I looked on-line but have not been able to find the TSB 09-02-10 that someone mentioned. There do not seem to be any service bulletins on any of the Ford websites regarding this problem...it'll be interesting to see what happens when I take it to the dealership tomorrow...

I also have a 2007 Ford Taurus, who's exhaust fell off at the manifold at 44k miles. It too was a weld failure. Here's what I did. I took it to my Ford dealer, along with a copy of the TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) 09-02-10. The bulletin explains the failure and gives them the part number(s) for the "repair kit" and tells them in detail where to cut the original pipe, in order to replace the broken end with a new flex-pipe section and reattach it to the exhaust manifold.

Now for the best part...the reason Ford MUST pay for the repair, regardless of the fact that it was after three years or 36k miles, is because of "EMISSIONS". PRIOR to the repair, the pipe is all one piece past the catalytic converter. The federal government MANDATES that they cover "EMISSIONS" much longer than their standard warranty. Since the catalytic converter is part of emissions, they are required to repair it at no cost to the customer.

I had to smack my dealership service adviser over the head with it, but they finally understood what I was saying and they covered the repair in full.

Update from May 10, 2010: UPDATE: I just reviewed the TSB 09-2-10 Catalytic Converter Flange - Service Kit, and they have added the following language.

WARRANTY STATUS: Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage And Emissions Warranty Coverage.

Once you reference this TSB, they should have no problem understanding that it's covered under the emissions warranty.

These TSB are typically accessed via a paid subscription from a repair garage. Your dealer will have access to them. I will try to attach a printed copy to this update.

I started my car after work and it sounded like it blew up, the exhaust had completely come off and was on the ground. I had it towed to Ford and they sent it on to a local exhaust dealer. They (ford) told me it had gotten bumped and was not covered under my extended warranty, so I had to pay for it. The man that fixed my car told me the weld had come apart and this was not the first Taurus that this has happened to. I really am pissed and will get my money back from Ford or the extended warranty company even if I have to write a letter to the editor! The rich just keep getting richer and will try to screw you anyway they can.

I was just reading about the same problem someone else had with their Ford Taurus Exhaust. Last night 1/24/09, as I was leaving a parking lot after dinner with my wife, I heard a very loud clang then the engine was really loud. I pulled over to see what it was only to see that my exhaust pipe had broken off at the exhaust manifold & was dragging on the ground. I called a tow truck thinking I would need a tow because if the pipe got stuck in a pothole it would rip the entire exhaust right off. The tow truck came & put the car in the air. The driver then used a bungee cord to temporarily hold the pipe off the ground. Thankfully that was enough to get us home & we were only about 5 miles away from home. Looks like I'll be taking the car to the shop on Monday. Good thing I wasn't on the highway at the time. How could this happen to a car with only 32,000 miles!!! unreal!!!

I only had this car for 6 months.I was driving down the road to go to work and I heard a huge bang.Pulling over I looked at my tires thinking I had a flat,and I heard my loud car.Thank God I wasn't that far from home.It was scraping on the ground.Next morning brought to a muffler dealer and he said part of the exhaust pipe needed to be replaced along with a new hanger.He informed me it was the third Taurus he seen with this same problem.And just think it could of happened on the interstate.In my opinion it wasn't fastened secure enough.