Hi All,

I have an 08 TaurusX with 36,000 kms. (22,000 miles).
When I took to the Ford Dealership the last time for one of the many warranty problems I have been having, I asked them to look at the brakes. Although the braking power was still good, I thought the brake pedal was a little low. Turned out the rear pads were right down to almost nothing. They replaced the pads and rotors and said there must of been a bad batch of pads. So just thought I would warn everyone to have their brakes checked before the warranty runs out.

Sounds unfortunate. What other problems have you been having?

At the 30,000 mile service point, I took our 2007 Freestyle SEL to the dealer for the appropriate maintenance.

I asked the Service Manager to please check the brakes.

I trusted the man.

When the work was finished, I asked about the brakes as it was not on the service ticket and was told that the brakes were 30 % worn and the rears were 40 % worn.

At 36,000 service, I was told the barkes were still functional and had a lot of service left in them.

At about 40,000 miles everything went metal to metal resulting in totally shot rear brakes, This cost me pads and rotors.

At that point, I also found out that the front brakes were really not functioning as they should as they had very little wear on them.

I replaced brake pads all around with two new rear rotors. Life goes on.

The point I am trying to make here is not to trust the dealer.

Had I taken the time and gone to an independent mechanic more than likely I would have gotten an honest answer rather than the
out and out lie I got from the Ford Service Manager.

Hope your luck is better than mine. I no longer trust this gentleman nor do I let the Ford dealer touch my car. I complained loud and long to the Ford Customer Service about this incident but all I got in reply was a stiffled yawn at best.

Ken H.

The FS/TX rear brakes are not vented and the pads are tiny. 2"x1-1/2" each, the smallest I have ever seen. Brakes are engineered today to be light and as cheap as possible, not oversized like in past vehicles. The FS is a heavy vehicle as well.

I had to replace the rear Pads on my FS at 30K. The dealer told me they were gone (4mm left) at 25K and they still had 3/16" of material on each of them (about 1/2 worn). I bought new ceramic pads at 30K from Raybestos, the rotors were fine and they should last a long time. I replaced them myself in about an hour.

Dealers want you to wait until you have to replace the rotors and pads at $400.00. The ceramic pads were about $40.00. Always use ceramic pads, they last a long time.

If you have a FS, change your pads before 30K. Sooner if there is a lot of driving on hills before the rotors get scored.

Mine was under warranty, but brakes are excluded.

What other problems have you been having?[/quote]

--- problem with ignition key catching. Very intermittent; sometimes nothing, sometime a little wiggle would work, and sometime I would have to work a few minutes to get the car to start.
At first the Dealership denied any problem; just told me that the steering wheel needed to be moved because of the lock. Finally I was able to show them the problem, and that it wasn't the steering wheel lock. At first they changed the key cylinder. Not the problem; in the end they ended up changing the whole steering column.

-- Windshield pressure cracked
Had to take it back numerous times because the review mirror kept coming loose, I think they finally have it now.

-- paint all peeled off the front of the rear wheel wells at less than 15,000 kms. Fought with Dealership over this one. I ended up paying for it.

--- Air bag sensor for the passenger seat. Apparently this is a big job.

--- Lost Power Steering. The first time they replace the pump. Still had the problem. Then they replaced the rack. That solved the problem except now the car pulled to the right. Back for an alignment.

--- Intermittent whistle or whirr from the heater. This was hard to make the Dealership realize that there was a problem. Finally was able to show them. Diagnosed as a faulty blend door. They replaced the heater plenum. Two day job and the whole dash had to come out. Were going to charge me for extra work because the command start was in the way. I said "check again guys, as it is dealer installed, and not an after market."

--- rattle in passenger door --- Apparently something came loose.

During one of these visits one of the techs must of sat in the car with a screwdriver or something in his back pocket. Ripped the leather seat. Had to take it back to get that replaced.

Think I may of forgot something as well. Overall I am getting very frustrated. I bought an Escape new in 05 and haven't had one problem.
So maybe I got one of those cars. I'm thinking I should sell it before the warranty runs out. I guess I'll see if there are any more problems in the next few months.

My biggest complaint is the amount of leg room for the driver. I'm 6'1" and feel very cramped, with my right leg rubbing against the console. If only the seat would go back 2 more inches.

Wow, what a litany. These are the kinds of things that drive you crazy. Not that they don't ultimately get fixed, but the fact that they happen at all and all the back and forth to and with the dealer. Makes enjoying the car difficult.

I tend to use the Click and Clack criterion. If I can afford to, I get rid of a car if I don't like it. I have to like my cars. If I dread getting in it, if I dread driving it, if I hate all the problems it has caused me or I constantly worry about the next problem it's going to cause, I get rid of it. It's just a thing, and I can get another one. Life is too short to put up with it.

I have owned my 2008 fwd TX for 18 months, so far has been a pleasure. However at 16000 miles during an oil change my mechanic told me the rear brakes were wearing uneven/quickly. Brought to dealer and was told no malfunction and such wear is normal for this vehicle. I checked online and noticed freestyle had a service bulletin for this problem, brought this information to dealer and ford national center and was told problem was fixed and there is nothing offered for this vehicle. So I guess every 16-20K miles I will have to spend $250 for a rear break job, and that is assuming rotors are OK.

I am hoping the motorcraft part is too soft, and a good aftermarket pad will last longer.

In the 72,000 miles we owned our Freestyle, we had brake service only once. At 36,063 miles, the rear pads were replaced and the rotors turned. The last time we had the brakes looked at was at 60,388 miles, and at that time I was told that we had 40% life remaining on the front pads and 60% remaining on the rear.

That rear brake service was ultimately reimbursed through a program Ford started with early Freestyles (2005s and some of the 2006s, I think) because of premature pad wear. It wasn't officially a recall, just an extended warranty that was extended after the fact. If you had incurred brake repair expense, and you were still within the new warranty mileage (60,000) for the brakes, you could get reimbursed, even though you might have had the brake service done outside of the original warranty. At 36,063, I was just past the 36,000 mile warranty expiration, but at the time, the brakes weren't considered a problem, and I was simply paying for the routine replacement of a wear part.

Ok Guys you are going to think I'm making this up, but I swear I am not.
This morning I posted the list of problems I've had with my car.
This afternoon my wife phones me and says that while she was driving along the car stopped driving and the engine reved like crazy.
She coasted over to the side of the road; put it in neutral and started out again. The car drove normally but made a terrible noise. Eventually the noise stopped and the car is now driving normally. So I would suppose either transmission or computer problems. I guess I'm going to have to sell it.

Does your province have a "lemon law?" Most U.S states, if not all, do. You should check into it. A lemon is usually defined as a car needing a minimum number of repairs within a certain time of taking delivery of it new. At 22,000 miles and two years old, you might be too far along in your ownership to qualify, but it wouldn't hurt to check. You can probably find out online. If you have all the receipts, invoices, etc. for all the repairs, you can document how many times you took it in and for what. If successful, you can get the car replaced.

[quote="jaunty75"]Does your province have a "lemon law?"

Thanks for the suggestion. Checked it out and Alberta does not have a Lemon Law. Anyone want to buy a "trouble free" Taurus X.

I am going to see if I can still buy an extended warranty, but I think I'm too late for that. Probably better off to put the money towards a new car anyhow.

[quote="jaunty75"]Does your province have a "lemon law?"

Thanks for the suggestion. Checked it out and Alberta does not have a Lemon Law. Anyone want to buy a "trouble free" Taurus X.

I am going to see if I can still buy an extended warranty, but I think I'm too late for that. Probably better off to put the money towards a new car anyhow.

Sorry to hear your problems. My 2008 Taurus X Limited has been running perfect for over 2 years with nothing more than routine service.

Maybe it's not needing repair because I bought a 100K mile bumper to bumper waranty.
(They want $2.5K but settle for much less, around $1.5K, especially if you tell them you found that price on the web, which you can.)

After my routine service and oil change last week at 37K miles (done by the dealer for free!), they measured the front brakes are almost new at 9 mm, but the rears are 4 & 4.5 mm. So the rears do wear more for me, but nevertheless last quite long. But I drive very efficiently, mostly coasting and smooth with lots of distance from the car in front of me. I also average around 22 MPG in combined driving, versus the rated 19 MPG.

Overall, my family, my friends, and I absolutely love the car. I've taken lots of trips around the country for vacation and mountain biking. The kids hate to get out of the car because they enjoy it so much, especially with the "Family Entertainment System".

Anyway, maybe you've been jinxed and need a different car. I can understand it's hard to be happy after your experiences.

So the transmission totally went shortly after my last post (double post; sorry for that) and my wife called for me to come and get her. Had it towed to Ford and waiting to hear on Monday what is going to happen.

You are truly jinxed. A transmission failure at 22,000 miles is horrid. I'm presuming this will be covered by warranty. You might get it fixed and then quickly trade the car.