Introduced in 1985, the Ford Taurus was the best-selling car in the U.S. by 1992, a position it held until 1996. In 2018, Ford decided to end the sale of sedans in the U.S. and, as part of that, produced the very last Ford Taurus on March 1, 2019. Since all Tauruses are now used cars, what are their biggest issues? Here’s a look at a few common Taurus problems, starting with one that dates back to 1990.

Taurus problems starting with 1990

RepairPal.com is one spot to find information on problems that other owners have been having with their vehicles. On this website, owners can submit their issues and also connect with repair shops. The Ford Taurus has 14 problems that have been submitted.

Looking back to 1990, the Taurus model years with the most issues are 2002 with nine issues plus 1990, 1991, 1993, and 2000, with eight issues each. In addition, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2008 each have seven issues submitted. Since 2009, no more than four complaints have been submitted for each model year.

Engine oil pan gasket affects 20 model years

By far the most reported problem, 256 people reported their engine oil pan gasket may leak. If a leak does develop, the leaking oil could accumulate on the exhaust system and cause a burning smell. The issue can be fixed by replacing the engine oil pan gasket, which costs an estimated $321 to $392. The problem affects 20 model years, running from 1990 to 2007 plus 2012 and 2014. On average, the issue appeared around 112,611 miles.

Engine buck/misfire at freeway speeds

An additional 203 people reported that their Taurus’ engine bucks or misfires when driving at freeway speeds. The issue doesn’t generate any fault codes. An intermittent fault in the camshaft synchronizer assembly is the cause of the problem. Ford did put out a service bulletin that the problem can be diagnosed by checking the knock sensor data. If necessary, the synchronizer assembly should be replaced. A general diagnosis of the issue costs between $88 and $111. The problem affects 18 model years, from 1992 to 1995 and 1998 to 2011, appearing on average around 125,646 miles.

Problem with idle air bypass valve may cause engine performance problems

The third biggest issue is that the engine stalls or hesitates on acceleration because of a faulty idle air bypass valve. It could also cause problems when starting the car if the engine is cold or idling. There were 130 people who submitted this problem. It costs about $88 to $111 for diagnosis and testing of the check engine warning light. Owners of 13 model years have been affected, including 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 to 2005, 2007, 2012, and 2014. The issue appeared at about 141,956 miles on average.

Camshaft sensor magnet may damage synchronizers

There were also 66 people who had their camshaft sensor magnet cause damage to the synchronizers by falling out of its mount. This problem causes there to be long crank times when the engine is being started. It can also cause the check engine light to turn on. Repairing the problem means replacing both the magnet and the synchronizers. It costs about $88 to $111 for diagnosis and testing of the check engine light. The problem appears on average around 126,159 miles and affects 16 model years of the Taurus, from 1995 to 2010.

While the top four Ford Taurus problems are annoying, they all appear at more than 100,000 miles on average and tend not to cost enormous amounts to fix. However, for people looking to buy a used Taurus, they’re certainly issues to keep in mind.