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84-530: The AXOD has a code letter of "T" on its data plate. The AXOD transaxle has 17 bolts to retain its fluid pan. Applications: The AXOD was updated with electronic controls in 1991 as the AXOD-E . The electronic shifting and torque converter controls were integrated with the Taurus's electronic control module for smoother shifts. This had a data plate code of "T" for 1991 and 1992 models. Applications: The AXOD-E

168-618: A canned tire inflator in lieu of a spare tire. Most options for the SHO remained available, with the Performance Package including options such as power moonroof, heated/cooled seats, multi-contour seats, auto-sensing lights and wipers, automatic high-beams, adjustable pedals, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), and satellite navigation. Options from the Driver Assist option group, however, were unavailable simultaneously with

252-494: A 60° angle between cylinder banks. It has a single cam-in-block and two overhead valves per cylinder operated by pushrods and rocker arms. Bore and stroke measurements are 89 mm × 80 mm (3.504 in × 3.150 in), for a total displacement of 2,986.14 cc (182.23 cu in). When it debuted in the 1986 Taurus, the Vulcan developed 140 hp (104.4 kW) at 4800 rpm, 10 horsepower more than

336-408: A V6 would be needed. As work progressed, the future car's size and weight increased to the point where a V6 of 2.8 L was added to the powertrain options. Neither of Ford's existing V6 engines were appropriate for this use; their 3.8 L Essex V6 was too wide and produced excessive vibration, while their 2.8 L Cologne V6 was too large and heavy. Two years into the project, Thomas Howard

420-447: A best-in-class 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. All models received upgrades to the steering and braking systems to improve driveability, including standard torque vectoring and curve control, improving tracking at higher speeds. Updates to the instrument dials were added, which were fully digital, clearer, and more colorful. MyFord Touch was added as part of Taurus's Sync system. On April 25, 2018, Ford announced plans to discontinue

504-474: A drive gear (R, OD, D, 1) from "N" or "P". This can become quite violent. Reasons for this part's failure: Piston stuck, or seals or springs damaged or missing. Correction for this problem: Check these parts for damage. Replace as required (located inside the transaxle, recommended that a transmission shop do the repair, but a full rebuild of the transaxle is NOT required). In general, however, difficulty shifting from neutral to overdrive, OD to N, N to R, and R to N

588-444: A fleet of trucks that logged between 100,000 and 200,000 mi (161,000 and 322,000 km), after which the engines were torn down and inspected, deficiencies noted and parts redesigned, after which the engines were remanufactured and returned to service for a second phase of testing. The Vulcan was the only engine available in the Taurus when it launched; Ford introduced the 2.5 L (152.6 cu in) HSC inline four as

672-517: A front cloth bench seat, while the LX, the more luxurious model, came with a greater number of features as standard equipment. The Taurus was well received by both the public and the press. It won many awards, most notably being named to the 1986 Car and Driver Ten Best List and becoming the 1986 Motor Trend Car of the Year . Over 200,000 Tauruses were sold during the 1986 model year and the millionth Taurus

756-541: A hiatus for MY 2006-2007. For MY 1986-2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable ; four generations of the high-performance Ford Taurus SHO were manufactured (1989–1999; 2010–2019). The Taurus also served as the basis for the first ever front-wheel-drive Lincoln Continental (1988–2002). The original Taurus was a milestone for Ford and the American automotive industry , as

840-422: A large number of options and three different configurations. This means that the interior of the Taurus can be spartan or luxurious, depending on the buyer's choice of options. On models with an automatic transmission, the Taurus's interior was available in three different seating configurations. The interior equipment depends on model. The most basic model, the L (see below), came standard, with just an AM radio and

924-758: A major cooling system failure, and offer a "limp home" mode. Market studies indicated that American buyers were more interested in having a reliable, low maintenance engine than in owning a sophisticated engine for its own sake. The resulting engine was a clean-sheet, all metric design. The engine's 60° vee angle was chosen to help it fit into the Taurus' engine bay. Displacement grew from an original 2.8 L to 3.0 L. A variety of technologies were evaluated during development, including two different fuel injection systems, turbocharging, two sparkplugs per cylinder, variable displacement with cylinder deactivation, and Ford's experimental programmed combustion (PROCO) system. Ford's parts and service division asked that

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1008-511: A more powerful engine. Partially blaming the Five Hundred's struggles on its name, Mulally decided that the revised vehicle should be marketed as the Taurus, the name he believed the Five Hundred sedan should have used from the beginning as he believed Ford was better off continuing to use its older nameplates that maintained decent brand equity rather than trying to build up new ones. The revised Five Hundred and Freestyle were showcased as

1092-547: A practice they blamed for Ford's struggles at the time. The Truth About Cars similarly lamented how Ford neglected the Taurus to the point where it became a "rental car." Newly-hired Ford CEO Alan Mulally expressed similar opinions, telling the Associated Press the decision "perplexed" him when he learned about it; he recalled asking subordinates, "How can it go away? It's the best selling car in America!" As

1176-703: A presence in NASCAR , replacing the Thunderbird for the 1998 season. The Taurus became the first four-door sedan to be approved for competition. The first Taurus driver to win the Winston Cup (the NASCAR sponsor of the time) championship was Dale Jarrett , who drove No. 88 Ford Quality Care / Ford Credit -sponsored cars owned by Robert Yates . The first Taurus driver to win the Busch Series championship

1260-527: A quality culture employing statistical process control across all aspects of automobile design and manufacture. The Ford Taurus was the first Ford model resulting from this statistical approach to manufacture. In a letter to Autoweek, Donald Petersen, then Ford chairman, said, "We are moving toward building a quality culture at Ford and the many changes that have been taking place here have their roots directly in Deming's teachings." This new emphasis on quality in

1344-418: A successor to their mid-size LTD and Marquis sedans and wagons. The project was led by vice president and head of product planning and research Lewis Veraldi. Originally called Sigma, the project was renamed DN5 and resulted in the 1986 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable . A straight-four engine was specified early on, possibly from a supplier outside of Ford, with no provision for a V8 and no expectation that

1428-437: Is "X." Applications: Earlier AXOD and AXOD-E models have a poor reliability record due to internal lubrication problems. These were mostly remedied by 1995. These transaxles require fluid and filter changes every 30,000 miles to maximize service life. Intermediate clutch failures resulting in poor 1–2 shifts or slipping are common on all AX family members. Failure of the "Neutral to Drive Accumulator" causes hard shifts into

1512-412: Is most likely caused by a stretched shifter cable. Other issues such as locking and/or breaking the parking "pawl" occurs in these transmissions primarily due to owner negligence in not operating the parking brake properly, or not using the parking brake at all. If the vehicle is allowed to "roll back" onto the pawl with heavy force (such as when parking on a steep incline), the pawl may break off or seize

1596-634: The Chrysler K platform and A-body Chevrolet Celebrity . With the introduction of the Escort and Tempo , Ford was making a transition to front-wheel drive. The Taurus displayed a rounder shape than its contemporaries, often likened to a " jelly bean " or "flying potato," inspired by the design of the Audi 5000 and Ford's European sedan, the Ford Sierra , an updated appearance of a styling approach used in

1680-517: The 3.5 EcoBoost V6. Power in the 3.5L naturally-aspirated V6, standard in non-SHO models, was up to 288 hp. With this engine, EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings were 19 mpg city and 29 mpg highway in FWD models, and 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway in AWD models. There was a new engine option for non-SHO models, a 2.0L EcoBoost inline-4 developing up to 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque while delivering

1764-502: The Duratec 35. The Aisin AW six-speed automatic which was used on FWD Five Hundred and Montegos was also replaced by the new Ford six-speed. The Taurus sedan twin, the Mercury Sable nameplate, was revived and applied to the restyled Mercury Montego . For the 2009 model year, Ford revived the "SE" trimline for the Taurus. The SE sold for $ 24,125 according to Ford's website and served as

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1848-676: The Ford Taurus lost its best-selling status to the Toyota Camry. For 1996, Ford Australia imported the Ford Taurus sedan as the "Taurus Ghia" alongside its locally produced Ford Falcon EL , but imports ceased after only one year because of poor sales. Ford New Zealand imported both Ford Taurus sedans and station wagons from 1996 to 1998 with success alongside the RWD Australian Ford Falcon/Fairmont/Fairlane. The third-generation Taurus had

1932-500: The L and GL wagons and all LX models. While the HSC engine could be paired with either the 3-speed Ford ATX transmission in the L, or the 5-speed MTX-III manual transmission in the MT-5, the only transmission available for Vulcan equipped models was the newly developed 4-speed AXOD automatic. In 1992 the 2.5 L HSC four cylinder was dropped from the Taurus line, and the Vulcan became

2016-658: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The five-star rating given to the Taurus and the Sable is the highest safety rating being given by the government agency. It was also the first Ford of America model to come as standard with side airbags. The 2010 Ford Taurus was revealed at the Detroit International Auto Show in 2009 at Cobo Hall . The press preview of the Taurus and Taurus SHO

2100-453: The Performance Package. Those options include adaptive cruise control, collision warning system, Lane Keep Assist, and Active Park Assist. First revealed at the 2011 New York Auto Show , the Taurus received a mid-cycle refresh for the 2013 model year. The body featured a new front fascia and slightly updated rear fascia with LED taillamps, as well as all-new wheel options. The SHO model featured revised styling elements. Refinements were made to

2184-527: The Taurus (along with the Fiesta , Focus , and Fusion ), in order to focus more on its line of trucks and SUVs. The announcement was part of a plan by Ford Motor Company to cut costs and increase profits. This was in response to a shift in perceived consumer demand towards SUVs and pickup trucks, and away from sedans. On September 5, 2018, Ford ended all national and promotional advertising (including sales and special offers) for its entire sedan lineup, including

2268-582: The Taurus and Sable were revived, intended as 2008 mid-cycle revisions of the Five Hundred. The Freestyle was renamed the Ford Taurus X. For the 2010 model year, Ford introduced the sixth-generation Taurus , marking a more substantial model update, alongside the revival of the Taurus SHO; in 2013, the Ford Police Interceptor Sedan was introduced as a successor for its long-running Crown Victoria counterpart. From 1985 to 2007,

2352-567: The Taurus and Taurus X, respectively, at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show and went on sale that summer. The fifth-generation Taurus entered production in 2007 as a 2008 model and was developed directly from the Ford Five Hundred , chiefly with a mild exterior facelift and revised engine and transmission. Ford designated the model as the Taurus, after the demise of the concurrently marketed fourth-generation Taurus and to take advantage of its customer recognition and dealer demand. Changes to

2436-660: The Taurus was a mid-size car, offering front-wheel drive. Initially built on the DN5 platform (renamed the DN101 platform in 1995 and the D186 platform in 1999), the Taurus became a full-size car in 2007, adopting the Volvo-derived D3 platform , offering front- or all-wheel drive . The Taurus was produced as a four-door sedan through its entire production, with a five-door station wagon offered from 1986 to 2005. All generations of

2520-585: The Taurus was the best-selling car nameplate in the United States, overtaken by the current title holder in 1997, the Toyota Camry . The Taurus was the first car resulting from introduction of a new quality culture at Ford. Between 1979 and 1982, Ford had incurred $ 3 billion in losses. In the spring of 1980, Ford Chairman Donald E. Peterson initiated a new "team" approach to the design and manufacture of automobiles at Ford, that eventually resulted in

2604-583: The Taurus were assembled by Chicago Assembly on Chicago 's South Side . Prior to its 2006 closure, Atlanta Assembly also produced both the Taurus and Sable. From its 1985 launch to its initial withdrawal following the 2007 model year, Ford assembled 7,519,919 examples of the Taurus. The fifth best-selling Ford nameplate in North America, the Taurus has been surpassed only by the F-Series , Escort , Model T , and Mustang . Between 1992 and 1996,

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2688-537: The Taurus's death was part of a broader trend of the Detroit Big Three willingly abandoning once-successful nameplates and divisions in search of "the next big thing," while their foreign competitors have been gaining market share by continuously improving their veteran nameplates. This criticism was echoed by Autoblog , which held the Taurus up as an example of how Ford abandoned its successful products to chase emerging trends to varying degrees of success,

2772-406: The Taurus's interior was ahead of its time, and many features originating from it are still used in most cars today. Its interior was designed to be extremely user-friendly, with all of its controls designed to be recognizable by touch, allowing drivers to operate them without taking their eyes off the road. For example, the switches to the power windows and power locks were designed with one half of

2856-445: The Taurus's success. It also benefitted from sharing a similar appearance to the limited-production Ford Mustang SVO introduced two years earlier in 1983. The first generation was available with either a V6 or an inline four-cylinder engine and came with either a manual (MT-5) or automatic transmission . (The Taurus's twin, the Mercury Sable , has never offered a manual transmission in any of its incarnations.) Like its exterior,

2940-477: The Taurus. On March 1, 2019, the last Ford Taurus built in the United States rolled off of the assembly line at the Ford Chicago plant. At its demise it cost $ 28,000. The seventh generation of the Ford Taurus was introduced at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show . Unrelated to the previous six generations, the seventh generation was developed by Changan Ford in conjunction with Ford of Australia . Serving as

3024-562: The U.S. did not associate the new F names with Ford, and were confused by the name changes. Mulally believed that the Taurus had an immediately strong brand equity , and that it would take years for consumers to have a similar recognition of the Five Hundred. The 2008 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were awarded the Top Safety Pick ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and five-star ratings by

3108-677: The assembly line around 7:00am, destined for delivery to S. Truett Cathy , owner of Chick-fil-A . Mr. Cathy's original restaurant was located across from the Ford Atlanta plant. There was no official event or function of any kind to mark the end of production. The Taurus was replaced in Ford's lineup by the Five Hundred and Fusion sedans, while the Taurus wagon was replaced by the Freestyle crossover SUV . How can it go away? It's

3192-623: The base V6 in the Ranger. The last production vehicle available with the Vulcan V6 was the 2008 Ford Ranger. Although it shared the Vulcan V6's general layout, 60° cylinder bank angle, bore, stroke, bore spacing, and a few minor components, the SHO V6 was an engine designed and built by Yamaha with new DOHC cylinder heads and a redesigned, strengthened engine block. Applications: The Vulcan's block and cylinder heads are of cast iron , with

3276-419: The base engine on certain models late in the Taurus' first year and later offered a model with a 5-speed manual transmission . By the end of its first year of sales, the Taurus was offered in four trim levels: L, MT-5, GL, LX. The standard engine in the L and GL sedans and the only engine offered in the MT-5 sedan and wagon was the HSC four cylinder. The Vulcan was optional in the L and GL sedans, and standard in

3360-605: The base model for the vehicle. The fifth-generation Taurus was sold in the Middle East as the Ford Five Hundred from 2008. It was determined that Ford's strategy to redesignate new cars in the lineup with new names beginning with the letter F , as in Ford Focus , Ford Fusion , and Ford Freestyle , was not a good marketing move, as some of the renamed cars had highly recognizable iconic names. Car buyers in

3444-511: The best selling car in America. Alan Mulally , 2006 The discontinuation of the Taurus sparked debate given its once-strong position in the market and Ford's well-publicized financial problems at the time. Analysts, customers and some interviewed Ford employees criticized the company for failing to invest in the car and keep it competitive, instead focusing all of its resources on developing and marketing trucks and SUVs. A USA Today editorial entitled "How Ford starved its Taurus" noted that

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3528-624: The cab-forward design of the Chrysler LH sedans. Alongside the Ford Blue Oval emblem itself, the Taurus repeated the shape several places in its exterior; in a controversial design element, the rear window of the Taurus was oval, as were the side windows of the Mercury Sable. To allow better differentiation between models, the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were given separate rooflines; Taurus/Sable station wagons were fitted with

3612-673: The car's base engine, and later the only engine offered in the 2006–2007 model years. It was also used in the Ford Probe , the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz from 1992 to 1994 (optional, but standard in the 1992 GLS, XR5, and LTS models, respectively), the Ford Aerostar and Ford Windstar minivans , and the Ford Ranger and Mazda B3000 pickup trucks . The 3.0 L Vulcan replaced Ford's 2.9 L German Cologne V6 as

3696-423: The car's price and keep it competitive, Ford reduced costs on the car in 1999, such as giving the Taurus sedan rear drum brakes on ABS -equipped vehicles (previously, upgrading to ABS included the addition of rear disc brakes), eliminating the dual exhaust on the higher end models, and trimming many other small features. Ford designed the fourth generation with more conservative styling. Instead of sloping back,

3780-409: The car's trunk stood upright, increasing trunk space by another two cubic feet. The roof was more upright to increase headroom. The interior was also redesigned with features from the previous Taurus generations carried over. The dashboard was given a squarer design. The "integrated control panel" concept was carried over but redesigned, with a bigger, squarer shape, and it was placed in the center of

3864-400: The cracking. Some early engines were installed in front wheel drive Chevrolet Celebritys . Later test engines were installed in a group of Ford LTDs and Mercury Marquis . These were driven approximately 100,000 mi (161,000 km), roughly twice the usual test distance, and evaluated in both hot and cold environments. Another set of about thirty prototype engines were installed in

3948-451: The creation of the Ford Taurus. Ford's newly appointed Corporate Quality Director, Larry Moore, was charged with recruiting the famous statistician, W. Edwards Deming to help jump-start a quality movement at Ford. Deming told Ford that management actions were responsible for 85% of all problems in developing better cars. Based on Deming's advice, Ford management was charged with primary responsibility for automobile quality. Ford also adopted

4032-412: The dash instead of being angled toward the driver. The flip-fold center console was also carried over from the previous generation, although it was revised as well. When folded out, it now rested against the floor instead of the dashboard, and had reworked cup holders and storage areas. In another change from previous versions, the fourth generation offered rear cup holders that either slid or folded out of

4116-484: The dashboard. Reaction to the third-generation Ford Taurus was mixed; Ford found that customers disliked the oval-shaped exterior. For 1996, the Ford Taurus stayed the best-selling car in the United States. At the time, 51 percent of all Taurus sales for 1996 went to rental fleets , in contrast to the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry , of which most sales were to private customers through retail outlets . In 1997,

4200-468: The design specification, and 160 lb⋅ft (216.9 N⋅m) of torque at 3000 rpm. Power output was as high as 153 hp (114.1 kW) at 4900 rpm in the 2007 Taurus, and as low as 130 hp (96.9 kW) at 4800 rpm in the 1992 Tempo. Designed from the start to use electronic fuel injection , no Vulcans left the factory fitted with a carburetor . The engine is managed by Ford's EEC-IV engine control unit (ECU). The Vulcan

4284-443: The doors of Sable sedans. The interior saw a complete redesign. To simplify production, all versions of the Taurus were fitted with bucket seats; six-passenger versions were fitted with a flip-forward center seat cushion also meant for use as a center console, while five-passenger versions were fitted with a floor shifter and center console. To improve ergonomics, radio and climate controls were centralized on an oval-shaped console on

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4368-556: The eighth-generation Honda Accord (which competes in the mid-size category) had superior driving dynamics and a more efficient design, while offering almost as much interior space as the Taurus despite considerably smaller external dimensions. The base price of the base SE model was $ 25,995, mid-level SEL $ 27,995, and top-level Limited $ 31,995. Ford had hoped to sell 10–15% of the sixth-generation Tauruses as high-performance SHO models. The SHO (Super High Output), released in August 2009,

4452-611: The entire Taurus line. Production of the Taurus wagon was discontinued on December 8, 2004; sedan retail sales halted after a short 2006 model year, and the Taurus became sold exclusively to fleets in the United States , while still being sold to retail customers in Canada . Production ended on October 27, 2006, as Ford idled the Atlanta plant, as part of its " The Way Forward " restructuring plan . The last Ford Taurus rolled off

4536-514: The entire transaxle be rebuilt or replaced. Ford Vulcan engine The Ford Vulcan is a 3.0 L V6 engine designed and built by the Ford Motor Company . It debuted in 1986 in the newly launched Ford Taurus . Ford went on to install the Vulcan V6 in a variety of car, van, and pickup truck models until the 2008 model year , after which production stopped. The Vulcan V6 engine was developed as part of Ford's plan to produce

4620-406: The fifth-generation Taurus from the Five Hundred included a new front end and the 263 hp 3.5 L Duratec 35 V6, replacing the 203 hp (151 kW) Duratec 30 3.0 L V6 . The Five Hundred /Freestyle's ZF-Batavia CVT , which had a maximum torque rating of 221 lb⋅ft (300 N⋅m), was also replaced with a Ford–GM joint venture six-speed automatic with additional torque of

4704-504: The first automobile at Ford designed and manufactured using the statistical process control ideas brought to Ford by W. Edwards Deming , a prominent statistician consulted by Ford to bring a "culture of quality" to the enterprise. The Taurus had an influential design that introduced new features and innovations. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, sales of the Taurus declined as it lost market share to Japanese mid-size sedans and as Ford shifted resources towards developing SUVs . The Taurus

4788-588: The flagship of the Changan Ford joint venture, the Taurus is an extended-wheelbase variant of the Ford Fusion ( Mondeo ), differing primarily in its 3.9-inch longer wheelbase and formal rear roofline. Manufactured since November 2015, Changan Ford produces its version of the Taurus in its Hangzhou facility. Produced solely for the Chinese market , there are currently no considerations towards export of

4872-466: The flex fuel Vulcan received Ford's coil pack based Electronic Distributorless Ignition System (EDIS), which the gasoline fueled version received in 1996. Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for model years (MY) 1986-2019. Introduced in late 1985 for the MY 1986, six generations were produced over 34 years, with

4956-482: The front console, depending on which console the car was equipped with. During its fourth generation, the Taurus saw a significant sales slump compared to its predecessors. Having already lost its status as the best-selling car in America when it was surpassed by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in 1997, by 2005, it had fallen to fourth-place behind the Nissan Altima , which made Ford decide to discontinue

5040-414: The gears so that either the vehicle rolls away, or when the owner starts the vehicle and attempts to put the vehicle in gear, they are unable to move the shift lever from Park. This creates a compound issue in which the shifter linkage or cable can break due to excess force. The vehicle's owner guide states the appropriate procedure is to engage the parking brake before shifting to Park, rather than relying on

5124-454: The intake came from Ford's Essex Aluminum Casting. Engine assembly took place at Ford's Lima engine plant in Lima, Ohio . In the spring of 1982 the first forty prototype engines blocks were cast, all of which cracked when they were assembled. In their efforts to produce a lightweight block, Ford's engineers had designed a very rigid structure whose walls had been made very thin, which caused

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5208-518: The late 1940s to early 1960s called " ponton " styling. Instead of a grille , the Taurus mainstreamed the smooth grille-less " bottom breather " nose. The aerodynamic design of the Taurus made the car more fuel-efficient, allowing Ford to meet more stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard applied by the United States government. The Taurus's success ultimately led to an American automobile design revolution; Chrysler and General Motors developed aerodynamic cars in order to capitalize on

5292-411: The manufacture of the Ford Taurus was reflected in Ford's advertising and marketing. The New York advertising firm Wells, Rich, Greene took on the Ford account in 1979 and Robert Cox was assigned to the Ford account and by the summer of 1981, "Quality is Job 1" became Ford's calling card in marketing. This emphasis on quality was used heavily in marketing of the Ford Taurus. The first-generation Taurus

5376-404: The marketplace, the redesign was largely released as a mid-cycle facelift. In terms of size, the 1992 Taurus gained several inches in length and over 200 pounds in curb weight. Following market demand, the new Taurus was available solely with V6 engines and automatic transmissions. The Taurus SHO made its return, with an automatic transmission option joining the manual transmission. The interior

5460-658: The model line. Derived from the Ford CD4 platform , the seventh-generation Taurus shares its platform architecture with the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln Continental. The standard engine is a 2.0L EcoBoost inline-4 (an option for the sixth-generation Taurus) and a 2.7L EcoBoost V6 (used in the Fusion and Lincoln Continental); a 6-speed automatic is paired to both engines. The fifth-generation Ford Mondeo

5544-451: The oil filter, sparkplugs, oil dipstick be up front and accessible, and that key underhood touchpoints be colored yellow for easy identification. The appearance of the engine was also important. The intake, for instance, was engineered with aesthetics in mind, though the design had the side effect of allowing it to flow more air. The engine block was cast at Ford's Cleveland Casting Plant with tooling built by Sherwood Metal Products, while

5628-568: The pawl, as the pawl is a last line of defense to prevent the vehicle from moving unintentionally. If the parking pawl breaks off or bends, serious transaxle damage can occur. Recently, NHTSA launched an investigation into the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey due to numerous complaints with regard to the equipped 4F50N transmission. Although the investigation is centered on the Torque Converter , these failures often require that

5712-419: The previous AX4S. Although similar in design and dimensions, it is a different transaxle than previous AXOD transmissions. The AX4N has 19 bolts to retain the fluid pan. It was used in the 1996–99 Taurus SHO models, and was standard on Duratec-powered models. It also appears in some 1994–2002 Vulcan -powered models. It became standard with both engines in 2003. It was renamed the 4F50N in 2001. The data plate code

5796-413: The successor Five Hundred was struggling in the marketplace, Mulally viewed the decision to discontinue the Taurus as a "mistake that needed to be fixed", noting, "The customers want it back. They didn't want it to go away. They wanted us to keep improving it." At the time, Ford had already unveiled a face-lifted Five Hundred at the 2007 North American International Auto Show , which had revised styling and

5880-439: The switch raised up, with the other half recessed, in order for its function to be identified by touch. To further enhance this quality, the car's dashboard has all of the controls in the central area within reach of the driver. The left side of the dash curves slightly around the driver to make controls easily accessible, as well as creating a "cockpit" feel. The interior of the Taurus was customizable to fit buyers' needs, with

5964-478: Was Greg Biffle , who drove the No. 60 Grainger Industrial Supply -sponsored cars owned by Jack Roush . In total, the Ford Taurus has won three Winston Cup championships and two Busch Series championships. The Taurus received another redesign for 2000, which replaced many of the oval-derived design elements of the previous model with sharper creases and corners, an aspect of Ford's New Edge styling language. To reduce

6048-455: Was about $ 18,000 (equivalent to $ 34,969 in 2023). In a break from the familiar styling of the previous two generations (that chief designer Jack Telnack had likened to a "pair of slippers"), Ford had sought to again make the Taurus stand out for buyers of mid-size sedans, giving the vehicle a much more extensive restyling than its 1992 predecessor. Moving away from straight lines, the 1996 Taurus sought to include rounded lines, moving past

6132-445: Was also an available performance package which included upgraded brake pads, a 3.16:1 final drive ratio (compared to the standard 2.77:1), recalibrated electronic power steering, further suspension tuning, a re-calibrated AdvanceTrac system (Ford's combined traction control system and electronic stability control ) with sport mode and "true off," summer-only tread-compound Goodyear Eagle F1 245/45ZR20 tires, and an electric air pump with

6216-475: Was also available in a " flexible fuel " (flex fuel) configuration that could burn normal gasoline , the E85 blend of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol , or any mix of the two. Over the course of its production life the engine received many internal upgrades, including roller lifters (1992), a five counterweight crankshaft (1995), a reinforced block (1995, 2002), and longer head bolts (1999) among other changes. In 1993

6300-426: Was also completely redesigned for 1992. As part of the redesign, the Ford Taurus gained a passenger-side airbag as an option, which became standard in 1993 on 1994 models, becoming the first mid-size sedan sold in the United States with standard dual airbags. The second generation sold just as well as the first, becoming the best-selling car in the United States , a title it would retain for as long as this generation

6384-457: Was chosen to head up internal engine development. Performance goals were set for both the car and its engine. The car was to be able to accelerate from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in a maximum time of 11.5 seconds. The engine was to develop no less than 130 hp (97 kW), travel 7,500 mi (12,100 km) before requiring an oil change, go 100,000 mi (161,000 km) before requiring major maintenance, run for five minutes after

6468-503: Was held in Asheville, North Carolina, from June 15 to 19, 2009. The Taurus scored well in test drives and the media was pleased with some of its new optional features. Some of these features included all-wheel drive, cross traffic alert, collision warning, blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. However, others criticized the lack of interior room and reduced sight lines despite its full-sized exterior, and Edmunds noted that

6552-623: Was introduced with the AX4S and the AX4N on some models. The transaxle pan on this model will sometimes read "AXOD Metric" since it is based on the AXOD transaxle. The data plate code for this transmission is "L." Applications: The AX4N is an improved version of the basic AXOD, and is more reliable. This transaxle shifting is non-synchronous (as indicated by the "N" in AX4N) and has improved shift quality over

6636-554: Was launched in 1985 as a 1986 model to strong fanfare and sales, replacing the slow-selling mid-size Ford LTD. (The full-size Ford LTD Crown Victoria remained as part of the Ford lineup.) The release of the Ford Taurus was one of the most anticipated ever, mostly because it was a first in car design and also the start of new quality standards for Ford. At the time of the Taurus's debut, Ford had been producing mainly rear-wheel drive cars, and Chrysler and General Motors were offering more front-wheel-drive vehicles up to mid-range including

6720-545: Was powered by a twin-turbocharged, gasoline direct-injection EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine. It produced up to 365 horsepower (272 kW) and 350 lb⋅ft (470 N⋅m) of torque. EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings were 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway AWD. The SHO base price was $ 37,995, which included the EcoBoost V6 mated to an upgraded 6-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and numerous exterior and interior trim upgrades. A fully loaded SHO could reach $ 45,395. There

6804-437: Was renamed AX4S in 1993. In addition to the name change, improvements in the lubrication of the gearset and capacity upgrades were made. A centrifugal piston assembly was implemented in the intermediate clutch position to improve 1st–2nd and 2nd–1st shift quality and an increase in the clutch's durability was made on some models. High energy friction materials were also introduced. A new twin piston torque converter clutch (TCC)

6888-414: Was sold during the 1989 model year. When production ended in 1991, more than 2,000,000 first-generation Tauruses had been sold. The Ford Taurus received its first redesign in late 1991 for the 1992 model year. Still based on the same chassis, every exterior body panel (with the exception of the doors) was restyled. In spite of the extensive changes, few modifications were made to the successful styling; in

6972-441: Was sold. When production ended in 1995, more than 1,400,000 second-generation cars had been sold. For the 1996 model year, Ford debuted the third generation of the Ford Taurus. Although not completely new, the chassis was heavily upgraded, becoming the DN101 generation. Alongside the Mercury Sable, the Ford Taurus shared its underpinnings with the redesigned Lincoln Continental and all-new Ford Windstar. In 1996, its starting cost

7056-468: Was withdrawn after the 2007 model year, with production ending on October 27, 2006. As part of a model line revision, the Taurus and the larger Ford Crown Victoria were to be replaced with the full-size Five Hundred and mid-size Fusion sedans; the Taurus station wagon was replaced with the Ford Freestyle wagon, branded as a crossover SUV. During the 2007 Chicago Auto Show , the nameplates of

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