One problem related to carrier/rack has been reported for the 1998 Ford Taurus. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
This is the scariest thing I have ever seen while driving my teenage son's vehicle. His vehicle would not decrease in speed. While taking off from a stop, without touching the pedal, the vehicle accelerated on its own. I have never seen a vehicle accelerate without hitting the gas pedal. This is a serious safety concern especially since its a teenagers vehicle. I see that newer Taurus's had a recall for the exact same issue. Many were reporting the vehicle accelerating on its own, this is exactly what my son's did tonight. Also, when I placed his vehicle in park, the vehicle revved up to 4000 rpm's like someone was hitting the gas. I had to shut the car off before it blew the engine. It was nerve racking. This is likely to cause a serious injury of death to my child.