Three problems related to underhood wiring have been reported for the 1999 Ford Taurus. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I owned a 1999 Taurus and drove it for approximately seven years without major problems. I performed the normal maintenance on the vehicle and it was in good working order. On septebmer 20, 2006 the vehicle caught on fire. The car was parked in front of my house. The source of the fire appeared to be the front right area of the engine component. The vehicle is completely destroyed and is now in a junk yard. The local fire department was called to the scene and put the fire out. There were no injuries, and minor damage to the grass due to the heat of the fire.
Dealer states wire in wiring harness under right fender caused tail lights and dash lights to malfunction. Failed due to corrosion from water splashing under fender. Dealer repaired but was not covered by extended warranty. Dealer said this may happen again. To me it looks to be a design flaw with the vehicle.
Came out to vehicle in the morning only to find out that it was destroyed by fire that night. Fire department report attributed fire to electrical arcing around the vehicle's gear,differential area. Possibly starter wiring. Ford denies any and all responsibility. No aftermarket equipment was added to vehicle. It was totally stock.