Brake Hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings Problems of Ford Taurus - part 1

Ford motor company sold my vehicle with a life-threatening design defect in the braking system. This design defect comprises a plastic cover over the stainless steel hydraulic brake lines where those lines pass from the front of the car to its rear beneath the driver side door. The ostensible purpose of the plastic cover is unknown to me, but its actual function is twofold. First, it traps moisture and road salt to cause rapid corrosion of the stainless steel brake lines, which corrosion eventually causes the lines to rust completely through, causing one or both lines to burst upon application of the brakes, resulting in sudden and complete brake failure. Second, the plastic cover hides that corrosion from view so that careful visual inspection does not reveal the corrosion problem. According to the knowledgeable mechanic who repaired my brakes and who has experience with this problem, the design defect applies to both Ford Taurus and Ford focus models. That mechanic has in the past urged Ford to recall these cars but Ford has to date refused to do so. Presumably the design defect occurs also in the Mercury sable which is Mercury's twin to the Ford Taurus. This design defect cause my brakes to fail suddenly and completely, causing me to hit another car. Fortunately the damage resulted in no personal injuries, but it cause thousands of dollars in damage to my car and presumably comparable damage to the other car. But if the brake failure had occurred as I was approaching a stop sign or stop light, or if I had been braking for a pedestrian, it could have resulted in personal injury or death. I am attaching three photo files, one taken at the repair shop where I had the brake repair done, the second a marked-up copy of the same photo, the third a zoomed-in portion of the first photo showing the site of the brake line rupture.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Taurus 🔎.

On July 10, 2017 I was proceeding within the speed limit on a city street. I noticed a line of stopped cars some distance ahead of me. I attempted to apply my brakes, but it soon became evident that that they were not functioning properly. Thus, my rate of speed was not being sufficiently reduced. I pumped the brakes, but to no avail. I then applied a great deal of pressure to the brake pedal, but it meekly sunk to the floor. By the time I went for the emergency brake, and I collided with the car in front of me at a low rate of speed. Fortunately, the other driver and myself were unharmed, and the damage to our vehicles was minimal. I had my car towed to a mechanic, and they inspected my braking system. They noticed severe corrosion on the rear brake lines, to the point that there was serious leaking. I had my front brake lines patched in January of this year due to corrosion. In that instance, I was fortunate that my instrument panel alerted me to low brake fluid levels. I was not so lucky this time around. I have spoken with several mechanics and read various other professional opinions online about this era (2007) of Ford's brake lines. From this information, I have gleaned that there are serious problems with the corrosion of brake lines. I live in a mild climate where the roads are rarely salted, and yet I have had the aforementioned experiences. Please do whatever is necessary to remedy this issue: it may very well save someone's life.

See all problems of the 2007 Ford Taurus 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Taurus. While driving unknown speeds, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to stop after a few seconds. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake line was severed due to rust. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Factory steel brake lines rusted through. The brake lines were partially plastic coated. The part of the line that rusted through wasn't coated and ran down the drivers side of the car near one of the hangers. Brake lines should not be made out of steel for vehicles. The salt that is used on the roads in the north east us eats the brake lines up way too quickly. This is a serious safety issue!.

2001 Ford Taurus. Consumer writes in regards to hydraulic brake failure. * ld the consumer stated when he turned the ignition on, the brake pedal went to the floor. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the brake lines were replaced.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Taurus 🔎.

Brake lines at the front driver side wall from the abs pump rusted through during vehicle operation causing loss of fluid and ability to safely stop the vehicle.

Vehicle started to accelerate and kept going faster. Brakes would not stop the vehicle and ended up in a cotton field. This is the third time the acceleration stuck. Tapping the gas peddle worked the first two but not the last time. It knocked a hole in the transmission pan and did something to the brake line.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Taurus 🔎.

Without warning, there was extremely difficulty in stopping the vehicle. Fortunately, we were able to limp home where, suspecting a caliper or wheel cylinder leak, none was found. On closer inspection, an extreme leak of brake fluid was observed coming from the metal brake lines leading to the rear brakes. These lines were found to be extremely corroded. It should be noted that in my 50 plus years of working on cars I have never, ever seen such damage to such a key component for a vehicle.

One of the rear brake lines ruptured causing gradual but complete loss of normal braking. Luckily was able to pull off in to a parking area just as brakes quit working completely. Cause of rupture appears to be rust. Rupture occurred approximately under the driver seat location. No prior warning.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Taurus 🔎.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the front passenger side brake line fractured. The contact was able to cruise to a stop safely. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic and the brake line was repaired. The mechanic stated that the brake line was corroded. The failure and current mileages were 70,000.

Applied brakes while stopped in parking lot,pedal went to floor,all brake fluid now under car. Unable to lift car,no metal existed from floorpan to rocker panel bottom. Brake lines had been affixed to this metal,and now had lost support/mounting place and vibrated and fell apart. The outside of the car looked almost new,but the plastic trim on the lower sill hid the problem outside. Now,the door sill(both sides)are getting so bad,we are afraid to step on them,or go over a bad bump or railroad track. I don't understand this,as this metal rotted from the inside-out,as though it never went thru a rust prevention bath process. My friends are current Ford people or,like myself,are retired Ford people,they said Taurus veh. Cant have this extreme problem,but I do. Thanks for asking.

See all problems of the 1998 Ford Taurus 🔎.

My son was drivinng the vehicle when the brakes completely failed. Brake lines to the rear of the car ruptured annd drained system of brake fluid annd car had no brakes at all. It rolled into an intersection and thankfully he wasn't hurt. Apparently this is fairly common with older cars. Both lines being replaced.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Taurus 🔎.

Brake line burst. Control became nonexistent. Got very lucky bringing it home, although I did run into the back of my garage (because the brakes didn't work).

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Taurus 🔎.

Brake line failure. . Needed to replace brake lines due to chaffing. . Reinforced rubber brake line under driver is chaffing in the 45 degree turn at the crossmember. I caught it b4 any accidents but just barely. This could result in sudden brake failure causing sever injury or death and should be at least investigated. . .

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Taurus 🔎.

Hit the brakes hard when the person in front of me slammed on his brakes on the expressway and immediately noticed softness in the pedal fastly developing into 98 % loss of braking capacity. Afterwards, noticed leak in one of brake lines running along the left side underbody about midway. Approximately 4-6 months later the same scenario repeated itself with respect to the other brakeline running along the left side. Two weeks ago, the rear brakeline connecting the proportioning valve with the right rear brake hose sprung a leak resulting in loss of braking capabilities. All of these lines ruptured due to rust and or corrosion.

The contact owns a 1997 Ford Taurus . During brake application at 25 mph the pedal went to the floor. He had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. A mechanic from a local repair facility stated that the brake line was leaking. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were 90000.

Loss of braking due to rear brake lines corroding and resulting fluid loss. An internet search indicates this is a very common problem with Ford Tauruses of this era. Failure occurred near the rear of the driver's door. Car is awaiting repair.

Complete and sudden brake failure. Placed foot on brake pedal to reverse car out of parking spot. (would have caused severe injury/damage had I been at highway speed or city maneuvering). Pedal went to floor and brake fluid puddled under the car. Had car towed to repair facility and brake lines were repaired. Mechanic said Ford's plastic bracket allowed water/dirt/salt to accumulate and rust through lines.

Brake line failure. Lost brakes in parking lot. Brake line rotted through. Repaired by local mechanic who stated this is a common problem on Ford cars. If this doesn't require a recall and repair I don't know what does.

2000 Ford Taurus problems with the rear springs. Consumer states that the rear springs and links were replaced. Brake line was repaired, and the rack and pinion steering was replaced. *****.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Taurus 🔎.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. The contact's wife attempted to stop the vehicle, but the brake pedal extended to the floor when it was depressed. The contact placed brake fluid into the brake reservoir and depressed the brake pedal, in which it extended to the floor again. He inspected the undercarriage and noticed that the brake lines were corroded all the way through. In addition, all the fluid he added leaked onto the ground. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 00v075000 (service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components). The current mileage was 57,456 and failure mileage was 57,445.

Brake line failure.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. While driving 30 mph, the brake warning light illuminated and the stopping distance increased. The contact noticed rust on the rear brake line as well as brake fluid leaking. As of September 5, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 119,000.

The contact owns a 1999 Ford Taurus. While driving 15 mph the consumers daughter depressed the brakes and the vehicle failed to stop. She had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic and he stated that the brake lines were rusted. The failure and current mileages were 118,000. Updated 02-01-08. The consumer stated the brake lines had rusted. Updated.

My 1999 Ford Taurus brake line corroded and fell into pieces. This metal line should not have had this problem. The metal alloy in this line is at fault and should be recalled or warranty due to the severely dangerous outcome. My 16 year old pulled the car into the driveway when the line literally blew and all of the fluid blew out. It was a miracle that this did not occur any other time while driving because there is no pedal braking at all!.

We had a total brake failure on our 1999 Ford Taurus, we drove out of our drive way going to the mail box and when we hit the brakes the brake failure light came on as the brakes went to the floor and the car coasted to a stop. If we had been going faster it would have been very serious. The problem was that the brake line to the back brakes split and leaked all the fluid which led to the failure, are these cars supposed to have a back up systems?.

My wife was pulling up to pick up for her prescription when she applied the brake it failed. Steel brake line failure. 18 foot of steel brake line was replaced.

My wife recently experienced a total brake failure on my 99 Taurus wagon (46k miles). She was starting out of her parking space so there was no collision. This should not have happened as this vehicle has a dual diagonal system for safety. Unfortunately the diagonal part is what did it in as the two lines running to the rear wheels were run together and both rotted out simultaneously.

Consumer felt a pop in the brakes on his 1999 Ford Taurus. Upon inspection mechanic determined that the brake line had failed due to corrosion and the passenger side also needed replacement.

The brake lines tubing rusted from the outside. The brake line failed and the consumer lost braking ability. Had to take a section out. Talked to dealer, they said nothing they could do. This happened on August 26, 2005. Was pulling it into the shed changed the oil and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. The tube assembly was replaced (f8dz-2c287/aa, f6dz-2l568/aa, f8dz-26569/aa). The consumer had the factory parts replaced to prevent further failure. The consumer still has the old part in his possession.

1996 Ford Taurus lx brake lines have developed a rust problem. ** answer required***. The consumer stated nearly every part of the brake line that was not rubber coated had rusted through.

I am the owner of a 1997 Taurus. Approximately one week ago, the brakes failed completely while I was exiting off a highway; the pedal went all the way down to the floor. Since I was relatively close to home, I drove cautiously back to my house, after which I called a tow truck the take the car to my mechanic. A couple of hours later I received a call from the shop informing me that the entire brake line system was rusted & rotted away and that the fluid had completely leaked out. The mechanic said in his 20 years he had never seen a brake line system rust so completely in such a young car. In fact, he said, it should basically last the life of the car, never needing to be replaced. After all was said and done, the job cost almost $800. I asked to see the old lines and couldn?t believe how rusted and rotted they had become. There was no protective sheathing on the lines. I feel that I should be reimbursed for these repairs since it should have never have happened in the first place. The mechanic did mention that he had recently been seeing a lot of young Ford models coming in with the same problem or rusting and failing brake line systems. Also, while searching the national highway traffic safety administration website for similar defects, I found complaints lodged about the rotting of the hard tubing, causing the brake lines to burst. In these cases, the cars were 1997 Taurus?. My mechanic fixed the entire line system, completely replacing any old parts with new, custom made tubes. I kept the old tubing just so I can show Ford what their cars are relying on for stopping. The entire job came to almost $800.

Consumer was driving down a country road in a 1999 Ford Taurus station wagon when the brakes failed with no warning and the pedal went to the floor. Fortunately, consumer was able to coast to a stop with no damage and safely exit the vehicle. The following day the vehicle was driven (using the emergency brake) to the dealer who subsequently determined that the steel tubing of the brake line had rusted through, causing the failure. Having never heard of such a failure in three decades of being involved with automotive repair in a northern climate with salted roads, and in view of the fact that this vehicle spent only a few years in a northern climate prior to moving to a snow-free area, consumer requested and was given the failed brake lines as evidence (still available). Replacing the brake lines cost over $100 in parts and supplies and over $360 in labor, for a total bill of $471. 18. A subsequent search of the NHTSA database revealed other complaints about this same problem with the Taurus (see odi #10117988 and #10124628) with no investigation initiated by either Ford or NHTSA. Evidently investigations do not happen unless there is a fire, death, injury, etc. , and these complaints involved: a Taurus that had already exited a highway; one in a mcdonald's drive-thru; and this one on an isolated road. It seems incredible that no action is taken on such an obvious material design defect that can result in a sudden loss of braking with absolutely no warning. What does it take to get the NHTSA's attention?.

Brake line burst on 2 different Ford cars in same week! and in both cases it was rot, and in both cases it was the hard tubing, not the hoses. One a 1997, so it was only 7 years old. Brake line rotted enough to burst during firm stop. The new abs style brake lines are dangerously thinner than the older style brake lines. They also seem to have electrostatic properties that cause premature rotting in some cases. The piece that broke was much more rotted than the other pieces attached the holding clips actually causes more rotting because water collects in the open space where it hold the thinner brake line. It is extremely dangerous that these brake lines are being made much thinner. Also on the 1997 Ford Taurus the brake lines hang down lower than other suspension in the middle and present a hazard during winter when cars may be driven across frozen snow. Ford engineers need to go back to school. Brake line tubing walls must be made thicker. I have had many cars and driven them over 100k miles each and never had a brake line burst for rot before. This car broke at around 80k I think. Date is approximate. . . I'm not going to look up the repair bill right now. Ford could easily be number one if they stop doing stupid things like this.

While driving 30 mph rear driver side spindle snapped, cutting the brake line. This caused the vehicle to have extended stopping distance which resulted in a roll over. Consumer sustained neck and back injuries.