I have a 98 Taurus and I am having some electrical problems.

1) When I go through a large puddle which I guess splashes alot of water up under my car, my battery light will come on and it will get really hard to steer (I guess I am loosing power steering?). The radio, lights, wipers, etc. all continue to work fine.

2) When it rains sometimes if I have my dome light set to door it will not turn off when the door is closed.

Any thoughts? Ask if you need more details.

Sounds like the belt is slipping when you run through water causing the steering and charging system failure. Try replacing the belt first. Try spraying the door latches with lubricant to see if it will temporarily cure the dome light problem

My '99 does the same. My co-worker has a '97 that does it too. He took it to Ford who told him the right tire is sending water directly to the belt causing slippage. Design problem enhanced with old belts. The dome light is due to the door switch sticking in the "I'm open" position. Apparently it gets dirty and greasy, especially after using something like WD-40.