Important: Brake Problem

Need to address a potentially serious issue for Taurus (and any other Ford for that matter) owners:
Yesterday I got into my girlfriend's 98' Taurus with 45K miles and immediately realized that she had NO BRAKES AT ALL! She mentioned AFTER I told her something was wrong that her brakes felt weird the night before, but luckily she had gotten home without any trouble.
I started looking over the car, and quickly realized that one of her metal brake lines had sprung a major leak. Furthermore, I noticed that EVERY metal brake line on the car was in desperate need of replacement because of rust and corrosion. I won't even go into how embarrasing and pitiful it is for the manufacturer of a car of this age and usage to have this problem. The original EXHAUST isn't even rusted yet!!
My main goal here is to alert others of this potentially fatal problem. If my girlfriend had been traveling on the interstate or on a long trip when this line started to leak, she may not have noticed and the results could have been terrible. When the line went, it went fast, and is now leaking steadily and quickly. It would seem to me that this problem would affect more than just my girlfriend's car, especially for those that are exposed to salt on roads in the northeast. This is also the type of problem that most would never notice or catch because it simply SHOULD NOT HAPPEN this quickly, regardless of where you live.
Just wanted to alert all Taurus owners of this problem. Hopefully this was a freak and individual occurence.

Yeah, I'd say it's a freak occurence. I've owned five Fords (two Tauri, two Rangers, and an Explorer) in the past 12 years, and I've never had the problem that you describe.

The story sounds fishy. Brake lines for decades now have been made from non-corroding metals, imperevious even to road salts in long winter and heavy snow states and areas. I personally don't buy the story as it's written.

The story sounds fishy. Brake lines for decades now have been made from non-corroding metals, imperevious even to road salts in long winter and heavy snow states and areas. I personally don't buy the story as it's written.

Buy it or don't buy it, buddy. For what reason would I lie about this, especially considering that my sole reason for posting this was to alert other Taurus owners of a possibly fatal manufacturer deficiency?

I've been working on cars since I was 11 years old, and I had NEVER seen brake lines in the condition they were on this car. Note that I have restored a number of automobiles ranging in age from 15-50 years old, and worked as a GM Technician for several years before attending college. I'm well aware that brake lines are supposed to be made of non-corrosive metal, hence my suprise when I got under the car and saw what I did. I'm also aware that up north this is a much more common problem. However, regardless of geographic location, most owners of a 7 year old car would not suspect such a problem could exist.

I wish I had taken a picture of this so that I could further insert your foot into your mouth for you. Alas, I did not.

Once again, I hope this was helpful to somebody. Obviously some people don't appreciate a gesture of goodwill towards others.

I supervise a fleet of about 700 Ford products. All the Fords we have from 95 to 99 have rust on the lines. We have had several rupture due to this. So it is not just a Taurus problem. We have Crown Vics, Taurus and pickups. Salt and chemicals do have an adverse effect on any metal lines. I am in a state (Ky.) where we don't really have a bad winter but the problems exist. Our worst problems are from the Sewer Department. The chemicals they use destroy a vehicle in about 40k miles.

It's simply AMAZING how this important safety problem has eluded the NTSA watchdogs of the highest selling (Sable-Taurus combined) model in the US. Just utterly amazing... A mystery...

I've replaced brake lines on several old cars that I've had, but nothing that new. Fortunately, I've never lost both the front and rear brakes at the same time. Those lines can really rust down to just a little thread and when braking hard, they pop right through. Must be a lot of salt and stuff on the road to rust through a 98. They sure ought to last longer than that.

QUOTE >>> I started looking over the car, and quickly realized that one of her metal brake lines had sprung a major leak. Furthermore, I noticed that EVERY metal brake line on the car was in desperate need of replacement because of rust and corrosion. I won't even go into how embarrasing and pitiful it is for the manufacturer of a car of this age and usage to have this problem.<<< UNQUOTE

I had an exact experience with a 91 Toreusup.

Total failure of all brake lines due to corrosion.

Potentially deadly catastrophic total rust out of ALL brake lines.

Partial replacement led to follow on failure of another brake line.

FORD should be held accountable for using straight cheap steel on
these models, just to save a few bucks, at the expense of DEATH to the owners.

I will buy JEEPS in the future. (Jeep Grand Cherokee)

The story isn't fishy, and no, Ford brake lines are not made of non-corrosive materials. They are made of steel and those installed on the Taurus seem to rust prematurely.
Last week I had to make a quick stop when I was cut off . After stopping, the brake pedal on my 1996 Taurus SHO went to the floor since one of the rear brake lines blew out. Examination revealed that both of the rear brake lines were rusted out. The local Ford dealer estimated the job at $400, so I bought the parts and did it myself for $125. Not an especially easy job.
This vehicle has been on the road for 8 years and has been stored for 5 of the 8 winters, so it has not seen much road salt. The undercarriage is exceptionally rust-free.
Ford correctly protected the first few feet of the lines in a plastic tubing, but then left about 6 more feet of line unprotected in order to save 5 or 10 $. They were so rusted that you could crush them in your hand.
My neighbor has a 1996 Taurus and we checked his: same condition, and it was just starting to leak. I've looked at 2 others since then, a '96 and a '99, both were rusting out badly.
Clearly, these vehicles should have been recalled since this is a serious safety issue.
The service department at the local dealer said that they haven't really seen this before. Bull.

One more thing to check when doing an oil change.

Hopefully this was a freak and individual occurence.

Unfortunately not. My '98 Windstar (86K, one owner, driven in MD) right rear brake line rusted through, resulting in brake failure. My independent mechanic confirmed all lines to be seriously rusted, and noted he had seen this problem often in Fords of this vintage. Ironically, the underbody showed little rust, but brake lines were obviously not corrosion-protected. An unforgiveable cost-saving measure- my driveway has definitely seen its last Ford.