Transmission reliability - Was: Taurus owners/experts pls.

Honest input required.
I am looking to purchase a 2005 Taurus SE with just under 50,000 miles. The car is a former federal gov't fleet vehicle that looks to be well maintained. My concern is the frequent reports of tranny failures on these cars. Is this blown out of porportion or is just a matter of time before the transmission fails on this vehicle. That warranty report shows only one job performed, a speaker replacement. Thanks for your help. Also, what other red flags should I look for on this vehicle?

I edited your thread title to something descriptive (per forum guidelines) and so as not to not limit visibility to only experts and owners. There are several folks on these forums that may no longer be owners or experts but still have valuable information on the cars. I consider myself in that category.

As you are obviously aware, how well the transmission and car has been maintained is very important when considering how reliable the car has a chance of being. Since this was a Gov't fleet car rather than a rental fleet car, it probably has seen reasonable driving habits AND decent maintenance. When my dad still had his shop he serviced the A/C, suspension, and alignment areas for the regional GSA. Those cars rarely appeared neglected or abused and seemed to get the appropriate service to keep them reliable.

One thing you should keep in mind when reading about all the issues with a particular model of car is how many of that car was sold as well as the typical owner of that car model. The Taurus has sold well throughout the years. With so many on the road it should be expected that you will hear reliability horror stories. Also, because so many were sold, and because of the target market, you will find several available for very low prices on the used car market. People purchasing inexpensive used cars are not always people looking for a good bargain, some are looking for an inexpensive car because they don't have extra money. Sometimes that type of buyer will not invest the money to maintain the car, or maybe doesn't even realize certain preventive maintenance should be performed, leading further to stories of poor reliability.

-Rod

Good input, especially when you consider how many of these vehicles were produced. The vehicle is a former Corrections car up here in Canada. I beleive I have narrowed it down to two possible dealers where it's servicing was done, I'll be in contact with them.
Thanks.

Any used vehicle likely has hidden problems. I have found that MOST of the repair shops don't refill the transmission with Mercon V as recommended by Ford. It DOES cost significanly more for the fluid. I checked with Pep Boys last time I changed mine because their advertised "transmission service" was not much more than the cost of the 7 or 8 qts of Mercon V I usually have to use. The service tech told me they pump it out thru the dipstick hole and refill it with Mercon III. Guy told me that it is "almost the same stuff". At minimum I think the pan should be dropped, thoroughly cleaned and the filter replaced, something Pep Boys didn't include.
Maybe someone knows how this would affect the serviceable life of the transmission but as a used vehicle purchaser you have no way of knowing just how or if ever the transmission was serviced.

You're right. The trausmission of the Taurus is not very solid. It's the same as the Windstar and Explorer.

It lasts approximatively 100,000 miles. And cost 3K$ to replace it. But it can last longer if you install an additional trans cooling line to keep it cooler. That's what most of Wind/Taurus users do.

You're right. The trausmission of the Taurus is not very solid. It's the same as the Windstar and Explorer.

Explorer is quite a different animal.

Yep, Explorer is RWD, 4WD, or AWD. The transmission might be pretty similar to the FWD Escape....

-Rod

You're right, it's different.