1997 Ford Taurus Power Train:automatic Transmission Problems

NHTSA component category: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · data through 07/12/2026

171Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints

22.2%Of all 770 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How power train:automatic transmission ranks on this vehicle

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION171 · 22.2%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE46 · 6%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE44 · 5.7%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL43 · 5.6%

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM39 · 5.1%

Share of the 770 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 1997 Ford Taurus overview page.

What owners report

“AUTOMTIC TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR, AND IT IS DIFFICUILT TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. WHENEVER VEHICLE COME TO A STOP IT IS DELAYED BEFORE…”NHTSA complaint 841783 — filed 07/07/1999

“TRANSMISSION SLIPS. DEALER UNABLE TO IDENTIFY PROBLEM.”NHTSA complaint 707209 — filed 06/04/1999

“JUST STARTED TO PROCEED THROUGH INTERSECTION WHEN CAR SHIFTED FROM LOW GEAR AND ACTED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. DEALER I TOOK IT TO…”NHTSA complaint 706035 — filed 04/27/1999

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1997 Ford Taurus have power train:automatic transmission problems?

Power Train:automatic Transmission is the most-reported problem area on the 1997 Ford Taurus: 171 of 770 complaints on file (22.2%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 1997 Ford Taurus have in total?

770 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 64 involved a crash, 12 involved a fire, 50 reported injuries, and 4 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's power train:automatic transmission category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/12/2026.