Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Vehicle has had two incidents that May be related to faulty acceleration. Perhaps you need to investigate older Ford Taurus for problems currently under review on 2006, etc. Dates and mileage are approx. I do not have reports available. Vehicle had speed control. While attempting to park the accelerator suddenly revved up when I hit the brakes. Happened so suddenly the car went out of control bounced over parking lot bump and hit other vehicles causing damages to those as well as my vehicle and injury to me as well as cost me a ticket. That was in 2006 as I recall. In January, 2009 or December, 2008 the accelerator suddenly revved up again when I was pulling into traffic from a parking lot on to the highway. I shut off the engine and volunteers helped push the vehicle off the road. I had it towed and have had it stored in my driveway since. No one has ever scanned, etc. …
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably to 20 MPH while in reverse which resulted in a collision. The vehicle's transmission was put in reverse to back into a parking spot when full acceleration engaged. The vehicle went over an embankment and collided with a tree. The vehicle kept accelerating after the collision until the contact shut the ignition off. The throttle control was not controllable with braking. The fire department was contacted and extracted the 3 injured passengers from the rear window. The manufacturer was not contacted and a police report was taken. Updated 09/15/06.
While applying the brake to stop at a light on a highway access road, the vehicle had trouble stopping. It started violently jerking and vibrating and the brakes were all the way to the floor. The RPM's read in the 4's. I pulled over and in a parking lot, the vehicle rapidly reached 45 MPH without stepping on the gas pedal. I was reluctant to have it reach a greater speed so I stopped the vehicle. It once again did not want to respond properly to the brakes. I called Ford and eplained the sudden acceleration and the vehicle difficulty in stopping, there are no recalls. I researched online, and it appears that there is a faulty cruise control cable that sticks to the throttle and leaves it open. I once again contacted Ford for an estimate to replace the cruise control cable. The service advisor stated that there was no such thing as a cruise control cable. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 10 MPH when the throttle became stuck, causing the vehicle to abnormally accelerate without warning. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by shifting into neutral and applying the brakes. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer to have the cruise and throttle cable replaced but the dealer did not have the necessary parts. The dealer lubricated the components but that did not remedy the issue. The contact also replaced the cruise control module but to no avail. The contact had experienced the failure numerous times. The failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 07/25/12 the consumer stated the vehicle would accelerate on its own. Each time, the accelerator pedal would go down on its own, and the consumer had no way of controlling the vehicle. As the consumer stepped on the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to go faster. …
Ford Taurus throttle stuck open. I started the engine and placed the transmission into reverse. Pressing on the accelerator pedal to back out, the pedal wouldn t budge. While applying more and more force, the pedal finally gave in, collapsing to the floor and causing the engine to be stuck at full throttle. Being in reverse, the Taurus took off at full speed out of the carport to the side of a hill. Ramming the car into drive caused me to go forward at full speed. Until I slammed the transmission into park and cut off the engine, did I finally come to a stop about 100 feet down the driveway. The vehicle is now sitting at the phil long dealership in colorado springs, waiting to be analyzed. I called Ford customer relations center and reported the problem. They said they can not do anything. I have made a video depicting this problem. …
Cruise control will not hold the vehicle at a set speed when going down hill. Vehicle continues to accelerate well beyond preset speed. Vehicle will accelerate 15 MPH over preset speed. Brakes rotors warp constantly. Rotors have been resurfaced or replaced over 5 times. Engine speed will not decrease when accelerator pedal is not released. Dealer claim all Taurus with 3.0l duratic engines have this problem. They claim no technical bulletins have been issued to resolve any of these issues. This requires constant braking and certainly contributes to accelerated brake wear and possibly the rotors warping so often. All of these problems have been reported to the dealership and none have been resolved. NHTSA has countless complaints in your electric files regarding these same issues, yet no recalls have been issued. Why? **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**751827
This is the scariest thing I have ever seen while driving my teenage son's vehicle. His vehicle would not decrease in speed. While taking off from a stop, without touching the pedal, the vehicle accelerated on its own. I have never seen a vehicle accelerate without hitting the gas pedal. This is a serious safety concern especially since its a teenagers vehicle. I see that newer tauruses had a recall for the exact same issue. Many were reporting the vehicle accelerating on its own, this is exactly what my son's did tonight. Also, when I placed his vehicle in park, the vehicle revved up to 4000 RPM's like someone was hitting the gas. I had to shut the car off before it blew the engine. It was nerve racking. This is likely to cause a serious injury of death to my child.
I have a 1998 Ford Taurus station wagon. On 5 occasions the car went into a sudden acceleration while I was stopped with my foot on the brake or while I was slowing down to stop. In each case I would press hard on the brake in order to hold the car and immediately shift out of gear. In the first two incidents, brake pressure would hold the car until I got it out of gear. In the later incidents brake pressure would only slow the forward motion. The engine rush was so great that the car would not stop until it was out of gear. On 2 of these 5 occasions I narrowly avoided an accident. The dealer has been looking into this and has been trying to find the cause, so far without success. The date given below is an estimate of the first time that this occurred.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that when shifting from reverse to park or from drive to park, the vehicle would rapidly accelerate. The engine rpms increased excessively and the contact shifted into park as he turned the engine off in order to stop the failure. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic or to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 120,000.
While pulling into a parking space with foot on brake, car suddenly accelerated and crashed. Dealer could not identify the defect. Damage: $1,500. This is a serious saftey problem that has been repeatedly reported for model years 1996 through 1999. Why hasn't the government taken any action? I wonder how many people did not live to tell about it. I was one of the fortunate ones. This not only puts the driver and passengers in jeopardy, but pedestrians as well!
Acceleration complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1998 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 111 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1998 Ford Taurus, 20% of the model year's 545 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Ford Taurus acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 1998 Ford Taurus, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Taurus acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 15 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.