I haven't had it checked out yet, but I'm guessing the transmission is gone.:mad: My teenage daughter was driving it when the transmission went. My brother drives for a car recovery company, so he towed it home for me. The transmission fluid looks burned up. So, I'm guessing it's smoked. Any chance it could be something else... something not as major?:confused:

If I have to replace the transmission, it may not be worth it.

Thanks for your help/advice!

It's toast. Next time, be sure to use Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF--it's insurance for these type of situations.

What exactly did the vehicle do when your daughter was driving it? Did the vehicle stall out or did it just quit moving?

Ford taurus, the worst car ever built. Sorry, but I work for a junk yard and I see so many of those cars come in not to mention I once owned one. The trany is gone and being a 99 as well as being a taurus, depending on the condition of the car( Up to you) its not worth putting a new one in it. You could look into going to a junk yard and getting a used one for around 150-200 $ but you never know what your going to get.

If the oil is burn and black there's no miracal fix,its to late.Most people don't even no they have to change tranny oil and filter ,lol. Like buddy said,check a scrap yard with a low milage tranny,will save you $$$$$

I'm still curious as to what happened to the vehicle. I used to have a '97 Taurus and the tranny went out on that, but I had plenty of forewarning. It wouldn't go into first gear right away and you could hear a loud "thud" as it was trying to engage. That's why I asked what happened. The tranny fluid might be black and dirty, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's what's wrong with the car.

Well from my experience black oil with a burnt smell usually indecates a fryed tranny.I do comercial snow removal and a chevy I have I have to change a tranny every 3 years regardless of oil changes I do twice a winter.The clutches just get worn out because of the constant work load they are under.
I also have a dodge with a cummins and it cost me 6k to rebuild the tranny at hotrod deisel,they put a tripple locker and a shift kit with HP clutches,its still running like a new one :).

Have you ever changed the oil and filter in your tranny? If not try it, don't think it will help at this stage of the game but 6 liters/quarts of oil and a filter sure is cheaper than a tranny overhaul/new tranny.

You didn't mention the mileage, which may be one of the causes. The consumer product review I read did not rate the 99 Taurus as having frequent transmission problems, just average after 6 years on the road and rated by hundreds of thousands of owners. The fluid may have looked burnt up long before failure. Maintenance on a high mileage vehicle is much different than on a low mileage vehicle.