1996 Ford Taurus Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Taurus years
- Far more complaints than other years 7th of 25 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 825 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Ford Taurus. That ranks 7th out of 25 Taurus model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (214 complaints, 26%), typically at around 80,180 miles. Complaints mention 69 crashes, 12 fires, 69 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 825owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 69complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Ford Taurus problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 214 | 26% | 80,180 | “head gasket” (11%) | $3,900 |
| Power Train problems | 182 | 22% | 97,500 | “transmission failed” (8%) | $3,250 |
| Steering problems | 101 | 12% | 106,000 | “rack pinion” (13%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 66 | 8% | 115,000 | “abs brake” (11%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 60 | 7% | 108,500 | “coil spring” (20%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 57 | 7% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Visibility problems | 55 | 7% | 117,089 | “heater core” (18%) | — |
| Air Bags | 45 | 5% | 90,062 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 42 | 5% | 99,181 | — | — |
| Structure | 40 | 5% | 104,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 28 | 3% | 84,275 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 27 | 3% | 44,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 26 | 3% | 130,294 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 25 | 3% | 73,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 22 | 3% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 19 | 2% | 119,963 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 12 | 1% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 4 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 0% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Ford Taurus recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles previously serviced under ford service bulletin 97-17-9 from august 1997 through december 1997. These vehicles were inadvertenly equipped with an 18-gallon fuel tank rather than the 16-gallon as specified. The 18-gallon tank has a second valve location where a shipping plug should be installed.
Risk: If this shipping plug is displaced, fuel leakage can result. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could potentially result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install the correct fuel tank.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: The automatic transmission park pawl shaft may not be free to rotate as intended. If the park pawl shaft does not rotate, it would prevent the park pawl from engaging the park gear when the shift lever is in the park position.
Risk: This condition could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral with the shift lever in the park position.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft rotation and those shafts with restricted rotation will be replaced with a shorter shaft that will not restrict rotation.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)
Problem: The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
Risk: Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system
Problem: The fuel pressure regulator located on the fuel rail in the engine compartment has a vacuum diaphragm that was damaged during manufacture of the regulator.
Risk: If the diaphragm tears or ruptures, liquid fuel could enter the intake manifold plenum through the vacuum line resulting in either release of fuel from the air cleaner assembly or the exhaust system. Fuel release in the presence of an ignition source could potentially result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the fuel pressure regulator. Those regulators produced during the suspect time period will be replaced.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
Risk: This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Service brakes, hydraulic:brake fluid low warning: lamp
Problem: The brake system fluid level indicator lamp switch can malfunction. This does not comply with fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance: if the switch malfuntions, the brake system warning lamp will either remain illuminated continuously or fail to light as intended when the fluid level falls to a certain level. In either case, the vehicle operator would not be warned of a low brake fluid level condition.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake system fluid level indicator lamp switches.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I recently brought the car for 4,00 and some change a bout a year ago two days after i brought it the check engine light came on and every now and then while driving it would cut off i took the car back to the place i brought it from and told them they told me to bring it back in i would have to…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph, there was a loud noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the motor carriage had corroded and stated that the vehicle…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford taurus. The contact stated while driving approximately 1 mph, the vehicle accelerated violently and crashed into a pole without any warning. The contact sustained chest and head injuries and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The vehicle was not taken to the…
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 ford taurus. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle was involved in a crash and the seat belt failed to retract. The contact, who was seating in the front passenger seat, hit her head on the windshield. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and…
The motor cradle in my mother-in-law's 1996 taurus rusted through and broke as she was making a turn. This caused the motor to partially drop making steering almost impossible. I did some research and found that there was a recall for this problem for the 1995 taurus in dec. Of 1998. My question is…
Other Ford Taurus years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Taurus | 18 | 2 |
| 2018 Taurus | 50 | 4 |
| 2017 Taurus | 44 | 4 |
| 2016 Taurus | 83 | 4 |
| 2015 Taurus | 279 | 6 |
| 2014 Taurus | 229 | 5 |
| 2013 Taurus | 585 | 9 |
| 2012 Taurus | 79 | 5 |
| 2011 Taurus | 187 | 4 |
| 2010 Taurus | 204 | 3 |
| 2009 Taurus | 64 | 0 |
| 2008 Taurus | 175 | 1 |
| 2007 Taurus | 149 | 0 |
| 2006 Taurus | 318 | 2 |
| 2005 Taurus | 774 | 0 |
| 2004 Taurus | 375 | 1 |
| 2003 Taurus | 1,223 | 3 |
| 2002 Taurus | 1,426 | 3 |
| 2001 Taurus | 1,037 | 9 |
| 2000 Taurus | 1,195 | 8 |
| 1999 Taurus | 874 | 5 |
| 1998 Taurus | 545 | 2 |
| 1997 Taurus | 770 | 3 |
| 1996 | 825 | 6 |
| 1995 Taurus | 1,205 | 5 |
See all Ford Taurus problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Ford Taurus?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, power train, steering problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 214 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Ford Taurus?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Ford Taurus a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Taurus model years, the 1996 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.