1996 Ford Taurus Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,132 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1996 Ford Taurus, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 56/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 87,590 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 1996 Ford Taurus sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2006–2012, 2014–2018.
Avoid
Where 1996 sits among all Taurus years
What owners report
“While driving 60mph the engine shut down causing lost of power steering. Add any additional information. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
“I have had problems especially with my heads and transmission since i've gotten the car!”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
“Steering failure resulted in grunt noise during steering return from right turn. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
“"door ajar" indicator comes on won't go off, or interior illiminating lights come on when door is opened and never go off, have to remove fuse to save battery, but cannot operate windows”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
“Total brake failure. Brake lines rusted through causing leak. Had to use emergency brake to stop.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
“Vehicle accident due to failure of the left front suspension system which caused vehicle to strike pavement below due to collapsed front end (no other vehicle involved). Mjs”— owner report to NHTSA, 1996 Taurus
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 115 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 98,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 79,000 and 127,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
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…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CORRECT FUEL TANK.
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.
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.
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.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
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.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR. THOSE REGULATORS PRODUCED DURING THE SUSPECT TIME PERIOD WILL BE REPLACED.
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…
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…
THE BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID LEVEL INDICATOR LAMP SWITCH CAN MALFUNCTION. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS NO. 105, "HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEMS."
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID LEVEL INDICATOR LAMP SWITCHES.
Technical service bulletins
281 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1996 Ford Taurus. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1996 Taurus TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1996 Ford Taurus reliable?
The 1996 Ford Taurus drew 1,132 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 56/100, scored against the model's worst year (1993).
What are the most common 1996 Ford Taurus problems?
The top reported problems for the 1996 Ford Taurus are engine (241 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (190), and steering (114).
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Taurus problems show up?
Owners most often report 1996 Ford Taurus problems around 98,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 79,000 and 127,000 miles.
Does the 1996 Ford Taurus have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 1996 Ford Taurus. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.