"How reliable is the 1996 Ford Taurus?"

"Based on 1131 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Ford Taurus has a median complaint mileage of 98000 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Ford Taurus?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Ford Taurus is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 1131 total complaints filed."

1996 Ford Taurus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1131 complaints

1131

Total Complaints

98,000mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

79,049 25th Percentile

98,000 Median Mileage

121,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

135

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SUSPENSION:FRONT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ABS, BRAKE FAILURE WHEN APLLIED BRAKES EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE IMPACT 12:00 POSITION SPEED 30 MPH. TT"

"DRIFTED TO THE LEFT WHILE MAKING A TURN THE DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL FELL OFF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28