1996 Ford Taurus Sho: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 31 complaints
31
Total Complaints
96,501mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

80,031 25th Percentile
96,501 Median Mileage
107,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
1

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH HEARD A TICKING SOUND. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND VEHICLE STALLED. DEALER REPLACED A BROKEN CAMSHAFT.*AK"
"WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH HEARD A TICKING SOUND. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND VEHICLE STALLED. DEALER REPLACED A BROKEN CAMSHAFT.*AK"
"CAM SHAFT FAILURE ON 3.4L V8 SHO ENGINE. VEHICLE HAD TICKING NOISE, THEN VEHICLE LOST POWER AND MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE. UPON INSPECTION, CAM IS STRIPPED AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST OVER $4,000 USD OR REPLACEMENT ENGINE. I HAVE 47 DOCUMENTED CASES OF CAM SHAFT FAILURE IN 1996-1..."

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