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1996 Ford Taurus Sho

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 15 of 24 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

3 reports
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80,127 miles · May 17, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingUnknown Or Other

I HAVE A1996 FORD TAURUS SHO V-8,IT JUST TURNED 80,000 MILES AND HAS HAD ALL REGULAR SERVICE AND NOW THE CAMSHAFT GEAR HAS FAILED ON THE CAMSHAFT AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE!I WORK AT A FORD DEALER AND SEE THIS ENGINE FAILURE OFTEN. IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS COMMON ON THE V-8 SHO ENGINE AROUND 75,000-85,000 MILES AND SOMETIMES THERE IS A…

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I HAVE A1996 FORD TAURUS SHO V-8,IT JUST TURNED 80,000 MILES AND HAS HAD ALL REGULAR SERVICE AND NOW THE CAMSHAFT GEAR HAS FAILED ON THE CAMSHAFT AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE!I WORK AT A FORD DEALER AND SEE THIS ENGINE FAILURE OFTEN. IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS COMMON ON THE V-8 SHO ENGINE AROUND 75,000-85,000 MILES AND SOMETIMES THERE IS A TICKING NOISE THAT IS CONSIDERED A WARNING SIGN TOO GET REPAIRS BUT THERE WAS NOT ANY WARNING FROM MY ENGINE. I HAVE DONE ALL KINDS OF RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE LAWSUITS AND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND BLOGS DEVOTED TO THIS EXACT ISSUE BUT I DON,T HAVE ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR ASSISTANCE ON THESE VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS THAT ARE DEFINITELY DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW AND I HAVE 18 FORD TECHNICIANS THAT ARE FACTORY TRAINED TOO BACK THIS UP!I DID NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE NEW SO I CAN,T SAY IT WAS NEVER ABUSED BUT AFTER PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLING THE ENGINE SO FAR IT IS CLEAR THAT IT WAS VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND CARED FOR (IT LOOKS BRAND NEW INSIDE)THERE IS ZERO SLUDGE AND CAMS AND FOLLOWERS ARE SPOTLESS. I WILL NEED TO PULL THE REAR HEAD AND SEND TO MACHINE SHOP FOR EXHAUST VALVE REPLACEMENT AND DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH DAMAGE MAYBE GUIDES AS WELL. I AM VERY CURIOUS AS TOO HOW MANY OF THESE ENGINE FAILURES ARE ALWAYS ONLY THE REAR HEAD EXHAUST CAMSHAFT BECAUSE SO FAR ALL I HAVE SEEN IS THE REAR EXHAUST CAMSHAFT GEAR FAILURE AND THAT IS A F- IN MY GRADE BOOK! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10228062

118,000 miles · Dec 27, 2002
Unknown Or Other

CAM SHAFT FAILURE. CAM GEAR SEPARATED FROM CAM SHAFT, CAUSING CATASTROFIC ENGINE FAILURE. TS *DT

NHTSA ODI #10000402

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2001
Engine And Engine CoolingUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH HEARD A TICKING SOUND. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND VEHICLE STALLED. DEALER REPLACED A BROKEN CAMSHAFT.*AK

NHTSA ODI #899171

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.