1996 Ford Taurus Sho

THE CAMSHAFT IN MY CAR FAILED AND CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. IT WAS A 1996 FORD TAURUS SHO. IT CAUSED A COMPLETE POWER LOSS AROUND A CORNER AND I WAS ALMOST INVOLED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MANY SHO OWNERS. THE REPAIR COSTS ARE RUNNING ME $5000 DOLLARS. THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT IT COULD HAVE DONE TO MY FAMILY. PLEASE HELP THIS NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. FORD KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM. SOME MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY AS ME. *AK

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK APRIL 17,2003 ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH AND MY 1996 FORD TAURUS SHO JUST QUIT RUNNING . I TOOK IT TO A GARAGE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SLIPPED AND BENT ALL THE VALVES (32) IN THE ENGINE. WHEN I ASKED WHAT IT WOULD COST TO FIX THEY GAVE ME A FIGURE THAT I COULD NOT BELIEVE. WITH LABOR AND PARTS APPROXIMATELY $9000.00. I ONLY HAVE 61,000 MILES ON THE CAR. *JB

THE FAILURE OF THE CAMSHAFTS IN A DUAL OVER HEAD CAMSHAFT ENGINES CAN CAUSE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAMSHAFTS (PER DEALER) ARE FAILING AND I FEAR THAT THEY WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO MY PASSENGERS OR MYSELF. THE DETROIT FREE PRESS HAS PUBLISHED A SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THE FAILURE OF CAMSHAFTS IN TAURUS SHO ENGINES SINCE 1996. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE VEHICLE REFUSES TO ADMIT THEY HAVE A RECALL ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THEY BEGAN REPLACING CAMSHAFTS ON VEHICLES WITH AS LITTLE AS 30,000 MILES FOR THE FAILURE OF THE WELDS THAT ATTACH THE CAMSHAFT SPROCKETS TO THE CAMSHAFTS. AFTER SPENDING NEARLY THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS ON REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE IT CAME BACK WITH A NOISE WHICH THE DEALER HAS IDENTIFIED AS CAMSHAFT FAILURE. THE COSTS OF REPAIR WERE ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN TWO AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NO PLANS FOR A RECALL AND THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT RETURNING MY CALLS. WHAT COURSE OF ACTION CAN I PURSUE IN THIS MATTER? *JB

CAMSHAFTS IN THE 1996-1999 TAURUS SHO. I HAVE HAD A FAILURE LIKE MANY OTHERS, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 250 FAILURES OF THIS TYPE, MINE WAS FAILURE NUMBER 221. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND THE ENGINE SEIZED CAUSING THE CAR TO DART TO THE RIGHT, IF THERE WAS A VEHICLE THERE, WE WOULD HAVE COLLIDED. $8500.00 IN DAMAGE, FORD WILL NOT COVER ANY OF IT, THIS IS A QUOTE FROM A FORD REP. "METAL WEARS" BUT AT THE RATE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING IS ALARMING, 18 CARS SO FAR SINCE 02-01-2002. AT ABOUT $8000.00 EACH CAR IS $144,000.00 DAMAGES FEBUARY ALONE, FOR ALL 250 CARS, IT IS $2,000,000.00 IN DAMAGES (ESTIMATED). THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF THE CAMSHAFT, AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO.

I AM WRITING YOU NOW, ONE YEAR AFTER THE FACT, BECAUSE I HAVE LEARNED THERE OVER 100 MORE SHO OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. MY ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO WARNING, LOST ALL POWER, AND I HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (WITH MY TWO BABIES ON BOARD). I WAS LUCKILY ON A RURAL ROAD IN THE COUNTRY, IF I WERE ON A HIGHWAY, FREEWAY, OR MORE TRAVELED AREA, I KNOW I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THOSE OUT THERE WHO ARE DRIVING THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL CAR. WE HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED FORD MANY TIMES, AND THEY ARE NOT LISTENING. PLEASE HELP.*AK

MY 1996 FORD TAURUS SHO STARTED MAKING A CHATTER NOISE ON THE TOP END OF ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER IN ALBANY, NY. THE DEALER WAS ORANGE MOTORS. THEY CHARGED ME 100.00 TO DIAGNOS THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND THE COST WAS GOING TO BE $12,000.00. SINCE I WAS IN SHOCK WITH THE PRICE, I LOOKED INTO THE PROBLEM MYSELF AND FOUND A WEBSITE V8SHO.COM. THEY DESCRIBED MY EXACT FAILRURE. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE AMONG ALL 1996,97,98,AND 99 SHO'S. THE ENGINE IS BUILT BY YAMAHA FOR FORD. THE PROBLEM IS THE DESIGN OF THE CAM SHAFT. THE TIMING GEAR SPROCKET IS PRESSED ONTO THE CAM AND CAN COME LOOSE AT ANY TIME. IF YOU HEAR THE AUDIBLE CHATTER FROM THE ENGINE, YOU MUST STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE GEAR WILL SLIP ON THE CAM AND THE ENGINE WILL SELF DESTRUCT BENDING VALVES AND DESTROYING THE ENGINE. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW AN INDIVIDUAL MAINTAINS THE CAR. THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE AT ANYTIME. FORD KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM. THEY ISSUED SPECIAL SERVICE BULLITEN 15879 TO CHECK FOR THE PROBLEM. IN MY CASE THE FORD DEALER WHERE I TOOK THE SHO DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY FURTHER. WHEN THIS IS CAUGHT IN THE BEGINNING STAGES YOU CAN WELD THE SPROKETS TO THE CAM. AFTER TAKING MY CAR APART MYSELF, I FOUND BOTH FRONT CAMS TO HAVE A PROBLEM. ONE MOVES LEFT AND RIGHT ON THE SPROKET AND THE OTHER IS LOOSE ON THE CAM.(READY TO SPIN COMPLETELY LOOSE AND KILL THE ENGINE. THE COST OS THIS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE THE CONSUMER'S RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS A LATENT DEFECT BY THE MANUFACTURER.*AK