VehicleVerdict

1996 Ford Taurus (sho) engine problems

The 1996 Ford Taurus (sho) has 21 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 68% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

21

Engine complaints

68%

Share of year

1

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Taurus (sho) engine complaints by model year24 complaints1993: 4 complaints1994: 1 complaints1996: 21 complaints1997: 24 complaints1998: 5 complaints1999: 11 complaints
Taurus (sho) engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

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…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · January 17, 2003 · crash

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 1996 Ford Taurus (sho) have?

NHTSA has 21 complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus (sho) engine — 68% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.