RoadVitals

1998 Ford Sho (taurus)

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
4
Latest May 6, 2013
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Ford Sho (taurus), most frequently naming the engine, brakes and seat belts categories. 3 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine233.3%
  • Brakes116.7%
  • Seat belts116.7%
  • Steering116.7%
  • Transmission116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

BrakesEngineSteering
Filed May 6, 2013

I PUT OVER $800 IN TO MY CAR ON THE ALIGNMENT, TIRES, OIL, AND BALL JOINTS. IT JUMPS GEARS, WHEN STOPPING IT SHAKES REALLY BAD, I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE THE BATTERY SEVERAL TIMES, NOW THEY TELL ME THERE IS A BUSTED BOLT ON THE FRAME...... THE AUTO SHOP DID NOT TELL ME ABOUT THE BOLT UNTIL I PAID $600+ $ ON THE BALL JOINS, ALIGNMENT, AND OIL CHANGE......... I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO KEEP PUTTING IN TO THIS CAR...... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALL THESE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, THE SHAKING IS VERY BAD, SO BAD ITS LIKE THE CAR DON'T WANNA STOP....... *TR

NHTSA ID
10510724
Incident
Feb 13, 2013
Seat belts
Filed Feb 13, 2013

I OWN A FORD TAURUS SW, THE SEAT BELTS IN THE BACK ARE UNABLE TO WORK. THEY WILL NOT UNLOCK SO THEY CANNOT BE USED. THE ONLY BELT AVAILABLE IS THE MIDDLE LAP BELT. I TRIED ALL THE MANUAL HAS TO OFFER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10497978
Incident
Jan 2, 2013
Mileage
125,000 mi
Transmission
Filed Sep 28, 2005

WHEN SITTING AT AN INTERSECTION WAITING FOR THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS TO CHANGE, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS TO STAY COMPLETELY ENGAGED. WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THE RPM GOES WAY UP AND VERY LITTLE MOVE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES WHILE SITTING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC LEAVING ME VULNERABLE TO BE STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE TRANSMISSION DOES EVENTUALLY COMPLETELY ENGAGE. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED, BUT THAT FAILED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I KNOW A FEW OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN THE SAME TYPE OF CAR AND THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS. WHEN I CONSULTED AN AUTO MECHANIC, HE AND OTHER MECHANICS HAD INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE, AND DON'T KNOW WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL. *NM

NHTSA ID
10138054
Incident
Sep 24, 2005
Mileage
68,000 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 15, 2003

CAMSHAFT FAILURES IN 1996-1999 FORD TAURUS SHOS.*AK

NHTSA ID
10032897
Incident
Aug 15, 2003

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

13802

INTERIOR LIGHTING

SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERMITTENT LOSS OF INTEGRATED CONTROL PANEL (ICP) ILLUMINATION. AUDIO AND CLIMATE CONTROLS CONTINUE TO OPERATE DURING THE ICP'S LOSS OF ILLUMINATION CONDITION. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A FAULTY INTERNAL RIBBON CABLE CONNECTION IN THE ICP. *TT

8016

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERMITTENT LOSS OF INTEGRATED CONTROL PANEL (ICP) ILLUMINATION. **MR**

8016

SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERMITTENT LOSS OF INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL (ICP).

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Sho (taurus) by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1999801—
1998Viewing400—
1996100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.