RoadVitals

1990 Ford Taurus Sho

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 Mar 31, 2008
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1990 Ford Taurus Sho, most frequently naming the body & structure, electrical and suspension categories. 1 manufacturer communication is 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

  • Body & structure250.0%
  • Electrical125.0%
  • Suspension125.0%

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

Body & structure
Filed Mar 31, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 FORD TAURUS SHO. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT, THE SUBFRAME BOLT FAILED AND THE VEHICLE DROPPED. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 98V323000 (STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS) IN 1990. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED HIS VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 160,000.

NHTSA ID
10222886
Incident
Mar 12, 2008
Mileage
160,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Oct 28, 2003

SUBFRAME MOUNT FAILURE. ENGINE DROPPED CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING AND DESTRUCTION OF COMPUTER CONTROLL MODULE WITH RESULTANT LOSS OF ENGINE FUNCTION. SUBJECT OF PREVIOUS RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN 98V323000. RECALL PRECEDURE PERFORMED BUT DID NOT FIX THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF FAILURE PROBLEM. THERE ARE HUNDRED OF THOUSAND OTHER TAURUSES WHICH ARE LIKELY TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE BECAUSE THE CORROSION PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED, JUST DELAYED, BY THE RECALL PROCEDURE. TALKED WITH FORD MOTOR AND THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED THE RECALL PROCEDURE AND NONE SHOW ANY CONCERN OTHER THAT THEY DID WHAT THEY HAD TO DO TO SATISFY THE PREVIOUS RECALL. REPEAT -- THE CORROSION PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED, JUST DELAYED AND WILL SURELY RECUR TO CAUSE SAFETY RELATED FAILURES IN AFFECTED VEHICLES DUE TO UNDERLYING ENGINEERING DESIGN FAILURES.

NHTSA ID
10043833
Incident
Oct 21, 2003
Mileage
180,000 mi
Suspension
Filed Mar 5, 2002

I PURCHASED A CONTROL ARM FROM UNITED AUTO. THE PART WAS MADE BY TRW. THE BALLJOINT FAILED WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I WENT BACK AND BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE, THEN WHILE DOING A ROUTINE INSPECTION(I AM A MECHANIC) NOTICED THAT THE TOP OF THE BALLJOINT WAS 1.2MM(I MEASURED) FROM THE ABS RING. THE CONTROL ARM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE IS ABOUT 5MM FROM THE ABS RING. I WENT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND HAD THEM GET ME 2 NEW CONTROL ARMS L+R. GUESS WHAT THEY WERE DIFFERENT THEN THE ONES THAT UNITED AUTO SOLD ME. I WENT BACK TO UNITED AUTO, HAD AN EMPLOYEE PULL CONTROL ARMS FOR A TAURUS AND TAURUS SHO. THE CONTROL ARMS WERE THE SAME THING. TRW IS PACKAGING NON-SHO CONTROL ARMS AS SHO ONES. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONSIDERING A SHO IS A HIGH PERFORMANCE CAR (220HP) COMPARED TO (140HP) REGULAR TAURUS. I SPOKE WITH A LOCAL REP FOR TRW , EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FOR ALMOST 6 MONTHS. I AM GOING TO LEAVE FEEDBACK ON THIS TOPIC ON THE SHO CLUB WEBSITE, I AM SURE THAT OTHER SHO OWNER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THERE GETTING THE WRONG PART , AND IT WILL FAIL IF INSTALLED ON A SHO. I ENDED UP PUTTING 2 KNEW CONTROL ARMS ON MY CAR, THE DEALERSHIP WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH THE CORRECT PART. THANK YOU, HOPE TO HERE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SOON. *AK *TR

NHTSA ID
758965
Incident
Oct 15, 2001
Electrical
Filed Mar 19, 2001

THE VEHICLE HAS HAD CONTINUAL PROBLEMS WITH STALLING, SEVERAL REPAIRS COMPLETED AT THE DEALERSHIP TO TRY TO RECTIFY THE STALLING, HOWEVER ALL HAVE FAILED, THE DEALERSHIP HAS IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS BEING THE IGNITION MODULE, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET DUE THE PARTS BEING ON NATIONAL BACKORDER. *MJS

NHTSA ID
560420

Manufacturer communications

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

12570

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT FRONT OUTER TIE RODS SQUEAK AND / OR POP NOISE OVER BUMPS AND / OR TURNING. *TT

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 Taurus Sho by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1999211149.1
1998101040.1
1997301045.0
1996241044.7
1995930—
1994112058.5
1993142051.5
1992300—
1991100—
1990Viewing400—

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.