RoadVitals

1996 Ford Taurus Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints 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.
42
Latest Jan 24, 2013
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
5%
of 825 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
9
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
14

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Ford Taurus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.

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

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Jan 24, 2013
Crash reported1 injury reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 1 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED VIOLENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A POLE WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED CHEST AND HEAD INJURIES AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. UPDATED 3/13/13 *CN UPDATED 03/19/13 UPDATED 03/20/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES DIDN'T WORK, AND SHE HIT SEVERAL CURBS AND TWO TIRES BURST ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. SHE HIT A LAMP POST AND SOME SHRUBS, AS WELL AS AN ATM MACHINE. UPDATED 04/10/13

NHTSA ID
10494584
Incident
Jan 1, 2013
Mileage
263,984 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 24, 2005
Crash reported3 injuries reported

(1)THROTTLE WENT COMPLETELY TO FLOOR AND AUTO COULD NOT BE STOPPED (2)AUTO ACCIDENT SALEM POLICE REPORT #03-19963 NEAR FATAL INJURIES (3)NO REPAIR DONE. *NM

NHTSA ID
10112115
Incident
Apr 11, 2003
Mileage
100,362 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 9, 2005
Crash reported4 injuries reported

WHILE STOPPED IN A LINE OF TRAFFIC, MY 96 FORD TAURUS BEGAN TO ACCELERATE TO APPR. 40-50 M.P.H I LEFT RUBBER, THANKFULLY I DID HAVE MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHICH HELPED TO SOME DEGREE. ABOUT THREE WEEKS EARLIER SOMETHING SIMILAR HAD HAPPENED BUT AT FAR LESS A SPEED APPR. 5 MPH. *AK

NHTSA ID
10106012
Incident
Nov 8, 2004
Mileage
127,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 8, 2004
Crash reported1 injury reported

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND TOOK OFF. VEHICLE WAS FORCED ONTO A CURB, AND FLATTENED THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BEFORE THE ENGINE CUT OFF . NO INJURY WAS REPORTED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT SHE SUFFERED BACK PROBLEMS DUE TO THE ACCIDENT. *TC

NHTSA ID
10083861
Incident
Jul 23, 2004
Mileage
90,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Aug 2, 2004

WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A TOW BOOTH VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND LURCHED AT HIGH SPEED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL, AND PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10084040
Incident
Jul 25, 2004
Mileage
92,000 mi
Driver assistanceSuspensionTransmission
Filed Apr 28, 2003

PURCHASED MY 1996 FORD TAURUS WAGON IN NOV. 2001. IT ACCELERATES AT HIGH SPEEDS WITH CRUISE GOING DOWN HILL. THE GAS PEDAL OFTEN GETS HUNG UP WHICH LEAVES ME TAPPING IT MY FOOT TO GET IT TO GO, SO THAT I DO NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THE WHOLE CAR RIDES VERY ROUGHLY. IT ALSO HANGS UP IN PASSING GEAR ALMOST EVERY TIME. AND ALSO HOW DO I FIND OUT WHERE TO CHECK TO SEE IF ALL THE RECALLS WERE TAKEN CARE OF. BE CAREFUL FOR WHAT U BUY. *NLM

NHTSA ID
10016661
Incident
Jun 16, 2002
Mileage
98,000 mi
Driver assistanceEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 21, 2003

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. I BOUGHT A FORD TAURUS 1996 FROM VENUNS FORD IN MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN. I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR SEVEN MONTHS AND THE GAS PEDAL WAS STICKING AND TAKING OFF VERY FAST AND SHIFTING ITS GEARS. THE MOTOR WAS RUMBLING AND SHAKING. I HAD TO REPAIR THE AXLES OF THE CAR. I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK EVERY MONTH BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE. THE WATER PUMP OVER HEATED AND THE GAS PEDAL IS STILL STICKING AND TAKING OFF VERY FAST TODAY. ALSO THE DEALER IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY THE WARRANTY SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. I ASKED THE DEALER TO TAKE A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION BUT THEY REFUSED. I ASKED FOR AN EVEN EXCHANGE FOR A DIFFERENT CAR BUT THEY WANTED ME TO PAY FOR THIS CAR AND THE OTHER IF I GOT ONE. URGENTLY RESPOND TO MY COMPLAINT. *JB

NHTSA ID
10016262
Incident
Aug 18, 2002
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Aug 25, 2002

CAR ROLLED BACKWARD INTO GARAGE DOOR WHILE PARKED WITH TRANSMISSION IN PARK POSITION ON LEVEL GROUND. *AK

NHTSA ID
766182
Incident
Aug 2, 2002
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Feb 6, 2002

MY CAR BROKE DOWN 10/21/2000. I LOST ALL POWER ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD SON. I TOOK MY CAR TO 3 FORD DEALERSHIPS AND NONE OF THE MECHANICS COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. FINALLY I FOUND AN INDEPENDENT MACHINE SHOP WHO WAS COMPETENT ENOUGH TO NOT ONLY DIAGNOSE AND FIX MY CAR PROPERLY, BUT THEY HAD TO PIECE MY ENGINE (INCLUDING THE AXLES) TOGETHER AFTER A FORD DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO PUT MY CAR BACK TOGETHER. I HAD NO VEHICLE FOR 7 MONTHS AND HAD TO PAY $3171 FOR THE REPAIRS NOT TO MENTION 4 TOW TRUCKS. SHORTLY AFTER HAVING MY CAR FIXED I NOTICED IT WOULD IDLE HIGH WHEN SITTING AT STOP SIGNS OR LIGHTS. EVENTUALLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED AND RECENTLY DISCOVERED IT IS EITHER THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR OR THROTTLE BODY. REGARDING THE CAM SPROCKET FAILURE, I KNOW OF AT LEAST 69 PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR TAURUS SHO MODELS. FORD REFUSES TO HELP FIX ITS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND HOPEFULLY NO ONE WILL HAVE TO DIE FROM THIS SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN. THANK YOU. *AK

NHTSA ID
757890
Incident
Oct 21, 2000
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 6, 2001

VEHICLE ACCELERATES FASTER THAN THE DESIRED SPEED. RPMS REV UP TO 2 1/2 -3 IN PARK. SENSORS WERE REPLACED, AND SET A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND IDLED DOWN VEHICLE. PROBLEM HAS COME BACK.

NHTSA ID
895866
Incident
Aug 31, 2001
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Aug 27, 2001

ON 8/3/2001, WHILE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 95 IN MARYLAND, MY FORD TAURUS SUFFERED A CASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE CAR HAVING NO POWER, WHILE THE ENGINE REVVED. I NARROWLY MISSED MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE SHOULDER. THIS FAILURE WA SUDDEN AND EXTREME AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY FAMILY'S INJURY OR DEATH. I WAS TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO HAD TO PERFORM A MAJOR REBUILD OF MY TRANSMISSION, INCLUDING HARD PARTS. THE COST WAS IN EXCESS OF $2600.*AK

NHTSA ID
751230
Incident
Aug 3, 2001
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Jun 14, 2001

AFTER COMING OFF A GREEN LIGHT, AT ABOUT 15 MPH, TRANSMISSION FLUID BEGAN TO LEAK AND THE RPM'S REVVED WITH NO FURTHER ACCELERATION. AFTER HAVING VEHICLE TOWED TO AAMCO, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE FRONT SEAL HAD A MAJOR LEAK AND FAILED ALONG WITH THE STADOR AND TRANSMISSION. I ASKED HAYWARD FORD FOR RECALL OR TECHNICAL SERVICE ISSUES AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY. I ALSO CALLED THE FORD COROPORATE OFFICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. AND I WAS TOLD THAT THERE THE FORD ENGINEERS WOULD BE FORWARDED THE MESSAGE, BUT WOULDN'T BE GIVING ME A CALL NOR THE INFORMATION I NEEDED.

NHTSA ID
746849
Incident
May 28, 2001
Driver assistance
Filed May 15, 2001

ENGINE INTERMITENTLY ACCELERATES ON IT'S OWN. ENGINE SPEED OF 2500 RPM'S AT IDLE AND UNDER LOAD OBSERVED. *AK

NHTSA ID
745380
Incident
Dec 28, 1998
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 23, 2001
Crash reported1 injury reported

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE DRIVER PLACED CAR IN REVERSE, THE MOTOR REVVED THEN IT WAS PLACE IN DRIVE AND IT TOOK OFF. TRAVELED FOR 2.2 MILES BEFORE CATAPULTING IN THE AIR AND IMPACTING A UTILITY POLE ONLY AFTER CRASHING THROUGH AN IRON I BEAM GATE. BRAKING WOULD NOT EVEN SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. BLEW BOTH PASSENGER TIRES PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. ESTIMATED SPEED REACHED 50-70MPH ACCORDING TO WITNESSES AND DRIVER. *AK

NHTSA ID
744422
Incident
Apr 22, 2001
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Apr 19, 2001

RPMS INCREASED WHILE CONSUMER WAS GOING 60MPH. IT KEPT REVVING WITHOUT GIVING ANY GAS. FINALLY IT QUIT RUNNING, AND VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIFT IN A PARKING LOT. DEALER HAS REPLACED TRANSMISSION TWICE WITH REBUILD TRANSMISSIONS, AND IT STILL WAS NOT CORRECT. DEALER ONLY WARRANTIED TRANSMISSION FOR 12,000 MILES OR 12 MONTHS. DEALER SAID THEY DIDN'T PUT IN NEW TRANSMISSIONS, THEY JUST REBUILD THEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
886321
Incident
Apr 13, 2001
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 8, 2001

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED OR WHILE APPLYING BRAKES VEHICLE WILL SURGE FORWARD SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID
880069
Driver assistanceTransmission
Filed Jan 4, 2001

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS AT HIGH RPM DURING 2-3 SHIFT. PROBLEM CONTINUES TO WORSEN. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. BUT THAT IT MIGHT BE A SHIFT COMPUTER PROBLEM. PROBLEM INCREASES AS TEMPERATURE OF ENGINE INCREASES, SUCH AS DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 40 MINUTES IN A WARM CLIMATE. AT ENGINE START, NOTICING THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD AS ENGINE JUST STARTS TO MOTOR. *AK

NHTSA ID
738778
Incident
Jun 15, 2000
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 29, 2000

ENGINE WILL REV AT A HIGH RPM OR STALL FOR NO APPARENT REASON.*AK

NHTSA ID
877187
Incident
Dec 1, 2000
Driver assistance
Filed Jul 18, 2000

GAS PEDAL WAS STICKING OR BINDING:THROTTLE CABLE WAS FOUND TO HAVE A NOTCH OR DEFECT ON THE PLASTIC PORTION; CABLE, THROTTLE BODY AND GAS PEDAL WERE REPLACED; PAID 20% COPAYMENT. CONCERNED THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER CARS WITH DEFECTIVE THROTTLE CABLES. *AK

NHTSA ID
725608
Incident
Mar 1, 2000
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 27, 2000

ON-GOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND CONSUMER HAS AN APPOINTMENT FOR INSPECTION OF VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
855667
Incident
Feb 1, 1998
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 8, 1999
Crash reported2 injuries reported

CAR WAS PUT INTO DRIVE FROM PARK WHILE ON A SLIGHT DOWNGRADE AND THE CAR TOOK OFF INTO A HOUSE. THE CAR WAS IN THE GARAGE (NOT THE DEALER MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS SECTION) A WEEK PRIOR TO INCIDENT WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *AK

NHTSA ID
715802
Incident
Dec 1, 1999
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 10, 1999

WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS APPLIED THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE OR SURGE FORWARD. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
847460
Driver assistance
Filed Jul 21, 1999

GAS PEDAL IS STICKING. PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED TO FORD AND REPAIRS WERE MAD., MANUFACTURER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED, MANUFACTURER FOUND PROBLEM. REPAIRS TO BE MADE AT OWNERS EXPENSE. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID
842825
Incident
Mar 1, 1998
Driver assistance
Filed Jun 29, 1999

THROTTLE BODY GOT STUCK, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE, WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID
841386
Incident
May 29, 1999
Body & structureHeating & air conditioningDriver assistance+2 more
Filed Jun 24, 1999

CABLES THAT CONNECTS TO THE GAS PEDAL BROKE WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO THE HIGHWAY. NLM

NHTSA ID
546378

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.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .