1996 Ford Taurus: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 1996 Ford Taurus. The newest campaign is 98V067000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Mar 1998. The NHTSA record gives the component Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly. NHTSA has 825 complaints on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 98V067000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install the correct fuel tank.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

6 campaigns, newest first. 561,600 units in total.

98V06700025 Mar 1998Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
96V17600018 Sep 1996Power Train / Automatic Transmission
96V1660005 Sep 1996Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)
96V15100012 Aug 1996Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System
96V08600014 May 1996Power Train / Automatic Transmission
96V01600025 Jan 1996Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Brake Fluid Low Warning / Lamp

98V067000Received 25 Mar 1998. 400 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles previously serviced under ford service bulletin 97-17-9 from august 1997 through december 1997. These vehicles were inadvertenly equipped with an 18-gallon fuel tank rather than the 16-gallon as specified. The 18-gallon tank has a second valve location where a shipping plug should be installed.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this shipping plug is displaced, fuel leakage can result. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could potentially result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install the correct fuel tank.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Jun 1998.
96V176000Received 18 Sep 1996. 340,000 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The automatic transmission park pawl shaft may not be free to rotate as intended. If the park pawl shaft does not rotate, it would prevent the park pawl from engaging the park gear when the shift lever is in the park position.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral with the shift lever in the park position.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft rotation and those shafts with restricted rotation will be replaced with a shorter shaft that will not restrict rotation.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 9 Oct 1996.
96V166000Received 5 Sep 1996. 40,000 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl)
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 23 Sep 1996.
96V151000Received 12 Aug 1996. 4,700 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The fuel pressure regulator located on the fuel rail in the engine compartment has a vacuum diaphragm that was damaged during manufacture of the regulator.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the diaphragm tears or ruptures, liquid fuel could enter the intake manifold plenum through the vacuum line resulting in either release of fuel from the air cleaner assembly or the exhaust system. Fuel release in the presence of an ignition source could potentially result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the fuel pressure regulator. Those regulators produced during the suspect time period will be replaced.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 2 Oct 1996.
96V086000Received 14 May 1996. 100,000 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 96S39. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Jul 1996.
96V016000Received 25 Jan 1996. 76,500 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Brake Fluid Low Warning / Lamp
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The brake system fluid level indicator lamp switch can malfunction. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Consequence of non-compliance: if the switch malfuntions, the brake system warning lamp will either remain illuminated continuously or fail to light as intended when the fluid level falls to a certain level. In either case, the vehicle operator would not be warned of a low brake fluid level condition.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the brake system fluid level indicator lamp switches.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 21 Feb 1996.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

825 complaints, 1,132 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1996 Ford Taurus
All 1996 vehicles

1996 Ford Taurus: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1996 Taurus	All 1996 vehicles	Taurus, all years	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	211.1	140.9	136.8	239
Power Train	167.8	97.9	126.5	190
Steering	100.7	48.9	60.3	114
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	69.8	120.9	51.6	79
Suspension	55.7	55	140.3	63
Visibility	53.9	59	43.2	61
Electrical System	52.1	84	71.8	59
Structure	42.4	39.5	45.3	48
Air Bags	40.6	66.9	37.1	46
Vehicle Speed Control	38	42	88.7	43

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 69
Complaints that report a fire: 12
Injuries in the complaints: 69
Deaths in the complaints: 1
Date of the newest complaint: 30 Jan 2016

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2000, with 129 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1996 Ford TaurusThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1996 Ford Taurus: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/taurus/1996/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1996 Ford Taurus?: 561,600 units in 6 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Taurus have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 69 recall campaigns for the Ford Taurus, model years 1977 to 2019. 6 of them name the 1996 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 239 of 1,132 component mentions, or 211.1 per 1,000. For all 1996 vehicles the figure is 140.9 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1996 Ford Taurus open?: The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.