1996 Ford Taurus SHO: problems, recalls and reliability

“Engine abruptly shut down at 30-40 mph. Vehicle can be started, but engine stalled within 2-3 seconds after shifting out of park gear. Inspection by the dealer next afternoon points to damaged crank shaft as the cause. *jb”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Dec 2003

“I purchased a 1996 ford taurus in 1998(february). In the summer of 1998 I began developing cooling problems. Since I purchased the vehicle, I have had problems with rusty radiator water, have had to have the fuel pump replaced twice, and am now told I possibly need a new motor. I am told that there was a recall on the cooling system of these cars in or about 1999, that has since expired. I never received a recall. *ph”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2003

“I was driving home from work april 17,2003 on a four lane highway at 50 mph and my 1996 ford taurus sho just quit running . I took it to a garage and they told me that the timing chain slipped and bent all the valves (32) in the engine. When I asked what it would cost to fix they gave me a figure that I could not believe. With labor and parts approximately $9000.00. I only have 61,000 miles on the car. *jb”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Apr 2003

“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 compared to what it could have done to my family. Please help this not happen again. Ford knows there is a problem. Some may not be as lucky as me. *ak”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jan 2003

“My automotive is making a noise from my valvetrain area that my mechanic indicates is a potential camshaft (and subsequent engine failure) problem that should be fixed before continued operation of the vehicle.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Dec 2002

“While traveling at the posted highway speed limit, the engine lost all power. Upon leaving the freeway and rolling to a stop. Vehicle was restarted but could only attain speeds of 5mph. Dealer claimed the exhaust camshaft sprocket lines were stripped, this was a pressed on assembly. Dt”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Nov 2002

“Camshafts in the 1996-1999 taurus sho. I have had a failure like many others, there have been over 250 failures of this type, mine was failure number 221. I was driving the car and the engine seized causing the car to dart to the right, if there was a vehicle there, we would have collided. $8500.00 in damage, ford will not cover any of it, this is a quote from a ford rep. "metal wears" but at the rate that this is happening is alarming, 18 cars so far since 02-01-2002. At about $8000.00 each car is $144,000.00 damages febuary alone, for all 250 cars, it is $2,000,000.00 in damages (estimated). This is a serious problem with the design of the camshaft, and should be looked into.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2002