1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0 from North America

Summary:

A car only my mechanic loves

Faults:

Transmission failed at 52,000 miles.

Freeze plugs corroded at 60,000, causing the car to overheat.

Tires and brakes needed replacement, rotors and all at 45,000.

Side mirrors would not move, the motor burnt out 36,000. Dealer repaired, but it burnt out again.

General Comments:

The Ford Motor Company do not appear to want to take responsibility for their mistakes or poor workmanship. The Ford dealer I purchased the car from now talks about his Blue Oval certification, big deal, I haven't seen the service improve any. I would never again purchase a Ford product and cannot recommend one. About the only thing that has not failed is the color.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th June, 2001

1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0 Vulcan 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

A mediocre family car

Faults:

Driver's rear window motor seized, and the fuel pump was improperly grounded (caused the car to die at stops) at 34,000.

Oil pan basket blown at 40,000.

Check engine light (Misfiring) at 48,000.

Engine belt idler frozen, caused a shredded serpentine belt and roadside repair at 55,000.

Air conditioner compressor failure at 60,000.

Transmission tunnel multi-function switch failure (controls power to accessories like wipers, windows, and power assist for steering) at 68,000.

Currently, the left front CV joint is intermittently "popping" and will eventually fail. Started at 71,000.

General Comments:

I purchased an extended warranty on this car when I bought it, and have gotten about 90% back out of it so far for repairs done.

The car handles okay for its size, and the ride is smooth. The engine is underpowered for its size. Transmission performance is okay, but sometimes shifting is harsh, especially when I pass or merge. Gets fair mileage for a V6, 24-26MPG interstate driving, about 18-20MPG in the city. I like the variable power steering assist.

I do the regular maintenance on the vehicle, but that hasn't stopped the problems from coming on suddenly. Since this is the first 'recent' American car I have owned in a while, I thought the quality would be better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd May, 2001

1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0 Vulcan from North America

Summary:

Love it!

Faults:

None, I love my Taurus, this is the second Taurus/Sable model that I have had. I had a 1992 Mercury Sable that I replaced in 1994 because it had 125,000 miles and the motor died. I replaced it with a 1994 Ford Tempo GL, what a mistake, the car was nothing like the Sable/Taurus so in 1997 I bought my 1996 Taurus GL.

General Comments:

It is a great car, but I do not like the sloppy AX4S tranny or the power of the 12V Vulcan engine. When I do get another Taurus it will be the 24V DOHC 200hp engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2001

1996 Ford Taurus 3.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Bargain luxury - but too expensive to fix

Faults:

Transmission ($5500).

General Comments:

A beautiful luxury car, which puts Australian models to shame, BUT the transmission is a known factory fault and cost $5500aus to fix. Ford Australia MAY or MAY NOT come to the party and pay for parts. Once the job is done (can be a 4 week job) Ford Australia cannot guarantee that the faulty part has been replaced by an upgraded part. So you may have all this pain again in another 40k.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2000

19th Dec 2000, 19:43

'96 SHO with 85K, maintained impeccably, I've got all maintenance records.

Engine ceased, 2 cylinders dead, no compression. New engine quote, $10,800, must be rebuilt as it cannot be replaced, $8K engine parts, $2.8K labor, each head quoted at $1200/each, 4-6 week wait.

I love this car, nothing out there like it, I'm heartbroken over the expense and the possibility that I may have to trade it in.

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1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Average to below average vehicle - if you can keep it out of the shop

Faults:

Cracked head cylinder at 70k.

Blown head gasket at 52K.

Steering cable disengaged (not able to put or take it out of gear) at 60k.

Bad sensor(s) - door ajar, check engine lights at 60k.

General Comments:

Nearly $3K in repairs in 14 months. It is soaking me badly. No assistance from the dealer or Ford.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th September, 2000

21st Dec 2000, 11:27

I would like to talk to you about what happened to your car. I have a 1996 Ford Taurus, and even after I had the dealer put on the "factory recall, heater bypass kit", my head gasket still cratered and my motor burned up. I ended up having to pay 4,000 for a new motor.

Also you said Ford wasn't very helpful, tell me what they told you, because I found out that a "goodwill" warranty was extended by Ford, but the dealers won't tell customers about it. I am considering bringing a suit against my local dealer and Ford Motor Company so if you have any information that you feel might be helpful, please let me know. You can contact me at russelafrost@yahoo.com

Thank you,

Russ

29th Jul 2003, 14:41

I have a 1996 Ford Taurus GL with 123k on it. I bought this car used in 2001 with 83k on it. For the first year and a half it was a decent car with minimal problems. Then, this past November (2002), the A/C compressor died and my car almost caught fire due to the snapped serpentine belt scraping against one of the rotors. Total cost: $1,100. The engine light came on recently, I took it to Auto zone, and got it read, it said the oxygen sensor was bad and the catalytic converter was stopped up, possibly bad. Ugh! This car is starting to turn into a real money pit. That Toyota Matrix looks awfully nice, I might cut my losses instead of continuing to dump money into this car. Both my sister and my step mom have the same car (1992 and a 1994) respectively and have both had serious problems with it.

1996 Ford Taurus SHO 3.4L V8 from North America

Faults:

Everything to date has been minor and corrected; wind noise, keyless entry, ETAC display, trunk key cylinder. This car now has over 95,000 miles and has had the routine maintenance done regularly (I am the original owner).

General Comments:

I LOVE this car! It's fun to drive and still turns some heads. In fact, I love this car so much, I bought a second one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th September, 1999

1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.01 Vulcan from North America

Faults:

Tranny failure at 45,000 miles.

General Comments:

Car is quite comfortable but lacks the power it needs for its class/size/weight.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th September, 1999

29th May 2001, 11:46

I think that a recall was issued regarding the parking gear in the transmission. However as far as other transmission related problems I do not think ford has any problems pending recall.