Your vehicle report
1994 Ford Taurus
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 923
- Received Jan 1995 to Mar 2018
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Head gasket leaks coolant into engine106 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Transmission fails or loses power while driving88 complaints · 9.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips64 complaints · 6.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #98V323000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
- Recall #98V009000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The headlights can flash intermittently as a result of the circuit breaker opening. The vehicle's headlights can go out for brief intervals.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 51 crashes, 23 fires, 42 people injured, 3 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
- Headlights dim or fail at night
- Vehicle catches fire from wiring
- Instrument cluster or speedometer fails
1 more problem
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 44 |
| 1996 | 40 |
| 1997 | 74 |
| 1998 | 130 |
| 1999 | 223 |
| 2000 | 165 |
| 2001 | 98 |
| 2002 | 53 |
| 2003 | 28 |
| 2004 | 27 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 923 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 106 | 11% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 88 | 9.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 64 | 6.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 46 | 5.0% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 35 | 3.8% | – | NHTSA recall #98V009000 |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 29 | 3.1% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 28 | 3.0% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 24 | 2.6% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 23 | 2.5% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 18 | 1.9% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 17 | 1.8% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 17 | 1.8% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 14 | 1.5% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 14 | 1.5% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 13 | 1.4% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 13 | 1.4% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 13 | 1.4% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 12 | 1.3% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 12 | 1.3% | – | NHTSA recall #98V323000 |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 12 | 1.3% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #98V323000December 16, 19982,697,000 vehicles affected
structure: frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut Can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This Can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
If both rear corners drop, steering would become suddenly very difficult, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.
NHTSA recall #98V009000January 21, 1998506,000 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: headlights: switch
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The headlights Can flash intermittently as a result of the circuit breaker opening. The vehicle's headlights Can go out for brief intervals.
Loss of headlights during vehicle operation Can affect a driver's ability to navigate the roadway and reduce the visibility of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install a headlight switch that incorporates a cricuit breaker of revised design and installation of a wiring harness connector and wiring, if needed.
NHTSA recall #97V025000February 26, 1997212,700 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with 3.8L engines and originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. Water Can accumulate within the speed control cable conduit. If enough water accumulates, it could freeze within a low area of the cable routing when exposed to a long term cold soak at temperatures at least several degrees below freezing.
Driver control of vehicle speed using the speed control system or the accelerator control system would be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will add a boot to the speed control cable.
NHTSA recall #97V019000February 25, 199775,200 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: cooling system: fan
These vehicles are originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, iowa, minnesota, nebraska, north dakota, and south dakota. The vehicles involved are 1992-1994 tempo/topaz vehicles with 3.0L engines; 1994 tempo/topaz with 2.3L engines; 1992-1995 Taurus/sable with 3.8L engines; 1994-1995 Taurus/sable with 3.0L engines and 1992-1994 Lincoln continental vehicles with 3.8L engines. During high winds, heavy, blowing and drifting snow, and low temperatures, the engine cooling fan Can become blocked or frozen with snow. The fan motor may not rotate and could overheat.
This condition Can cause smoke or flames from the fan and/or shroud, the fan electrical wiring, or the fan motor resulting in a vehicle fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install an electrical jumper harness containing an automatic resetting circuit breaker to protect the fan motor low speed circuitry from overheating.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1994 Ford Taurus.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN