What breaks most · 1990 to 1999 model years
Ford Taurus SHO problems by year
Owners have filed 119 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Taurus SHO across model years 1990 to 1999. Three years stand out: 1996 for engine and cooling complaints, 1997 for engine and cooling complaints and 1999 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1992 and 1990.
- Years to check closely: 1996, 1997, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1992, 1990
- Complaints on file
- 1191990 to 1999, all trims
- Worst year
- 199624 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 79 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 96kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 11Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (7) | |
| 11 | 1 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (5) | |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 24 | 1 | 1 | Engine and cooling (20) | |
| 22 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (20) | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 21 | 2 | 1 | Engine and cooling (11) |
What fails on the 1996 Ford Taurus SHO
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 83% |
20 | 1 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
3 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 4% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all latches and locks parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 4% |
1 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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I had to drive to chicago and spend over $500 to have my cams welded to prevent the common engine failure that is documented here and other sources.*ak
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1. Driving at city traffic speeds (25-30 mph) in philadelphia. Car lost power and stalled. Upon restart would immediately stall when idle. 2. Would not stay running, towed to FORD dealership 3. Informed by FORD dealer that the camshafts were bent and i needed a replacement engine for $13,000.00. *nm
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The rear exhaust sprocket on the camshaft of my 1999 FORD taurus sho came loose and caused the valves to come in contact with the pistons. This is not a rare occurence either. Many cases of this are being documented on a website called www.v8sho.com. *nm
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Taurus SHO years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1996, 1997, 1999 carry the most filings on the Ford Taurus SHO. The 1996 alone has 24 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford Taurus SHO problem?
On the 1996 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 20 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Taurus SHO problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Taurus SHO complaints that include mileage is about 96,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.