Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| BC1012497020 | 01/02/1997 | 51188 | Removing or replacing one of the front strut spring on a vehicle us a rotunda #014-00781 strut spring compressor master set. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0851961007 | 10/07/1996 | 50433 | Procedure for concerns of ride quality. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||||
| 98-4731 | 09/01/1998 | 607143 | Clunk or plop coming from front end. *ak | 11/02/2000 | |
| 97111097231 | 11/10/1997 | 53658 | Diagnostic and inspection procedure for front suspension noise. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| BC1016397230 | 01/23/1997 | 51512 | Buzz noise in ax4s transaxles at all speeds or idle on vehicles. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0308970201 | 01/02/1997 | 51108 | Thump/clunk noise from front suspension area. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0308A97020 | 02/01/1997 | 51622 | Thump/klunk noise from front suspension area. *tw | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC0308961101 | 11/01/1996 | 50716 | Thump/clunk noise from front suspension area. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||||
| BC3482972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51478 | Replacing front rear struts on a vehicle, the replacement strut may appear to be appoximately 2 too short. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC1019697230 | 01/23/1997 | 51556 | Replacing front or rear struts on a 1996/97 vehicle, the replacement strut may appear to be approximately 2 too short when compared to the strut in the vehicle. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||||
| BC0130970201 | 01/02/1997 | 51036 | Removing or replacing one of the front strut springs on a 1996/97 taurus or sable vehicle use rotunda #014-00781 strut spring compressor master set. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - TORSION BAR | |||||
| 9725 | 01/20/1997 | 51383 | Suspension - clunking noise from front suspension - taurus sable built through 1/14/97 - continental built through 12/16/96. *tw | 06/27/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||||
| 8199 | 02/01/2000 | 612411 | Some vehicles may exhibit a rattling or clunking noise from the front end (front stabilizer link) under normal driving conditions. | 06/08/2000 | |
| BC0308972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51416 | Thump/clunk noise from front suspension area. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 96263 | 12/16/1996 | 50989 | Suspension - rear - availability of camber kit to improve inner edge wear on rear tires. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS | |||||
| BC2311970501 | 05/01/1997 | 52806 | Some vehicles may exhibit a clunking noise from the rear suspension when driving over bumps. *tw | 09/12/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 05/25/2004 | 71400 | 05/20/2004 | |
| The frame of my 1996 ford taurus has rusted out where the frame mounts to the body on the right side. *mr | |||
| 06/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| This car continually stalls out , the battery light comes on, the engine repair light comes on, the underneath suspension squeeks and groans, the brakes squeak, the wheel doesn't turn when the car stalls out. it has happened numerous times when i am turning a corner, the car stalls out and the wheel will not turn. now the computor systems are not working the air conditioning. i have to restart the car to get the radio and the air conditioning to start up. these things happen but no one can find a problem. | |||
| 04/08/2003 | 3 | ||
| I had to replace the front sway bar links on my 1996 ford taurus three times over the last five years. *jb | |||
| 06/16/2002 | 98000 | 0 | 11/24/2001 |
| Purchased my 1996 ford taurus wagon in nov. 2001. it accelerates at high speeds with cruise going down hill. the gas pedal often gets hung up which leaves me tapping it my foot to get it to go, so that i do not have an accident. the whole car rides very roughly. it also hangs up in passing gear almost every time. and also how do i find out where to check to see if all the recalls were taken care of. be careful for what u buy. *nlm | |||
| 1 | 03/01/2001 | ||
| Consumer stated that, while driving the front end shakes and wobbles. *yd | |||
| 03/20/2000 | 5 | 01/01/1997 | |
| The incidents have all been the same: the car is usually going under 35mph. the car starts to shake, the service engine light on the dashboard lights up, the car acts as if there is not enough gas getting to the engine and the engine either cuts off or begins to chugg and shake any time the car slows or stops. i'm sure you can understand how frightening this can be since i never know when this situation is going to occur and i'm petrified that it will happen during rush hour on a major road causing accidents and major damage. the first time it happened, i was within feet of a service station and brought it to them. the code on the engine light sensor was, egr. they did a 60,000 mile service, checked the emission system, and found nothing. after 41 miles, the engine light was on again. i took the car to the same service station. they replaced the dpfe sensor. i've since taken it back to them 3 or 4 times, whenever the car starts to shake and the service engine light turns on. they have done everything that they can think of to fix the problem and are at a loss as to what to do. they even had a class with 50 technicians given by the representative of the diagnostic machine and used my car as the example. they took apart the entire emission system and roto-rooted it. i drove less than 10 miles and the car started shaking again. so far, i've spent close to $500. because the garage where i originally took it didn't fix the problem, they haven't been charging me for return visits. i contacted ford's consumer help line on may 2, 2000. damien said that because i'd had so much trouble, he thought that i would get some financial help from ford and he'd let me know in two days. when i didn't hear from him, i called ford again and spoke with carol. she said that i would get no help and that my first step was to take the car to a ford dealer & thay would help me. they don't want to help me. what can i do? *ak | |||
| 11/01/1997 | |||
| Car make loud squealing noise when makeing sharp turns. this has been going on for a long time. when car was brought in under warranty they couldn't find anything wrong. | |||
| 06/01/1998 | |||
| When driving at any speed vehicle isn't shifting properly and stalls. also, and tire shake. *ak | |||
| 10/12/1998 | |||
| While pulling out of the driveway and turning to the right, there is a loud noise coming from the vehicle and something is rubbing under the vehicle. the consumer can't determine where the noise is coming from. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle recall notice sent, vehicle has experienced rattle and creaking since new. | |||
| 07/26/1996 | |||
| While driving vehicle and when there is a quick change in the road surface, the struts make a clunking noise. vehicle has been in shop (5) or (6) times for this problem since july of 96. the struts and sway bar were replaced a couple of months ago. also, new subframe insulators were put in a few weeks ago. vehicle is still making a clunking noise. *ak | |||
| 02/26/1996 | 6 | ||
| Car bounces slightly when accelerating. *dsh | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 03/05/2009 | 147000 | 1 | |
| 1996 ford taurus gl, 147,000 miles. while trying to move the car the front left coil spring broke, puncturing the tire. fortunately this was low speed, no one harmed. requires new spring and tire at a minimum. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 158423 | 1 | |
| I have a 96 ford taurus that has a broken front spring (and i obviously didn't know about it) and it caused my tire to blow on the highway. i almost caused a severe accident that would have involved a tractor trailer, and almost surely my death. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2006 | 190804 | 1 | 04/01/1999 |
| Dt*: the contact stated losing control of the vehicle and hitting a guard rail while traveling 45 mph. the vehicle sustained minor paint damage. after being driven to the contact's residence, the contact repaired the vehicle and replaced a stabilizer bar. | |||
| 08/25/2004 | 81000 | 1 | |
| I've noticed numerous problems since i first bought my taurus. first i noticed a rattle/vibration in the front suspension. i also noticed a click whenever i turned my wheel hard either way. *jb | |||
| 08/16/2003 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was parked in the driveway when consumer realized that front suspension dropped. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | |||
| Wanted to know about any front subframe problems, car makes a clicking noise when braking like something is loose and when hitting dips or potholes front end sounds like it is going to to fall out. replaced front struts 06/27/02 still have same problem. *ak | |||
| 09/10/1998 | 150 | 04/01/1997 | |
| I love my car but it has been nothing but one thing after another going wrong with it and having to work on a vehicle and make payments is agervating and extremely difficult and the ford company will not admit problems or help. *ak | |||
| 1 | 01/22/1997 | ||
| Thumping noise from front suspension and metal to metal noise while making slow turns.*et | |||
| 04/01/2000 | |||
| While driving heard a noise in front end of vehicle. this problem is most noticeable when making a left or a right turn. dealer states that noise is due to a malfunction within the rack and pinion steering. *ak *ml | |||
| 1 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Front end is misaligned. yh | |||
| 01/20/1999 | 3 | 01/01/1997 | |
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| 01/20/1999 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle accident due to failure of the left front suspension system which caused vehicle to strike pavement below due to collapsed front end (no other vehicle involved). mjs | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1996 | ||
| Front end vibration , several repairs made, however still vibrates causing tires to wear prematurely. | |||
| 10/12/1996 | |||
| Front end vibrates and is noisy. problem cannot be determined. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Front end noise. | |||
| 4 | |||
| Suspension noise. | |||
| 1 | 12/01/1995 | ||
| Front end misaligned. | |||
| 1 | 11/23/1996 | ||
| Rattle in front end when turning right. | |||
| 07/16/1996 | |||
| When turning right only there is a noise . please describe . *ak | |||
| When making a right hand turn at slow speed there's a very bad rubbing noise. please give more detail. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle bottoms out when hitting bumps, also rear tire blewout. *ak | |||
| 04/26/1996 | 6 | ||
| Vehicle pushed by wind velocity of other vehicles, causing poor stability. *sd | |||
| 01/08/1996 | |||
| Vehicle drifts all over the road while driving. resulting in poor directional control. please describe all othr problems. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 07/10/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving consumer heard aloud noise coming from the vehicle. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the upper ball joints failed. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 10/28/1998 | 12/01/1995 | ||
| Automatic transmission: transmission went out at 50,600 miles due to a faulty forward piston in the transmission. dealer replaced transmission with rebuilt transmission at vehicle owner's expense. transmission had not been driven hard or had not pulled an excess load. would like investigation to see if more vehicles are experiencing the same problem and to see if a recall is necessary. suspension: popping sound in front suspension when turning. rough riding. dealer said needs subframe bushings and struts (47331 miles). | |||
| 10/01/1996 | 1 | ||
| Front left strut failed. mjs | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle rides low. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 02/12/2008 | 180643 | 1 | |
| My wife was driving the car home from work, when her tire exploded. she called crying and very shook up. when i arrived the front right side of the car was on the ground. apparently the coil spring shot off the strut assy and punctured the inner side wall of the tire. fortunately she wasn't driving too fast and was able to keep control of the vehicle. this could have been a fatal incident! upon looking on the internet for information about this situation, i learned that this is a major problem with ford taurus and there was a recall for only newer models of the same vehicle. why is the same problem only recalled with only certain year of makes???? we didn't even know that this could've happened. i even checked for recalls for this car online. if i was informed of this recall, then i would've taken the car to the mechanic to put guards on the coil springs with my own money, because a life is way more important than money or a product. please realize that this could've been very very bad and could happened to anyone. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2006 | 47898 | 2 | 10/09/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on normal road conditions, a clicking noise was heard coming from the front end,and also had steering difficulties. no warning lights were illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the nearest auto repair shop where a certified mechanic determined the two front coil springs fractured. the dealership was contacted, and informed there was no recall for the vehicle. the manufacturer was also contacted, and coincided with the dealership information. the contact was very concerned because the mechanic informed about incidents where the tire was punctured by the fractured coil and the vehicle lost control of the steering. updated 1/19/2007 - *nm | |||
| 01/21/2006 | 98000 | 1 | 06/14/2004 |
| Front driver side coil unexpectedly snapped while at a stop sign and punctured tire. driver was able to roll into a near lot. *jb | |||
| 01/15/2005 | 90000 | 1 | 09/28/1995 |
| I backed my 1996 ford taurus out of the garage after a couple of weeks sitting and the right front spring broke and punctured the right tire. there was no sagging of the car or warning that the spring was about to break. i towed the car to the dealer and both front springs were fixed. *nm | |||
| 08/18/2005 | 135000 | 2 | 08/18/2005 |
| I purchased a 1996 ford tarus that had sat for a year. upon backing it out of the driveway the front spring broke. the car dropped down onto the tire slashing it open immediately. then i inspected the other springs only to find that another spring had a break in it also. the springs were not rusty and the car had not been abused. *jb | |||
| 03/27/2005 | 1 | 10/31/1996 | |
| On my 1996 ford taurus - right front coil spring broke and caused broken spring to go into rf tire causing massive tire damage to sidewall. failure was at low speed so no accident occurred. new coil spring and new tire were purchased & installed. i've read that tauruses of other years have been recalled for this important issue but not for the 1996 taurus. mechanic told me these front coil springs should not brake and a mechanic friend informed me of this nhtsa web site. ford needs to recall for this important safety failure and reimburse those who have paid for prior repairs. thanks.*ak | |||
| 01/14/2005 | 888000 | 1 | |
| While driving front passenger coil spring punctured the tire. consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| Recall campaign ; a fractured front coil spring caused the front tire to blowout. there was a recall issued for the 1999-2000 models only. *sc *jb | |||
| 12/26/2004 | 119000 | 1 | |
| While driving at 20 mph front coil spring ruptured, puncturing the tire. manufacturer offered no assistance.*ak | |||
| 08/05/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 30 mph,consumer heard a loud noise coming from wheel on passenger's side, and suddenly consumer lost control of vehicle. consumer drove immediately to the shoulders. consumer went underneath of the vehicle and saw that coil spring on the passenger's side broke. *ak | |||
| 07/02/2004 | 175000 | 1 | |
| While reversing consumer found a piece of the broken coil spring on the ground of the garage. the driver side coil spring broke and the coil punctured the front driver side tire. recall 04v332000 was issued but this vehicle was not involved in the recall due to vin. *ak *nm | |||
| 04/26/2004 | 66500 | 1 | |
| While parked front driver side coil spring broke. as a result, the tire was punctured. *ak both front coil springs were replaced. the upper bracket also had to be replaced. *nm | |||
| 12/19/2003 | 85000 | 2 | 07/14/2000 |
| 1996 ford taurus while installing new front brake pads it was noticed that both front springs were broken.*ak | |||
| 04/04/2003 | 1 | ||
| While backing the vehicle in the drive way, the front coil spring broke and punctured the front tire. the dealer was notified. *nlm ph *jb | |||
| 09/02/2000 | 1 | 05/24/1997 | |
| Driver side front coil spring failed without warning. *jb | |||
| 02/07/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Broken coil spring poses a safety problem because it could rupture the tire while driving. also, the failure is premature -- only 70000 miles on this car. estimates vary, but this spring should last the life of the car.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 04/15/1998 | 02/14/1996 | ||
| Stabilizer bar. vehicle makes a loud thumping sound when turning to the right. | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 195000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 ford taurus. the contact heard a loud clunking noise when he noticed that the right rear passenger axle was rotted similar to nhtsa campaign id number: 10v385000 ( suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). the vehicle was taken a private mechanic who informed the contact that engine, transmission, front seats, steering control arms, dashboard, and transaxel needed to be removed to repair the sub frame. the contact did not inform the manufacturer nor was the vehicle repaired. the current mileage was approximately 202,000. the failure mileage was approximately 195,000. the vin was unavailable. bw | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 1 | ||
| The rear springs of my 1996 ford taurus gl have both broken through normal driving conditions. *tr | |||
| 12/01/1996 | 3 | 10/21/1997 | |
| Rear suspension failure, causing vehicle to pull to the right. also vehicle vibrates upon aplying brakes. *ak | |||
| 07/26/1996 | |||
| While driving vehicle and when there is a quick change in the road surface, the struts make a clunking noise. vehicle has been in shop (5) or (6) times for this problem since july of 96. the struts and sway bar were replaced a couple of months ago. also, new subframe insulators were put in a few weeks ago. vehicle is still making a clunking noise. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 08/18/2005 | 135000 | 2 | 08/18/2005 |
| I purchased a 1996 ford tarus that had sat for a year. upon backing it out of the driveway the front spring broke. the car dropped down onto the tire slashing it open immediately. then i inspected the other springs only to find that another spring had a break in it also. the springs were not rusty and the car had not been abused. *jb | |||
| 06/06/2004 | 94350 | 1 | |
| Found that the rear coil spring was broken during a tire rotation. *ak | |||