Ford Taurus SHO Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 119 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Ford Taurus SHO (1993–1999) that have at least 5 complaints. 1997 has the most, with 30. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (62 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Taurus SHO model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 21 | 78,228 | 0 | 1 | — | Stable |
| 1998 | 10 | 82,878 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1997 | 30 | 86,000 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 24 | 93,642 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1995 | 9 | 114,575 | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1994 | 11 | 110,000 | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1993 | 14 | 107,314 | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling62 48%
- Vehicle speed control17 13%
- Transmission and drivetrain11 8.5%
- Brakes11 8.5%
- Suspension10 7.7%
- Electrical system10 7.7%
- Body and structure5 3.8%
- Other or unknown4 3.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1999: “1999 Ford taurus rear strut springs broken. Both rear strut springs have broke on the car. I was told this can cause tire failure if spring punctures tire. I did not know of the problem until had the car evaluated by service station. $500 to fix it, haven't fix it yet, and therefore car is currently not being driven as it is not safe to drive.”
NHTSA complaint #10285278, filed 2009-09, 200,000 miles1994: “During a panic stop in my 1994 Ford Taurus Sho I experienced a hydraulic failure in my brakes. This was due to severe corrosion of the steel brake lines. I came within 6 inches of rear ending another car. I replaced brake lines from the area where it was sound back to the rear brakes. The forward lines probably should also be replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #10176779, filed 2006-12, 134,000 miles1996: “I have a1996 Ford Taurus Sho v-8,it just turned 80,000 miles and has had all regular service and now the camshaft gear has failed on the camshaft and damaged the engine!I work at a Ford dealer and see this engine failure often. It seems that this is common on the v-8 sho engine around 75,000-85,000 miles and sometimes there is a ticking noise that is considered a warning sign too get repairs but there was not any warning from my engine. …”
NHTSA complaint #10228062, filed 2008-05, 80,127 milesOther Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology