1996 Ford Taurus Sho engine problems

Filed Oct 26, 2010 · Engine, Tires · 107,000 miles · IL

96 taurus sho v8 3.4l camshaft failure. I have kept my car in perfect shape with tune up and all. It is in mint condition and has no rust. I have nice exhaust system put on by a mechanic and also a cold air intake put on and a new trans in july now with only 3000 miles on it.. I heard ticking from under the hood out of no where. I don't beat on my car and have read that it doesn't matter either way if you beat on it or not the cam failure can still happen. So I heard the ticking so I drove it home from work to park it because I figured it was the cams. So I was going to get it welded the next day and 5 min from my house the car shut off and so I pulled the valve covers and sure enough it was the back cam near the fire wall that had slipped. I don't think its right that anyone should have to deal with this especially when the car is well maintained and in such great condition. Also don't think its right that us consumers should have to pay for this because ford didn't want to do anything about it to fix the problem now im out of a car. I want action done about this.

Filed Aug 20, 2008 · Engine · 111,949 miles · MI

Engine failure as a result of camshaft gear spinning on cam. During normal driving engine stopped in roadway,requiring tow off roadway to repair shop for diagnosis. The auto is a 1996 ford taurus sho 3.4 v8 .after studying this problem I find this cam failure is a known problem to many and could be prevented by welding the cam sprocket to the camshaft. The repair to this engine is very expensive,and I thought nhsta should be aware of my failure.

Filed May 17, 2008 · Engine · 80,127 miles · OH

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. I have done all kinds of research and found that there are lawsuits and numerous complaints and blogs devoted to this exact issue but I don,t have any information available for assistance on these very expensive repairs that are definitely due to a design flaw and I have 18 ford technicians that are factory trained too back this up!I did not buy this vehicle new so I can,t say it was never abused but after partially disassembling the engine so far it is clear that it was very well maintained and cared for (it looks brand new inside)there is zero sludge and cams and followers are spotless. I will need to pull the rear head and send to machine shop for exhaust valve replacement and depending on how much damage maybe guides as well. I am very curious as too how many of these engine failures are always only the rear head exhaust camshaft because so far all I have seen is the rear exhaust camshaft gear failure and that is a f- in my grade book!

Filed Nov 19, 2004 · Engine · MN

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.

Filed Dec 22, 2003 · Engine · 108,000 miles · IL

Engine replacement costs $16,000.

Filed Dec 5, 2003 · Engine · 72,000 miles · MI

Engine abruptly shut down at 30-40 MPH. Vehicle can be started, but engine stalled within 2-3 seconds after shifting out of park gear. Inspection by the dealer next afternoon points to damaged crank shaft as the cause.

Filed Aug 7, 2003 · Engine · 35,000 miles · MA

I purchased a 1996 ford taurus in 1998(february). In the summer of 1998 I began developing cooling problems. Since I purchased the vehicle, I have had problems with rusty radiator water, have had to have the fuel pump replaced twice, and am now told I possibly need a new motor. I am told that there was a recall on the cooling system of these cars in or about 1999, that has since expired. I never received a recall.

Filed Jul 24, 2003 · Engine · 80,000 miles · ND · crash · 1 injury

The camshaft in my car failed and caused engine failure. It was a 1996 ford taurus sho. It caused a complete power loss around a corner and I was almost involed in a head on collision. This has been happening to many sho owners. The repair costs are running me $5000 dollars. This is nothing compared to what it could have done to my family. Please help this not happen again. Ford knows there is a problem. Some may not be as lucky as me.

Filed Apr 25, 2003 · Engine · 61,485 miles · IA

I was driving home from work april 17,2003 on a four lane highway at 50 MPH and my 1996 ford taurus sho just quit running . I took it to a garage and they told me that the timing chain slipped and bent all the valves (32) in the engine. When I asked what it would cost to fix they gave me a figure that I could not believe. With labor and parts approximately $9000.00. I only have 61,000 miles on the car.

Filed Apr 1, 2003 · Engine · 86,799 miles · MN

The failure of the camshafts in a dual over head camshaft engines can cause engine shut down at highway speeds. The camshafts (per dealer) are failing and I fear that they will cause damage to my passengers or myself. The detroit free press has published a series of articles on the failure of camshafts in taurus sho engines since 1996. The manufacturer of the vehicle refuses to admit they have a recall issue even though they began replacing camshafts on vehicles with as little as 30,000 miles for the failure of the welds that attach the camshaft sprockets to the camshafts. After spending nearly three thousand dollars on repairs to the vehicle it came back with a noise which the dealer has identified as camshaft failure. The costs of repair were estimated at between two and fifteen thousand dollars. The manufacturer has no plans for a recall and the dealer's service department is not returning my calls. What course of action can I pursue in this matter?