A car ran a stop sign, t-boned me on front pass-side pushing me off the road to the left. Seatbelt did not restrain me, both airbags deployed, left bag blew shrapnel cutting my face and injuring my right eye.
The worst 1992 Ford Taurus problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine216
- Transmission105
- Electrical70
- Body68
- Brakes67
- Steering56
- Acceleration49
- Airbags49
- Suspension48
- Visibility43
- Seat belts21
- Fuel system19
- Tires18
- Lights13
- Locks3
- Seats2
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1992 Ford Taurus
Stalling 42Transmission failure 39Wipers 25Overheating 20No deployment 19Fire or smoke 19Ball joint 18Coil spring 15Sudden acceleration 12ABS 11Seat belt 11Tire blowout 11Adaptive cruise 10Airbag light 10Jerking 8Check engine light 7Slipping 7Grinding brakes 6Engine failure 6Harsh shifting 6Brake failure 5Loss of power 5Power steering loss 5Won't start 5
Recalls 5
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 98V323000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 97V025000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system: fan
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 97V019000 · Recall details
Wheels
- What is wrong
- Children can accidentally lock themselves in the footwell area of the rear-facing third seat, or in the storage compartment in station wagons not equipped with an optional third seat. Once the compartment is closed it cannot be opened from the inside.
- Risk
- There is a danger of air deprivation, hyperthermia,and/or panic response to a child who has locked himself or herself into thecompartment, with the possibility of asphyxiation.
- Remedy
- Replace the self-latching assembly currently used in the rear storage compartment with a latch assembly that can only be closed with a key.
Recall number 92V065000 · Recall details
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: support device/strut
- What is wrong
- Manufacturing errors by the supplier of the liftgate latch mechanism may cause the secondary portion of the liftgate latch not to function. If the latch is not in the primary latch position, the liftgate could open without operator action.
- Risk
- If the liftgate were to open during vehcile operation,passengers or cargo could fall from the open liftgate.
- Remedy
- Replace malfunctioning liftgate latches.
Recall number 91V145000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 1992 Ford Taurus
Defect investigations
Front suspension spring breakage
Front suspension springs ay break due to manufacturing crachs in combination with corrosion.
RQ98016
Defective air bag crash sensor
Cfas sent a follow-up letter on december 12, 1996, to change the intent of the petition to airbag aggressivity and deployment variability.the federal safety agency received the letter on 12/12/96; accordingly, the petition due day was changed to april 12, 1997.cfas petitioned the agency to conduct an investigation to determine whether the airbag crash sensor and/or deployment systems for the 1991-92 chevrolet corsica/beretta, 1990-92 ford taurus, and 1994-96 chrysler minivans are defective.cfas allege that information on low speed crashes here occupants have suffered fatal injuries suggests [that the above vehicles] have defective airbag crash sensor and/or deployment systems.
DP96014
Engine cooling fan fires
There is no summary currently available
EA96024
Headlight failure
Excessive heat in an improperly manufactured circuit breaker within the headlight switch caused that circuit breaker to open for time periods of varying length to cool off.opening of the circuit breaker in this manner interrupts electric current flow to the headlights, shutting them off.headlight outages have ranger from brief flickers (less than one second) to greater than 20 seconds.over time, the outages grow in length and duration because of heat-induced deterioration of the switch and associated wiring.recall 98v‑009 will apply to approximately 506,000 taurus, sable, mark viii, and continental vehicles produced from 1-dec.-92 through 30-sep-93 at the atlanta, chicago,and wixom assembly plants.87% of my 1992-1995 taurus/sable and 97% of my 1993-1995 mark viii warranty repairs (headlight switch replacement) involved vehicles built during the dec. 92 - oct. 93 build range.
EA96019
Engine cooling fan fires
In december 1995, ford recalled 119,313 vehicles in canada to remedy the subject condition in certain 1992-95 taurus, sable, tempo, topaz and continental vehicles.ford is aware of similar incidents occurring in northern regions of the united states, but maintains that the frequencies do not warrant a finding of an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.
PE96033
Alleged defective tie rods
Alleged defective tie rods
DP95004
Plastic trim panel separation
There is no summary currently available
PE95026
Broken tie rods
There is no summary currently available
EA94008
Polycast road wheel cracks
There is no summary currently available
PE93100
Idle air spd ctrl vlv malf
There is no summary currently available
EA93022
Underbody fuel line fails
There is no summary currently available
PE93065
Broken tie rods
There is no summary currently available
PE93058
Idle air spd ctrl vlv malf
There is no summary currently available
PE93010
Sub-frm/unibody absor.fail
There is no summary currently available
EA92040
Technical service bulletins for the 1992 Ford Taurus 83
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. tt
- Climate control a/c service tech tips. eh
- Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. mj
- Transfer service tips for the front wiper motor mount bracket and depressed park output arm. tt
- Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant...
- Brake shift interlock. jb
- Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. slc
- Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. slc
- This information is a supplement to the wiper system service information provided in the workshop manuals....
- On some vehicles, engine oil may continue to leak from the engine oil pan gasket area after an engine oil...
1992 Ford Taurus fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | FWD | 18 | 26 | 21 |
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | FWD | 16 | 26 | 19 |
What 1992 Ford Taurus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 1992 ford taurus with gillette silver bear (205/65r/15) tires (dot e2urmyc2003). The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH the rear passenger side tire blew out. The driver stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and replaced the tire with the spare tire. The driver noticed the tread had separated from the tire. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact he would have to mail the tire in for inspection. After the tire was inspected, the manufacturer determined the tire had evidence of over deflection. The manufacturer did not provide a replacement. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford taurus. While the contact was driving approximately 5 MPH, he heard a loud noise and the rear corners of the subframe fell off of the vehicle. The subframe bolts on the rear end of the vehicle were covered with rust which caused the steering wheel to become unstable. The contact referenced recall 98v323000 (component: structure: frame and members) but the dealer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall; he was informed that he would be responsible for all repair costs. He called the manufacturer who confirmed what the dealer stated. The current and failure mileages were approximately 72,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 ford taurus. While driving 45 MPH, the rear mounting attachment for the engine cradle deteriorated on both sides of the vehicle. The failure was caused by road salt, debris, and other natural materials. The contact noticed that the failure could cause major safety hazards. If the engine cradle is not supported, a loss of steering and a crash may occur. He was able to successfully drive the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle has not been repaired. The dealer provided him with a reassembly kit, as if the failure were common. The failure mileage was 137,000. Updated 5/19/08
I bought 3 ford taurus wagons in 6 months and the springs broke in all of the 3 latest cars. Both springs broke wile I was driving ,puncturing 1 tire. No repair made yet.
K-frame(sub frame)fell. Both times while driving, but both times at low speeds. Frame fell and I could not steer car. Both times my transmission was serviced. 1st time may, 2006, was due to faulty bushings and washers. 2nd time, frame broke, rusted, gone. All at the prescribed location and problem that LED to recall. Am I driving a death trap, is ford responsible for the repair, is it my fault, the transmission guys fault or fords ? Please help me. By the grace of god I was spared being on the open roadway, but if I had and my family was with me we would have been killed. When this happens, the weight of the engine and trans. Falls directly on the steering, I absolutely can not steer the car. Please someone respond to me before something else happens. Thank you !
Dt*: the contact stated the child safety seat was too vertical when installed in the vehicle by a child passenger safety technician, causing the head of the infant to jerk forward upon stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was traveling 35 MPH when it was stopped under normal circumstances. The manufacturer was notified, who stated that this situation did not pose a hazard to the child. The safety seat was an evenflo discovery.
1992 taurus steering problem.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle became difficult to steer at any speed. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who replaced the body mounts at the rear sub frame. The dealer and manufacturer have been alerted and agree the vehicle is included in the federal safety agency recall, # 98v323000 concerning the frame and members. However, both refuse to reimburse for the repair.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving a snapping noise was heard in the front left side. The vehicle was driven home where it was determine d the left front tire was flat. The sway bar bracket tore away from the strut and punctured the tire. The repair personnel suggested replacing the shock absorber and strut. There was the federal safety agency recall campaign 94e036000. However ,this vehicle was not included included due to the VIN.
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Other model years
199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Questions about the 1992 Ford Taurus
Is the 1992 Ford Taurus reliable?
Owners have filed 680 complaints about the 1992 Ford Taurus, 3.3 times a typical Taurus model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1992 Ford Taurus?
Engine and cooling, with 216 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles. Next is transmission (105).
How many recalls does the 1992 Ford Taurus have?
5 recalls, covering structure, vehicle speed control and engine and engine cooling.
What gas mileage does the 1992 Ford Taurus get?
Official estimates for the 1992 Ford Taurus range from 19 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 18 city and 26 highway.
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