Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. It cranks, but the ignition does not turn over until she depresses the accelerator pedal. The vehicle would stall at least ten to twelve times before it would start. She took the vehicle to a mechanic and was informed that the fuel injectors and brake switch interlock were the causes of the failure. The vehicle is also stuck in park and will not move. In order to start the vehicle, she has to turn the ignition off and shift into neutral. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 05/05/09.
1996 Ford Taurus: stuck in gear or won't shift
5 of the 825 complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 42 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Vehicle will not shift into overdrive.
Transmission doesn't shift correctly. When pulling off from stop sign vehicle appears to change gears, but then goes into neutral. Vehicle has been to dealer for repairs, but dealer has no remedy for problem.
The transmission did not shift into overdrive, and the check engine light came on. When it was brought into the garage (not the ford dealership), they put it on the computer and it showed a $12.00 prt and it was on the outer part of the transmission. A week later the part had still not come in, it was on back order through ford and it took 10 days to get here, when the garage went to do the work, it showed that it was quite far into the transmission, because I did not buy the extented warrantee, it is not covered. But this car has only 59.000 miles.
The transmission does not shift smoothly, it pauses with a knocking sound to the transmission and engine.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
- Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes P0741 or P1744 stored...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park
- Some vehicles may exhibit a park pullout clunk noise when shifting from park to another gear position
- Brake shift interlock
- Some vehicles may exhibit a harsh 2-3 shift after installing a remanufactured automatic transaxle
- Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- The automatic transmission park pawl shaft may not be free to rotate as intended. If the park pawl shaft does not rotate, it would prevent the park pawl from engaging the park gear when the shift lever is in the park position.
- Risk
- This condition could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral with the shift lever in the park position.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft rotation and those shafts with restricted rotation will be replaced with a shorter shaft that will not restrict rotation.
Recall number 96V176000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- The park pawl abutment bracket has a sharp edge which can cause the parking pawl to hang up and not engage the park gear. This would allow the vehicle to move even though the gear shift indicator shows that the vehicle is in park.
- Risk
- Unintended and unexpected vehicle movement can result in personal injury and property damage.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the park pawl abutment bracket.
Recall number 96V166000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- The park pawl shaft was improperly positioned when the roll pin that retains it was installed during transmission assembly. If the shaft was not properly positioned, the roll pin may not have lined up with the groove in the shaft and have been crushed at assembly. Also, a burr could have been raised on the shaft.
- Risk
- This could result in the park pawl occasionally not engaging when the transmission selector lever is placed in the park position. This could result in the vehicle rolling as if in neutral if the vehicle operator does not apply the parking brake.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the park pawl shaft roll pin. If the roll pin is damaged, both the roll pin and the park pawl shaft will be replaced. In addition, owners will be reminded to fully apply the parking brake, in addition to placing the transmission in park.
Recall number 96V086000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1996 Ford Taurus won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 1996 Ford Taurus?
5 of 825 owner complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus (1%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Ford Taurus?
There are 3 recalls and 42 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Ford Taurus
Stalling 57Transmission failure 35Overheating 32Engine failure 29Loss of power 27Grinding brakes 20Check engine light 20Power steering loss 19ABS 18Coil spring 16No deployment 15Headlights 15Wipers 15Brake failure 14Door locks 14Tire blowout 13Steering noise 12Fire or smoke 11Jerking 9Slipping 9Seat belt 8Knocking 7Steering lock-up 7Airbag light 6Ball joint 6Sudden acceleration 6Won't start 6
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