My transmission went out while I was going to work out of town. Causing me to have to replace it and call a tow truck. I missed a day of work . Had to rent a car. I hit a ditch and had 2 flats on the right side.
1996 Ford Taurus: complete transmission failure
35 of the 825 complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 35
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 97,000
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 42 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Complete transmission failure by model year
What owners say
The consumer complained about transmission failure. While driving, the transmission suddenly malfunctioned. It was called sudden transmission failure of clutch plates which caused the park pin plate not to stay in position. The consumer was told by the manufacturer and dealer that the pin did not stay engaged in the park position. He was told by dealer that ford was aware of this problem and there was a recall on this problem, but because he lived in canada he never received thr recall notice. The consumer purchased the vehicle in canada. The consumer spent about $5000-6000 in repairs on something that was recalled and no one wanted to help him because of where he lived. *ak *sc
While driving transmission failed, causing the driver to pull off the highway. The driver had vehicle towed to the dealer.
Transmission failure as you described in your february 2001 article on anod e transmissions. The car has 97k miles on it and I believe the used car dealer knew it had problems when he sold it to me but I didn't have the knowledge concerning the car until I visited this website. I believe I will use the lemon aid car book in trying to get either ford or the dealer to deliver. The dealer was called fleet depot in bridgeville, pa I am going to the closest dealer kenny ross and hope I may get something resolved. Sincerley, paul k. Little
Had to replace the transmission in my car 2 times .
While driving at normal speed, the transmission failed. *ak *ts
Transmission failed without notice,it has low mileage.possible odometer fraud by dealership.how do find out if odometer mileage was higher before purchase date 07/01.thank you t.mcgary.
The transmission was rebuilt at 70,000 miles when the original automatic transmission seemed to be malfunctioning; second, at 112000 miles the 4th gear cluster malfunctioned causing the button for overdrive on the automatic gearshift selector to pop off, dealer recommended a new transmission (howard austin has submited this complaint on behalf of his housekeeper) .
While on the highway, the engine revved but there was no foward movement, vehicle suffered catastrophic transmission failure.
On 8/3/2001, while in heavy traffic on interstate 95 in maryland, my ford taurus suffered a castrophic transmission failure, which resulted in the car having no power, while the engine revved. I narrowly missed multiple accidents and was able to make my way to the shoulder. This failure wa sudden and extreme and could have resulted in my family's injury or death. I was towed to a transmission shop who had to perform a major rebuild of my transmission, including hard parts. The cost was in excess of $2600.
While driving about 15 MPH heard noise like a garbage disposal, then vehicle lost power. After stopping saw a lot of transmission pieces on ground. Took it to dealer for repairs. *ak the manufacturer agreed to replace the transmission at a cost of $1000 since it failed prematurely. However, the consumer found out that there were 3 recalls on transmission for the 1996 model and was seeking refund of the repair cost. Owner was not notified of the recall.
Rpms increased while consumer was going 60mph. It kept revving without giving any gas. Finally it quit running, and vehicle stalled. Consumer was able to drift in a parking lot. Dealer has replaced transmission twice with rebuild transmissions, and it still was not correct. Dealer only warrantied transmission for 12,000 miles or 12 months. Dealer said they didn't put in new transmissions, they just rebuild them.
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 transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 1996 Ford Taurus?
35 of 825 owner complaints about the 1996 Ford Taurus (4%) mention complete transmission failure. 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 57Overheating 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 6Won't shift 5
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