1993 FORD TAURUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,541 complaints · 8 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (526 complaints · 34.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 53
  • Fires 48
  • Injuries 45
  • Deaths 3
Compare with 1992 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 526 of 1,541 owner complaints (34.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 526 complaints, 34.1% of reports ENGINE 526 · 34.1% · 1 crash reports 19 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 140 complaints, 9.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 140 · 9.1% · 2 crash reports VISIBILITY: 127 complaints, 8.2% of reports VISIBILITY 127 · 8.2% SUSPENSION: 125 complaints, 8.1% of reports SUSPENSION 125 · 8.1% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 120 complaints, 7.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 120 · 7.8% · 19 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 120 complaints, 7.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 120 · 7.8% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 75 complaints, 4.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 75 · 4.9% · 3 crash reports 2 fire reports STRUCTURE: 55 complaints, 3.6% of reports STRUCTURE 55 · 3.6% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 47 complaints, 3.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 47 · 3.1% · 5 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 1,026 complaints, 66.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1,026 · 66.6% · 45 crash reports 42 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 526 34.1% 1 crashes · 19 fires
POWER TRAIN 140 9.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 127 8.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 125 8.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 120 7.8% 0 crashes · 19 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 120 7.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 75 4.9% 3 crashes · 2 fires
STRUCTURE 55 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 47 3.1% 5 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1,026 66.6% 45 crashes · 42 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 1993. 1995-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 1995-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 1995-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 1995-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 1996-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 1996-Q2: 25 owner reports 25 1996-Q3: 49 owner reports 49 1996-Q4: 34 owner reports 34 1997-Q1: 25 owner reports 25 1997-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 1997-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 1997-Q4: 32 owner reports 32 1998-Q1: 28 owner reports 28 1998-Q2: 52 owner reports 52 1998-Q3: 86 owner reports 86 1998-Q4: 83 owner reports 83 1999-Q1: 117 owner reports 117 1999-Q2: 75 owner reports 75 1999-Q3: 92 owner reports 92 1999-Q4: 62 owner reports 62 2000-Q1: 85 owner reports 85 2000-Q2: 98 owner reports 98 2000-Q3: 75 owner reports 75 2000-Q4: 76 owner reports 76 2001-Q1: 66 owner reports 66 2001-Q2: 42 owner reports 42 2001-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2001-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2002-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2002-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 2002-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2002-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2004-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2004-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1993 Jul 2014 Recall campaign 93V023000 ◆ Recall campaign 93V023000 Recall campaign 94E036000 ◆ Recall campaign 94E036000 Recall campaign 97V019000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V019000 Recall campaign 97V025000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V025000 Recall campaign 98V009000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V009000 Recall campaign 98V094000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V094000 Recall campaign 98I002000 ◆ Recall campaign 98I002000 Recall campaign 98V323000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V323000 Investigation PE93058 ● Investigation PE93058 Investigation PE93100 ● Investigation PE93100 Investigation EA94008 ● Investigation EA94008 Investigation DP95004 ● Investigation DP95004 Investigation PE96018 ● Investigation PE96018 Investigation PE96033 ● Investigation PE96033 Investigation EA96019 ● Investigation EA96019 Investigation EA96024 ● Investigation EA96024 Investigation PE97035 ● Investigation PE97035 Investigation EA97026 ● Investigation EA97026 Investigation PE99015 ● Investigation PE99015 Investigation EA99023 ● Investigation EA99023 Investigation RQ99017 ● Investigation RQ99017
  • Campaign 97V019000 was reported 767 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V009000 was reported 982 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V094000 was reported 832 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98I002000 was reported 881 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V323000 was reported 1,437 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 21
1995-Q2 Owner reports 17
1995-Q3 Owner reports 28
1995-Q4 Owner reports 23
1996-Q1 Owner reports 18
1996-Q2 Owner reports 25
1996-Q3 Owner reports 49
1996-Q4 Owner reports 34
1997-Q1 Owner reports 25
1997-Q2 Owner reports 20
1997-Q3 Owner reports 28
1997-Q4 Owner reports 32
1998-Q1 Owner reports 28
1998-Q2 Owner reports 52
1998-Q3 Owner reports 86
1998-Q4 Owner reports 83
1999-Q1 Owner reports 117
1999-Q2 Owner reports 75
1999-Q3 Owner reports 92
1999-Q4 Owner reports 62
2000-Q1 Owner reports 85
2000-Q2 Owner reports 98
2000-Q3 Owner reports 75
2000-Q4 Owner reports 76
2001-Q1 Owner reports 66
2001-Q2 Owner reports 42
2001-Q3 Owner reports 22
2001-Q4 Owner reports 15
2002-Q1 Owner reports 15
2002-Q2 Owner reports 20
2002-Q3 Owner reports 15
2002-Q4 Owner reports 10
2003-Q1 Owner reports 13
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 7
2004-Q1 Owner reports 17
2004-Q2 Owner reports 5
2004-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 93V023000
Recall campaign 1 94E036000
Recall campaign 1 97V019000
Recall campaign 1 97V025000
Recall campaign 1 98V009000
Recall campaign 1 98V094000
Recall campaign 1 98I002000
Recall campaign 1 98V323000
Defect investigation 1 PE93058
Defect investigation 1 PE93100
Defect investigation 1 EA94008
Defect investigation 1 DP95004
Defect investigation 1 PE96018
Defect investigation 1 PE96033
Defect investigation 1 EA96019
Defect investigation 1 EA96024
Defect investigation 1 PE97035
Defect investigation 1 EA97026
Defect investigation 1 PE99015
Defect investigation 1 EA99023
Defect investigation 1 RQ99017
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (8)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 93V023000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKING ABILITY AND POSSIBLEVEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE THE REAR WHEEL DRIVE ABS CONTROLLER WITH A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE ABS CONTROLLER.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94E036000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    OVER TIME, A PORTION OF THE BRACKET CAN TEAR AWAY FROM THE STRUT, FALLING INTO AND PUNCTURING THE TIRE OR CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    MONROE DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STRUT FREE OF CHARGE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V019000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V025000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98I002000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    THE FRONT TIRE COULD DEFLATE DUE TO A BROKEN FRONT COIL SPRING CONTACTING THE TIRE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    CUSTOMERS WITH VEHICLES THAT HAVE BROKEN SPRINGS ARE TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLE FOR SPRING REPLACEMENT. BOTH SPRINGS WILL BE REPLACED EVEN IF ONLY ONE SPRING IS FRACTURED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V009000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS DURING VEHICLE OPERATION CAN AFFECT A DRIVER'S ABILITY TO NAVIGATE THE ROADWAY AND REDUCE THE VISIBILITY OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A HEADLIGHT SWITCH THAT INCORPORATES A CRICUIT BREAKER OF REVISED DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF A WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR AND WIRING, IF NEEDED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V094000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    THE FRONT TIRE COULD DEFLATE DUE TO A BROKEN FRONT COIL SPRING CONTACTING THE TIRE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING CATCHER BRACKET WHICH WILL PREVENT A FRACTURED SPRING FROM CONTACTING A TIRE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V323000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1,541 complaints · page 1 of 62

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources