Total Complaints
150 filings
FORD TAURUS · model year
1986 FORD TAURUS
150 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986FORDTAURUS carries 150 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 7 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1986 TAURUS is power train:automatic transmission with 13 filings, followed by structure:frame and members (11) and engine and engine cooling:engine (9). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 6 investigation files overlapping the 1986 TAURUS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
150
Complaints
2
Crashes
7
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 13 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 11 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 9 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 9 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 8 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 7 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| SEATS | 6 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 6 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 3 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 3 |
Recent Complaints
20080306UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1986 AND 2005 FORD TAURUS RECALL FOR SPEED CONTROL. CONSUMER WOULD LIKE ANY AND ALL INFORMATION POSSIBLE ON THE RECALL FOR THE FORD TAURUS. *KB
20050614STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
CONSUMER INQUIRING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SUBFRAME BODY MOUNTS RECALL AND THE ROTOR SEPARATION RECALL ON THE 1986 FORD TAURUS.*MR *NM
20050614SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
CONSUMER INQUIRING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SUBFRAME BODY MOUNTS RECALL AND THE ROTOR SEPARATION RECALL ON THE 1986 FORD TAURUS.*MR *NM
20040615POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION. NAR 07/02/2003. *MR THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY INTENTIONALLY SOLD DEFECTIVE VEHICLES TO CUSTOMERS. THE DEFECT IS THE TRANSMISSION, ACCORDING TO THE BULLETIN #94-24-7 THEY KNEW THAT DEFECTS EXISTED IN THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES 1986-95 FORD TAURUS, 1993-95 TAURUS SHO, 1986-95 MERCURY SABLE, 1988-94 CONTINENTAL AND 1995 WINDSTAR LIGHT TRUCK. THE CONSUMER HAS WRITTEN TO FORD EXPLAINING WHAT WAS FOUND AND TO DATE NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE STATEMENTS CONTAINED. *CB *JB
20030703SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
WHILE DRIVING AT 25MPH FRONT LEFT MECHANISM WHICH HOLDS BRAKE SYSTEM FELL INSIDE THE WHEEL. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
20021120ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE ALTERNATOR FAILED CAUSING THE BATTERY TO BE DRAINED. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE REPEATEDLY BACKFIRED ALMOST CAUSING A FIRE. TS
20010504ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE INTERMITTENTLY DIES WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP. I READ SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEING A POSSIBLE CLASS ACTION ITEM BUT HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT SINCE THEN. *AK
20010503ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE INTERMITTENTLY DIES WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP. I READ SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEING A POSSIBLE CLASS ACTION ITEM BUT HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT SINCE THEN. *AK
20010320ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
THERE WAS A RECALL I WAS TOLD ON THE 1984 & 1985 THE BOLTS BROKE, BUT NO RECALL ON 1986. *AK
20001228ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHEN VEHICLE GETS WARM IT WILL SHUT OFF WHEN VEHICLE IS AT A LIGHT OR WHEN STOPPING. *AK THE VEHICLE HAD STALL SEVERAL TIMES AND THE CAUSE WAS NOT FOUND BY THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER WAS VERY MUCH CONCERNED ABOUT THE DANGER OF THE VEHICLE STALLING WHILE TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC. *YH
20001017ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE WILL STALL SUDDENLY. VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 35 MPH AND AT THE SAME TIME THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WILL GO HIGH, AND BRAKES DO NOT HAVE FULL POWER.*AK
20001017SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
VEHICLE WILL STALL SUDDENLY. VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 35 MPH AND AT THE SAME TIME THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WILL GO HIGH, AND BRAKES DO NOT HAVE FULL POWER.*AK
20001017ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
VEHICLE WILL STALL SUDDENLY. VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 35 MPH AND AT THE SAME TIME THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WILL GO HIGH, AND BRAKES DO NOT HAVE FULL POWER.*AK
20001012ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE STALLING WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE WOULD RESTART WITHIN 20 MINUTES OR MORE. VEHICLE BEEN TO DEALER AND INDEPENDENT REPAIRS SHOP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
20000911STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP
REAR PASSENGER DOOR MAKES POPPING NOISES WHEN OPENING. *ET
20000911ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND OFF. *ET
20000911SUSPENSION
TIRES WORE OUT QUICKLY MORE THAN 60 MPH. IT VIBRATES RIGHT TURN, MAKES RUBBING SOUND. *ET
20000315FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
WHILE DRIVING STOPPED AND TURNED CAR OFF. ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER, CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE, FIRE WAS UNDER THE DASH, AND IT BURNED THE VISOR AND CARPET. *AK
19991129CHILD SEAT
WHEN INSTALLING A CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN THE REAR SEAT THE LAP BELTS DO NOT HOLD TIGHT. I HAVE CONTACTED VARIOUS DEALERS AS WELL AS FORD IN MICHIGAN, AND ALL THAT WAS SAID TO USE IS A LOCKING CLIP,THAT DOES NOT HOLD THAT TYPE OF BELT TIGHT. WE ARE ALSO INSTALLING THE TETHER SYSTEM IN OUR OWN VEHICLE AS THE DEALERSHIPS LOCALLY HAVE NEVER DONE THEM AND WANT TOO MUCH MONEY TO EXPERIMENT ON TYRING TO INSTALL ONE. WE WILL HAVE AN INFANT AND A 3 YEAR OLD IN THE REAR SEAT AND WE WANT THEM TO BE IN CORRCTLY BUT NO ONE HAS ONY ANSWERS.
19991115ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE ENGINE MOUNTS ARE LOOSE AT EACH 4 CORNERS. WOULD MAKE CLUNKING NOISES. WOULD STALL OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE WOULD SHAKE WHEN ACCELERATING. BEEN TO MECHANIC FOR PROBLEMS. *AK
Compare 1986FORDTAURUS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 FORD TAURUS have?▼
The 1986 FORD TAURUS has 150 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 7 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 FORD TAURUS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 FORD TAURUS is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 13 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1986 FORD TAURUS safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.