Total Complaints
150 filings
FORD TAURUS · model year
150 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports 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). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 6 investigation files overlapping the 1986 TAURUS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
150 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| 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 |
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
CONSUMER INQUIRING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SUBFRAME BODY MOUNTS RECALL AND THE ROTOR SEPARATION RECALL ON THE 1986 FORD TAURUS.*MR *NM
CONSUMER INQUIRING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SUBFRAME BODY MOUNTS RECALL AND THE ROTOR SEPARATION RECALL ON THE 1986 FORD TAURUS.*MR *NM
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
WHILE DRIVING AT 25MPH FRONT LEFT MECHANISM WHICH HOLDS BRAKE SYSTEM FELL INSIDE THE WHEEL. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
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
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
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
THERE WAS A RECALL I WAS TOLD ON THE 1984 & 1985 THE BOLTS BROKE, BUT NO RECALL ON 1986. *AK
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
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
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
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
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
REAR PASSENGER DOOR MAKES POPPING NOISES WHEN OPENING. *ET
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND OFF. *ET
TIRES WORE OUT QUICKLY MORE THAN 60 MPH. IT VIBRATES RIGHT TURN, MAKES RUBBING SOUND. *ET
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
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.
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
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1986 FORD TAURUS; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.