Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl 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.
Consumer was driving approximately 30mph in the rain 3-4 car lengths when he began to apply the brakes, the pedalwas hard, and vehicle slid underneath a pickup truck at 32000 miles. Also, the brake pads were replaced. After the accident and the neccessary repairs and replacements made, the dealership recognized that when driving over 50mph and braking, the brakes would be hard, there was no assit, just hard brakes.
Brakes failed gradually fast..lost pressure in pedal....during snow storm...with kids in car...brakes go all the way to the floor...no service check engine light , or brake light illuminates at all!!! Barely got home that night,told not to drive it ,now were snowed in so no one has had a chance to see why this is ...
My son was driving the vehicle when the brakes completely failed. Brake lines to the rear of the car ruptured and drained system of brake fluid and car had no brakes at all. It rolled into an intersection and thankfully he wasn't hurt. Apparently this is fairly common with older cars. Both lines being replaced.
After parking vehicle, setting parking brake and turning off engine the driver left vehicle. The vehicle rolled out of the parking space backwards, onto a busy street and eventually came to a stop when it rolled into a parked vehicle.
Brake line failure. Lost brakes in parking lot. Brake line rotted through. Repaired by local mechanic who stated this is a common problem on Ford cars. If this doesn't require a recall and repair I don't know what does.
The major problem was engine overheating, brown coolant,loss of heater. Ford repeated flushed out the heater core,replaced the coollant, flushed out engine, radiator. After about a year of this they finally had to replace the engine with another engine, a rebuilt one of course. They continued to have to flush out the brown coolant. Now the heater does not work again. They say that since my warranty is up I must pay for the heater core even though they knew it was going bad and that they had two recalls on brown coolant problems. They say they have not had any problems with engines if they performed the recall. They should have replaced the heater core according to the recall notice 98-b23 and 98b23-s1 but did not. They replaced the steering rack three times to get rid of the noise when turning. …
After purchasing vehicle, consumer went to his insurance company to have vehicle inspected, at that time consumer was advised that there was no ABS because the dash light did not illuminate, consumer contacted dealership where vehicle was purchased and was told that the ABS was recently repaired by another dealership consumer's personal mechanic inspected the vehicle and found that the ABS harness located under the battery had been disconnected, currently the ABS light comes on after driving for a few minutes and sometimes there is a buzzing noise and extended stopping distance when the brake is pressed during the day in normal conditions, consumer contacted dealership that stated they repaired ABS and their records indicate that a wheel sensor was changed and they are not offering financial assistance, ABS system is currently not functioning light comes on after driving for a minutes.
Two weeks ago the right rear metal brake line busted because of it rusting through.the line was replaced and a second metalic line busted because of the same reason. This line is a main line which runs from the master cylinder to the rear of the car . A third line is also ready to rust through that line also runs from the master cylinder to the rear of the car.the car has no other rust just the three brake lines .they are only rusted in a certain area not the whole length , around two to three foot from the rear. When the lines busted there was hardly any brakes just 1 front brake worked this is the second time this has happened the car is a 96 with 109000 miles and no other rust
ABS light comes on intermittently. When ABS light is off, brakes work normally. When malfunction occurs, the brakes buzz on application and stopping distance increases dramatically then the ABS light will illuminate. I called Ford and they will not offer any dealer financial assistance.also the steering gearbox makes a loud groan and vibration when recovering from a right turn. Some resistance is felt attemption to turn the wheel back to the left. The vibration is felt in the steering wheel. Again Ford refuses to assist even though there are multiple similar complaints on both of my complaints in your listings.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Brake fluid low warning › Lamp
The brake system fluid level indicator lamp switch can malfunction. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake system fluid level indicator lamp switches.
Brake complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1996 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 71 complaints about the brakes of the 1996 Ford Taurus, 9% of the model year's 825 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Ford Taurus brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 96V-016 (lamp, Jan 25, 1996). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1996 Ford Taurus brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.