There are 14 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 1986 Ford Taurusin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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
TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REBUILT, AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE IS CUTTING OFF/STALLING AND VIBRATING. VEHICLE WON'T GO OVER 20 MPH AND THERE IS A KICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WOULD LIKE INFORMATION ON ANY EXISTING BULLETIN REGARDING FORD TRANSMISSION.
ODOMETER FRAUD.
NO SUMMARY
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
STEERING AXLE CRACKED.
VEHICLE JUMPS OUT OF GEAR AND SOMETIMES GEARS MAKE A THUMPING SOUND CHANGING. TT
KEYS WILL COME OUT OF IGNITION WHILE VEHICLE IS RUNNING. TT
AUTO TRAN: WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION JUMPS FROM DRIVE TO 1ST OR 2ND, OR DIE COMPLETELY; NO WARNING; NEARLY CAUSED REAREND ACCIDENT. TT
COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURES. IN BOTH CASES, A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS USED AS A REPLACEMENT.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE.
VEHICLE HAS NO SECOND GEAR, AND SLIPS AND JERKS INTO FIRST GEAR ALOT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026