There are 35 stored owner reports matching the visibility & wipers leading-label group for the 1996 Ford Taurus in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 35 of 35 matching reports. The list controls page through the loaded reports only.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS LEAKING INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOORBOARD FROM AN UNKNOWN ENTRY SOURCE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE, THE FAILURE WAS COMMON. THE DEALER ADVISED HAVING THE MOLDING AND SEALANT FOR THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK A COMPLAINT ON THE CONTACTS BEHALF AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE SINCE THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,456 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,426.
I HAVE A 96 FORD TAURUS (VIN [XXX]) I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE HEATER CORE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN THIS CAR SINCE I HAVE HAD IT, THE MOST RECENT TIMES BEING 6 MONTHS APART. THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR (LABOR IS 675.00) I CALLED FORD TO COMPLAIN AND WAS TOLD NO RECALLS AND NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS. I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT THERE HAS BEEN PROBLEMS WITH THE HEATER CORE AND A TSB HAD BEEN RELEASED ABOUT IT. I THINK FORD SHOULD HAVE TO REFUND ME THE MONEY I HAVE SPENT ON HAVING IT FIXED AND HAVE IT FIXED ACCORDING TO THE TSB ALSO! I HAVE HAD LOTS OF PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR SINCE I BOUGHT IT AND ALL OF THEM SEEM TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF TSB OUT ABOUT THEM, WHY IS FORD NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THESE KNOWN PROBLEMS?? *NLM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
HEATER CORE BROKE OR RUPTURED AND ANTIFREEZE CAME OUT OF THE VENTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. IT PUT A GREASY FILM ON WINDOWS LIKE FOG OR STEAM. HEATER WILL NOT WORK. CONTACTED DEALER ,AND DEALER COULDN'T CONTINUE TO FIX VEHICLE BECAUS E WARRANTY HAS RUN OUT. *AK
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS ONLY OPERATING IN LOW SPEED MODE. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
MY WINDSHIELD HAS DEVELOPED A HAZE BETWEEN THE LAMENATION AND GLASS, AS DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE WINDOW. THIS CONDITION MAKES THE VIEW SEVERELY BLURRED WHEN ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS AND/OR SUN IS INVOLVED. IT IS MUCH LIKE SHINING LIGHT THROUGH A PRISM. GLASS ON A VEHICLE SHOULD LAST THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE, AND NOT GO BAD. THIS CREATES A SERIOUS VISUAL HAZARD. I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS WARRANTS AN INVESTIGATION TO PROVIDE CONSUMERS LIKE MYSELF SOME SORT OF REPLACEMENT/RECALL OPTION. FURTHER, IF A WINDSHIELD CANNOT WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME, I HAVE LOST FAITH IN ITS INTEGRITY DURING AN ACCIDENT. TO SAY THE LEAST, FORD HAS PRODUCED A "LEMON" PRODUCT, AS AGAIN...GLASS SHOULD NOT GO BAD. *AK
RAIN ON 10/04/99 TURNED WIPERS ON TO 4 TO 6 SECONDS WIPE---STARTED TO RAIN HARDER MOVED WIPERS TO LOW SETTING--STARTING WIPING EVERY 10 TO 12 SECS---HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD WIPERS STARTED TO WORK LIKE THEY SHOULD--HIT ANOTHER BUMP--WIPERS WENT BACK TO SLOW SPEED---THEN STOPPED...HAD TO USE HIGH SPEED TO GET THE WIPERS TO WORK
DEFROST FAILED AND HAD VERY POOR VISIBILITY WHEN WINDOWS FOGGED ALMOST CAUSING WRECK
INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
THIS PROBLEM IS THAT THE WINDSHIELD WASHER WORKS ONLY PERIODICALLY. I HAVE NOT BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE DEALER SINCE THE CAR IS PAST THE WARRANTY DATE AND I CAN VISUALIZE A MAJOR COST ITEM FOR REPAIR. THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A SERIES OF PROBLEMS AND IN SPITE OF MY CONTACTS WITH FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE DIVISION, THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED IN A SATISFACTORY WAY.
DURING A VERY HEAVY RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SHUT DOWN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OPERATION. SPONTANEOUSLY THE WIPERS WILL START UP AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *AK
HEATER CORE FAILED.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING IN ANY INTERVAL POSITION. *AK
WHEN DEFROSTER IS ON THE WINDOWS ARE INSTANTLY FILLED WITH A THICK SOLID GREEN FOG, OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW OF THE DRIVER. TSB IS OUT FOR PROBLEM. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
DURING RAINSTORM WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL BECOME INOPERATIVE. WILL BEGIN TO SLOW DOWN OR DELAY, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK
WINDSHIELD MOLDING DEFECTIVE.
AIR NOISE FROM FRONT WINDOW.
I RETURNED THIS CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROL BEGAN CLICKING WHENEVER I TRIED USING THEM. THE REPAIR DEPT. TOLD ME THAT WAS NORMAL FOR THE TAURUS AND THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. NOW, I AM LIMITED TO ONLY SEVERAL SETTINGS WHERE THE WIPERS WILL ACTUALLY FUNCTION. THAT HAS NEVER BEEN A "NORMAL" FEATURE ON ANY OF MY OTHER VEHICLES. I FEEL FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS FAILURE BEFORE I DON'T HAVE ANY WIPER CAPABILITIES AND SOMEONE IS EITHER INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION.
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN OBNOXIOUS MILDEW ORDER IN THE CAR COMPARTMENT.
WINDSHIELD SEAL FAILED RESULTING IN AIR LEAK.
Showing 1-20 of 35 loaded complaints
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.