1989 Ford Taurus Recalls, Complaints & Specs

5 safety recalls list the 1989 Ford Taurus, and owners have filed 562 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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5 safety recalls for the 1989 Ford Taurus

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Frame and members (structure)

   NHTSA 98V323000 Reported December 16, 1998 2,697,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west…

   Remedy: Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.

2. Buckle assembly (seat belts)

   NHTSA 92V113000 Reported August 17, 1992 565,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The rigid mounted safety belt buckles are defective in three ways. First, a fastened safety belt buckle will not unlatch when the release button is depressed. This results from interference between the buckle ejector finger and the buckle tongue window. The second defect is the safety belt buckle may not latch. The third possible defect…

   Remedy: Ford will replace the rigid mounted safety belt buckles with end release safety belt buckles designed to prevent latch problems.

3. Wheels

   NHTSA 92V065000 Reported May 11, 1992 654,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Children can accidentally lock themselves in the footwell area of the rear-facing third seat, or in the storage compartment in station wagons not equipped with an optional third seat. Once the compartment is closed it cannot be opened from the inside.

   Remedy: Replace the self-latching assembly currently used in the rear storage compartment with a latch assembly that can only be closed with a key.

4. Rotor (service brakes)

   NHTSA 91V134000 Reported August 6, 1991 325,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Front disc brake rotors of the subject vehicles may experience severe corrosion if operated in areas where calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used extensively.

   Remedy: Replace front brake rotors with full cast front brake rotors.

5. Seats

   NHTSA 91V036000 Reported March 4, 1991 278,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The power seat switch wiring is routed over rather than under the front seat support brace, allowing damage by seat cushion spring ends when seat is occupied.

   Remedy: Revise routing of power seat wiring to prevent damage from seat cushion spring contact.

562 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1989 Ford Taurus have filed 562 complaints with NHTSA; 16 describe a crash and 84 describe a fire. Reports cite 20 injuries and 1 death. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 109,500 miles. Complaints peaked in 1996 with 132 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Seat belts: buckle assembly108
• Electrical system: switch55
• Structure: frame and members50
• Engine and engine cooling: engine48
• Power train: automatic transmission39
• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline38
• Electrical system: ignition25
• Vehicle speed control18

What owners are reporting

“Tl* the contact owns a 1989 ford taurus. The contact stated that as he attempted to secure the seatbelt, the entire seatbelt became detached from the anchorage cable. The vehicle was not repaired. The”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 17, 2010 · Seat belts

“Tl*the contact owns a 1989 ford taurus. While driving at approximately 65 MPH with the cruise control engaged, he noticed that when he tried to pass another vehicle, he was unable to deactivate the cr”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 22, 2010 · Vehicle speed control

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1989 Ford Taurus (Taurus Wagon, Taurus Wagon V6 A/C). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Ford Taurus model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Taurus model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1989 Ford Taurus

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints
• Expedition9,359 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.