1996 Ford Probe problems & reliability
52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Ford Probe. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 17 | 33% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 13 | 25% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 8% |
| Steering | 4 | 8% |
| Suspension | 3 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 4% |
| Equipment | 2 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Replaced right lower control arm assembly with a new part from o'reilly autoparts store on 8/31/10 and on 11/05/10 the ball joint came completely out of the new control arm making an extremely unsafe driving condition. Defective new part, replaced it again on 11/09/10 with another new replacement part from o'reilly…”
Suspension · filed May 19, 2011
“Automatic transmission failure. Second time. This needs to be addressed very expensive to repair. *tr”
Power Train · filed Jun 24, 2008
“1996 ford probe se auto transmission failure,same as mazda 626 all of these cars have the same problem that cost thousands to fix,check the internet,why hasn't there been a recall?”
Power Train · filed Nov 18, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
83 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Ford Probe. The 10 most recent:
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj
02176 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with the cd4e transaxle may exhibit harsh and delayed 1-2/2-3 upshifts after transaxle or turbine shaft speed sensor replacement, possible diagnostic trouble codes 628, 642, 645, 646, 647, 648…
0224 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2002
Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure. *tt
01246 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2001
Brake shift interlock.*jb
01181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2001
Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *slc
01157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc
01156 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles equipped with cd4e auto transaxles may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes for gear ratio or harsh and delayed 1-2 / 2-3 upshifts after transaxle or turbine speed sensor (tss) replacement. *tt
14936 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit no forward gear ranges due to the misalignment of the forward / coast clutch cylinder snap ring with respect to the legs of the forward clutch piston. *jb
00182 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1996 Ford Probe in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1996 Ford Probe?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.