1996 Ford Probe engine and engine cooling problems
13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1996 Ford Probe — 25% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I was driving down the road and as soon as I got up to speed past 30 miles per hour it kicked into to gear really hard and I could feel the transmission barely slipping into gear..and had to have the water pump flushed it was over heating thought it was the thermostat but it was checked and fine so…”
filed Aug 3, 2006
“There is oil leaking into the spark plug cylinders. A tune up was performed, however, the problem was not solved. Oil continues to seep into the spark plug cylinders, and this is causing a degradation in performance as well as rough operation. What is most interesting, however, is that my car is…”
filed May 6, 2002
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure. *tt
01246 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2001
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other Probe years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 Probe | 13 | 48% |
| 1995 Probe | 16 | 19% |
| 1994 Probe | 25 | 15% |
| 1993 Probe | 23 | 11% |
| 1992 Probe | 4 | 5% |
| 1991 Probe | 5 | 3% |
| 1990 Probe | 10 | 3% |
| 1989 Probe | 13 | 17% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1996 Ford Probe
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.