Vehicle recall 86V144000 · October 28, 1986
Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus
Steering shaft assemblies contain lower shafts of insufficient length for proper attachment to the shaft insulator flange.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Steering shaft assemblies contain lower shafts of insufficient length for proper attachment to the shaft insulator flange. Consequence of defect: shaft could separate, resulting in total loss of steering control and a possible accident.
- Remedy
- Replace steering shaft assembly, as necessary.
- Notes
- System: steering shaft assembly.vehicle description: passenger cars.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 86V144000
- Reported to NHTSA
- October 28, 1986
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Owner notification
- October 19, 1986
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 4,714
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Steering › Steering wheel/handle bar
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Taurus (1987): 1987
- Mercury Sable (1987): 1987
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.