Ford Taurus OBD port location

Illustration — use it to know where to look.

Location

Driver's footwell, on the underside of the dash directly below the steering column and a little to its left, tucked behind the lower lip of the knee bolster and just inboard of the hood release lever. The 16-pin connector faces downwards and is exposed — you can plug in from the driver's seat without pulling any trim. Same position on every trim, SE through SHO, and on the Police Interceptor Sedan. The North American Taurus was built left-hand drive only, so there is no right-hand-drive position to check on this record.

How to access

On most trims the connector sits behind a small snap-off trim panel on the underside of the dash. Pull the panel straight down with your fingers to release it — no tools needed. On some build dates the port is exposed with no cover; in that case the 16-pin connector is immediately visible under the column.

Illustration — use it to know where to look.

Location

Under the lower edge of the dash on the driver's side, directly below the steering column and above the pedals, with the 16-pin connector facing down towards the floor. Kneel in the driver's footwell and look up under the column with a torch; there is no trim to remove. Same position on every 2000-2007 Taurus (LX, SE, SES, SEL, sedan and wagon) and on the 2000-2005 Mercury Sable. US cars are left-hand drive only. If a scan tool powers up but will not talk to the car, check the connector's power fuse in the under-dash fuse panel (on some years it is shared with the horn, so a dead horn is a clue) before blaming the PCM.