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CarComplaints.com Notes: Most people need a car where the coil springs don't puncture or shred tires while driving. The Taurus fails in that respect.

The 1999-2003 Ford Taurus has a huge problem with coil springs breaking, which can puncture or even shred tires while driving.

The US government spent THREE YEARS (2008-2011) investigating the 2002-2003 Taurus coil springs. Although Taurus/Sable from earlier years were recalled, ultimately the NHTSA did not force a recall. They determined that because there had been no deaths & very few bad crashes & injuries, the broken coil springs defect was no big deal & not a safety defect. Tell that to all the owners who had close calls...

1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
87,981 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Ford Taurus lights problems

lights problem

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2002 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #11

Aug 112016

Taurus

  • 233,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. When the brake pedal was depressed, the brake lights failed to illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake light switch was malfunctioning, but was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V106000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 233,000.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

problem #10

Nov 182010

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 104,000 miles
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch exact same problem, switch is stuck in a closed position, failed in the closed position, the brake lights will remain on, also caused the battery to discharge see: 2002 Ford Taurus recall id from NHTSA: 04V106000 our vehicle should have been included in the above recall.

- Iowa City, IA, USA

problem #9

Jan 222010

Taurus

  • 143,260 miles
I am not able to get my car out of park and my brake lights will not stay on when the brake is pressed. I found that there was a recall on 2002 Ford Taurus, but at a different trim level. I called the dealer and was told there were no open recalls for my VIN and that no repair related to the brake lamp switch was ever done by a Ford dealership. I'd like to understand if my 2002 Taurus SE was manufactured differently than the recalled vehicles. I am having the same problem described in the recall (04S12) but my model was not included. Was it determined that it was a defective part that caused the problem or defective labor?

- San Mateo, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 102009

Taurus

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Electrical problem - certain lights stay on, others toggle on and off, automatic door locks come on and go off repeatedly without notice or cause. Ford recalled vehicle and said it was repaired id#04V106000 at that time (a couple years ago now) at the time the car was new and had not shown any problems yet. (it is possible the dealer did not actually do repair as advised) Ford recall # 04S12 other strange things are happening with various electrical items, the indicator lights in the dash light up without notice saying doors are open or trunk.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #7

Jan 282008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact attempted to pull out of her driveway, but could not shift the gear out of park. Through online research, she found NHTSA campaign id number 04V106000 (exterior lighting:brake lights:switch); however, the manufactured stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 99,000. Updated 02-19-08 the consumer stated the defect causes the brake lights not to work. Updated 02/19/08

- N. Richland Hills, TX, USA

problem #6

Dec 262007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,500 miles
A problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring with my 2002 Ford Taurus. Apparently there is a recall #04V106000 that applies to 836,000 Ford Taurus and Sable vehicles manufactured between 2000 and 2003, but not to my vehicle according to Ford. This problem that was determined to be a safety related defect should be applied to all vehicles of the same model and having the exact the same defect. I would appreciate a ruling by NHTSA, and a reply to this complaint.

- Spencer, MA, USA

problem #5

Nov 222007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed that the brake lights remained illuminated even when pressure was not being applied to the brakes. She would have to cut off the battery to turn off the brake light. She took her vehicle to the dealer and they stated that her VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V106000 (exterior lighting:brake lights:switch) and would not repair the vehicle for free. However, the contact had the repair performed according to the recall. She filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The current and failure mileages were 92,000.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #4

Mar 272007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles
- the contact stated that while driving the 2002 Ford Taurus with 78000 failure mileage he discovered that the rear brake lights did not work. There was recall 04V106000 on the same year/make and model, but this vehicle was not a part of the recall. Also, the contact had problems with taking the vehicle out of park. As of 3/39/07 the vehicle had not been repaired.

- Greenberg, PA, USA

problem #3

Mar 092006

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,000 miles
: the contact stated there is a problem with the wiring in the brake lamps switch which causes the brake lamps not to illuminate. Additionally, when this happens the cruise control will not activate. There is a NHTSA recall, # 04V106000, regarding the brake light switch. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the VIN. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repair.

- Eastman, GA, USA

problem #2

Apr 102004

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,030 miles
Consumer experienced ongoing problems with both the front and rear seat belts not retracting from the retractors. Vehicle has been in and out of the dealer shop on several occasions. Driver's seat belt retractor has been replaced 2 times, and the passenger's seat belt retractor has been replaced once, but problems recurred. Also, on another issue consumer stated that vehicle was back to the dealer three times on a manufacturer's recall 04V106000 concerning brake light switch. Consumer stated that vehicle was still experiencing some problem with the stop lights not operating when braking. The consumer stated that the problem was never fixed. The back seat belts had the same problems as the front.

- Southgate, MI, USA

problem #1

Jan 252004

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The braking lights of my Ford Taurus 2002 SE with adjustable pedals stays on even after I turn off the engine and release the brake pedal. I found that Ford has a recall on this issue on 2000 and 2001 Taurus, but not 2002 model. This is unfair since Ford did not fix the problem after the recall.

- Ambler, PA, USA

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