CarComplaints.com Notes: Most people need a car that shifts gears & coil springs that don't shred tires. The Taurus fails in that respect.
The 2003 Ford Taurus has major issues with the transmission failing. Typically the 2003 Taurus transmission failure costs $2,000 to fix by about 90k-100k miles. Not good.
Adding insult to injury, the 1999-2003 Taurus also 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...
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
99,782 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.
The transmission went out and I had to replace it. I read about many other complaints about the transmission going out in a 2003 Ford Taurus, so I thought I would add this one.
While attempting to pull through a very busy intersection in tulsa, Oklahoma, my transmission started slipping without warning causing many (thankfully) alert drivers to take evasive action to miss me when my car wouldn't go. It has been brought to my attention that the transmissions, most notably 2003 model year, in the Taurus' have a bad reputation for this yet Ford refuses to recognize this. Many just give out at highway speeds. I pray my children aren't with me if any such occurs again after I replace this transmission...no recall that I'm aware of.
The transmission is defective in this car. It has been flushed and is full of fluid. From the beginning I could actually put the column shift between gears. Not what it's supposed to do. The salesman assured me that it was not a problem. The transmission overheats and shifts rough when hot. Last month after driving on the highway for 1/2 hour to get to work, I got off the exit and had to wait at a light. The car refused to shift for several minutes after the light changed. I was almost rear-ended. Two weeks ago the same thing happened. A car came around the corner and just missed me as I was stuck in the middle of the road. There have been numerous complaints about this transmission and it is so bad it even has its own facebook page. I work part-time and have a long commute. I now can only drive backroads at low speeds to make sure my car will shift. And I do not have money for a new transmission. I can't drive to other cities for job interviews. I understand Ford was aware of the problems with this transmission and did nothing to rectify the problem. The car needs a recall.
I was driving my car to the store, came to a traffic light and accelerated and it shifted fine until I pressed the gas pedal and nothing besides high rpms... also it happened with no signs or warnings and transmission wasn't slipping or acting up...had it towed to a mechanic and he said it was my torque converter that ruined the splines that engage.! something needs to be done!
- Lake Milton , OH, USA
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I had just pulled out from a stop sign when, without warning, the rpms suddenly went really high and the car stopped accelerating. I was in congested traffic. I tried to coast my car off the road but I didn't have enough speed. I was stuck half way in the road. Thankfully, I broke down in front of a garage. I got out of the car and a mechanic pushed car to safety. The garage inspected my car and said the transmission went out and it needed to be replaced/rebuilt. I'm really glad I wasn't going fast or else I could have been seriously injured or killed! my mother had asked earlier if she could use my car to take my sick father out of state to a dr. Appt.(bc the car's gas mileage is better than her SUV). I'm glad I had class that day and couldn't let her take it. Numerous people have reported having this same transmission problem. Ford needs to issue a recall. This is a serious safety issue!
We were driving uphill on an interstate highway at the speed limit when all of a sudden the engine speed went up and the vehicle speed started falling. Some smoke appeared in back of the car. We barely made it over to a very narrow shoulder (against a guard rail) before we stopped. The engine was running but the car would not move. Traffic was very fast and heavy and only a foot or two from the driver's door. We were stuck there for over an hour. A mechanic who subsequently looked at it said that the transmission had burned out. Repairs, now under way, are estimated at $2200.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the transmission failed and the vehicle would not further accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced one year ago by another mechanic after experiencing the same failure. The manufacturer was notified and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 69,304 and the current mileage was 89,000.
As I accelerated after stopping at a stop sign, there was a noise, the car coasted a short distance and stopped. I could not put the car in drive or reverse. I had no warning of this failure, no slippage or noises, and had I been in traffic, I would surely have been hit in the rear by any car behind me. I understand this is a common problem with the Taurus and shudder to think how many accidents may have been caused by similar failures. I am the original owner of this vehicle and have religiously followed Ford's recommendations for service. I realize this is a 2003 vehicle, but with only 52,000 miles I did not expect this failure. I received estimates up to $2600 to repair, but was told by one knowledgeable and honest mechanic, that the torque converter is usually the cause of transmission failure in a car with low mileage, dismantling proved the converter to be the problem. By rebuilding my transmission I saved a substantial sum, but this information is not easily available to consumers; leading many to spend more money than necessary to repair. Although well past any warranty, I do feel the transmission was inferior. This repair might have been covered if I were a high mileage driver.
I was driving down a side street when the car quit moving forward. I coasted to a stop and tried reverse, and it would not go in that direction either. The engine was running when this occurred. I had a baby in the car and a trunk full of groceries. I got out and checked all the fluids. They were full. The transmission fluid was clear. The maintenance book said not to change the transmission fluid until 100,000. My car has only 73,000 miles. This car is well maintained. I paid to have it towed to the nearest car repair shop. They determined it was a transmission problem and could not fix it. I then had to pay to tow it to another shop that informed me that this was a characteristic problem of a 2003 Ford Taurus. If this defect is known by Ford's and they chose to ignore it and not fix our cars, I hope you will do the right thing and make Ford's fix it without me having to pay a huge bill which is hard on a limited income. I saw this address on a facebook page. The address is: www.facebook.com/pages/fight-for-recall-of-2003-Ford-Taurus-transmission-problems/156915101017448. please check out this page. You will see the many people are having this happen. I just stumbled upon the page by accident. I wonder how many more there are out there not knowing that there are a lot of us driving Ford's defective cars. Please make them accountable. They did not hesitate to take car payments for years. They should not hesitate to fix a car that they built. I was from detroit and always believed in buying american, but my opinion has changed. That is a shame. Thank you very much. I hope you can do something to help me.
The car was being driven on a major highway between 40-50 mph and the transmission just dropped. Had to coast to the side of the road to avoid an accident. No warnings, lights, winding, etc. The car was just in for a tune up and oil change the weekend prior and there was nothing detected. There are hundreds of complaints regarding the same issue with an average mileage under 100,000 miles. We called Ford to explain that there was a systemic problem, they offered no assistance.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. A local mechanic diagnosed that the vehicle would need a new transmission. The manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 77,000.
I was driving down the road doing 45 mph and without warning I lost all power. No gears will work. It seems as if all gears are like neutral. Engine starts and runs fine but no gears will work. Transmission wont work.
Car was slowly approaching red signal at major busy traffic intersection. While car was still moving, signal turned green. But, with neither unusual sounds nor other advance warnings, the engine lost all ability to transmit power to the transmission, creating an urgent emergency situation for safely transiting the intersection as well as bringing the car to a full controlled stop out of way of considerable fast moving traffic. Then had to deal with my visually-handicapped wife and significant foodstuffs just purchased, plus tow arrangements to our Ford dealer. Ford service determined cause clearly resulted from catastrophic failure of faulty torque converter because of stripped splines. Repairs cost over $1,300 just for torque converter replacement. However, transmission could still fail suddenly from undiscovered internal damage caused by broken torque converter, requiring significant additional cost for rebuilt transmission. Now, it's like a "russian roulette" experience each time we get in the car, something two elderly seniors really are not well-equipped to deal with!
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph the transmission failed and he was unable to shift into any gear. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 95,000.
Automatic transmission quit working with no warning. Could have caused serious damage. Luckly car was already parked. Ford Motor Company should have a recall on all 2003 Ford Taurus transmissions, someone is seriously going to be hurt by this problem.
I turned my car on and reversed out of my driveway. When I hit the street my car would not budge. The car turned on but would not move leaving me stranded in the middle of the street with my two small children in the car. I believe these cars are dangerous and have found a large community online that has had the same problem or worse with these cars. I contacted Ford and they told me that they don't care and will not recall these cars. Someone with a similar experience on a forum directed me here to file a complaint. My car had less than 65,000 miles on it and was well maintained. This should not have happened.
On this Sunday, I had made three previous stops, without incident. I was turning into an intersection, when, without warning, I had no power. The transmission had failed! I coasted to the side of the street and called aaa. I had the car towed to a Firestone dealer. The verdict on Monday was an internal transmission failure. I then had the vehicle towed to a local Ford dealer. I was subsequently informed that I would need a new transmission. The new transmission cost $3287.51; towing costs were $122! I am the original owner of this vehicle, and the transmission was always maintained properly. There should be no reason for this transmission failure. There is a website that lists several hundred complaints about the 2003 Ford Taurus automatic transmission. I have also registered this complaint with the Ford Motor Company. Ford should recall this vehicle, considering the hundreds of transmission failures reported for the 2003 Taurus, and fully compensate owners, who, in cases like mine, have spent thousands of dollars.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 40 mph and merging into traffic, but when the accelerator pedal was engaged the vehicle did not respond. There was and increase in the engine rpms, but the vehicle then stalled instead of accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 50,000. The VIN was not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Logan, UT, USA