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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...

2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,500 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.

2003 Ford Taurus electrical problems

electrical problem

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2003 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #2

Apr 012007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 43,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the windshield slipped down and she heard a lot of wind noise, rattling, and water leakage. The floor began to rust, the lights flickered, and the cruise control failed due to water damage. The alternator was replaced twice due to water damage. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03V087000 (visibility:windshield). The failure mileage was 43,000 and current mileage was 68,000. Updated 04-02-08 the vehicle jerks when the consumer drives over 35 mph. The dashboard lights go dim. The vehicle would also stall. The dealer stated it was due to a bad alternator. Updated

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #1

Sep 182007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle shut off in the middle of the highway. All of the instrument panel lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but then shut off again. The contact stated that the speedometer also displayed the incorrect speed. The dealer acknowledged the failures, but the diagnostic indicated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at the dealer. The current mileage was 122,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.

- Saginaw, MI, USA

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