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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
126,574 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.
Brake lights failed, has adjustable pedals, and when I bought a switch from Ford, the insert mentioned a recall 04S12, local Ford dealer denied the recall.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while attempting to shift the vehicle out of park, the gear shifter failed to shift. On several occasions, the brake lights remained illuminated even after the vehicle was turned off causing the battery to discharge. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, but the contact spoke to an independent mechanic who advised that there was a recall on the likely issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V106000 (exterior lighting). The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
All my lights work except my brake lights and nobody can figure it out. Also know I have to start it in numeral only. It was stationary I think I just know it happen at the same time and no body knows why
- San Bernardino, CA, USA
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The car was driving down the street and stopped. When I pressed to accel the transmission did'nt pull over 15 feet and stopped pulling. It was the torque converter that had gon out. And then I get a letter in the mail about other recalls but not on the transmissions. I worked for Ford for 27 years as an engineer and built transmissions under recalls. I have no idea about these paople! but the 2004 has that recall.
My car had caught on fire and the police officer and the firemen said it was a electric fire. My car was sitting in front of my apartment building at 8:30 P.M. and that between 3 and 4 a.M. a car that caught on fire and I was not even driving it was just sitting there park.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact was being signaled by other drivers that the rear brake lights were illuminated all the time until the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and the mechanic notified the contact of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact also stated that there was a recall issued in 2004 for the same type of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 212,000. Updated 05/10/16
Driving 6am today both my headlights turned off while driving. They turned back on 5 second later but that is the second time it has happened within the last 30 days. Also dashboard lights turned off and on random times for the last year even this morning but different time then headlight issue.
On the date above and then again on Feb,2015 the transaxle quit working, it would not go anywhere. Had it rollbacked to my house both times at a cost of $50 per tow. The cost to repair and or replace the transaxle was :2011: $1,400; 2015: $1,700. The car at the 2nd. Rework/exchange (the trans shop replaced rather than rebuild mine) had only 125,000 miles. It is my understanding the transaxles in these generation Ford tauruses were prone to transaxle failure, as were the Ford Windstar as both vehicles used the same transaxle. Upon studying up on these problems it seems Ford Motor Co. Recalled the Windstar and called it a bad torque converter causing the problems. Why did they not recall the tauruses also, answer: Amount of vehicles produced of each model and their feet were not "held to the fire" by ya'll and our gov.. now to get to the lighting problem: The most safety hazardous item which has been installed on vehicles in the last 15-20 years is those damned "plastic lensed headlights" that within 3 years will "fog over" to the extent they do not produce enough light to be usefull at night. Oh they say you can clean them, of which I have tried on my Taurus, to not much avail. I believe the auto manufacturers should be ordered thru a recall from you to replace them at no cost to us owners. If you will check, you will see a replacement of those "wunderfull" invention, known as bullcrap, lens will set an owner of the vehicles around $500 to $700 per pair installed. And must be adjusted by a dealers only equipment. I my self do not believe in todays world 125,000 - 129,000 miles is a lot. If the truth were known the "yellowed out" headlights have been the cause of a lot of nite time accidents. Do your job and go after them and make them replace with new transaxles and torque converters and at the same time make them replace the yellowed out headlight lenses.
On the above date the transaxle in this car quit working. The torque converter broke a gear. It is my understanding this is prevalent in the 2003 Ford Taurus and the 2003 Windstar vans. Ford recalled the Windstar but not the Taurus'. I had it, the transaxle, rebuilt and put only 3000 to 3200 miles from the date of this repair. About 5 weeks ago the same thing happened. It is my understanding this is a prevalent problem with these vehicles. Now in regards to the lighting, the manufacturers should take the responsibility of replacing those damned "yellowed" out headlight lens on just about 99% of the cars that have them. This should be a major recall due to the hazard they can cause while driving at night. We the american people cannot afford the cost to replace this dangerous unsafe features on almost all vehicles produced by all auto manufacturers since the 90's.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to illuminate and the transmission would not shift out of park. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who replaced the brake light switch and the wire assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was not included in recall NHTSA campaign id number: 04V106000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
Vehicle exhibits failure state as detailed in Ford recall 04S12. Vehicle has failed in the same manner multiple times in the past, however cannot document what exact days the vehicle has failed in such a manner. The stop light switch/wiring has failed in the closed position once, in the open position twice, including today, and the vehicle's VIN was never entered as part of recall 04S12.
I woke up on 7/19/14 to find my 2003 Ford tauruses battery dead. This seemed strange since the battery was new and the alternator was in great shape. Not sure why my battery was dead, I jumped the car and drove somewhere. When I parked my car, I noticed the brake lights continued to illuminate after shutting the engine off. I tried tapping on the brakes, but the brake lights continued to illuminate. I researched the issue and found a Ford recall (04S12) for 2003 Ford Taurus that said brake lights would stay on all the time. The recall covered the replacement of a brake light switch. The Ford dealership said that my VIN did not qualify under the recall. I had the dealership replace the switch anyways at my cost. The replacement brake light switch fixed the issue. The recall needs to be expanded to cover my VIN.
My battery discharge light came on then the ABS light, the brake light and others. I have taken it to a repair shop and neither he nor I can find the battery drain. The computer doesn't show anything. At times if its raining the wipers go as does the heat or air blower. I have also noticed the transmission not shifting correctly. My main concern is the engine stopping or the brakes not working and I have had my wipers not work in a rain storm. Any advice?
There is a recall on my car, but my VIN was never entered and notice was ever sent out to recall the vehicle.I had problems with insurance because of the VIN, maybe the VIN should be [xxx]. Ford randall reed and reynolds Ford in Oklahoma city refused to do the recall repair. The Ford customer service rep confirmed my car came from the plant that had the recall and that there was never a repair/notice because the VIN hadn't been entered. They gave another phone number, but that number only speaks to dealerships. My car will not shift out of park. My mechanic is [xxx]at midas on nw 23rd phone: [xxx]Ford has been giving him the run-around, but he is trying to resolve the issue of my VIN not being reported. The recall went out in April 2004 the campaign # 04V106000. This defect can cause a crash. Recall id # 41871 - exterior lighting:brake lights:switch hide details recall date: Mar 02, 2004 model affected: 2003 Ford Taurus summary: Certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. This malfunctioning could render the stop lamps inoperable or cause them to stay on all the time. This could cause confusion to a following driver, which could lead to a crash. Consequences: In addition, if the switch and/or associated wiring fail in the open position, the brake lights will not actuate and the driver will not be able to shift the vehicle out of "park" if they fail in the closed position, the brake lights will remain on, which will not allow the speed control to be activated. This could also cause the battery to discharge. Remedy: Dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. Owner notification is expected to begin on April 5, 2004. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6),
There is a recall on my car, but my VIN was never entered. Therefore a notice was never sent out to recall the vehicle. Ford randall reed and reynolds Ford in Oklahoma city refused to do the recall repair. The Ford customer service rep confirmed my car came from the plant that had the recall and that there was never a repair/notice because the VIN hadn't been entered. They gave another phone number, but that number only speaks to dealerships. My car will not shift out of park. My mechanic is [xxx]at midas on nw 23rd phone: [xxx] Ford has been giving him the run-around, but he is trying to resolve the issue of my VIN not being reported. The recall went out in April 2004T he campaign # 04V106000. This defect can cause a crash. Recall id # 41871 - exterior lighting:brake lights:switch hide details recall date: Mar 02, 2004 model affected: 2003 Ford Taurus summary: Certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. This malfunctioning could render the stop lamps inoperable or cause them to stay on all the time. This could cause confusion to a following driver, which could lead to a crash. Consequences: In addition, if the switch and/or associated wiring fail in the open position, the brake lights will not actuate and the driver will not be able to shift the vehicle out of "park" if they fail in the closed position, the brake lights will remain on, which will not allow the speed control to be activated. This could also cause the battery to discharge. Remedy: Dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. Owner notification is expected to begin on April 5, 2004.. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while parked, she attempted to shift the gear into reverse but she was unable to move the gear shifter out of park. The contact was able to place the vehicle in reverse after applying excessive force to the brake pedal. Additionally, the contact noticed the tail lights illuminated while the vehicle was shut off. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 04V106000 (exterior lighting) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pasco, WA, USA