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:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,188 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 contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 mph, the contact noticed that she had a flat tire and pulled the vehicle into a service station. While the tire was being replaced, the mechanic noticed that the coil spring punctured the front driver's side tire. The spring and struts were replaced at the cost of $600 on April 12, 2008. In addition, the contact was involved in a rear end crash due to a stabilizer failure. There were no injuries. On June 25, 2009, the radiator hose corroded and caused coolant to leak. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that there was no recall; therefore, they would not assist. The contact was advised to call NHTSA. The failure mileage was 104,000 and current mileage was 105,424. Updated 9/1/09 updated 09/02/09.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the garage, the front coil spring failed and punctured the front driver's side tire. The current and failure mileages were 99,432.
While parked in my driveway, my 2003 Ford Taurus snapped left front coil spring and stabbed the tire. While breaking, it also broke the strut and torsion bar. Total cost was $810. I went to the Ford dealer where I bought the car and the service manager said " water got up in there and rotted it."
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 5 mph, the contact heard a loud explosion. She inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front passenger side tire blew out. The tire was removed and she noticed that the coil spring was fractured, which punctured the tire. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for repair. The manufacturer stated that no compensation would be provided because there were no recalls. The failure and current mileages were 65,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While reversing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the front driver's side tire flattened. The contact noticed that the springs failed and punctured the tire. He took the vehicle to a repair shop and the mechanic found that the stabilizer bars were made of plastic. Both stabilizers were replaced with metal stabilizers and both springs were also replaced. The manufacturer informed him to take his receipt to the Ford dealer for a reimbursement of $500. Currently, the manufacturer is denying reimbursement because the repair was not performed by an authorized Ford dealer. The failure mileage was 64,000 and current mileage was 66,000. Updated 05/27/09 updated 05/29/09.
- Alvordton, OH, USA
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The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 45 mph, the contact heard a clanking noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. Instantly, the tires blew out and she noticed a foot long gash in her tires. She began losing control of her vehicle while pulling over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the front coil spring failed. The dealer replaced both coil springs and installed coil spring shields.. there are recalls on the 1999-2001 vehicles, but not for her year and model vehicle. Ford stated that they would not cover the repair expenses on her vehicle. The failure mileage was 148,000. Updated 4/23/09 the consumer was informed his vehicle was not a part of the recall. Updated 04/27/09.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the driveway at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud heavy metal sound. She noticed that the right side of her vehicle was very low to the ground. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and they confirmed the coil spring failure. The vehicle is currently in the shop being repaired at the contact's expense. The failure and current mileages were 82,000. Updated 04-14-09 updated 04/16/09.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 10 mph, the contact heard a loud banging noise and pulled the vehicle off the road. He noticed that the front coil spring punctured the front driver's side tire. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer and will be repaired at the owner's expense. The dealer also stated that there was no open recall for that component; therefore, they will not assume responsibility for the repair. The failure and current mileages were 57,000. 4/01/09 updated 04/07/09.
Started to leave work. When I put my car in drive there was a loud bag from the front drivers side. Pulled tire off and found broken front coil spring.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the driver's side coil spring on the strut failed. The failure caused an 8-10 inch cut through the front driver's side tire. Through research, the contact found an open investigation (NHTSA action number EA08018 (suspension:front:springs:coil spring) date investigation opened: August 28, 2008 date investigation closed: Open) for the same failure. He has not yet called the dealer, but believes a recall should be issued from this open investigation. The current and failure mileages were 106,000. Updated 02-18-09 updated 02/18/09.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. After starting the vehicle and moving it forward a few inches, the contact heard and felt a loud explosion. She exited the vehicle and noticed front end failure. The vehicle was towed to a local garage and they performed the necessary repairs, which included both front coil springs, both tie rods, both struts, and one bearing plate. An alignment was also performed. Both the dealer and the manufacturer stated that her vehicle was out of warranty and not included in a recall; therefore, nothing could be done. All the repairs were made within four days at a local garage at the cost of $998.77. The failure mileage was 36,957 and current mileage was 37,000. Updated 09/09/08 the failure of the coil springs, caused damaged to other components. Updated 09/09/08.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 25 mph, the contact heard an unusual noise and felt the vehicle jerk. When he arrived home, he noticed that the front driver side coil springs had fractured, which damaged the brake hose and tires. The vehicle has not yet been diagnosed by a dealer or mechanic. The current and failure mileages were 46,931. Updated 06/30/08 the dealer confirmed the left front coil spring was fractured. Updated 06/27/08
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While backing out of the garage at approximately 5 mph, the contact heard a loud boom from underneath the front end of the vehicle. She was uncertain of what caused the noise. Three months later, she took her vehicle to a tire shop for service. The mechanic stated that there was serious failure with the front coil spring. If the spring were to uncoil, it could slip through and cause great danger while driving. At that time, the tire was replaced, but the front coil spring was not repaired. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that the failed coil spring must be replaced. Six inches of steel was damaged due to the coil spring. The front passenger tire was replaced along with the front coil spring. She elected to purchase the quick strut part, which is the strut and coil spring combination manufactured by monroe. The total cost of the repair service was $376. The failure mileage was 32,100 and current mileage was 32,546. Updated 06/02/08
Vehicle was parked in home garage, front spring broke, piercing front tire causing it to explode. Vehicle was towed, had to replace tire, front springs and struts to correct damage. $986.
2003 Ford Taurus with broken front coil spring. Consumer states that the right front coil spring broke which punctured the tire and caused it to go flat. Ford told him they would pay 50% of the repair cost.
My wife and I were sitting in my car getting ready to back out of my driveway. I put the car in reverse and instantly heard a loud bang-type noise. Immediately the front of my car leaned down on the front driver's side. I called aaa and the person found out the front coil spring was broken and come in contact with the tire causing a blowout.
I experienced a tire blowout (front left) while backing out of my driveway. Upon attempting to remove the tire, it was discovered that the coil spring over that wheel had broken and punctured the tire. My local Ford dealership replaced the spring (under warranty) but would not replace the front right spring because there was no recall.
2003 Ford Taurus SE wagon. Was pulling out of our driveway and noticed that car was driving odd. Got out and noticed that driver's front tire was flat. I did not notice the tire being flat before I moved the car. Upon removing the tire it was determined that the driver's side front coil spring was broken, the tire sidewall was torn about half way around. Upon further investigation it was found that other related parts are damaged. Contacted Ford and they said that they would do nothing to cover the cost of repairs. The vehicle has not been repaired yet.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ann Arbor, MI, USA