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...
1.7
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
98,238 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. The contact stated that while stopped a loud noise emitted near the drivers side front tire. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who confirmed that the coil spring fractured in half. The mechanic replaced the coil spring. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while driving in reverse. This failure was diagnosed by a second private mechanic, who stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The manufacturer was notified; however, the transmission was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at low speeds out of his driveway, the front driver and passenger tires became flat. After inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the coil springs fractured causing the tires to flatten. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who advised him that the coil springs fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the front driver and passenger side coil springs and stabilizer links. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,100. Updated 10/27/11 updated 12/06/2011
Left front spring broke while driving 25 mph. Spring contacted tire and shredded sidewall. Control affected but no crash. Mechanic estimates $525 for repair/ replacement of both front spring/shock units and alignment.+
No event(s) leading to failure, only standard driving conditions. Front coil spring broke while car was parked. Moving the vehicle caused the sharp end of the spring to cut the inner sidewall of the tire 180 around. Dealership refused to cover repair and indicated 3-4 days to get replacement springs and complete repairs. Had work done by local mechanic in one day for ~ $1200 to replace both front struts and springs with (better) aftermarket replacements.
My 2003 Ford Taurus broke down on the road-upon investigating it, the front springs broke and grease spread throughout the front part of the car. I cannot afford to have it fixed, so it was towed to my home garage.
- West Bloomfield, MI, USA
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Driving car, heard a load crash from front end like someone had dropped a tray of socket wrenches. Load popping noise followed. Pulled over to inspect. Found a large portion of front spring drivers side wrapped around the strut. The piece was the shape of a "C". I am glad that the sharp end did not puncture through the tire as it was within 1/8" of the tire. I guess quick reactions prevented an accident. Spring will have to be replaced and front end inspected for additional damage. Old spring and broken off part are available.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact started the vehicle and when shifting into reverse, a loud noise emitted from the outside of the vehicle. The contact noticed the front driver's side tire exploded due to a severe puncture. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the front drivers side shock and strut module assembly were replaced. The tire and front sway bars were also replaced. The failure mileage was 45,708. Updated 06/01/11 updated 07/01/11
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 mph the contact heard a loud noise and drove the vehicle onto the emergency lane. Upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front passenger side coil spring fractured and pierced the tire. A spare tire was installed and the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where it was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 133,050.
2nd broken coil, 1st passenger rear, now front driver springs. On each occurrence fractured and punctured tire - similar to complaint EA08-018. 2003 Ford Taurus - 102,864 miles. Date of latest occurrence. January 2011.
Pulled out of garage and heard a loud pop. Front strut broke puncturing tire on drivers side. We just purchased the vehicle 3 wks ago it has a little over 90K on it. Vehicle is in good shape other wise. Previous owner had already replaced passenger side strut a few weeks before we purchased it. Very disappointing. Was hoping that there was a recall on this part. And judging by the numerous complaints about the suspension issues, there certainly should be.
While parked in my garage the front end of my 2003 Ford Taurus collapsed. Upon inspection the tire was fully deflated. I put the small spare on the vehicle and drove it to a local repair service. Upon inspection it was determined the front coil spring fractured causing a sharp shard to penetrate the tire. The spring broke into two extremely sharp pieces. The same exact thing happened with my 1993 Ford Taurus a number of years back. I also filed a complaint with the NHTSA. I can only think what might have happened if I was driving my car on the highway when the piece broke and cut through my tire. I was again fortunate that nothing happened when I was driving on the small spare to the repair ship. I contacted Ford Motor Company who responded with a general "brush off" letter and not recognizing any of the safety concerns I expressed!!! on both cars!!!! I had the car repaired at my own expense including a replacement tire. I have saved the part (spring/coil) if further inspection is required by NHTSA.
The car is my daughters. I maintain and service the car. The car is a 2003 Ford Taurus. A week ago both front springs failed at once, and subsequently cut the insides of both front tires causing them to blow out. Fortunately the tires failed in the driveway and not while she was on the highway commuting to or from work. I called the Ford dealer and asked if there was a recall on this failure. The person said that the 'oasis' system did not show any recalls on the specific VIN. I then arranged for the car to be towed to my local mechanic (who previously worked at the local Ford dealer for over 15 years), since the Ford dealer is excessively expensive. He said that the broken springs (both) twisted in such a way as to cut both the front tires on the inside side wall. He also had to replace a sway bar link (broken in the spring failure), and both front struts blown out when the broken springs allowed all the cars weight to bottom out on the struts. The car is currently at the tire shop getting two replacement tires (the blown out ones had 70% tread remaining) and a front end alignment. This failure could have been catastrophic had it happened at higher speed or on the highway. This is an extreme safety hazard and should be investigated by the NHTSA. I'm aware that the failure of springs on Ford's Taurus/Sable, escort/tracer, and other Ford models is not uncommon and has been a problem over the years. This specific type of failure, where the tires are cut and blowout is extremely dangerous and should be investigated asap. I have notified fomoco as well.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 10 mph, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the driver side front tire. The contact stopped the vehicle and noticed front driver side tire was flat. The contact stated the coil spring had broken. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated in order to diagnose the failure, the vehicle needed to be towed to the dealer. There was an open investigation NHTSA action number: EA08018 (suspension: Front: Springs: Coil springs). The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
Have a 2003 Ford Taurus. I went to pull out of my driveway, when I heard a pop. And my left front tire flat. My coil spring broke which proceeded to tear my tire and broke my sway bar in the process. This could of caused a serious accident if I was on the road driving. I have to replace all parts for both sides and tires. I have read some of the other reports on the same subject. And there are hundreds. I also in January had to replace the rear end suspension too. The coil springs were broken too.
While waiting at stoplight, heard a popping noise and front drivers side of car went down. Was able to pull into gas station parking lot about 50 feet away. Upon inspection could see inside sidewall was torn up. Called for tow. A series of bad events had taken place, could have been fatal at high speed. Spring had broken and twisted out to side shredding tire. Tore open pvc boot. Spring also damaged axle. Also destroyed another large plastic part. All these parts had to be replace at great expense. Also replaced spring and strut on passenger side for safety S sake. Ford has recalled and replaced other model year springs, but not 2002 or 2003. This should never have happened, especially with Ford past acknowledgment of this problem.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 10 mph, the contact noticed that the front coil spring fractured and ruptured the tire, causing it to deflate. The failure was similar to NHTSA campaign id 04V332000 suspension front:springs:coil springs. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that her VIN was not included in the previous recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Driving about 35 mph car started shaking then loud bang, pulled over and found drivers side front tire flat had car towed to service center and was told that the coil spring broke and flattened the tire.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, he heard a loud noise and the vehicle suddenly lost control. He coasted to the side of the road and noticed that the front passenger side had exploded. The vehicle was inspected by a independent mechanic who informed the contact that the coil springs had punctured the tire causing it to blow out. The vehicle has been repaired for the front passenger coil springs and tire. The manufacturer was also contacted and informed him that there were no recalls for the coil springs and they could not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. Updated 03/17/11 updated 12/20/11
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ridgeway , OH, USA