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...
9.1
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,930
Average Mileage:
93,200 miles
Total Complaints:
340 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replace transmission (157 reports)
not sure (81 reports)
replace torque converter (37 reports)
sitting in drive way trying to figure something out (33 reports)
rebuilt the transmission replacing only failed parts (20 reports)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - The more of us that call or go online and file a complait about this issue with Ford Taurus Transmissions The better chance we have of getting this taken care of by the responsible manufacturer. Also even if you already fixed your car if a Recall is issued then Ford will have to reimburse you for the cost Just Save All Reciepts. Also I not sure If we all stand to gether
I have owned this auto since it was new. My mother bought it for us both, then passed away two weeks after leaving this car to me alone. I have had nothing but problems! the latest and worse was when I drove to the local market five blocks away. I had just made it to the second block when I stopped at the stop sign, then when I tried to go forwards, the car would not! The transmission would not work at all! I had to have the auto towed home. I am a widowed senior who is trying to live in retirement. Now, how do I feed myself , pay rent, AND FIX AN AUTO THAT HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS?
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE TRANSMISSION HAS GONE BAD. I'VE HAD TO FIX THE AC. THE CAM TIMING SHAFT AND SO MUCH MORE. WHY WHY WHY. FORD HOW DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?
My daughter was driving along and stopped at a red light. When she went to accelerate the car would not move. The transmission was locked out. Engine ran fine but no gears would engage when you moved the gear shift. Had to have it towed to a transmission place. They found that the pump was broken because of the smaller needle bearing they used in this model. They said they have seen the exact same thing in many Taurus. Now they have to drop the trans, replace all broken pieces, replace torque converter, replace pump, and charge for 4-5 hours of labor.....$1600-$1700.
Thanks Ford for using a smaller needle bearing in this model so that we can all enjoy the pain of paying for a new transmission!! Ever consider a RECALL for using inferior equipment?!?! Seems like a ton of Transmission related complaints here....get a clue!
Are you kidding me? This is the 3rd time in 3 years this piece of crap car has had transmission issues.
Ford needs to wake up and smell the oil burning, there is obviously issues with the trannies in these cars.
I checked a local junk yard for parts today and they have over 20 Taurus cars from 2001-2009 and say that this is one of the cars they see a lot of as well as the Sable.
I cannot afford to fix this car again. It is my mom's car which I drive since she is not able to, I take her to all her Drs appts and to the store...... That is it!
Thank God I work from home and do not have to depend on this car to get me to and from work. It is in the driveway sitting and has been since August, I am trying to figure out what to do. Fix it again and wait or sell it as it and take a loss, junk it. The car is in excellent condition otherwise.
FORD ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?
RECALL THESE TRANSMISSIONS AND FIX THEM FOR YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS!
When I was growing up I remember the kids saying FORD stood for Found On the Road Dead! WOW!
My husband and I looked for months for a Ford Taurus for my mail route as they are one of the only cars left with a bench or split front seat. We chose this one because of the low miles. And only 2 months the transmission shaft broke in two!!! I bought a ford taurus in January with 118,000 miles on it and it blew the engine!!! I have to find a new brand with the bench front seat!!!
Bought our 2003 Taurus from a very nice elderly couple in March 2016 with 36,000 miles on it. My husband and I both use the car, as it is our only dependable vehicle....well, was. I drove the car to work this morning with absolutely no issues whatsoever. Got in my car to go to lunch, put the car in reverse and only thing that happened was my RPMS went up and the car wouldn't move. I tried all gears with same result. We do not make a lot of money and can't afford a $2000 repair on a car we bought less than a year ago. The car currently has 50,000 miles. Still way too soon for the transmission to go bad. Ford should step up and make this right. It is obviously a known problem because as soon as I searched 2003 taurus transmission, I got a ton of results with many other people saying the same thing. Wish I would have searched better before we bought this piece of garbage.
My son drives my 2003 Ford Taurus, which I purchased for him to drive until he gets on his feet. He kept saying the transmission was slipping. I took it to my mechanic who put it on a diagnostic machine and it showed nothing wrong with the transmission. However, two weeks after the visit to the mechanic, the car left him hanging literally in the middle of the road at 5 a.m. Luckily there were no vehicles around or it could have been dangerous. Thank God for his saving protecting power!!
THE TRANSMISSION JUST WENT OUT ON OUR 2003 FORD TARUS. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE THEM REPLACE IT. IT SEEMS THIS IS HAPPENING TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BOUGHT THIS YEAR CAR. WHY, WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS, THERE HASNT BEEN ANYTHING DONE. FORD, YOU SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBALITY FOR THIS. DO YOUR CUSTOMERS RIGHT.
Warning. Dangerous Situation. Avoid! 2003 Taurus sedan with 55,000 original miles. Transmission failed in the middle of an intersection while making a left-hand turn. Transmission would not move in any gear. On-coming traffic could have collided with us. Towed to "Auto-Club" recommended dealer, who stated that this is a Known Problem by FORD with Taurus transmissions $2800 replacement cost. No way to fix without complete replacement. Called Ford corporate customer service and they said "nothing could be done and No reimbursement
Was leaving work one night, got to red light and stop. Light change ,gave gas and vechile did not move. Check gear to see if was in drive. Gave gas vechile did not move. Had to call and get a tow. Next day found out tramission was bad. Had to pay $1123.50 to get vechile repaired. Should I get my money back or some kind of refund. This is a common problem with the ford Taurus.
Came out of the highway was able to turn, and then could not move anymore. The car turns on and accelerates but would not move when you put it in drive or reverse. After looking up problems with 2003 Ford Taurus Transmissions, to my surprise found out I was not alone.
Did not know there were so many similar problems with that same year car. I guess the Ford Motor Co. did not care about fixing the obvious problem. Anywhere I call is going to be costly, $1800.00 - $2000.00 or more. the vehicle has 108,000 miles is not worth for me to put that much money into it. will probably junk it. One thing for sure I'm not buying anymore Ford Vehicles.
No warnings! Went to get my son from work, got to bottom of hill, let traffic go by, went to continue, and nothing! No, drive, no reverse, nothing! Had to have it towed home. I have been without a car for months, and looks like I'm there again! What the hell? I looked at paperwork that came with the car, and the transmission was serviced one year ago today! I only had car one week! I can't afford to replace it right now, and I can't afford to be without a car.
My question is if Ford knew about this car doing this, why the hell didn't they fix it?!
My son was driving down a 50 mph highway and the car just stopped switching gears. Luckily he was able to pull into a parking lot. The car only has 69,000 miles and we had to replace the torque converter for $1200.
Drove to work and parked car with no problems with transmission. There was no slipping or noises of any kind. I went to leave work that afternoon and the car started and ran fine but It would not go into any gear. Had it towed and got the call today that it needs a new transmission.
Update from Mar 8, 2016: I had a used transmission installed by someone that didn't charge an arm and a leg. The only problem with this is it a used transmission so the warranty is not very long but it was the cheapest route and that's the way I had to go. It cost me right at $700 total. Just saying a prayer that it will not happen again.
For about a month, the transmission acted strange in that at highway speed, it would act as if it were in neutral for a little bit, then resume behaving normally. Of course, when we would take it to a mechanic, it would behave, so problems weren't easily found.
Eventually, we went to put the car back in the garage. Upon engaging drive, the transmission made a horrible grinding noise (much like shoving a manual into gear without bothering with the clutch), and left a large puddle of ATF in the driveway.
It moved far enough to get back into the garage and went into park.
At this point, it refused to disengage from park at all, and had to be dragged out on sleds to get it onto the back of a tow truck and head off for repair.
Here it is, ~2 years and ~15k miles later, and the reman is starting to act a bit funny again. Here's to hoping it either lives, or dies while still inside of the warranty...
Like a lot of you, I was driving along in my Taurus and there was a pop and dead transmission. I have seen transmissions have problems before, but was honestly surprised when it just died out of the blue. I found out later that it is a defect in the transmission at the point of the drive shaft. Ford decided to go with an inexpensive part that, over time, will wear down and eventually break so that it effectively cuts the transmission from the engine. This was a design flaw that has caused a lot of people serious trouble with their cars down the road. If you are thinking about buying one of these cars be careful. These seem like nice cars, but the problems with the transmission gives zero warning leading up to the failure. Once it fails its either replace the transmission or replace the car - no third choice. And these days a new transmission is worth more than the car will be.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I have owned this auto since it was new. My mother bought it for us both, then passed away two weeks after leaving this car to me alone. I have had nothing but problems! the latest and worse was when I drove to the local market five blocks away. I had just made it to the second block when I stopped at the stop sign, then when I tried to go forwards, the car would not! The transmission would not work at all! I had to have the auto towed home. I am a widowed senior who is trying to live in retirement. Now, how do I feed myself , pay rent, AND FIX AN AUTO THAT HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS?
- Thelma S., Inyokern, CA, US