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...
3.4
definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,559 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.
Ac/heater blower only operates on high - speeds 1,2,3, no air blowing. Blower resistor part (F6dz-19A706-aa) has been replaced three times in six years. Obviously, there is a defect/known problem that Ford should be addressing.
Failure of blower motor. My research shows that water leaking into the blower motor compartment and shorting-out the blower motor/resistor is chronic in the 2003 Ford Taurus, evidenced by the presence of water on the floor passenger side-front, and necessitates replacement of the blower motor and/or ballast resistor from water damage, at owner expense! a recall is in order to compel Ford to address this design issue, at their expense.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that as the vehicle was started, he attempted to activate the defroster but the blower fan failed to operate. In addition, the front passenger floorboard would periodically exhibit water retention. The failure occurred more frequently in rainy and snowy weather conditions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and they informed the contact that there was water within the blower fan motor relay. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
Heat/ac fan blows only on high. Replaced cowl panel and installed rain hat and blower resistor 11/08; blower motor resistor found defective 7/10 and replaced. Heat/ac fan blows only on high today 12/10.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated when turning on the air conditioner, heater, defroster or any one or combination of these components, the vehicle would stall. The failure would occur only when the vehicle was in the drive position. When the vehicle was parked with the engine running, the failure would not occur. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000 and the current was 100,000. The VIN was not available.
- Philadelphia , PA, USA
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2003 Ford Taurus, blower motor failing and leaking water onto the floorboard. From the looks of it I am not the only one with this problem. I think there should be a recall from Ford to take care of this problem.
The A/C - heater blower motor stopped working due to a water leak through the cabin filter into the motor housing. It just stopped working. I took it to Ford and they replaced the blower motor, resistor, cowl and new weatherstripping at a cost of $465.01. Since there is a tsb from Ford regarding this, I feel that it should be expanded to an all out recall. Ford knows that it is a bad design and Ford needs to make good on it's products.
Heater blower motor stopped working. Fuse and relay are good. Checked blower motor, condensation on outside of motor. Smells of mold, water on passenger floorboard. In November of 2007 blower stopped but I tapped the housing and it starting working again. Now will not do anything.
About 3-4 weeks ago my heater/air conditioner blower starting working on high only. About 1 week ago the blower motor went out all together. I also have water leaking into the passenger floor board (not heater core, since it has not smell). This water has been leaking for a long time but no one could ever find where it was coming from. Considering the number of complaints for the same thing there should be a recall for this repair.
I started having problems with the A/C blower motor on my car about a month ago. Yesterday, 04/23/2008, the blower motor resistor went out causing the blower to work only on high. Today, 04/24/2008, the blower motor completely stopped blowing. I know that there is a tsb out for this problem and have read several different websites where other owners have experienced the same problem. This is something I think Ford should recall and fix at their expense. If they know it is a problem fix it! why should I have to pay for a repair that is a manufacturer defect?
I was driving my 2003 Ford Taurus on February 5, 2008, when the blower motor ceased working. I also noticed that there was a water leak on the passenger floor board. When I took my car to Goodyear I was told that the water leak caused my blower motor to short out. I understand that this is a mechanical problem and the Ford Motor Company should be responsible for the expense of time lost from work and the following costs: R/R blower motor, $88; new blower motor, $110.21; cabinet air filter gasket and blower weatherstrip $27.73; R/R/ cabin filter gasket $70.40 and the costs of installation of the air filter $29.66. The total is $362.82. I am referencing Ford's existing recall number, 03V087000 and the complaint of william Ford #10184014.
I own a 2003 Ford Taurus. The heater blower gets water in it then shorts out and the heater/air blower does not work. It also dumps water into my passenger side floor. I have read on topix.com many complaints about this same problem. Why is there no recall?
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that water is leaking through the bottom of the windshield. The water leaked into the vents and traveled onto the passenger side floor. The dealer replaced a weather seal and cow panel. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03V087000 (visibility:windshield). The current and failure mileages were 40,000. Updated 3/11/08 updated 03/11/08
In 2003 tuarus the blower motor and resistor was replaced due to failure from water from ac line. This did not allow ac/heater/defroster fan to function. On highway windows fogged up to zero visability traveling from nc to fl when cold. Fortunitly no accident. Ford is a ware of problem and knows the fix but when I first took car in blower worked and it cost $200 for just a check. Ford forum let me know others having problem too and how to fix by replacing motor blower and resistor. Have old parts which are rusted from water damage.
2003 Ford Taurus had leaking under passenger dashboard. Took vehicle to dealership to get it fixed for $155. The blower motor stopped working except on high. I read that other people had this problem with the 2003 Ford Taurus. Now I was going to be out more money to replace the blower and/or blower resistor. This was an apparent design flaw and should be recalled.
Water leaked into the cabin on passenger's side front of the 2003 Ford Taurus, causing the heater and air condition R ( /A-C) blower to rust and become inoperative. Visibility a problem before changing the motor myself. Dealer refused to fix under ext. Warranty. Recall #031506, for water leak.
Blower motor went out and had no heat in the middle of the winter(5 degrees out and had two toddlers in the car. It is a known manufacturing defect allowing water to get into the blower assembly.
: the contact stated while driving various speeds in rainy weather, water leaked through the cowling around the front passenger side of the windshield. Additionally, the rainwater leaked into the defroster/defogger motor which shorted out afterwards. The dealer and manufacturer were notified.
: the contact stated the front defroster is inoperable resulting in water leakage on the passenger side of the vehicle. The dealership was alerted however no repairs have been made.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Diego, CA, USA