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CarComplaints.com Notes: Most people need a car where the coil springs don't puncture or shred tires while driving. The Taurus fails in that respect.

The 1999-2003 Ford Taurus 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...

2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,924 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.

2002 Ford Taurus body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2002 Ford Taurus Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #33

Oct 202011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the cup holder in the center of the vehicle was too shallow to hold the cup. The contact stated whenever she stopped or attempted a turn, the cup would fall out and roll under the brake or accelerator pedal. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 145,000. Updated 08-16-12

- Sheridan, WY, USA

problem #32

Oct 262009

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 25,252 miles
I have a 2002 Taurus where the passenger side floor was getting sopping wet when the A/C was used. I determined the problem was back-flow through the high density foam seal that surrounds the drain spout. The drain spout goes through a hole in the firewall, and black high density foam seals between the hole and the evaporator drain spout. Because the drain spout is more or less horizontal, instead of dripping off the end of the spout, the water was flowing back along the bottom of the spout toward the firewall, then wicking through the black foam back into the passenger compartment, resulting in a soaked passenger side floor. Ford offered to remove my dash to find the problem for a cost of $800 in labor alone. This seems to me like a defect since there are thousands online having the same issue. I fell that Ford need to fix this defect for free.I do have a bumper to bumper coverage that does not cover this can of repair. I am unable to use the ac or vent without have water under the passenger side rug which gets so wet that it takes weeks to dry out. I just discovered that my wife's 2005 Taurus is having the same problem as my 2002. Regards, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Medford, NY, USA

problem #31

Dec 062010

Taurus

  • miles
I purchased a used 2002 Ford Taurus two years ago. About 4 weeks ago, I was driving down of a driveway at work and heard a loud popping noise. I ended up having the car towed to a mechanic and he found both front springs broken and two shredded tires. Both of the springs were broken in exactly the same place. He had never seen anything like this. The cost of the repairs was $600: $400 for the two springs and $200 for the two tires. Luckily I was driving at a very slow speed when this happened and not doing 70 mph on an interstate highway. I have read dozens of consumer complaints online about the same thing happening to other owners of 2002 Taurus's but Ford has not done a recall yet. I am requesting that a recall be made and the cost of repairs be reimbursed to the owners of the cars. The recall should include the rear springs, too, as many owners have had the rear springs break also.

- West Glacier, MT, USA

problem #30

Mar 222010

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 69,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2002 Ford Taurus ses, it has 69,400 miles. I have owned the car since new, it is garaged 90% of the time. A couple years ago I noticed that the passenger carpet was soak and wet, and I never thought anything of it, I assumed that maybe when driving in the rain, I had crackedthe window open and rain got inside on passenger carpet. In March of 2010, I had a house sitter, while I went on vacation. I moved my car outside, so that she could use my garage. The car sat outside for 3 weeks, the northeast had torrential rains everyday, and area flooding on streets. I had come home from vacation, drove my car and heard a noise clanking under dashboard. I took car to mechanic, he said it was my heater. I had my husband remove and replace with a new one. When my husband took the old heater out, it was completely rusted with water still on it. I thought maybe housesitter had taken my car out and she left a window open.now it is October, I am attending driving instructor school, and my teacher gave me website for recalls. I decided to check to see if any recalls, and find that there are multiple complaints on my year make and model, for heaters shortening out, I now have no A/C and don't know why along with wet carpets on passenger side L. I printed out recall 03V-087000 and took to Ford today, they state that my VIN has no campaign message for a recall. Recall#03V-087000 is for certain 2002-2003 Taurus and Sable. What is being done with the rest of VIN # that are having the same problem and are not included. I don't want to leave my car in rain and get other components short out, or possible fire, and keep getting the carpet wet, because it will cause mold to grow underneath. All cars in this year make model should be recalled if all are having the same problems. I did not save the old heater, because at the time I thought maybe rain had got in thru the window. Please help, I love my car and it is otherwise a good running car.

- Atkinson, NH, USA

problem #29

Jan 012007

Taurus

  • 45,000 miles
Occasionally, after heavy rain, the passenger side floor of my Taurus would be soaked. This went on for a few years. During the winter of 2007, the blower motor stopped functioning due to the leak. When the blower motor stopped working I was on the highway and could not defrost my windows. This was especially dangerous because of the snowy and icy conditions. Not only was I unable to defrost the inside of my windshield, but I also could not prevent ice from forming on the outside of my windshield. It was an extremely dangerous situation and I had to exit the highway. The window cowl under the windshield and various parts of the blower motor were replaced. This did stop the leak. My Taurus is a 2002, but I have seen this problem in the 2000 to 2005 models. It is unacceptable that NHTSA has not investigated this and issued a recall. It is a serious safety concern, and the issue has been known for almost a decade. Please investigate.

- Sagamore Hills, OH, USA

problem #28

May 152010

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 122,000 miles
Have a 2002 Ford Taurus ses. Water leaking onto floor on passenger side, noticeable when it is raining. Two weeks later, my heater/ac will not turn on. I turn the switch on and get absolutely nothing.

- Missoula, MT, USA

problem #27

Jan 062010

Taurus

  • 107,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was running fine. Next day, no heat. I had a mechanic backflush the line after which I was able to get some(very little) heat for about 1 month just to get me through the winter. Following year, I had to have the vehicle backflushed again. Same results, but now the ac is staying on with the vent on and I have no heat any where but at the floor boards and that is very little to none. A mechanic advised me that it is the heater core and will need to be replaced. Other complaints on the heater core sound to be a result of an incident I had: When I bought this vehicle, I had a problem within 30 days of ownership where water was leaking under the hood from outside. I was charged for replacing a faulty cowlick. The dealership told me that this problem would continue to happen weekly when the car got wet if the cowlick was not replaced. When I questioned how this was possible that I had this problem and they never had to replace this part before; I was told the vehicle never got wet while in their ownership, (open lot with no garages to protect vehicles from rain). I had to pay out of pocket to have the part replaced.

- Strongsville, OH, USA

problem #26

Nov 202009

Taurus

  • 79,500 miles
Water leaks into the heater blower box when raining and then to the passenger side floor inside the cabin. The water has shorted out the blower motor resistor and the blower motor. This also caused rust to form on the fan, the motor and resistor pack.

- Sikeston, MO, USA

problem #25

Oct 302009

Taurus

  • 71,000 miles
The blower in my 2002 Ford Taurus works intermittently. There is also water on the floor board on the passenger side which I suspect has something to do with the problem.

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #24

Sep 102009

Taurus

  • 69,000 miles
Water leak into passenger side of passenger compartment, resulting in failure of multiple electrical components, including blower motor. Reference ntsb item # 10011149 / service bulletin nbr 031506.

- Gladstone, MO, USA

problem #23

Feb 282009

Taurus

  • 40,387 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Feb. 28 I close the truck. I noticed just below the license on the trunk the paint was blistered and peeling off the trunk. The problem was not there in Aug., when I carefully put new plates on the car. The surface is down to the gray primer. I guess we will have to pay to have it repainted at your own expense.

- Dellwood, MO, USA

problem #22

Sep 302008

Taurus

  • 49,700 miles
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus. When there is heavy rain water comes into the trunk. It seems to puddle in the deck lid cover and when I open the trunk lid, water comes down one of the two hinges and pours into the trunk. Dealer has tried to fix the problem by realigning the trunk lid and by replacing the weather strip.

- New Milford, CT, USA

problem #21

Sep 302008

Taurus

  • 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. When it rains, water soaks the front passenger side of the vehicle. The dealer replaced the cawl panel. The mechanic stated that there was a bulletin related to this failure. The current mileage was 50,000 and failure mileage was 49,000.

- New Milford , CT, USA

problem #20

Apr 122008

Taurus

  • miles
Water leaks into passenger floor area when it rains. Padding is now growing mold.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #19

Jul 152008

Taurus

  • 118,000 miles
Every time it rains, my 2002 Ford Taurus SE leaks into the right passenger floor board. Various bulletin boards, show that numerous Taurus vehicles leak. Ford should be responsible for the repair at no cost to the consumer. Leaking causes blower to malfunction and/or not operate at all. Extremely costly repair.

- Sicklerville, NJ, USA

problem #18

Jul 042008

Taurus

  • 60,000 miles
Water leaks into my 2002 Ford Taurus. After storms the passenger side floor board will be wet. Apparently the water leaks into the car and after passing through the blower box drips onto the carpet. My blower resistor failed yesterday as a result of the water pooling into the blower motor. There are numerous reports of this problem. Ford should be responsible.

- Jeffersonville, IN, USA

problem #17

Mar 012008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 76,000 miles
I have noticed in the past few day when it has rained that a pool of water forms on the front passenger side floor. Also, yesterday, my fan for the heater/ac stopped working. I have noticed that there are several other people across the us that have encountered this same problem. The car has begun to smell of stagnant water after only a few days. Unfortunately, the weather has been extremely cold and it affects my ability to safely operate my vehicle without heat. Apparently there has already been a complaint filed with NHTSA regarding this problem (complaint # 10184014).

- Warren, RI, USA

problem #16

Jan 222008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus. On the evening of Jan. 22, 2008 my wife was leaving work when she heard a loud thump, the front of the vehicle fell downward. She was unable to steer, move forward or reverse. Having to move the vehicle, we had it towed to a near by auto repair station where it was than inspected. Needing the vehicle asap, the technician called that night to inform us that the drivers front coil spring broke in half and that it was wedge into the wheel. After further inspection he found that the pass front coil spring was also cracked. Needing the vehicle, I had them do the repairs which included coil springs, struts, damaged sway bar links, and bearings for a total $ $810.84. When I picked the vehicle up I was told by the tech that the rear springs are also cracked and should be replaced asap. I was told by the local dealer that there was a recall on this matter but only on the 2001. Why not the 2002 and what corrections were made? it doesn't seem right that the exact same issue still occurs on the 2002 vehicle. I did contact Ford customer service for help paying for these repairs, but was told they could not help me. Thank god my wife was not driving on the highway when the spring broke and wedged in the wheel.

- Adrian, MI, USA

problem #15

Jan 162008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,000 miles
There is a leak in the passenger compartment of my 2002 Ford Taurus when ever it rains. The leak comes from above, and floods the floor while the car is sitting still. This has caused the heater/cooling blower to repeatedly stop. I have has the fan replaced 3 times in the last 17 months. I have had to additionally have the compressor replaced. This problem seems to be a continual one, and very much highlighted by many Taurus owners in many forums and places. This is a factory defect in the Taurus body, that now continually causes internal problems, and since the vehicle is out of warranty Ford takes a stand that it is not their problem.

- Surfside Beach, SC, USA

problem #14

Jan 022008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,000 miles
Water is leaking into the heater housing and on to the passenger floor board through the seam in the housing. We have been quoted a repair price from the Ford service center of $500 plus to correct the problem. We know there is a tsb#031506 -NHTSA id#10011149 issued 8/9/04. On this problem related to recall #03V087000. Also reference complaint # 10184014. Why is this not a recall to repair this issue"?" if you look at all the complaints here and on line there are hundreds of Ford with this issue and if is costly to fix.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

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