Print this page

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...

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,750 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Ford Taurus:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2002 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #16

Apr 192012

Taurus

  • 150,000 miles

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

Cooling system problem. Have replaced water pump 4 times in this vehicle. There is definitely an issue with the cooling system. Please issue recall. Specific problem...car shuts down.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #15

Dec 152008

Taurus

  • 110,000 miles
Water leaks into front passenger firewall/floorboard area which causes fan blower motor, heater coil and all related electrical connectors/components attached. Happens all the time static or in motion.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #14

Nov 282014

Taurus

  • 245,000 miles
Driving out of town the vehicle showed no signs of any problems including no dashboard lights or warnings displaying any need of maintanance. While turning onto another street at a low rate of speed then pressing accelerator to go, the drivetrain suddenly stopped pulling and the car stopped. The engine was still running at idle speed but the rpms were fluctuating up and down then stabilized at about 1,200 rpms. There were no sighns of any fluid leaks or pinched lines. Just a sudden stop, leaving me and my family stranded in the middle of nowhere. The expenses of hiring a wrecker to tow the vehicle to the nearest shop, and the actual repair expense was well over our family budget and has caused us a great deal of unnecessary hardships in our daily lives.

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #13

Sep 192011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 118,000 miles

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

My Taurus 2002, three days after I bought it used, exhibited behavior just like that described in PE12005 for 2005-2006 model years. I had to limp home, alternating between neutral and drive, because the engine was stuck at approx 3500 RPM. Turning the engine off and on did not cure this. After about 20 harrowing minutes during rush hour driving through a not-so-great section of detroit, the problem went away. Ford techs could find nothing; the problem has not recurred. However, based on PE12005, I will have the position of the cruise control cable checked in case that was (or could again be) the culprit.

- Dearborn, MI, USA

problem #12

Feb 142012

Taurus

  • 110,000 miles
I have a 2002 Ford Taurus sedan, and while driving about a month ago I pushed gas pedal to accelerate, the throttles became stuck causing the cars engine to speed up to 80 mph in a 30 mph speed zone. I had to apply as much pressure to the breaks as I could to control the car, and finally I was able to pull into a gas station, with the engine still racing, put the car into park and turn off the car. I was so afraid I just set in the car for about 10 minutes to collect my thoughts. I open the hood to see if anything had broken or came apart but could not find any unusual. I turn the car back on, the engine was still racing, I looked for the accelerator cable and found it. However, I notice that the small plastic O-ring on the cable used as a stop was caught on the corner of the air intake housing. I pulled back on the cable releasing it. When I let go of the cable it went back to its normal position, the engine stopped racing and slowed to a normal idle. I crept back home were the car set for two weeks before I had the nerves to drive it again. It happen again on 3/14/12 when I pushed the accelerator pedal to pass a truck on I-70W in columbus, oh.

- Galloway, OH, USA

problem #11

Jan 232012

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 71,935 miles
My seventeen year old son had told me previously that the gas pedal had been sucked down to the floor and the car accelerated wildly. At first, I dismissed it as the floor mat getting tangled in the gas pedal. But then I experienced it myself and it was a wild and crazy experience to get the car under control without any advance notice that it was going to take off from a dead stop after putting the car in gear. I took the car to varsity Ford in ann arbor, mi (invoice # [xxx]) and here is the service write up language; "customer states gas pedal will stick to the floor intermittently, check and advise. Checked the eecv system and road test inspected the throttle and cable and found absolutely no problem that would cause this concern, however, recommended some pm tune-up work. Replaced air filter as maintenance. This was the first incident. I will fill out another complaint form for the second incident. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #10

May 172011

Taurus

  • 76,405 miles

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

On May 15, 2011 I was using my 2002 Ford Taurus to run errands. After driving for a short period of time I became aware of a strange odor, all of the gauges appeared normal, and there were no warning lights illuminated on the dashboard. However, I was concerned enough to get a second opinion. Fortunately, the facility that normally services my vehicle is located less than 2 miles from my home. After visually inspecting the vehicle and checking all fluids the mechanic proceeded to test drive the vehicle, attempting to duplicate the smell. The car only traveled a short distance before the left rear tire blew out. Further investigation, on a lift, revealed a broken left rear coil spring. The jagged end of the spring was protruding into the inner sidewall of the tire, having caused it to rapidly deflate. The mechanic then informed me that the smell I experienced was most likely the broken spring rubbing on the sidewall of the tire. To my astonishment I was also told that it was a fairly common event and there is the potential for failure of the remaining 3 coil springs. I am very concerned about the continued use of this vehicle, I am well aware of the hazards associated with the sudden deflation of a tire at road speed. I have attempted to contact Ford Motor Company, because I was also told by my mechanic that at one time Ford had a recall and a campaign to remedy such a problem. To date, I have not been satisfied with the results.

- Cheektowaga , NY, USA

problem #9

Feb 052011

Taurus 6-cyl

  • 124,000 miles
Upon backing my 2002 Ford Taurus out of the driveway, my boyfriend heard a loud "pop" and discovered the front driver's side tire was flat. Upon taking off the tire, he discovered the spring coil broke and punctured a hole in the tire. Apparently this is a known issue and Ford has not issued a recall. I have to replace the spring coil and tire.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #8

Jan 142011

Taurus

  • 93,662 miles
My car was parked at my office. At 5:15pm I got into my car to leave work. I put the car into reverse and as soon as I hit the gas to back out the drivers side front tire lost all of its air. I went into the shop at my office and got my mechanic who brought the portable air compressor to try and refill the tire so we could drive the car into the shop. The tire would not take any air so my mechanic got the jack and proceeded to jack up the car to put my spare tire on. As soon as he jacked the car up I heard metal hit the concrete. When I looked under the car I noticed that a piece of metal was sticking half in my tire and half out. Once we got the tire off the vehicle we realized that it was a piece of the coil spring that had broken off and went through my tire. Upon further investigation we also found that the sway bar link was cracked.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #7

Oct 122007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,000 miles
Blower fan only runs on high setting, passenger floor gets wet sometimes. Read about this being a common problem with Ford Taurus', mine is a 2002.

- Crestline, OH, USA

problem #6

Dec 012006

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,000 miles

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

2002 SE Taurus - water leaking onto the passenger side floor through the air blower. Apparently coming in through a cowl (?) during heavy rain, the passenger floor collects water dripping form under the glove box and the blower area. Ford company told me this is my problem and not theirs...how do I get them to take my complaint to heart. This should be reviewed by Ford as a defect. This is my 4th Ford and I have had enough!

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

problem #5

Mar 152003

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles
Sept 18, 2001 we purchased a new 2002 Ford Taurus. In one day radiator hose popped off. Thirty days after the firs repair the hose popped off again. The dealer wanted to replace the engine to correct the problem. On 10-29-01 the car started to make a hiss noise and smoke would come from the front end when it was parked or turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer dirks motors. They asked if the could replace the engine again and we said no. We left the car and they told us they would let us know but we did not hear nothing from them, when we would call to ask them what was going to happen they did not know at all. On 11-5-01 the car was returned to us and with leaving the service center and not being less then 20 miles from akron, Iowa the car got hot and started to smoke and I called dirks service center on my cell phone and told them I was bring it back and this time I wanted the car replaced no questions.. but the car was taking back and they looked over it and they did not call us at all while it was in service, we called everyday to see if they knew what was wrong with it and the funny thing about it was the car was at dirks motor Inc from 11-5-01 to 11-16-01 and they could not find nothing wrong. On 11-16-01 this would have been the 4th time this car had been serviced and it was getting old.. on 12-27-02 the car started the hissing noise and short cuts on and the cd player stopped working and that was it.. I called the Ford company at 1-800-392-3673. While talking with the call center they called dirks service center and edu'd them to have the cd player replaced and look at the engine. This car has been service for the same issue more then 3 to 4 times.. we wanted the car replaced.... we rec'd a call back from Ford call center (natalie) and she edu'd to me they were going to order a new cd player and have the car looked at to see about getting the car replaced. Steve irwin afitchboy1@iw.net P# (605) 761-0268

- Elk Point, SD, USA

problem #4

Mar 212004

Taurus

  • miles
I own a 2002 Taurus with 40000 miles and twice know I've had work done on my blower unit. The first time I lost all settings except high. The dealer stated that it was a bad resistor and replaced the resistor. Two weeks later the same problem happened. The dealer stated that there was a problem with water getting into the blower unit. He will put in a modification and replaced the blower unit. A week later we had bad rain in new england and there was an inch of water on the passenger side of the car. The car will be going in for service again for this problem.

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #3

Apr 052003

Taurus

  • miles
I had noticed a funny smell in my car. My husband and I decided to look and see if we could figure what the smell was. We lifted up the spare tire piece in the trunk because it smelled really bad in the trunk and found the piece was wet and had visible water damage. There was a good amount of mold growing on the piece. We took it to the dealer who found a water leak from behind the tail lights. The mold was cleaned off. Now the dealer will not put it in writing that there was any mold in the trunk. I have contacted managers at the dealership and I have contacted Ford at the customer care number. I can not get written documentation there was mold in my vehicle.

- Springdale, PA, USA

problem #2

Aug 102002

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer states that the left turn signal has to be held while making a left turn. The manufacturer has been notified. The consumer states that she was in the right hand lane, she wanted to get in the left lane at the stop light to make a left turn. The consumer tried to use the left turn signal and it wouldn't stay on. (had to hold it down with my left hand and turn with the right hand. The shop at the dealer checked it out and stated that this was happening because of the air bag and the chip was moved to the right side of the steering wheel. This is a manufacturers defect that needs to be corrected.

- Bloomsburg, PA, USA

problem #1

May 132002

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
While pulling out of parking lot vehicle started to surge. Vehicle ran into a wall before stopping, driver suffered injuries. Contacted dealer.. consumer also stated the check engile light would illuminate.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Not what you are looking for?