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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...

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,750 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.

2003 Ford Taurus electrical problems

electrical problem

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2003 Ford Taurus Owner Comments

problem #8

Jan 152008

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

03 Ford Taurus, the heat has quit working in the car first I lost low and the next two speed controls then I lost high speed altogether. Doing research at other websites this is a very common problem. Also there has been the occasional water leak on the passenger floor board. Where is the recall.

- West Point, IN, USA

problem #7

Nov 182007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles
Heater and A/C fan motor suddenly stopped.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #6

Sep 251973

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The vehicle burst into flames while parked and was destroyed. A police report was filed. The contact's insurance company informed him that the fire originated from the steering column or under the dashboard. He has pictures, if needed. The purchase date, VIN, and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 23,000.

- White Marsh, MD, USA

problem #5

Apr 242007

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles

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

Water leak causing blower motor and resistor to fail on 2003 Ford Taurus.

- Caledonia, MS, USA

problem #4

Mar 162007

Taurus

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Their was a winter storm and the blower on my 2003 Taurus was not working. When the tempatures started to rise and the snow/ice melted there was a significant consolsation on the unit as well as on the floor boards. The motor hissed, then started then stopped. I have a friend who had the motor replaced a few weeks ago for the same reason.

- Ansonia, CT, USA

problem #3

Jan 162006

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 39,000 miles
I purchased a 2003 Ford Taurus with a five year extended warranty from elder Ford. Blower motor was full of water that leaked through the vent. This made it burn out. The dealer wants $420 to replace the motor and cowl cover. This is a design problem, I have not modified any parts of the vehicle. Not even three years later this is the problem I am having. And I was told by the dealer that this is not covered under my warranty that I purchased for over $800. I feel that this should be covered and Ford should not be ripping people off by building junk.

- Sterling Hts, MI, USA

problem #2

Oct 252005

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles
The contact stated while driving smoke started coming from underneath the dashboard. Upon inspection by a local mechanic it was determined there was a short in the blower motor. Water could gather in the area where the blower motor was located. The mechanic replaced the blower motor and installed a special kit to waterproof the area. There was a technical service bulletin for this specific problem.

- Kingston, PA, USA

problem #1

Sep 142004

Taurus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The driver noticed while driving the passenger side dashboard fallen apart. The driver was able to contact the dealer for an appointment and inspection. Please fill in additional information.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

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