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
this was #2! didn't waste the time contacting ford- went to dealership where purchased, they couldn't help me because "the car was too old". This time, I was stranded out in traffic! Pulled out of work into oncoming traffic & with no warning what-so-ever, the car stopped moving. No forward, no reverse, no nothing! There are no more Fords purchased by this family. We are tired of dealing with the junk AX4N automatic trans axles. No wonder ford is making so much money, they are using junk parts & not helping out the people who are buying the vehicles.
So like everyone on this website, I had no significant problems with my Ford Taurus until I was driving one rainy day down the street when all the sudden my engine revs up and the RPMs go up. The car begins to slow down and I glide the car to safety. After having the car towed to a transmission shop I was told that the vehicle needed to be rebuilt as the converter shattered in there. Cost of the repair was over $2300. I spoke with Ford who told me that the cost of the repair is at the customer's expense.
I want to encourage everyone who comes to this site to report the complaint with NHTSA to force an investigation and a recall of this problem as its a significant safety issue. Their website is: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
well like everyone else my 03 pos car would not move transmission was shot i feel something should be done where is the lemon law?now i.m with no transportation to get to work because i don't have 2400.00$ to fix the problem
at 87,000 miles the transmission completely failed. car would not move in any gear which left us stranded on the highway. prior to this happening we never had any problem with the car and it was very reliable but now after being fixed its the car your never sure you want to take out of the driveway. total cost of repair $2,000. for anyone who needs a transmission or motor, use everdrive... they are cheap and have great warranties
- David F.,
Califon, NJ, US
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These transmissions are crap. For what you spend on a car, the major components should at least last until the car is paid for. Major repairs on top of car notes can kill a household. When the complaints against the transmissions are so wide, ford should do something about it.
Well I've just read all 52 other complaints and low and behold !!!! I coulda written a bunch of them to the letter. Driving on the freeway and all of a sudden the RPMs went up and the speed went down. Coasted to the off ramp and sat there waiting for AAA to tow the car. Got it to the garage .. Received the lovely call the following morning telling me the transmission needed overhauled. Then to add insult to injury the garage is now telling me the transmission is fixed but i have a coolant issue. After speaking to three mechanics last night I'm getting the feeling the shop screws up some hoses while they removed the transmission. I've always owned FORDs..... This really pisses me off....
I have an 03 ford taurus, without no warning or any symptoms, the car will not go into gear at all.. its like over night the car decided it was going to stay in neutral .. i do not know what to do... its very hard to trust mechanics now a days. has anyone ever had this complaint.. I'm sure they have.. just want some explanation before I make a decision on who to take it to.. cannot afford to be ripped off.. oh yea, and I'm still making pmts on the car.. that really sucks.
Transmission went out without any warning while driving to work on 07/01/2009. I turned into a lane and the RMP's went crazy. Car started to shake and lose power. Parked car on the side of the road, turned it off and restarted it. The car started alright but I couldn't go forward or reserve so I had a feeling it was a transmission problem. The car repair shop wanted @ $2,000 to get it fixed. I didn't have the money since I am on a budget so the car had to be towed away. I was still paying on this car which I purchased used about 2 years ago at @ 50,000. The next car I purchase will not be a Ford... that's for sure! The Ford Company needs to be aware of these sudden problems which cause hell for those who drive the "ticking time-bomb" cars like the Ford Taurus 2003 SES.
Was heading back to work from lunch, engine revved and wouldn't go anywhere. I managed to coast into a parking lot, had to have car towed to the house. It has 70,000 miles on it and gave no warning that anything was wrong with the transmission! I wish I had read this website before purchasing it since it is our main car that gets us to work. We don't have the money to fix this problem and don't know what we are going to do, since we just bought the car in September to replace our PT Cruiser that was totaled in a wreck. Ford needs to step up to the plate and fix their transmissions!!!!!!!!!!
My car is loaded with miles, thats for sure, so its bound to have a problem or two. But two days after spending hours and hours checking oil fluids, replacing the oil, steering wheel fluid, and everything else working on my car, it blows up! Im driving down the highway going 65, and all of a sudden my car just wouldn't go anywhere. RPMS shot to the roof and the car just wouldn't go anywhere.
Being a 17 year old college student with a job, this was a real pain in my ass. I babied this car, and for it to cost this much was ridiculous. Towing alone was $100.
It blows my mind that a vehicle with such low mileage (57,000+ miles) and that is well maintained can lose its transmission. What ever happened to Ford's integrity and quality. The transmission and engine are the primary components in a vehicle, and if they believe in their product, you would think they would automatically give it the maximum coverage possible (like their competitors are doing). My experience with Ford and another American competitor have been bad to worst. I guess they refuse to give me what I pay for, so as much as I would prefer to buy American, I'm going to have to buy foreign. Shame on them!!
The car is my son's and he has not had that car a good 6 months and the transmission has gone out already! He's not even finished paying for the car....This is some weak ass sh*t right here!!! My friend warned long ago about Ford vehicles.
44000 miles on a babied car and transmission goes out?! No wonder foreign competition is winning. American engineering is going to the dogs! Time to start buying tanks? I thought at Ford Quality was job 1 !!!
Had the torque converter replaced in my 2003 ford Taurus at 68,000 miles. Then in May 2009 i was driving down highway at 70 miles an hour and the RPMs revved up and car wouldn't go anywhere. Had it towed to the dealers and it was the transmission again at 120,000.00. This time it cost me 2500.00 to have fixed. Today, November 16, 2009 I was driving to work and the check engine light came on and i had it checked at auto zone and know it says failed transmission sensor. So what do you have to do put in a transmission every 60,000 miles? I was so mad, i wrote ford and there response was they are sorry, but the part is not under warranty and there is nothing they can do about it. I will be selling this car and I will never buy a ford again.
I have had my Taurus since 2003 and loved it until now. I couldn't believe the estimate I got today to fix my transmission. It could have been $1,000 cheaper if we had just fixed the torque converter, but it wouldn't have fixed the problem. I am so discussed right now in ford. Then they were trying to sell me a used and a new car today, that would have cost more and probably have had another transmission malfunction.
2003 Ford Taurus...looks great,no problems , oil changed regularly. And now ....the rest of the story..75,000 MILES:
Transmission failed without any warning. RPMs max out, Car fails to move. After coasting off of the expressway (if you happen to be lucky that day) car will not go into gear. There is no visible problems with fluid or anything being broken. Haul to nearest dealer with wrecker. Get runaround for a couple of days until you make them confront the problem. Get astronomical quote on repair. Haul home with Uhaul dolly and park it indefinitely.
The internet is crammed with the same story. Ford knows of the problem but did NOTHING to recall or confront this problem. They chose to sell this crap. The terrorists who are ruining this country are not only overseas, but,at your local FORD plants and dealeships. Sorry if you are an overpaid,spoiled Ford employee. You should be embarassed to work for P.O.S. DO-NOT-BUY-FORD!!!!!!!!
"I think I'm turning Japanese...I really think so."
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
this was #2! didn't waste the time contacting ford- went to dealership where purchased, they couldn't help me because "the car was too old". This time, I was stranded out in traffic! Pulled out of work into oncoming traffic & with no warning what-so-ever, the car stopped moving. No forward, no reverse, no nothing! There are no more Fords purchased by this family. We are tired of dealing with the junk AX4N automatic trans axles. No wonder ford is making so much money, they are using junk parts & not helping out the people who are buying the vehicles.
- Terri S., Hicksville, OH, US