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:
69,763 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.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. On several occasions, after it had been raining, a puddle of water was found on the passenger side floor. After entering the vehicle and attempting to defrost the windshield, the vehicle blew out cold air. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the blower motor failed due to the interior of the vehicle leaking under the dashboard when it rained. The current mileage was 74,500 and failure mileage was 60,000.
Noticed pool of water on passenger side floor. At same time tried to run defroster and the fan would not turn on at all. Checked all fuses which were good. Mechanic assessed that the blower motor was not working. Contacted Ford dealer, was told that this is a known problem with this car and could be fixed at my expense. They would need to replace the cowl, seal the leak and replace the motor. This is not just an inconvenience, but a safety issue. Visibility is affected with no way to defrost the windows.
After a strong rain, a leaky cowl in my 2003 Taurus let water into my blower motor and shorted it out. The fan only worked on high. I had it fixed once, and then after another storm it immediately shorted out again. Then, in the last week (9/1/92008), it stopped working all together, even on high. Ford has issued a related recall for a leaky windshield (03V087000), but will not fix this issue, even though it is a known problem. When I went in to talk with Ford, they were aware of the problem, but said since it was not yet recalled, they would not fix it for free. I have not as of yet had this replaced again.
Poor vehicle design allowed water to leak into HVAC system causing damage to blower resistor and blower motor. Now unable to defrost / defog front windshield.
Passenger side floor full of water after it rains, air only blow on high until it recently went completely out. Worse this time radio and wiper blades were affected. A recall is needed to fix this problem.
- Albany, GA, USA
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Blower motor did not work on car. Dealer said blower motor shorted because of a leak in the cowl. Same thing happened two weeks earlier and was repaired.
Notice about 2 weeks ago that our blower motor was not working at all times. It has progressively gotten worse and now does not work at all. We cannot heat or cool the vehicle or defrost the windshield or side windows. I know the temp control is working because when I turn the ac on there is a faint feeling of cold when I hold my hand on the vents. I actually work for a Ford dealer and was told that yes it is a known defect where water leaks in and shorts out the fan module. The dealer told me they would install a new fan and shield so it does not happen again but it would be at my own expense. Ford has issued a technical service bulletin according to our advisors but not a recall as they don't feel it is a safety issue. How can this not be a safety concern if you can't clear your windows?
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact noticed water leaking onto the passenger side floorboard. More water was noticed when it rained or when the vehicle was wet. The failure caused two resistors to blow out, including the blower motor. A mechanic inspected the vehicle, but could not diagnose the cause of the failure. The dealer has not yet been notified. The current mileage is 62,000 and failure mileage was 48,000. Updated 06/25/08.
2003 Ford Taurus. Blower motor failure due to rain leaking through cabin filter into blower motor. Visibility impaired when windshield then fogged. Water found on passenger floor. Blower and resistor found corroded. Dealer replaced motor, resistor, weatherstrip and defective cowl panel/rain hat. Labor + parts $412. Tsb 03-15-06.
The contact own a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the heater would not blow. The dealer stated that water inside the blower motor caused the failure. They replaced the blower motor and resistor. The current and failure mileages were 44,500.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that when it rains, water drips from the passengers side of the dashboard into the vehicle, causing interior damage. The air conditioner fails due to the water damage and the blower had to be replaced by the dealer. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage is 37,000 and failure mileage was 35,000. Returned usps, made 2nd attempt 07/03/07, attempt failed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tallahassee, FL, USA