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 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,177 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.
Within the last month (early Feb. 2008) I had noticed a small leak on the passenger side floor mat after a brief warming period (and melting of some snow). Then just last week (Feb. 18th, 2008) my 1-3 levels of my fan were no longer operating. Then on Feb. 23, 2008, the 4th and final still operating fan level stopped working as well. I checked all fuses applicable and it turns out that it is most likely the blower resistor that is no longer in operation. Now I have no heat or defrost and it makes life more difficult when I need to leave promptly and I can't see out my windows.
Bought a used 2003 Ford Taurus SE and after owning it 6 months, the blower motor started making noises. After a couple months of the noise, the blower motor only works on high. I replaced the blower motor in Feb 08 and it will only work on high as well. I noticed many people on the internet are having the same issue and I hope a recall will occur.
My passenger floorboard is constantly damp as water has seemingly leaked through the exterior of the car. This has caused the blower motor to the A/C/heater to quit working. I would essentially have to find the source of the leak as well as buy a new blower motor to solve the problem, but it seems as if Ford is aware of the issue yet is hesitant to offer any assistance whatsoever. This is also in reference to recall 03V087000 as well as NHTSA complaint 10184014.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact changed the heater blower resistor on two occasions after it was diagnosed by the dealer. The heater blower motor has failed completely. The temperature was 2 or 3 degrees at the time of the failure. The temperature inside the passenger compartment was uncomfortable. The dealer stated that the repair would cost over $100. The failure mileage was 41,000 and current mileage was 49,960.
Blower on heat / defrost failed due to design flaw of vehicle which allows water from ac unit to collect in heating system ultimately burning out blower motor and rendering heater and defrost inoperable.
- Dover, NH, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Blower motor went out on my 2003 Ford Taurus 12/11/07. Repair shop found water in the blower motor cavity. Ford has a kit you can purchase to fix the problem. The entire thing cost me $310. I have found that several customers have had the same problem, the cars should be recalled. Ford has known about this since 7/15/2004 I have a copy of the tsb. I had a switch replaced last winter on the blower motor also.
I have a 2003 Ford Taurus. I have found water in the passenger floor board. Over time, the blower fan has stopped working. During research on the internet, I have found that many consumers have had the same problem, and that Ford Motor Company will not repair this obvious defect.
Water leak in windshield dumps water onto the heater blower motor. Called dealership said not covered under warranty, replaced motor once and now must replace again. Believe covered under NHTSA campaign id number 03V087000.
I purchased an 03 Ford Taurus 5 months ago from a Ford dealership in pa. Upon the winter season's arrival, I turned on my heat to hear a loud squeaking noise. I took my car to a repair shop where I was told that my blower motor was full of water due to a faulty cowl on the car. I was told that Ford was aware of this defect, and that it was semi common, but that Ford was not going to cover it under a recall. I was also informed that I would have to pay $500 to replace the cowl, the blower motor and a resistor. I called Ford to voice my anger about the situation and their response was there were basically not enough complaints and that it was not serious enough to warrant a recall. I disagree. I drive my 1 year old daughter around in the car. I am unable to defrost my windshield because of this, and can often not see out of my winder without rolling them down to let the fog lift off the windows. This is unacceptable. Someone could die as a result of this defect. Ford must be held responsible for this. There was an apparent related recall, but Ford still did not and will not take action. 03V087000 <--- recall.
Heater/ac blower only worked on high, water would leak into the passenger side floorboard, now it does not work. There are alot of reports about this for a 2003 Ford Taurus, please have them recall these and fix them.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 35 mph, the blower fan was very loud and the contact was unable to activate the heat. The dealer stated that the A/C heater blower failed due to water leakage. As of November 2, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The contact felt that the recalled part caused the water leakage. The current and failure mileages were 46,000. Updated 12-12-07. The blower motor made a noise and doesn't work at times. Updated
I was online checking for an ac/heater blower motor as it only works on high. I discovered a recall for the Mercury Sable (03V087000) regarding the windshield leaking water onto the passenger side floor. The leak drips on the ac/heater fan motor causing it to short out and to stop operating. I live in wa, I found water on the passenger side floor several times but never found the leak. I see there have been many complaints about this problem. For a temporary repair, I can replace the blower for $500. For a permanent fix, I will also have to replace the windshield, another $500. Thanks Ford, you recalled the problem on the Mercury Sable, why not the Taurus.
Car was out in the rain. Water leaked into the passenger side floorboard. Had passenger side cowl replaced, rainhat kit installed, and replaced blower motor less than 14,000 miles ago to fix the same issue. Hopefully won't have to replace the blower motor again.
Water leaks onto passenger side floor resulting in interior damage and damage to heater box and blower motor. Dealer replaced cowel at my expense, within 3 months leak returned and dealer wants to remove dash and check heater box, at a minimum expense of $850. Ford has a recall, 03V08700 and tsb 04-15-3 regarding these problems, but wants me to pay for the repairs. I also paid $375 to have the interior cleaned and disinfected after the first repair. I would also like to reference complaint 10184014.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The blower motor was working intermittently, and on 08/06/2007, it failed completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the failure was caused by a faulty seal, weather stripping and water that was leaking into the motor. The contact did not want to guess the number of occurrences. The contact did not the current mileage was 53,466 and the failure mileage was 53,450.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The windshield leaked water into the blower motor and caused the blower motor to malfunction. The defroster failed causing limited vision. The dealer stated that the windshield guard on the passenger side had warped and caused the leak. The current mileage was 80,000. The failure mileage was 70,300.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mosinee, WI, USA