2003 FORD TAURUS Complaints

FROM A PARKED POSITION IN MY DRIVEWAY PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. HEARD A LOUD HISS AND LEFT SIDE OF VEHICLE DROPPED DOWN. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND COIL SPRING HAD FAILED AND CUT SIDEWALL OF TIRE. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ON 2 FORD VEHICLES WHY HASN'T FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE VERY UNSAFE. *JS

ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009, I WAS DRIVING MY PARENTS 2003 FORD TAURUS SEL AROUND TOWN, DOING LAST MINUTE SHOPPING FOR THANKSGIVING, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR TOOK OFF, AS IF THE GAS PEDAL HAD GOTTEN STUCK. MY MOTHER WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND I TOLD HER WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I TRIED STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL TO SEE IF IT HAD GOTTEN STUCK, BUT THAT DID NOT HELP AND I WAS GETTING VERY CONCERNED. I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THEN PUT THE CAR INTO A LOWER GEAR AND THEN INTO NEUTRAL, ALL THE WHILE, THE ENGINE CONTINUED RACING, AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. IT TOOK ME ALMOST TWO BLOCKS TO GET THE CAR STOPPED. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE AUTO CLUB FOR A TOW TRUCK, AS THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON. I THEN CALLED MY FATHER AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED AND HE PROCEEDED TO COME DOWN TO WHERE WE WERE. THE TOW TRUCK CAME AND THE DRIVER WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC HOUSING THAT HOLDS THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE HAD BROKEN AND THE CABLE SLIPPED BACK AND WAS WEDGED-UP AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BROKEN HOUSING. I TOOK PHOTOS OF THIS. THE CAR WAS TAKEN UP TO OUR MECHANIC. THE CRUISE CONTROL HAS NEVER BEEN USED. WE CONTACTED THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO TOOK ALL THE INFORMATION AND GAVE US CASE NUMBER 0436723349. THEY TOLD US TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED. MY PARENTS TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY ONLY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE PART; HOWEVER, WE WANTED SOMEONE TO WITNESS IT AND SEE WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BEFORE THE PART WAS TAKEN OFF AND DISCARDED AND WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO WAY TO PROVE IT EVEN HAPPENED. THEY JUST WANTED MY PARENTS TO LEAVE THE CAR ALL DAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT, BUT MY FATHER OPTED TO TAKE IT BACK TO OUR MECHANIC WHO WOULD SAVE THE PART AND GIVE IT TO MY FATHER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT OPERATE IN ANY GEAR WHICH WAS SELECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW MANUFACTURER'S TRANSMISSION. ONE WEEK LATER, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AS THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ENTER A DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE MECHANIC WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS BEING REPLACED WITH ANOTHER MANUFACTURER'S TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000. UPDATED 5/12/11 *CN

CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 70 WHEN THE CAR ALL-OF-THE-SUDDEN ACCELERATED OUT OF MY CONTROL TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RPM AND THEN SNAPPED AT ABOUT 90, RENDERING MY CAR COMPLETELY USELESS. I FOUND MYSELF COASTING W/ VERY LITTLE CONTROL, OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, 5 MILES FROM THE NEAREST EXIT. COST OVER $2000 OUT-OF-POCKET TO COMPLETELY REPLACE 200 TRANSMISSION-RELATED PARTS. *JS

I GOT THIS CAR IN 2009 AROUND ABOUT NOVEMBER. BY MARCH 2010, THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON ME WITH NO WARNING. GOT ANOTHER TRANSMISSION NOW MARCH 2012 I JUST FOUND OUT TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT AGAIN AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT REBUILT AGAIN. HOW LONG DO A TRANSMISSION SUPPOSE TO LAST IN A FORD TAURUS ANYWAY. I MEAN WILL I HAVE TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT EVERY TWO YEARS AS LONG AS I OWN THIS CAR? *JS

ON THIS SUNDAY, I HAD MADE THREE PREVIOUS STOPS, WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS TURNING INTO AN INTERSECTION, WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, I HAD NO POWER. THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED! I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET AND CALLED AAA. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A FIRESTONE DEALER. THE VERDICT ON MONDAY WAS AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER. I WAS SUBSEQUENTLY INFORMED THAT I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE NEW TRANSMISSION COST $3287.51; TOWING COSTS WERE $122.00! I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS ALWAYS MAINTAINED PROPERLY. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON FOR THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT LISTS SEVERAL HUNDRED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2003 FORD TAURUS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I HAVE ALSO REGISTERED THIS COMPLAINT WITH THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY. FORD SHOULD RECALL THIS VEHICLE, CONSIDERING THE HUNDREDS OF TRANSMISSION FAILURES REPORTED FOR THE 2003 TAURUS, AND FULLY COMPENSATE OWNERS, WHO, IN CASES LIKE MINE, HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK WHILE DRIVING 30 TO 35 MPH. THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS UP TO 4,000 UNLESS THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO INSPECTED THE ENGINE AND FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC CLIP THAT HELD THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL CABLE TO ITS BRACKET WAS FRACTURED. THE MECHANIC TOOK A PIECE OF WIRE AND WRAPPED IT AROUND THE CABLE AND BRACKET TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 93,000.

WHILE DRIVING MY DAUGHTER EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND BRAKING DID NOT STOP THE ENGINE FROM ACCELERATING. SHE PLACED THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND WHILE STILL HAVING DIFFICULTY BRAKING WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. CAR WAS TOWED TO SERVICE LOCATION AND CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISABLED TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. FORTUNATELY NO DAMAGE OR INJURIES RESULTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE EVEN WHEN HIS FOOT WAS NOT ENGAGING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY ENGAGING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 184,341. ..UPDATED 04/16/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE DID NOT SLOW DOWN NORMALLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS RELEASED. THE VEHICLE WOULD MAINTAIN SPEED FOR 15-20 SECONDS AFTER THE ACCELERATOR WAS RELEASED. THE ENGINE IDLE WAS SET TOO FAST. UPDATED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE RPMS WOULD FLUCTUATE RAPIDLY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT ACCELERATED BUT THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, IT SEEMED AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS ATTEMPTING TO SURGE FORWARD. THE CONTACT WOULD THEN FIRMLY APPLY THE BRAKES AS A PRECAUTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.