Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||||||||||||
| 04V105000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 04/16/2002 to 09/18/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 399926 | 03/10/2004 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/02/2004 | 03/09/2004 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain vehicles, the air filter paper in these vehicles can smolder or burn. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This can lead to damage to the air induction system on these vehicles and/or an underhood fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the air filter element. owner notification began on march 10, 2004. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Ford recall no. 04s11.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 052212 | 11/14/2005 | 10018746 | Buck/jerk and miss during drive cycle above 3000 rpm - no dtc - 3.0l 2v gas and ffv engine. *tt | 01/13/2006 | |
| 18614 | 05/01/2005 | 10017916 | Surge, idle roll, rough idle only when the engine cooling fans are operating. *tt | 12/07/2005 | |
| 03111 | 06/09/2003 | 10002772 | Engine cooling fan induced body boom, rough engine idle sensation or unusual engine noise at idle when the engine cooling fan is in the high speed mode. *tt | 09/16/2003 | |
| 16809 | 04/01/2003 | 10002642 | The new high flow water pump is not yet listed in the parts catalog but will be soon. the service can be ordered through normal part ordering system. *tt | 09/09/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 04208 | 01/01/2006 | 0635 | 10019382 | Camshaft tick noise - 3.0l 4v engine only. *tt | 03/13/2006 |
| 17928 | 07/01/2004 | 10009338 | Rough running, misfire and a lack of power due to a loss of compression. *tt | 09/24/2004 | |
| 17434 | 12/01/2003 | 10008296 | Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with continuous memory diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) p0172/p0175 (system too rich). *tt | 07/27/2004 | |
| 02221 | 11/11/2002 | 10008304 | Engine-gear driven synchronizers-incorrect installation-camshaft position synchronizer (cmp) installation tool correct application. *mj | 07/27/2004 | |
| 17703 | 04/01/2004 | 10008217 | Ticking noise from left cylinder head with warm engine. *tt | 07/23/2004 | |
| 0415 | 01/26/2004 | 10007358 | Lower engine oil leaks 3.0l 2v vulcan engine. diagnostic service tips. *tt | 06/16/2004 | |
| 17503 | 01/01/2004 | 10007337 | Surge at a steady speed between 35 and 45 mph with no other driveability concerns. *tt | 06/14/2004 | |
| 17224 | 09/01/2003 | 10004081 | Intermittent rolling idle on vehicles equipped with a 3.0l 2-valve engine. *tt | 11/18/2003 | |
| 17234 | 09/01/2003 | 10004089 | Engine oil leaks from the filter area on vehicles with a 3.0l 2-valve engine. *tt | 11/18/2003 | |
| 16982 | 07/01/2003 | 10003851 | Clunking/popping noise from the passenger side of the engine compartment upon acceleration and/or deceleration. *tt | 11/04/2003 | |
| 16974 | 07/01/2003 | 10003848 | Engine oil leak near the oil pan or oil filter on vehicles equipped with a 3.0l 2-valve (vulcan) engine. *tt | 11/04/2003 | |
| 03144 | 07/21/2003 | 10003744 | Engine misfire or rough running condition with coil on plug (cop) ignition systems may be more accurately diagnosed using the optional worldwide diagnostic system (wds) coil on plug (cop) kit. 2003 super duty f series included. *tt | 10/29/2003 | |
| 16613 | 02/01/2003 | 10002497 | Vehicles with very low odometer miles, may exhibit a higher than normal temporary start-up fast idle (1600-2500 rpm that decreases slowly). no service necessary. *tt | 09/03/2003 | |
| 0335 | 02/17/2003 | 10002482 | Idle air control (iac) valve diagnostic service tips. *tt | 09/03/2003 | |
| 870197 | 10/22/2002 | 10000592 | Incorrectly installed gear driven camshaft position (cmp) sensor synchronizer assemblies causing surge, lost of power, malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p1336, p1309 and p0340. *tt | 03/25/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 11/18/2012 | 92900 | 1 | |
| Went to my mothers for thanksgiving dinner. on the way home going 55 mile an hour the car stared excelling in speed. my husband was driving and knew to put the car in neutral to get the car to stop. he had to constantly stay on the brakes to slow it down. we got the car home, i looked on line and saw the complaints on your website. my husband then took the car to the local for dealership. he took a copy of the complaint with him. ford service dept. said they didn't want to see that article and wanted $80 to even look at the car. the car is not fixed, we plan on trying to get it fixed in the near future. if you would like to see what it is doing, that should take place in the next few weeks. *tr | |||
| 11/18/2012 | 92900 | ||
| Went to my mothers for thanskgiving dinner.on the way home going 55 mile an hour the car stared excelling in speed. my husband was driving and knew to put the car in neutral to get the car to stop.he had to constantly stay on the brakes to slow it down. we got the car home, i looked on line and saw the complaints on your website. my husband then took the car to the local for dealership. he took a copy of the complaint with him. ford service dept. said they didn't want to see that article and wanted $80 to even look at the car. the car is not fixed, we plan on trying to get it fixed in the near future. if you would like to see what it is doing, that should take place in the next few weeks. | |||
| 10/04/2012 | 203000 | 1 | |
| I was driving down state road 9 an as i started around a curve my rpm shot up an mph gauge went down envied revved up. i had no drive no neutral no reverse no nothing. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2012 | 157673 | 1 | |
| Entered highway on-ramp. as i merged onto highway at approximately 55 mph, i notice that the car was accelerating faster than usual for the amount of throttle i was using. i took my foot off the throttle completely and the car continued to slowly but steadily accelerate. without placing my foot on the throttle, i continued down the highway to the next exit. as i approached the light at the end of the exit, i began braking. feeling the engine fight the brakes, i moved the shift level into neutral and brought the car to a stop on the shoulder of the exit. as soon as i placed the shift lever into neutral, engine rpm shot up as if the accelerator was being depressed. repeatedly pressing and un-pressing the accelerator pedal did not nothing, nor was the pedal stuck on the floor mat. i turned the car off and place the shift lever into park. starting the car again resulted in the same behavior: engine rpm shot up even though the accelerator pedal was not depressed. i turned the car off and opened the hood. i identified the throttle body and notice that a plastic clip had become dislodged from the point where the throttle cable enters the throttle body. after several minutes of reinserting and wiggling the clip, i was able to get it to stay in its proper place, and thereafter, the throttle behaved normally. i carefully drove to the nearest ford dealership where they replaced the following part: yfiz*9a825*ca actuator asy. i have this invoice available if you need it. i have not experience any other issues with the throttle. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2012 | 157673 | ||
| Entered highway on-ramp. as i merged onto highway at approximately 55 mph, i notice that the car was accelerating faster than usual for the amount of throttle i was using. i took my foot off the throttle completely and the car continued to slowly but steadily accelerate. without placing my foot on the throttle, i continued down the highway to the next exit. as i approached the light at the end of the exit, i began braking. feeling the engine fight the brakes, i moved the shift level into neutral and brought the car to a stop on the shoulder of the exit. as soon as i placed the shift lever into neutral, engine rpm shot up as if the accelerator was being depressed. repeatedly pressing and un-pressing the accelerator pedal did not nothing, nor was the pedal stuck on the floor mat. i turned the car off and place the shift lever into park. starting the car again resulted in the same behavior: engine rpm shot up even though the accelerator pedal was not depressed. i turned the car off and opened the hood. i identified the throttle body and notice that a plastic clip had become dislodged from the point where the throttle cable enters the throttle body. after several minutes of reinserting and wiggling the clip, i was able to get it to stay in its proper place, and thereafter, the throttle behaved normally. i carefully drove to the nearest ford dealership where they replaced the following part: yfiz*9a825*ca actuator asy. i have this invoice available if you need it. i have not experience any other issues with the throttle. | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving. the contact stated that every light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was restarted but the failure recurred. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the fuse needed to be changed and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there was nothing that could be done because there was no recall. the failure mileage was 70,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 08/04/2010 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving. the contact stated that every light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact stated that the vehicle restarted and the failure recurred. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the fuse needed to be change and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified and they stated that there was nothing that could be done because there was no recall. the failure mileage was 70,000. the vin was unavailable. ap | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 88000 | 1 | |
| The latest incident was today. vehicle was started, idling, put into reverse with foot on the brake. engine suddenly increased speed and vehicle lurched backwards. vehicle was put in drive with foot on the brake, engine would periodically increase speed and vehicle would lurch forward. on several other occasions while driving, notably at speeds 20-40 mph, vehicle speed would start increasing on it's own. on those occasions, the increase was not rapid or extreme, these were thought to be flukes, but now it's lurching after the vehicle is put in drive or reverse. the frequency of these incidents with this vehicle are increasing and i believe this is a serious safety issue. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 88000 | ||
| The latest incident was today. vehicle was started, idling, put into reverse with foot on the brake. engine suddenly increased speed and vehicle lurched backwards. vehicle was put in drive with foot on the brake, engine would periodically increase speed and vehicle would lurch forward. on several other occasions while driving, notably at speeds 20-40 mph, vehicle speed would start increasing on it's own. on those occasions, the increase was not rapid or extreme, these were thought to be flukes, but now it's lurching after the vehicle is put in drive or reverse. the frequency of these incidents with this vehicle are increasing and i believe this is a serious safety issue. | |||
| 10/10/2011 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Total transmission failure out of no where. multiple other phantom engine failures/engine inexplicably dies. *tr | |||
| 10/10/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Total transmission failure out of no where. multiple other phantom engine failures/engine inexplicably dies. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/19/2012 | 73000 | ||
| I was driving down a side street when the car quit moving forward. i coasted to a stop and tried reverse, and it would not go in that direction either. the engine was running when this occurred. i had a baby in the car and a trunk full of groceries. i got out and checked all the fluids. they were full. the transmission fluid was clear. the maintenance book said not to change the transmission fluid until 100,000. my car has only 73,000 miles. this car is well maintained. i paid to have it towed to the nearest car repair shop. they determined it was a transmission problem and could not fix it. i then had to pay to tow it to another shop that informed me that this was a characteristic problem of a 2003 ford taurus. if this defect is known by ford's and they chose to ignore it and not fix our cars, i hope you will do the right thing and make ford's fix it without me having to pay a huge bill which is hard on a limited income. i saw this address on a facebook page. the address is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/fight-for-recall-of-2003-ford-taurus-transmission-problems/156915101017448. please check out this page. you will see the many people are having this happen. i just stumbled upon the page by accident. i wonder how many more there are out there not knowing that there are a lot of us driving ford's defective cars. please make them accountable. they did not hesitate to take car payments for years. they should not hesitate to fix a car that they built. i was from detroit and always believed in buying american, but my opinion has changed. that is a shame. thank you very much. i hope you can do something to help me. | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 78000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact was driving 20 mph when the vehicle became resistant to acceleration attempts. the vehicle was towed to an automotive shop where it was diagnosed that the torque converter failed. the vehicle was repaired with a new torque converter. the failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage was 85,000. kmj | |||
| 01/02/2012 | 53000 | ||
| 2003 ford taurus. we were driving down the road and the engine revved up like it was in neutral. no power at all. the car started slowing down in traffic and there wasn't anything that we could do about it. we coasted over to the shoulder of the roadway. we put the car in reverse - nothing, put the car in drive - nothing. we had the car towed to the mechanic. it will cost $2,500.00 to fix. the car only has 53,000 miles on it. ford knows about the defective transmissions on these cars but fails to do any recalls. | |||
| 11/13/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Was going to work on 11/13/2011 at 5a.m., warmed up car , jumped in said car put it in reverse ...nothing; put it in drive....again nothing= blown transmission...no warning at all!! | |||
| 09/23/2011 | 22000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that whenever it would rain, water would leak from the front passenger side of the vehicle and into the engine causing a short circuit to the blower motor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated he had to replace the blower motor and the resistor. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 22,000. kmj | |||
| 09/23/2011 | 22000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated when it rains water leaked down from the front passenger side of the vehicle into the engine and short circuit the blower motor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated he has to replace the blower motor and the resistor at the owners expense of $500. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 22,000. mw | |||
| 09/05/2011 | 108000 | ||
| It should be a transmission problem. when i was driving at 65mph the car lost dragging force suddenly and i had to push the car to the emergency zone. then i cannot move the car anymore with any shift (r, d, od, 1). i found many 03 taurus had the same problems from some other websites. the model should be recalled because it has nothing warning sound or damage clue. | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 170000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while decelerating to approximately 30 the vehicle stalled. upon restart the vehicle operated as normal. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure and it was not repaired. the failure has since recurred intermittently when decelerating to approximately 30 mph. the failure mileage was 170,000 and the current mileage was 182,000. sm. | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 68100 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the rpm's spike and the transmission surges violently. there is a tsb out for this issue but no recall. (tsb 018746, engine and engine cooling). ford was contacted but they said there was no recalls so the repairs would be at the owners expense. the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact stated that the parts are not available due to being on back order. the failure and current mileages were 68,100. rd | |||
| 12/12/2008 | 77000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the check engine light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cam sensor was replaced. approximately 5 months later the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic where the cam sensor was again replaced. the failure again recurred and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the cam sensor was reset. the failure has not recurred. approximately 1 year later while driving at approximately 20 mph the front passenger side tire blew out. upon examining the vehicle the contact noticed the coil spring was broken and pierced the tire. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the front passenger side coil spring was replaced. the failure has not recurred. the contact also stated that approximately 2 months later while attempting to operate the vehicle it would not shift into gear and would not move. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where it was in the process of being diagnosed. the failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 90,600. sm. | |||
| 05/17/2009 | 87000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving the vehicle at any speed you heard screching noise coming from the engine. the vehicle never lost power and did not stall. the failure occurs on all surface of road conditions.the vehicle was taken to the dealer, a dignostic test was done, and the dealer told her the problem was with the cam shaft syncronizer sensor and they will be replacing that at her expense. she contacted the ford manufacturer and was advise to call us.. the failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage 87,200.....dwh | |||
| 07/28/2003 | 68454 | 1 | |
| While driving at highway speeds (65-70) when accelerating to pass, car bucks violently (at 70k miles on odometer). also, random rough idling since date of purchase of vehicle in july 2003. after taking car in numerous times to dealership while under warranty and they were unable to diagnose even after hooking up recorder. did my own research on line and discovered a faulty camshaft synchronizer was the problem. this is a $400 repair that ford is aware of as there is a service bulletin on it. however, the failure rate is usually after the warranty expires making it the responsibility of the consumer. i have also personally spoken with a dozen taurus owners who have experienced the same problem. lodged a complaint with ford motor company who did not respond or follow through. very disappointed as this could pose a serious safety problem for consumers not to mention catastrophic engine failure if the synchronizer fails completely. if your taurus has a rough idle that is intermittent and the diagnostic says there is no code, it is probably this problem as the service bulletin from ford indicates that the cam synchronizer does not throw a code to the computer system. also, if your car bucks or hesitates on hard acceleration or there is a high pitched chirping sound, it is the cam synchronizer. if you take it to the dealer tell them what it is so they don't charge you an additional diagnostic fee that will show no problems! it's bad enough to have to pay $400 for a part that shouldn't fail, but does after the warranty expires. ford should have issued a recall on this and other vehicles that had the same problems (know to occur in the f150 as well). *tr | |||
| 09/14/2007 | 33000 | 1 | |
| My car began making a high-pitched squeal. i took my vehicle to a local ford dealer. upon hearing the noise the tech knew that it was the result of a bad camshaft position sensor, camshaft synchronizer. he stated that it is a common occurrence with fords. the camshaft position sensor would function intermittently resulting in an engine stall without warning. sometimes i was unable to restart the vehicle for quite some time. the engine has stalled when backing out of the driveway, when proceeding to make turns in traffic, and other not so ideal locations. thankfully oncoming traffic stopped their vehicles before impacting my own. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 42000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle would shut off. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic, but he also could not identify the failure. the mechanic reprogrammed the pcm to the latest calibration level, which was recommended, but that did not solve the issue. the contact feels that the vehicle is unsafe to drive because it shuts off and could cause a crash. the current mileage was 57,000 and failure mileage was 42,000. updated 1/8/09 *cn updated 01/14/09.*jb | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 46000 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford taurus with only 46,000 miles on it and the water pump has had to be replaced twice. also, the brake pads on the vehicle have had to be replaced at least three times and the mechanic told us that the pads on the taurus are cheap and will erode quicker than on other vehicles. lastly, the vehicle does not get good gas mileage as expected. next car will be a honda. *tr | |||
| 09/02/2008 | 78081 | 1 | |
| While driving on the freeway the car died because i let of the gas pedal due to traffic slow down. when i exited the freeway and came to a complete stop it died again. it repeated one more time. the third time it restarted the rpms shot over 5000 and when i put in gear the rpms came down. *tr | |||
| 02/02/2008 | 75000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact experienced several wiring malfunctions with the vehicle. the instrument panel lights would periodically illuminate automatically, and the headlights were also turning on and off without activating the light switch. the engine would also rev automatically and, when switching from park to drive, the engine would rev again. in addition, when in park, the vehicle would shut off by itself and have to be placed into neutral in order to be restarted. an independent mechanic could not locate the cause of the failure. a diagnostic was also performed, but it did not produce a failure code. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 81,000. | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 77000 | 1 | 03/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the vehicle shut off while driving 70 mph in germany. a private mechanic stated that the valve spring failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer advised the contact to notify a ford dealer in germany. the dealer stated that because the vehicle was not repaired by a ford dealer, they would be unable to inspect the vehicle or the part that was replaced. the dealer information was unknown. the current mileage was 78,000 and failure mileage was 77,000. | |||
| 09/18/2007 | 100000 | 12 | 02/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle shut off in the middle of the highway. all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. the vehicle was able to be restarted, but then shut off again. the contact stated that the speedometer also displayed the incorrect speed. the dealer acknowledged the failures, but the diagnostic indicated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. the current mileage was 122,000 and failure mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 06/22/2003 | 8 | ||
| Same as complaint no. 10194207 but with a second vehicle. it hesitates or stalls with no notice other than all the dash lights coming on for a few seconds. then, there is a loss of power. happens when car is in motion and at intersections. car can be going 60 mph or can be at a stoplight. has been on flight recorder and computer, but no codes. different fixes have been tried by ford, but so far nothing has worked for very long. had both cars in shop again this month for the problem. no one is able to identify the specific problem, so the trial and error method has been for the most recent stays in the shop. left one of the vehicles at ford for about a week earlier this month. the other was in on and off 2 or 3 times this month. the hesitation and stalling and repeated repair attempts have been going on for awhile because we were told the problem was fixed or could be fixed, but now it is very unlikely with two cars having the same problem and yet to be fixed.*ak | |||
| 06/06/2007 | 75000 | 1 | 06/17/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle's cooling fan has failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who found that the blower motor had failed along with the cooling fan. the failure was caused by water entering inside of the cow panel. the failure of the blower motor caused the cooling resister to work intermittently. the current and failure mileages were 75,000. | |||
| 09/28/2006 | 69000 | 2 | 09/02/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated water leaked onto the passenger floor board through the blower motor vents causing the defroster/fogger blower motor to short out. the vehicle stalled out suddenly without warning while driving 55 mph on two occasions. also, the engine will stall while idling. all of the warning lights blinked on/off prior to stalling. an independent mechanic replaced the blower motor and ran a diagnostic test, but could not duplicate the stalling problem. the dealership was aware of the problem. | |||
| 06/19/2006 | 84598 | 1 | 03/02/2004 |
| Yesterday my ford taurus 2003 while my child was with me had the engine go wild out of control. the engine all by its self started racing at high speed and there was no control of it. i had good sense to hold down the brake and shifted it into neutral. it ran this way for a minute or two. i almost killed myself and my daughter. i took the car right away to westfield ford 708-354-8600 and was told that the computer that controls the engine went wacky and needed to be re-programmed. this is a very serious condition when the car can just take off by its self with no safety shut down. please investigate maybe someone was killed this way because of a defect in a computer. if there was more traffic present i could have died along with my child. the customer report from westfield says 94490 diagnosis j# 1 06f0z0engd. the ford people seemed to act like this has happened before to other people. *jb | |||
| 06/03/2006 | 5 | ||
| Engine misfired then shut down completely while driving. *nm | |||
| 02/22/2005 | 50000 | 3 | 06/20/2003 |
| Heater and air conditioner fan motor stopped working. water leaks in on the passenger side with large puddle on passenger floor. water leak has been noticed several times but blower motor just stopped working. *jb | |||
| 05/19/2005 | 30000 | 35 | 08/01/2003 |
| Dt: about four months ago the engine would completely shut down while driving with a loss of power. this happened without warning, no previous stalling. once the engine died, a period of about ten minutes would pass, and then a restart would be possible. sometimes it would take numerous times to restart. after the first occurrence, the consumer took the vehicle to a ford dealer, where it was still under warranty, and they replaced the fuel pump. the fuel pump did not correct the problem because the engine would still die. the consumer did return to the dealer, and they performed a diagnostic test which showed a valve assembly control failure and it was replaced. also, they performed fuel pump pressure test, recorder monitor road test, check of battery condition, and a replacement of the electrical fuel pump assembly. after all of these tests and corrections, this was still a problem. the vehicle continued to have a problem that has not been corrected. the consumer went to the dealer six times, and has not contacted ford manufacturer. after all of these attempts the dealer suggested to the consumer to call nhtsa and check the lemon law. *ak updated 12/27/05. *jb | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 38500 | 20 | 06/15/2004 |
| Engine experiences a very short hesitation when accelerating from a stop. on one occassion engine stalled in intersection. vehicle has been to dealership on two instances and problem is still there. | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 29 | ||
| 2003 ford taurus has problems with transmission, engine backfiring, hood latch is broken, and seat bracket fell off. *mr the tires were continuously going flat. six flats occurred while the consumer was on a trip, the transmission was slipping and would jerk in traffic, the engine would back fire intermittently and stalled on one occasion, the seat bracket was replaced by the dealer but failed again (the seat bracket was incorrectly installed from the start), the engine also displayed knocking and had taken about 9 visits before the problem was corrected, it was discovered that a valve was sticking out. the a/c did not cool, the consumer smelled coolant which leaked inside the vehicle. the tires and rims were a problem and the vehicle had been in for repairs about 18 visits/two rear tires remained a problem due to severe inflation problems and the tires would need to be inflated several times daily. the consumer requested another vehicle. *sc the gas mileage was poor. tire loosing air pressure from the time of purchase. *tc the consumer was involved in an accident on 2-25-06 and the air bags failed to deploy. updated 03/29/06. *jb | |||
| 02/13/2004 | 19000 | 10 | |
| Consumer stated vehicle started intermittently. dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2004 | 1 | 12/11/2003 | |
| Consumer received nhtsa recall 04v105000 regarding the air filter. dealership still did not have the parts available to conduct recall repairs. *ak *la | |||
| 02/18/2004 | 35575 | 1 | 11/01/2003 |
| Dealership indicated that they were unable to perform air filter recall 04v10500 repairs because the parts were on back order. consumer spoke to the manufacturer, and they indicated that the parts were available.*ak *la | |||
| 1 | |||
| Request for details about the defect trends odi uses for determining recall factors. *ph *la | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 09/03/2009 | 93063 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the freeway when the car started to overheat. i exited the freeway, when i came to a complete stop the oil light came on. i drove the car slowly and i started to smell burning oil and the engine started to make a knocking sound when i accelerated. i stopped the car and oil smoke was coming out of the hood. *tr | |||
| 08/31/2009 | 92873 | 1 | |
| Driving the car for about 10 minutes when the ac shut off and the overheated and suddenly the engine died in the middle of the street. every time i tried to start it, it made a knocking sound. the car was towed to a ford dealership. they could not find out why it overheated. *tr | |||
| 05/23/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Ac fan only blows on high. was driving home in pouring down rain, and ac blower quit working on 2nd notch. when contacting ford, they told me i didn't have a warranty and just the diagnostic test would be 70 dollars. i'm a single mom of three and from searching the internet i see i'm not the only one with this problem. as you know you need either heat or air to defrost the windshield while driving in the rain. this is very much a safety hazard, especially if ford knows about it and does nothing to correct the problem. *tr | |||
| 02/20/2009 | 98000 | 1 | |
| Once in april 2008 and again in february 2009, i have had to change the heater blower/motor in my 2003 ford taurus. both times, i had a puddle of water form on the floor on the passenger side of my car before the motor went out. both times the blower/motor was replaced with a used part. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| Blower motor stopped working - once removed i found rusty water in the motor assembly - once put back in only high works. i will have to replace the motor and resister but until the leak is fixed stopping the water from entering this area i will need to replace again in the future. *tr | |||
| 06/22/2008 | 81500 | 1 | 10/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the blower motor failed when she attempted to drive the vehicle. there is no recall regarding the issue. the current mileage was 82,000 and failure mileage was 81,500. updated 09/10/08 *bf updated 09/15/08 *jb | |||
| 07/03/2007 | 47117 | 2 | 05/04/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that there was a water leak in the front seat on the passenger side of the vehicle. the dealer stated that the gallium was leaking and they replaced the ac motor and resister. the dealer charged her $700 for the repair and stated that it was not a safety issue. the contact was given recall # 03v087000 (visibility:windshield). the current and failure mileages were 47,117. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 12/11/2007 | 65000 | 3 | 06/03/2003 |
| See complaint # 10214539. *tr | |||
| 10/19/2007 | 80000 | 2 | 06/07/2004 |
| Have a 2003 ford taurus ses; 80k miles. initially, my fan only worked on high. i just dealt w/ it, no big deal, but eventually, my alternator went out... so after i changed that, my fan no longer works at all. i have to replace the blower motor & the resistor for it. in the mean time, due to the fan not working, i almost was in an accident due to the defrost not being able to do it's job, and because there was no heat, i got a cold and missed some work. i am filing this complaint due to the number of people i have found that have had the same problem w/ their ford taurus. this seems to be a recurring problem, if that's the case, there should be a recall on the part for a resolution. bad choice on fords part. next time, i'll buy honda. *tr | |||
| 12/02/2006 | 73000 | 1 | 04/11/2006 |
| Blower motor resistor failed on heating and air conditioning system where it would work on high only. part replaced and it is now working, apparently, this is a common problem with the 2003 ford taurus. *nm | |||
| 02/20/2005 | 2 | 05/03/2003 | |
| I get 1 or 2 inches of water in passenger side of car, and it causes the heater fan not to work on an 2003, ford, taurus se. *ak | |||
| 02/14/2004 | 5 | ||
| Water leaking on floorboard on the passenger side front, i have taken it in to the dealer 4 times since i purchased this car, the last time was jan 2004 and i have to take it infor the 5th time on thursday for the same problem. they replaced the blower moter and charged me 50.00 dollars for my quality care deductable, and im still having the same problem. *ak | |||
| 12/17/2004 | 12000 | 5 | 11/03/2002 |
| Continuous water leak on passenger side which fills up floorboard and has effected the fan motor on the heating and air system...fan has quit blowing. this is a factory defect and that was mentioned to the dealer several times but they state it was not written down so they would not honor the warranty. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 104000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 20 mph, the contact noticed that she had a flat tire and pulled the vehicle into a service station. while the tire was being replaced, the mechanic noticed that the coil spring punctured the front driver's side tire. the spring and struts were replaced at the cost of $600 on april 12, 2008. in addition, the contact was involved in a rear end crash due to a stabilizer failure. there were no injuries. on june 25, 2009, the radiator hose corroded and caused coolant to leak. a report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that there was no recall; therefore, they would not assist. the contact was advised to call nhtsa. the failure mileage was 104,000 and current mileage was 105,424. updated 9/1/09 *cn updated 09/02/09.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 10/10/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I was told by the dealer that the problem with my car is a the camshaft sych. it was making a chirping noise and its going to cost over 500 dollars to fix. if this is a problem with this motor why don't we fix it? there is even a service bulletin regarding this issue #04208. please help me fix this problem. *tr | |||
| 10/19/2007 | 56000 | 1 | 04/30/2003 |
| Oil leak causing burning oil smell. had to have repair shop replace oil pan gasket in my 2003 ford taurus with 24valve dual overhead cam engine. *tr | |||
| 11/14/2006 | 44076 | 2 | 01/27/2005 |
| Blower motor (blown) issues with water leakage and a very wet and smelly car . *jb | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 7 | 06/01/2006 | |
| My 2003 ford taurus has been in the shop over 5 times for stalling while driving and not starting on any given day. everything has been replaced except the car itself. upon the last visit, i was told it was the starter and that i had to pay for it to be replaced. after it was replaced and the dealership called to let me know it was ready, i went up there and it would not start again. at that time they told me it was the computer in the car and they would have to replace it also. any information on exactly what is wrong, would be nice. i have driven their loaner car more than the car i bought! *nm | |||
| 11/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| Starter burned out prematurely because of faulty location of the oil filter right above the starter causing oil to be leaked into the starter and causing failure. *nm | |||
| 05/17/2004 | 5 | ||
| While driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled. vehicle was towed to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the engine failed. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Vehicle was taken to dealer for a burning smell. mechanic stated that the oil filter was defective and loose, causing an oil leak.*ak | |||
| 10/01/2003 | 1000 | 1 | 09/11/2003 |
| Engine surges under constant speeds. brakes soft in middle of pedal stroke. dealer says both are related. soft pedal alarms driver. 2 inches sudden travel in pedal causes driver to over depress brake to compensate for sudden no brake condition. *la | |||
| 10/14/2003 | 300 | 1 | 09/12/2003 |
| From the first day i bought the car, there was a vibration in the steering wheel in idle. when i inquired about it, they said it was normal because i have 24 ohv engine. i had a 1999 taurus and i didnt have the vibration. i asked for another car and they said i could only buy another one not just get another one. i think this is a lemon. *la | |||
| 07/10/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that while driving at any speed and without warning vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over. dealer notified.*ak | |||
| 07/03/2003 | 1 | 12/30/2003 | |
| While driving 45 mph vehicle shut off. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who could not determine the problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 04/08/2005 | 40000 | 1 | 07/14/2004 |
| Driving on highway, vehicle suddenly lost power. pulled off roadway. smoke coming from under hood. raised hood and called 911. fire department responded to put out fire. car fully engulfed in flames. car total loss, front end melted, passenger area fully involved in fire. extra ford manufacturer 75,000 warranty specifically states it will cover engine defects, etc however ford says it can't determine the cause of fire due to excessive thermal damage. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 03/17/2010 | 106617 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford taurus. consumer states problems with coil springs *tgw the consumer questioned the lack of a recall for an obvious safety problem and perhaps defective material. the front and rear coil springs ruptured on the consumers vehicle. the ball joints, front stabilizer and serpentine belt all had to be replaced on different occasions. the caliper froze, and the were rotors were warped. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 01/29/2008 | 75000 | 1 | |
| This vehicle continues to get check engine light with code p0175. the vehicle bucks and jerks and hesitates. the car also has been using alot of gas as well which is abnormal. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CRANKCASE (PCV) | |||
| 09/03/2007 | 61300 | 4 | 05/29/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while pulling into the driveway, the contact heard a rattling noise. the mechanic stated that the belt failed. the failure was repaired, however, the noise continued. another mechanic stated that the cam sensor failed and, once it was repaired, the noise ceased. the speed was unknown. the current mileage was 61,884 and failure mileage was 61,300. | |||