Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus VISIBILITY

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. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact noticed water leaking onto the passenger side floorboard of the vehicle. a few months later, he began experiencing failure with the blower motor, which caused the heater, defroster, and air conditioning to not work. he called the dealer numerous times and they stated that it was a common failure; however, there was no recall. they offered to place a rain cap over a new blower motor, but it was not covered by the manufacturer. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 106,000.

1) normal use. 2) water leaked into heater blower motor of 2003 ford taurus. blower motor failed. heater resister also failed. 3) installed new blower motor and resistor. need to purchase additional parts from tsb 04-15-3 so problem does not repeat. appears to be poor original engineering that would cause this to occur. there is a related recall, 03v087000 and also a prior complaint 10184014. thank you! *jb

Air conditioner blower motor stopped working. checked fuses they were good, started engine - up and blower started working rest of day. then it only worked when it wanted to. had diagnostic 08/03/07 needs blower motor. *tr

Tl*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.

Leak on passenger side of 2003 ford tarus, shorted out a/c heater blower motor. *tr

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. *tr

Tl*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.

Water dripping into my blower motor. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 30 mph he noticed rain entered into the vehicle through the windshield, which caused damage to the blower motor. the dealer stated that the rain entered through the seals of the windshield. the dealer replaced the weather stripping panel and blower motor. there is a recall for the windshield (recall #03v087000). the contact stated that he has not verified if his vehicle was included. the failure mileage was 56,700 and the current mileage was 57,000.

Rain water leaked into the passenger's compartment via cabin air filter. water passed through electrical circuits controlling heater and air conditioning systems. a short could occur, possibly igniting a fire. finally, a puddle will form on the passenger's side floor; the size of the puddle was determined by the amount of rainfall. *ak

Ac/heater blower only operates on high - speeds 1,2,3, no air blowing. blower resistor part (f6dz-19a706-aa) has been replaced three times in six years. obviously, there is a defect/known problem that ford should be addressing. *tr

Tl*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.

2003 ford taurus had leaking under passenger dashboard. took vehicle to dealership to get it fixed for $155. the blower motor stopped working except on high. i read that other people had this problem with the 2003 ford taurus. now i was going to be out more money to replace the blower and/or blower resistor. this was an apparent design flaw and should be recalled. *ak

Water leaked into the cabin on passenger's side front of the 2003 ford taurus, causing the heater and air condition r ( /a-c) blower to rust and become inoperative. visibility a problem before changing the motor myself. dealer refused to fix under ext. warranty. recall #031506, for water leak.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 65 mph the contact attempted to turn the heat on and it failed. the mechanic stated that water was in the blower motor. the motor and resistor was replaced. the dealer stated that this failure will reoccur because it was ongoing , and the filter will need to be replaced. the damage included water stains on the motor. there were no warning indicator lights present. the failure was related to recall# 03v087000. the failure mileage was 100,000, and the current mileage is 113,000. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the windshield slipped down and she heard a lot of wind noise, rattling, and water leakage. the floor began to rust, the lights flickered, and the cruise control failed due to water damage. the alternator was replaced twice due to water damage. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v087000 (visibility:windshield). the failure mileage was 43,000 and current mileage was 68,000. updated 04-02-08 *bf the vehicle jerks when the consumer drives over 35 mph. the dashboard lights go dim. the vehicle would also stall. the dealer stated it was due to a bad alternator. updated

My 2003 ford taurus has had water leaking in to the passenger side floor board ever since i purchased it, not thinking a whole lot about it when i returned from over seas due to a deployment there was rust stains in my carpet and the blower then would only work on high, about a month ago the blower motor quit working so i asked my mechanic and he told me that it should be covered but i have 40,000 miles on my car right now and the dealership is refusing to fix it under the tsb's or under any recalls. *tr

2003 ford taurus ,water leaking in on the passenger side floor board when it rains. *jb

My wife noticed water poring out in the passenger floorboard of her 2003 ford taurus. she was aggravated by this, but had no mechanical failures and did not worry too much about it. then she had her defroster fail while driving. this caused an issue, because she was not able to get home immediately and had to use a rag to clear the windshield to drive home. she told me about it and refused to drive anywhere with our children until the problem was resolved. i found water in the vent and had to replace the blower motor. the fan now runs, but only runs on high because another component failed that controls the fan speed. when i contacted the ford dealership, they stated they were well aware of this issue, but no recall had been filed. i looked up recall info on the ford site by vin and it stated none were active. a quick search on the web will show i am not the only one with this issue. i believe this is a major safety hazard an inability to clear the windshield impairs the ability to see where you are going and recognize any hazards. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the defroster blower motor failed to operate while driving. the contact was forced to clear the windows manually. the failure occurred suddenly and with no warning indicators. ford motor company was aware of this failure, and issued technical service bulletin (tsb)#13-031506 to the dealer, indicating that water could get into the blower motor. ford stated that the failure was not a safety issue worthy of a recall. additionally, the contacts warranty expired. the vehicle will be diagnosed by the dealer on march 30, 2007. the contact was aware of the safety risk involved due to the lack of visibility while driving. the current and failure mileage were 16,300.*ak the contact has provided the invoices for the repair and further states he wants to be reimbursed for repairs which is totaling $182.00. update 4/23/07 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the defroster failed to operate when activated. the vehicle was brought to the dealer, who stated that the blower motor, rain hood, and resister assembly needed to be replaced. the contact conducted some research and found several complaints along with tsb # 031506 from ford, and another from nhtsa. the contact stated that the dealer originally quoted a repair cost of $443.00. however, the contact was able to negotiate, and only paid $182.00. the contact stated that the tsb failures should have been mentioned before purchasing the vehicle. the current mileage was 16,300 , and failure mileage was 1,600.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that there was a leak in her windshield that caused mold and mildew build-up. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and the windshield was sealed and the vehicle was fumigated. since the repairs were made, there had been no further occurrences until recently during heavy rain. the odor inside the vehicle is unbearable and mold and mildew was built-up where the windshield meets the dashboard. when backing out of her driveway, the contact observed water leaking from the vehicle days after a rainstorm occurred. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v087000 (visibility:windshield). the failure mileage was 53,000 and current mileage was 55,000. updated 10-30-08 *bf updated 11/03/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle leaks on the passenger side when it rains. the leak causes a shortage in the ac resistor. the resistor has been replaced twice. the mechanic was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage is 70,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.

Rain is entering the heater/ac box shorting the heater/ac fan. window fogs suddenly creating hazard. it is not antifreeze or heater core. after heavy rain you can hear water sloshing around in the heater box. there is also a faint odor of a burnt electrical component. i suspect blower motor. *jb

I noticed a puddle of water in my passenger side floor board. shortly after, the heat started to kick off and on, then eventually kicked off completely. now, we just replaced the heater and air conditioner motor blower and relay because the motor burned out due to excessive water damage. this water damage is apparently caused by a design defect that has not yet been recalled by ford on the 2003 taurus. i found this out by other 2003 taurus owners and by the auto repair shop employee who mentioned that this is very common with the 2003 taurus. now i'm out $300.00 in parts and repairs for a design defect that can continue to cause water damage and keep putting me out of money for repairs. *jb

Water shorted out my blower motor in 2003 ford taurus. we had a slushy friday and i went through a few small puddles and had no heat or defrost in 8 degree weather. needless to say no defrost in winter is a hazard .the fix cost me $400+. simply google 2003 ford taurus cowl and you will see that i am not alone. my local ford dealer told me that it was not a recall but a service bulletin. doesn't that admit that they are aware of a problem ? a water leak may seem minor but no ac in the desert or heat in the north is a major problem. *jb

Blower motor went out and had no heat in the middle of the winter(5 degrees out and had two toddlers in the car. it is a known manufacturing defect allowing water to get into the blower assembly. *nm

Blower motor failure due to water leaking into blower case on my 2003 ford taurus, i took my car to the ford dealer to get the blower repaired or replaced. after they replaced the blower, they told me that it wasn't covered under my 6 yr/ 75000 mi. bumper to bumper warranty because of water leaking into the blower case. i'm going to fight this because ford co. knew there was a problem with leakage into the blower case which means ford should have replaced my blower/motor for free, instead i got a bill for $508.00 and i'm taking it to small claims court. if anyone else wants to get on the bandwagon let me know. my email is: [email protected]. i'm in pittsburgh pa and by the way my car had 57,000 miles on it. *nm

The heater blower of the windshield defroster stopped working the day the weather became coder after a reasonably fair weather. *nm

My 2003 ford taurus' blower motor went out. in order to have heat in my car we had to replace it the same day. *jb

Tl*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.*lj

Puddle of water on passenger side floor. based on research available on web, ford is well aware of the problem. *jb

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. *tr

Tl*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.

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. *tr

2003 ford taurus ses. ford tsb 4-15-3, nhtsa #10011149. blower motor resistor failure. moisture causes the resistor to short out. moisture and electrical short is a fire hazard. resistor and blower motor must be replaced and blower motor housing must be resealed. this same problem has occurred in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 model years. defective workmanship and materials. *jb

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. *tr

Defrost blower motor quit in my 2003 taurus. began by acting sluggish, when wetness appeared on floor assumed it was due to the rainy weather but have since discovered this is an ongoing design defect which ford has yet to address. have received 1 estimate on cost to replace blower fan only $264.00 resistor another $75.00 loss of car for minimum of 3 hours. have not had repaired yet but will request that old parts be returned to me. *jb

Blower motor switch quit working. is due, as i understand, to a defect in manufacturing and/or design in blower motor case which allows water to get in and ruin the resister switch. eventually blower motor switch quits working altogether. when this happens there is no defrost or defogger which affects visibility. this happens according to a google search and tsb# 031506 frequently. ford in the case of the 1996 contour gave a ten yr. coverage due to similar problem. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds in rainy weather, water leaked through the cowling around the front passenger side of the windshield. additionally, the rainwater leaked into the defroster/defogger motor which shorted out afterwards. the dealer and manufacturer were notified.

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.

2003 taurus ses-windshield leaks water into pass. side floor. *nm

2003 ford taurus blower motor stopped working and the windshield fogged up while driving. the problem was water getting into the blower motor area from the cowl area at the cabin filter. ford knows about this problem and has a tsb fix with a shield and weatherstrip. they tell you about the problem after the water has already caused the problem costing you $300 extra because now you need electrical problems fixed. *nm

Tl*- the contact noticed water leaking on the passenger's side floorboard of his 2003 ford taurus. the contact noticed more water when it rained or when the vehicle was wet. the dealership informed the contact that there was a water leak due to there being no deflector over the pollen filter. the dealership made the repair, and there has not been any more leaks. the contact stated that the air conditioner fan had stopped working . he took the vehicle to a mechanic, and was informed that the resister switch needed to be replaced. the mechanic replaced the resister switch. the air conditioner resister switch failed again approximately two months later. the contact stated that the mechanic informed him the blower motor needed to be replaced due to rust from the previous leaks. the vehicle currently had 61000 miles. *ak the consumer has provided the repair bill and wants to reimbursed for the work performed on the vehicle. the water leak shorted out the blower motor. the consumer discovered there was a silent recall regarding the windshield leak. update *4/20/07 *tr updated 09/19/07. *jb

Failure of blower motor and fan resistor due to water puddling in this area and causing replacement. *nm

There was water on the passenger side floor after a rain storm this week and now the climate control blower motor doesn't work in my 2003 ford taurus. this is the same problem described in nhtsa item number 10011149 and service bulletin number: 031506. *jb

I just purchased a 2003 ford taurus from royal ford in owego, n.y. and the blower motor quit on me, they will not replace, i've only had the car for 4 months. *nm

On feb 9, 2006 our blower motor would only work on high. we took it in then and they replaced the resistor, never mentioning a potential water problem that would lead to blower motor failure. on june 25, 2006 our blower motor went out. we took it in again and were told a water leak caused this & they replaced it & told us about a bonnet they could install so this doesn't happen again. we feel we should have been told in february about this problem and given the chance to purchase the bonnnet at that time, instead of paying for a new blower motor in june. we feel these should have been put on these vehicles in the first place and none of this would have happened. *jb

I have a 1993 ford taurus that leaked water from under the passenger side dash. then my ac switch went out. i took it to a mechanic and he said water had gotten into the blower motor and shorted out. he also had a 1992 taurus that he just repaied with the exact problem. the mechanic said it will need a new blower motor and resistor. also some kind of cowl is needed to prevent this again. *jb