Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while slowing down would not accelerate when pressing the accelerator pedal and while switching gears the vehicle would lunge forward. the cause of the failure was not determined. the manufacturer and the local dealer forsom lake ford(12755 folsom blvd, forsom lake ca.) was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. the failure mileage was 175,000.

Had to replace my torque converter for $1,300 which is ridiculous considering there is only 87,000 miles. there has been thousands of complaints. ford needs to fix this! wouldn't leave park, had it towed out of my driveway.

I was driving on the freeway at posted speeds when my car began to slow with the accelerator still pressed, almost getting rear ended i was able to get to the shoulder of the freeway. i realized the car was running but would not go forward or reverse. i had to call a tow truck. i waited three hours for the tow truck to show up and then had it towed 80 miles to my house. i did some research and found that the torque converter splines would fail with no warning. i also did some test to confirm it was the torque converter. there are so many complaints with the same issue and ford motor company has done nothing to recall and fix the problem. does it take someone getting killed first? ford needs to step up and recall to fix this problem before people are killed.

Throttle stuck while driving up a hill going into a turn nearly causing an accident. i released the throttle and the engine continued to rev, forcing the use of brakes to gain control. placed transmission in neutral and engine revved before turning ignition switch to off position. inspection revealed that the cruise control cable retaining clip broke and prevented the throttle from returning to neutral position. *tr

While getting off the freeway on the drive home from work (at 6:40pm on dec 1st, 2016) the transmission no longer engaged. i had to coast over to a field and park while avoiding on-going traffic. i lost all engagement with the gears (rd21), and it is like being in perpetual neutral. the splines of the torque converter are stripped. ford made them too small, so they strip. the car has 126,000 miles on it, and is only used to go to and from work. thousands upon thousands of people have had this exact problem, yet ford has done nothing to correct the situation.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift out of the park position. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the contact stated that an independent mechanic diagnosed that the failure was a result of a stop lamp failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 04v106000 (exterior lighting); however, the vin was not included. the failure mileage was approximately 283,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 60 mph, the speed suddenly declined when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 76,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. after the vehicle was started, the gear failed to switch into the drive position without warning. in addition, the brake lamps failed to illuminate. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 88,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 20 mph, the transmission failed without warning. the vehicle felt as if it were in neutral. the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the torque converter in the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

Dangerous situation transmission complete failure in intersection while turning left. stopped awaiting on-coming traffic at city street situation could have resulted in a serious accident with on-coming traffic resulting in serious injury! many complaints already filled however after speaking with ford the refuse to fix it

While my vehicle was in cruise control at 68 mph on a 3 lane highway, the vehicle without any warning began to quickly loose speed and the ability to keep pace with surrounding traffic. the transmission became unresponsive and the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate and function in a safe manner. i quickly and unknowingly dropped below the safe driving speed for the highway and posed a safety risk to myself and of the drivers on the road around me. in the course of rapid deceleration i was almost struck in the rear by a vehicle that was not made aware of my loss of speed, as i did not apply the brakes. as soon as possible and as to not further endanger those around me; i turned on my hazard lights and relied on evasive driving to coast the vehicle to the safety of the shoulder. once off the highway, motor responded but none of the gears (reverse, overdrive, 1st, or 2nd) would engage. the car had no warning lights, service lights, or check engine signals illuminate on the instrument panel and there are no fluid leaks or outward appearance of any broken components. this sudden malfunction has rendered my vehicle barely functional and not safely maneuverable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly felt as if it were in neutral and would not engage in any gear. there were no warning indicators illuminated. an independent mechanic stated that the torque converter may have failed. the vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic who diagnosed and confirmed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the failure mileage was 132,400.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as it increased in engine rpms. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 61,000.

The transmission will not shift into any gear

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle was able to start after several attempts, but failed to shift out of park. in addition, the tail lights failed to function. the failure occurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Transmission torque converter - stripped splines. just 49,334 miles. this car has very low mileage and is in immaculate condition. definitely a proven bad part that ford should cover. the car quit moving at my workplace parking lot. im grateful it wasn't in an intersection. had to replace converter.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving at approximately 35 mph and attempting to merge into traffic, the engine revved without warning and the vehicle failed to resume acceleration. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 54,000.

Driving vehicle about 45mph when vehicle, without warning, slipped out of gear and would not reengage. car engine continued to run however, transmission would not engage in any gear. car was towed to mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failed transmission. car transmission was repaired and it was stated by repair facility that this is a common occurrence for this make, model, and year. transmission failed without any previous signs, symptoms, or warnings.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while driving 35 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle felt as if it were in neutral. the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle would not move. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission had become inoperable and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 68,000. ma 10/15/2015

My car randomly stopped moving when i was on the highway it was a major scene almost got rear ended by 5 cars had to veer off to the side to avoid a accident these transmissions/torque converters need to be recalled they were recalled in the ford winstar with the same tranny parts but not the ford taurus 2003 i was told the transmission and the torque converter went out and this is a more than common problem for this year of tauruses this is redicilious come on ford recall these trannys!!! i cant afford $1500

I was departing from parking lot and the car suddenly had some noise in the hood then lost all the power. after starting engine again, i can shift the gear into d or r, engine works ok but the car won't move at all. before it happened, the transmission works fine, no delayed engagement, no slips, no jolts, smooth gear-changing...the transmission just stopped with no warning signs at all. the car is regularly and well maintained. no check engine light on when it happened. later it turned out to be the stripped torque converter splines. it is a very common problem among ford early 2000's vehicles, the splines are only 0.16" thick by ford's defect designs, which can be easily stripped.

While driving 70 mph on interstate 35 my daughter completely lost power. the engine would rev but no power. in traffic, she had to coast to pull over. there was no warning prior to this incident and the car is otherwise in excellent condition. the car had to be towed and the local ford dealership diagnosed and are replacing the torque converter. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that after igniting the vehicle, smoke was coming from the outside of the vehicle. in addition, the engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown. updated 04/14/15*lj updated 7/20/15*cn updated 7/29/15*cn updated 9/21/2017*cn

My wife was driving the car with one of our grandkids in the back seat. she pulled off a main road to a side street, she went about 50 yards and the car stopped going forward. the engine was running fine, but there was no drive from the transmission no mater which gear she put it into. evidently the transmission failed without any prior indication such as leaked transmission fluid, a trouble light indication and no sound.this is indeed a safety issue because if it had failed in the intersection there was a possibility of an accident.i am extremely upset and disappointed with ford's handling of this failure of there product. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. in addition, the vehicle failed to move forward or in reverse but increased in rpm's. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown. the vin was unavailable.

On 1-23-2015 a friend was driving the car on a 4 land divided highway when the transmission quit pulling. he pulled over to the side of the road but could not get the car to move in any gear. he went on to a job interview and called me and i had the vehicle towed back to my residence. i checked and this is a common problem for this make, model and year car, as the torque converter goes out without any warning. *tr

The car was driving down the street and stopped. when i pressed to accel the transmission did'nt pull over 15 feet and stopped pulling. it was the torque converter that had gon out. and then i get a letter in the mail about other recalls but not on the transmissions. i worked for ford for 27 years as an engineer and built transmissions under recalls. i have no idea about these paople! but the 2004 has that recall.

I was coming home the car just lost.power and thank goodness. there. was no one behind me was able to.pull in middle lane and the car would.not.move it went into drive all gears but nothing i was terrified and once i gather myself i called for help.snd i had car towed to ford & they are saying i need new transmissions. are you.kidding me no warning no noise nothing just stopped.while driving i have read many complaints on the ford 2003 taurus and was in shock again how.many have same.problem this car.belongs to my dad who is 89 years.old.thank goodness he was.not driving. he or i could be killed.how many more have to die or get hurt by something ford is awarw of. please dp something. the ford place wants over $2800 for s transmissions ! this.is crazy i love ford.but not when they put lives in danger thank you *js

While driving back from shopping on a highway went to push the gas and my car had stopped and wouldn't accelerate after being stuck on the highway for an hour tow truck had to take my car to a garage they found out it was the transmission. going back to almost a year having this car we have never had any other problems we didn't hear nothing like our transmission going. just to get this fixed will be 2,000 or more. after a few mechanic we new looked they have said that alot of people have had this issue with this make and model or our car and that we should file a complaint. *tr

I was going approximately 50mph up a hill on a sharp turn. completely lost power unable to go forward or in reverse. luckily i was able to coast backward across the road into a driveway and almost caused a huge accident with a car coming around the corner. i had to go across so cars coming behind me wouldn't hit me. if i wasn't on a hill i would have caused a real accident for sure. the transmission was completely blown and i will now be using all of my christmas money to get another used transmission. after doing hours of research i have found hundreds and hundreds of other reports of owners of 2003 tauruses with the exact same descriptions. i am blown away with the large amount of complaints with this cars transmission yet nothing is being done by ford to fix this problem. this almost cost me my life and i will do everything in my power to get ford to help other owners and myself find a solution to this problem. *tr

The shifter changes to reverse, drive, neutral, but the car does not recognize the gears. the vehicle remains stationary. *tr

While driving on the expressway, pressed the gas pedal and the rpm's increased dramatically while the speed decreased. the engine power was not being transmitted to the wheels. i needed to cross traffic and get off of the road. luckily, the traffic was light and my cross was uneventful. had this happened earlier, i would have most likely been involved in a serious accident. the incident happened with no warning. the vehicle operated absolutely normally, up to that last second. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph after making a u-turn, the vehicle suddenly failed to accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission fluid bump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 90,002.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed up an incline, the accelerator pedal was depressed and failed to respond. the contact was able to restart vehicle but the failure persisted. the vehicle was towed but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer had been notified. the approximate failure mileage was 98,322.

The 2003 taurus was being driven on a secondary road on 7/7/14 when it quite moving forward as it was in drive, upon acceleration and the car was steered to the right of the roadway and drifted to make a right turn off a busy roadway . although it was not in that roadway it was still obstructing the alternate road right lane traveled by dump trucks , until towed 2 hours later , vehicle fails to shift or otherwise go into any gear , the car is in front of our house, parked since that day,as obviously the transmission has failed and needs repair or rebuilding. i can not afford a transmission repair right now costing $3000. *tr

Sitting at a stop light. car would rev when light turned green but no acceleration. pushed it to the side of the road. no warning lights, no slipping of gears, no fluid leaking no sounds or jerky feelings. called ford and got a case number, but they are no help. contacted [xxx] , consumer advocate and he advised me to contact ford. found 299 complaints of the same problem on carcomplaints.com and same problems on autosafety.org. i was told by ford that the transmission is out of warranty. i said i would help with cost but feel ford should take responsibility. are they waiting for a fatality? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

We were stopped at a stop light when the light turned green car would not go. it acted like it was in neutral. doesn't matter if it is in reverse,overdrive ,drive or 1st gear acts just like it is neutral. no warning of any issues. *tr

Started my 2003 ford taurus to go to work. my car was parked on a downward sloped driveway as it has been for several years. as i went to put it in reverse it rolled down the incline. tried several times to put the car in reverse but each time it rolled down the incline. after almost hitting my backyard fence i cut the car off and called in late for work. i realize all cars have things that might have to be replaced or worked on but given the number of complaints of this same issue among this make/model/year with transmission problems ford should make this right with people who trusted the company enough to buy their product. many complaints have caused near accidents. i could have ended up destroying my fence and entering the creek that runs along my backyard. my mechanic said this was a defect in the transmission involving the torque converter. ford please pay for the defect in your product so i can trust you again. *tr

Went to cross a very busy intersection in our city (and intersection where there have been multiple fatalities), and the vehicle would not go. engine was running; transmission acted as if it were in neutral. i was stuck in the middle of the busiest road in desoto county. my friends and i had to get out of the vehicle and push it across the road to a safe place. it appears the transmission has failed and the local transmission shops want close to $1800.00 to replace. i have read numerous complaints of this same issue affecting others. why hasn't ford placed a recall on this issue and fix it? i am surprised someone has not been killed. *tr

Our daughter had planned to come home for a family gathering on easter sunday and indicated she was leaving dekalb, il and would be taking the interstate 88 toll way to dixon. shortly after she had called, she phoned again to say that her car suddenly went out of gear as she was driving to get on the toll way. the car engine raced has the car started to slow down. fortunately, she was able to coast off on to a side road and stop the car. according to the web site www.carcomplaint.com, 292 complaints have been submitted since 2012 for this same transmission failure. to my surprise, further research showed there has not been a recall. this appears to be a faulty transmission design issue which could easily result in personal injury or death. thankfully our daughter's car had not lost the transmission while driving on the interstate. she could have easily been tail ended and seriously injured or killed. this transmission problem presents a serious safety problem and warrants a manufacturer recall. our daughter fears that if the transmission is replaced or requires a major part, it will likely contain the same flaw as the original transmission. she says she does not feel she can ever feel safe driving the car on the interstate or chicago freeways where she visits her friend. ford needs to furnish a reliable and safe replacement transmission by order of the national safety administration. the high potential for injury or death dictates immediate action. *tr

I was driving down a main highway when my rpm's dropped (as if car was going to stall), there was a loss of power and then the car would not accelerate. as i was in a area where there was a lot of traffic i had to ease my way over to be able to get the vehicle off of the road. the engine was still running, but as i tried to accelerate there was no power. the shifter on the column just goes up and down and does not engage in any gear. everyone that i have consulted seems to think that it is an issue with the transmission. i have since done research only to find out that this is a known problem with these cars. had i known that i would never have purchased it. on one website alone there were 293 cases reported of the same transmission failure and ford has refused to do anything about this known problem. my dad worked for ford for almost 40 years before retiring. we have always driven fords and have never had an issue like this with any of our vehicles. i am sure that my dad is turning over in his grave right now at the poor quality of the taurus and the known issues which ford is aware of, but has never done anything to rectify it with taurus owners. who can afford to go out and buy a brand new car in this day and age? even worse yet, who would want to sink the amount of money it would cost for a repair job on a transmission into a car that isn't worth much more value wise. i am very disappointed with ford! i am a single female in her 60's that can't afford the repairs or to go out and buy another vehicle at this time. i am still working and also drive a half hour one way to go to college 4 days a week. now what do i do? shame on you ford for not standing behind your products!

I have a 2003 ford taurus, with 66k that my daughter was driving. she was headed for home with my grand kids when the engine acceleration increased and the car stopped moving forward. lucky she wasn't on a busy highway and was able to coast to a wide spot in the road. the transmission quit working without warning which could have been disastrous had she been on the express way, in a major intersection or passing on a two lane road. the car had to be towed. after this happened i researched other complaints of this same year taurus and there have been many! i strongly feel this is a definite safety issue with this car and intend to report this to ford and the auto safety administration. i also intend to make a post on www.carcomplaints.com and suggest others with this problem do the same. this car should be recalled for this safety issue! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission failed to respond. the vehicle was coasted into a nearby parking lot. the vehicle had not been towed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified, who informed that there was not a recall related to the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Put car in reverse to move the strut assembly broke the spring went thru the tire multiple times.a 90,000 mile tire that only had 1900 miles on them. i am the one owner of this car with reg maintenance with no warning or prevention of this happening. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward intermittently and the transmission failed to engage. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the filter and the transmission needed to be flushed. the vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who diagnosed that the pumps needed to be replaced. the vehicle was schedule to be inspected and repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

Automatic transmission stopped working in the middle of traffic. managed to get over to shoulder and car would nor move forward or in reverse. *tr

There is a recall on my car, but my vin was never entered. therefore a notice was never sent out to recall the vehicle. ford randall reed and reynolds ford in oklahoma city refused to do the recall repair. the ford customer service rep confirmed my car came from the plant that had the recall and that there was never a repair/notice because the vin hadn't been entered. they gave another phone number, but that number only speaks to dealerships. my car will not shift out of park. my mechanic is [xxx]at midas on nw 23rd phone: [xxx] ford has been giving him the run-around, but he is trying to resolve the issue of my vin not being reported. the recall went out in april 2004t he campaign # 04v106000. this defect can cause a crash. recall id # 41871 - exterior lighting:brake lights:switch hide details recall date: mar 02, 2004 model affected: 2003 ford taurus summary: certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. this malfunctioning could render the stop lamps inoperable or cause them to stay on all the time. this could cause confusion to a following driver, which could lead to a crash. consequences: in addition, if the switch and/or associated wiring fail in the open position, the brake lights will not actuate and the driver will not be able to shift the vehicle out of "park" if they fail in the closed position, the brake lights will remain on, which will not allow the speed control to be activated. this could also cause the battery to discharge. remedy: dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. owner notification is expected to begin on april 5, 2004. . information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

There is a recall on my car, but my vin was never entered and notice was ever sent out to recall the vehicle.i had problems with insurance because of the vin, maybe the vin should be [xxx]. ford randall reed and reynolds ford in oklahoma city refused to do the recall repair. the ford customer service rep confirmed my car came from the plant that had the recall and that there was never a repair/notice because the vin hadn't been entered. they gave another phone number, but that number only speaks to dealerships. my car will not shift out of park. my mechanic is [xxx]at midas on nw 23rd phone: [xxx]ford has been giving him the run-around, but he is trying to resolve the issue of my vin not being reported. the recall went out in april 2004 the campaign # 04v106000. this defect can cause a crash. recall id # 41871 - exterior lighting:brake lights:switch hide details recall date: mar 02, 2004 model affected: 2003 ford taurus summary: certain passenger vehicles are being recalled to correct a problem with a malfunctioning stop lamp switch and/or associated wiring. this malfunctioning could render the stop lamps inoperable or cause them to stay on all the time. this could cause confusion to a following driver, which could lead to a crash. consequences: in addition, if the switch and/or associated wiring fail in the open position, the brake lights will not actuate and the driver will not be able to shift the vehicle out of "park" if they fail in the closed position, the brake lights will remain on, which will not allow the speed control to be activated. this could also cause the battery to discharge. remedy: dealers will remove the stop lamp switch and associated wiring assembly and install a newly designed stop lamp switch and wire assembly. owner notification is expected to begin on april 5, 2004. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6), *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while stopped, the engine rpms abnormally increased and the vehicle would not accelerate as the engine roared loudly. the contact was able to coast onto the road shoulder. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed and the failure was located at the torque converter. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 107, 000. updated 12/04/13*lj updated 12/6/2013 *js