Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus POWER TRAIN

2003 ford taurus ses, automatic-transmission. was driving the car and had just made a right hand turn. the engine started to over-rev and there was no power being trnasmitted to the wheels. the engine runs fine but no matter what gear is selected from reverse to drive there is no power being transmitted to the wheels. this is a safety risk as had this happend while at highway speed or crossing an intersection could easliy have resulted in serious injuires or death. there are numerous complaints of this problem with ford taking no responsibility. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated after coming to a complete stop and preparing to move the vehicle, the rpms increased and the vehicle did not move. the vehicle was towed to her residence and will be towed to a mechanic shop. the dealer stated the repair cost was $3000 to replace the transmission. the manufacturer was contacted and stated no recalls were issued for the failure, and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 75,000.

At approximately 126000 miles first of two coil springs broke in the front driver's side of the car. had both front coil springs replaced. three weeks later was backing out of parking space at work only to have the transmission pump fail. car acted exactly as described in many other complaints here, sudden loss of power, high engine rev and an inability of the car to work in any gear. had the car towed to my mechanic and was then told that not only did the transmission need to be rebuilt but i also had a rear coil spring that now was broken. have purchased many ford vehicles but this is enough to make you look at a different manufacturer. *tr

Drove home from work...no problems...went out on 8/25/2011..stopped at a red light...everything was fine...went about 50 feet...transmission dis-engaged and coasted to the side of the road...got towed home . transmission shifts fine but wont engage . *tr

Driving along on my way to work, on major highway (rt. 95, ewing, nj) slightly over 65 mph speed limit and all of a sudden engine starts racing. no bang, clang or boom sounds. i reduced pressure on gas pedal to stop racing engine. tried to press again to resume speed, but no reaction but racing engine again. pulled over to right shoulder through 2 lanes of traffic in morning rush hour and stopped. tried car in all gears (including reverse), only reaction was like car was in neutral, no gears worked. called for a tow. mechanic said it was major transmission failure (torque converter broke and a pump?) in my 2003 ford taurus with 102k miles. i was lucky i had enough speed to maneuver my way across the highway to the shoulder. *tr

I was driving my 2003 ford taurus ses to work on 8/4/11 and without warning the car stopped going! my car currently has +/- 126,000 miles on it. it still was running, just none of the gears worked. i was lucky that i go to work at 7:00am and traffic was very light! i was also lucky to coast to a nearby parking lot out of the flow of traffic. this all happened without warning and the car had been running fine leading up to this! i have researched online and found many others with the same issue, hopefully ford will do something about it! i will at least call the local ford dealership to get their opinion, but will probably take it somewhere else as i am pretty sure the price will be better! it sounds like ford needs to step up to the plate and make this right! *tr

While accelerating from a stop at a red light, vehicle shuddered a little as if transmission shifter was bumped out of gear. vehicle coasted to a stop through the intersection. no motion was found by selecting other gears. vehicle was towed to transmission shop and trans failure confirmed. torque converter failure, tc bearing failure, boost pump failing and check valves out of specification. $1,800 in repair costs. i know of many people with failed ford transaxle failures before 75k miles.... *tr

While driving on a city street the transmission of the car went out without any warnings. the car was recently serviced and only had 65'k miles. after some searching this seems like a very common problem even at low miles. *tr

My wife was driving our car, when the engine revved up and the would not move in drive gear. at the time she was crossing a four lane highway. the car will start and run, but will not move. i have even replaced the neutral safety switch, and that did not solve the problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated while driving 65 mph the vehicle stalled and the contact was able to shift the vehicle into neutral then back to drive gear. the vehicle stalled; however, the contact was able to drive onto the emergency lane. after the vehicle cooled down, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle and it failed to start. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer advised the contact that there were no related recalls. the contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the failure mileage was 62,000.

I was driving eastbound on i-90 (mass. pike) in massachusetts, about 60 miles outside of boston, with my fiancee in the passenger seat. road conditions were ideal. temperature was in the high 80s. sun was out, about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. suddenly, the rpms went through the roof, but the car did not slow or speed. i tested again and same thing happened. i signaled right and was able to move over one lane and again onto the shoulder. once parked, the car would not go into gear. i just got revving in park, drive, reverse, lower gears, etc. transmission failure. no power to the ground. repair costs came to $2,000. i would consider this a safety problem since i was not able to control the speed of my car on a busy highway. i was lucky enough to have space to my rear and right when the incident occured, but had i been boxed in, there certainly would have been an accident. it appears this is a common problem with the '03 taurus.

2003 fordtaurus ses 3.0l v6 55000 miles, setting traffic light, light turned green went 50ft. transmission dis-engaged could not get it to re-engage (no r or d) had car towed to transmission shop. writing this complaint due to the large number of people who have had the same problem. ford should do a recall for the number complaints for this problem. *tr

My daughter was driving a 2003 ford taurus on july 7, 2011. the vehicle stopped moving. the engine was working, but the car would not move. car was towed to a repair facility where it was diagnosed that the transmission was torn up and would have to be replace or rebuilt. this transmission failure happened without any previous indications of the car having transmission trouble. i understand that other 2003 ford taurus vehicles have also had this problem. if this failure had happened on a busy interstate during rush hour, it could have been a major safety issue. as it was, she almost had a wreck, because the car was driving down the road and then suddenly the transmission failed, causing the vehicle to not have any power to the wheels to move. she was nearly rear-ended by a car behind her due to this product failure. ford needs to rectify this defect. i am having to come out of pocket for a lot of money to fix a problem that apparently is inherent to this model. i would like for ford to reimburse my expenses. *tr

2003 taurus 3.0l v6 - transmission failed while driving, could only coast to stop. was fortunate that was able to get side of road without being rear-ended by following cars. *tt

On the above date the transaxle in this car quit working. the torque converter broke a gear. it is my understanding this is prevalent in the 2003 ford taurus and the 2003 windstar vans. ford recalled the windstars but not the taurus'. i had it ,the transaxle,rebuilt and put only 3000 to 3200 miles from the date of this repair. about 5 weeks ago the same thing happened. it is my understanding this is a prevalent problem with these vehicles. now in regards to the lighting, the manufacturers should take the responsibility of replacing those damned "yellowed" out headlight lens on just about 99% of the cars that have them. this should be a major recall due to the hazard they can cause while driving at night. we the american people cannot afford the cost to replace this dangerous unsafe features on almost all vehicles produced by all auto manufacturers since the 90's. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus ses. the contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle would no longer accelerate. after trying to restart it to no avail, it was undrivable and had to be towed. the vehicle has not been inspected nor repaired. the dealer was contacted and they advised him that the trans axle had possibly failed and needed to be replaced. the failure and current mileages were approximately 113,000. updated 08/05/11*lj the consumer also stated head light lenses turned yellow, not allowing much light to radiate out of them and it was very difficult to drive at night. updated 09/14/11. *jb updated 01/30/12. *jb

On the date above and then again on feb,2015 the transaxle quit working, it would not go anywhere. had it rollbacked to my house both times at a cost of $50 per tow. the cost to repair and or replace the transaxle was :2011: $1,400; 2015: $1,700. the car at the 2nd. rework/exchange (the trans shop replaced rather than rebuild mine) had only 125,000 miles. it is my understanding the transaxles in these generation ford tauruses were prone to transaxle failure, as were the ford windstars as both vehicles used the same transaxle. upon studying up on these problems it seems ford motor co. recalled the windstar and called it a bad torque converter causing the problems. why did they not recall the tauruses also, answer: amount of vehicles produced of each model and their feet were not "held to the fire" by ya'll and our gov.. now to get to the lighting problem: the most safety hazardous item which has been installed on vehicles in the last 15-20 years is those damned "plastic lensed headlights" that within 3 years will "fog over" to the extent they do not produce enough light to be usefull at night. oh they say you can clean them, of which i have tried on my taurus, to not much avail. i believe the auto manufacturers should be ordered thru a recall from you to replace them at no cost to us owners. if you will check, you will see a replacement of those "wunderfull" invention , known as bullcrap, lens will set an owner of the vehicles around $500 to $700 per pair installed. and must be adjusted by a dealers only equipment. i my self do not believe in todays world 125,000 - 129,000 miles is a lot. if the truth were known the "yellowed out" headlights have been the cause of a lot of nite time accidents. do your job and go after them and make them replace with new transaxles and torque converters and at the same time make them replace the yellowed out headlight lenses.

Without warning my 2003 ford taurus won't run in any gear, transmission failure. i had to walk in 105 weather with 5 kids in order to get help for a tow. this was on a busy four lane road where i had to narrowly avoid being rear ended going 50 miles an hour. is someone waiting for a death to occur to require ford to recall this faulty product? *tr

As i was driving down a busy freeway heading to work at 70 mph my car just stopped accelerating... it scared me so bad i almost sideswiped a car next to me just in reaction to get off the road because there was a semi behind me. my cruise had tried to keep up with the 70 mph i set it at but it couldn't so the rpms went sky high and my gas pedal went straight to the floor. it left me stranded on the side of a busy freeway while speeding cars were flying by me, so i also could have gotten sideswiped there, i've seen it many times on tv with parked cars on the side of a freeway. im not going to have a car for a long time until the transmission is fixed. and how im going to get the money for it i have no clue. i cant get to work i don't make money to get it fixed. ford should recall because its happened to so many people and its not our fault, its theirs for building a faulty car. my car barely has 87,000 miles on it, a cars transmission should not go out at 87,000 miles. my old car had 180,000 miles and never had an issue like that. i may be going to a new car company next car if ford doesn't fix this issue. im lucky i had quick reaction time and i knew how to handle the car or i would be done for, this is absolutely a safety issue and ford wont admit that. *tr

Transmission quit while driving. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while the contact was driving approximately 15 mph, the transmission suddenly failed to respond. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the technician stated there was a faulty torque converter input shaft. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the defect. the failure mileage was 58,000. updated 07/20/11*lj updated 02/27/12

Ford taurus 2003 ses, engine 3.0l car was purchased on may 28, 2011. left side electrical along with components of the turn signal snap back when attempting to use this safety feature made for vehicles. on 06/15/2011 the front right brakes of the vehicle went out and required the vehicle to be towed to a local repair shop. during the drive home which was from a distance of about 20 miles i experienced uncontrollable steering and almost lost control of the vehicle. the replaced brake caliper bolt came loose and was lost along the highway. on 07/19/2011 after the vehicle was towed back to the repair shop the a/c compressor had failed again along with the transmission as the transmission was slipping roughly during normal driving conditions. the vehicle was towed and was blowing hot, brakes grinding, transmission flare shifting 2-3 shift. repair shop stated slipping at 30mph and stated rebuilt transmission. during a week period around 07/22/2011 the brakes were grinding again and the lower ball joints were installed. transmission slipping around 30mph and ac was still blowing hot. transmission was rebuilt during this time frame due to flare shift 2-3 shift. vehicle was towed back to the shop each time. 08/17/2011 check engine light on, transmission does not shift, grinding noise when accelerate and brake, a/c blows hot. on 08/31/2011 the transmission would not shift, stated need to replace all electronics in transmission, one or more solenoids are defect. 09/12/2011 odometer 112377 out o. on 09/20/2012 mil 140,768. balanced 55 series and above rear right wheels balanced parts for flat with plug. vehicle was inspected for power steering fluid and it was normal. the vehicle jumps when put in reverse and into gear and seems to want to stay on cruise control. i will post further comments to my complaint as there is not enough space for facts. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the transmission failed and the vehicle would not further accelerate. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the transmission was replaced one year ago by another mechanic after experiencing the same failure. the manufacturer was notified and a complaint was filed. the failure mileage was 69,304 and the current mileage was 89,000.

I was driving down i24 with my daughter in the car during rush hour traffic. out of the blue the transmission went out. i had to coast across 4 lanes of traffic to get to the emergency lane. i was stranded on the side of the interstate with my child for 2 1/2 hrs waiting on a tow truck. i have never been so scared of having an accident. why is ford waiting on someone to die before they fix this problem????? this will be the last vehicle that i purchase from ford!!!! i will be going with a foreign made car from now on. *tr

The torque converter on my 2003 taurus ses completely and immediately stopped working - the engine would rev but i was unable to engage any of the gears. *tr

Driving down the road and transmission went out. it does not change or shift gears. has not been reapired yet, transmission needs to be replaced. *tr

I was driving home from work, everything worked fine until i slowed down for a turn, and when i tried to accelerate again...it wouldn't. the car is at around 83,000 miles, and besides this issue the car is in amazing shape. *tr

2003 ford taurus transmission breaks going down the interstate at 75 mph,we were stranded on the side of the road at 11 pm in the rain.!!! if you search the internet there are hundreds of complaints about this transmission failing it is the same transmission that was recalled in the windstar. but since no one has died yet nothing will change. *tr

I have a 2003 ford taurus ses with 67,000 miles on it. the transmission just stopped. park and neutral only. fortunately i was not in traffic when it happened. over the last year a couple minor slips, but this time total failure. having it towed to a dealer monday. *tr

Complete transmission failure on a 2003 ford taurus while driving. *tr

2003 ford taurus driving along and engine runs but it feel like i am in neutral transmission gone. 2 time in 2 1/2 years and ford fixed it the first time. *tr

I own a 2003 ford taurus and was driving on a normal commute, while driving in the right lane the transmission just quit. i then had to coast through rush hour traffic across 4 lanes and sit in the emergency lane for an hour for rescue. there was no warning no signs just quit while driving. i have never been so afraid of being in an accident as that day. this is a serious concern that i have learned ford is aware of and has done nothing to fix or attempted a recall on the transmission components that fail. it cost nearly $2000 to repair, on a car that only has a blue book value of $3500 clearly this is a terrible waist just to get the car moving again. it is unfortunate that a large company like ford can allow such problems to occur in there cars, at least companies like toyota fix the problems they find. *tr

I was driving i-75n, got off at my exit and switched lanes as the light was turning from red to green. just as i got under the light, my car would not accelerate. it was in gear, but the engine would only rev (as if it were in neutral). i put on my hazards, restarted the car to no avail. called 911 and reported what had happened. a kind (and brave) stranger was able to push my car safely through the intersection and to the shoulder where i parked and waited for a tow-truck and friend to pick me up. had it towed to pepboys (they don't work on transmissions) had it towed to aamco and subsequently cottman transmissions where it sits now. parts and labor are estimated at $2331. many, many other similar accounts from other 2003 ford taurus owners. should be a recall on the failing torque converters. and the stickler is, i just had an oil change at my local ford dealership and they told me my car was in great condition. there was nothing to worry about. you can only imagine how relieved i was hearing that from the manufacturer.

When i was on my way to arbys the transmission went out on me with no warning. my car could not shift gears to go into reverse or forward. luckily i was able to coast to a stop and put the car in park. the employees at arbys assisted me with pushing the vehicle out of the drive-through. the car runs but cannot shift into any gears. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the faulty transmission was replaced with a transaxle assembly reconditioned transmission with reman torque converter. total cost of repair was $1,839.33. *tr

I was returning home from a gas station and came down the steep hill to my house and when i went to back into my parking space the transmission completely failed . i thought my tires were just spinning due to some ice . when i put the car in drive to try to find another space i discovered the only gears i had were park and neutral. the car then coasted to the middle of the intersection and stopped, i then had to get my neighbor to help push the car around the corner and into a parking spot. there was no warning at all the transmission never slipped and there were no indicator lights . nothing at all just total failure. i'm just glad it didn't happen with my family in the car along the highway on our way to cub scouts.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact was driving 65 mph, the vehicle would stall without warning at any time. the contact would have to restart the vehicle for the vehicle to perform normally. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer stated that the symptoms were similar to the nhtsa campaign id number: 12v006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter) recall, but the vin was not associated. the manufacturer denied any assistance with repair to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 82,000. the vin was unavailable.

2003 ford taurus transmission went out with no warning on busy street, was like it was in neutral. was able to coast to almost off of roadway. two people came to aid and pushed the car completely out of roadway. car has just 62,000 miles. *tr

Minor driving car, without any previous signs of trouble,no warning lights, etc., after turning corner, car acted like it was in neutral. could not engage car in gear after that. had to get help pushing into nearby park and have it towed in for repair. thankfully, noone was hurt, and park was nearby. if this had happened at highway speeds i don't want to imagine the outcome. there were absolutely no signs of trouble previously that indicated any transmission problem. *tr

Transmission failed at just under 95,000 miles with no warning. *tr

My husband and i along with our 2 yr old were driving home one evening and stopped at stopped sign and my husband hit the gas to go and it took off slowly, than just wouldn't go we had to coast off to the side of the road with traffic around us. no warning light or anything the transmission just went out. the car wont go forward or reverse, it shifts but wont move. we need the transmission rebuilt, we got an estimate of 2100. i lost my job, im pregnant with my 2nd child and we just purchased the 2003 ford taurus about 10 months ago. we don't have the money to be repairing a car we just got. *tr

When coming home from picking up my daughter from work, my car could not shift gears and luckily i was able to coast to a stop and put the car in park. the car runs but i cannot shift into any gears. and it had to be towed to a gas station. i was advised that the problem is with the transmission and i see by your website that there are quite a few complaints regarding this issue with the transmission on the 2003 ford taurus. who is going to be held responsible for this problem as it could have been far worse and someone could have gotten killed. *tr

Was pulling out of the car garage and put in reverse the car started back and the engines rpm roared up and crashed in to neighbor tree went across the street and crashed in the other neighbor tree and house all of this in reverse. *tr

Without any warning my gas pedal of my vehicle stopped working. i was driving down the road - the car jerked and then nothing. the car would not go into gear. i had to roll and then push my vehicle to the side of the road. thank god there was no one behind me or i would of been hit - it was very scary. turns out it was the torque converter. had to wait for aaa and then get my car towed to transmission place. they replaced and it cost me $1,133.58. *tr

Coming into town at highway speeds, slowed down to 30 mph and then nothing the splines in the torque converter stripped out and i lost power to the wheels. couldn't go forward or backward. ford does have a recall for newer vehicles but not on my model. my ford dealer says they have done a number of these repairs on older models as well. *tr

I was stuck in the middle of an intersection. i just broke my neck about 2 years ago so it was hard for me alone to push the card to safe area. the transmission on my 2003 ford taurus without any warning signs would not go further like it was in neutral. i tried putting it into drive, reverse and the only thing that would happen is the motor would rev up like it was in park. i understand that this is a common problem with this model ford. ford needs to recall this model or at least pay to fix all these transmission problems i am reading about. the amount that it cost to fix the transmission is the same amount the car is worth if that. what can we do to get ford involved with this problem and stand behind their product. this really leaves a bad taste in my mouth about ford. one unhappy customer tells the whole world 100 happy customers barley get the word out about a company, but i believe if ford would do a recall on these 2003 taurus transmissions everybody would change their mind about how ford does not stand behind their product. all these transmission compliant sound the same. so it must be the product not the driver. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that while stopped a loud noise emitted near the drivers side front tire. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who confirmed that the coil spring fractured in half. the mechanic replaced the coil spring. the contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while driving in reverse. this failure was diagnosed by a second private mechanic, who stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. the manufacturer was notified; however, the transmission was not repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

Transmission just died like this website states. *tr http://bit.ly/vil7

I own a 2003 ford taurus lx and the transmission failed with no warning whatsoever on 11/23. mileage is 71,000. i was driving on a rather busy road and all of a sudden i hear a noise and the car no longer responded even though my foot was on the accelerator. fortunately, it was early in the afternoon and the road was not heavily traveled at the time. i am thankful for that. i was able to drift into the post office driveway and a kind gentleman pushed me because i was blocking the access road to the parking lot. i could go no further. car was towed to repair shop but an estimate is not available at this time. *tr

I have a complaint about my 2003 ford taurus ses. my wife was driving my car yesterday getting ready to pull onto a heavily traveled highway when the transmission suddenly went out without any warning or previous indication. this car only has 72,210 miles on it and from what i've discovered on other complaint websites this seems to be a very common thing especially with the 2003 years. this really concerns me being a loyal ford customer that nothing has been done to resolve this. it has clearly been exposed as an issue with ford and they are taking no responsibility?!? the worst part of this issue is that not only did my wife, and five month old child stall out half on, half off of the highway, but a loaded rock truck almost took her and an oncoming vehicle out in the process of trying to avoid an almost certain incident. thank god my family is safe and no harm was done, but something has to be done about ford's ignorance of quality and more importantly safety! *tr

While exiting highway auto lost power to drive axles. had to push car 1/4 mile to parking lot,walk 5 miles home,arrange tow and get auto checked out. talked to 5 different mechanics and all agreed that it was transmission. cost to repair or replace transmission 900-1500 dollars depending on problem. will know more latter but costs keep rising. this is bs as ford knows about this problem.i know this is true as i know several ford mechanics. *tr