Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. after the vehicle was started, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to switch out of the park position. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake switch failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000. updated 05/11/16*lj the consumer stated he had an accident when the brakes failed. the consumer injured his neck. updated 06/14/16.*jb

Calipers front right f reb caliper remove and inspect and overhaul caliper front one side. brakes were grinding again which required that inspection which i find out that the same area in the brake system needs replaced. recomd, tie rod inner remove and replace tie rod end one side inner, ball joints lower front left remove and replace f ball joint one side, 2 brake hoses front. brake rotors front both needed replaced. suggested tires due to mileage also rubber valve stem. system failure- required. recd, brake fluid exchange with abs, and bleed brakes. ceramic disc brake pads pd598 both front. 03/02/2013 mil 151213. 3rd repair shop, replaced all four tires with warranty brakes and pads along with discs needed replaced for the 4th time. transmission flush due to leaking fluid. qt dex 3 proline. brake drums and shoes replaced. replaced brake fluid, tie rod end one side inner along with replace of the shaft seal remove and install f axle shaft assembly one side. tran's seal cr. cv axle replacement. ball joint replacement along with wheel cylinder rear both, brake service with rear brake drum. engine light off/ runs poor diagnostic, replacement of pcv valve assembly, replaced upper and lower intake manifold gasket remove and replaced pcv valve along with tune up package. relearn engine idle, rear brakes basic pc pkg, dorman rear right wheel and left cylinders. during these 3-4 repair shops cannot fix the cruise control to get the car to stop driving it self when above 30mph along with acceleration, back tail light right side shorts out continually. it is very difficult and very unsafe to control a vehicle that has had more than three or four repair shops try their hardest to fix a problem that apparently has some of these problems. i am with the belief that the brake system along the electrical system within the 2003 ford taurus ses dohc is unsafe for street use in the u.s. due to our standards here of motor safety. when put into gear the transmission jumps loud. *tr

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 rotors were warped. *jb updated consumer letter 10/27/10.*jb

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

Application of brakes causes car to shake and shimmy. rotors, pads and calipers replaced twice. replaced right front bearing, ball joint, sway bar link and half shaft the second time, do to bearing wear and squeak. none of the above has fixed this problem. it is especially bad when the brakes are being applied while going around a corner. *tr

Just pulled into my workplace in my 2003 ford taurus and all of a sudden a loud bang and the drivers side front end fell right on my tire. no prior warning whatsoever. the front drivers side spring had broken. i did have extended coverage but what a hassle with the insurance company to get them to pay which they finally did minus a $100.00 deductible. took 1 1/2 weeks to get it fixed and now something is wrong with the brakes. *tr

Rear brakes went out due to defective wheel cylinders. the wheel cylinders on both the right and left sides were leaking and/or completely broken. this caused the rear brakes to completely give out causing not only a potentially dangerous situation, but a complete rebuilding of my rear brakes: drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, assembly kits, self-adjusting kits, and lines. this could have very well caused the minor accident which damaged the rear bumper cover of the vehicle, due to the fact these wheel cylinders went out without warning. through my personal investigation, wheel cylinders usually last 5-7 yrs on average. this vehicle is less than 2 yrs old. *jb

Front brakes were squeaking and scrubbing. braking distance continued to increase in length. vehicle was taken to midas. at that time it had less than 22,000 miles. brake tech. at midas examined pads, which were original equipment from manufactuer. pads from both wheels had hairline cracks in them and pieces of metal shavings embedded. metal shavings were causing rubs in rotors. tech stated it was only a matter of time before pads cracked completely and vehicle had aloss of braking. pads were replaced with midas ceramic type. old pads were discarded after a visit to ford dealer had no results.

The consumer rear ended another vehicle traveling at 35 mph and the air bag did not deploy. *jb consumer stated the brakes pulsated twice failing to stop the vehicle. *tt

Dt: while coming to a stop the caller hit the brake and the vehicle surged forward. it happened when vehicle was in park as well. also, there was a sudden loss of power and rough idle when on the highway or city streets. the caller said there was poor gas mileage. tool vehicle to dealer 7 times, on february 11, 2005, july 6, july 22, 2005, july 27, 2005 , and august 12, 2005. called the manufacturer, and manufacturer said they have had this problem in other vehicles. dealer said they could not fix the problem and someone form the manufacturer will get back to him. *ak

Excessive brake pressure to get vehicle to stop. dealer unable to locate problem.*ak

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

Tires causing vibration of vehicle's front end. *mr (when driving 35 mph or higher tire vibration would occur) there was also a brake problem. grinding would occur. *sc *jb

Possible defective brakes are a concern. before the vehicle had 3,000 miles, the rotors were cut. that is unheard of for a car with so little mileage, at least to me. we still hear grinding noises on a hard brake in the right front. everytime we take it back, (4 times) no problems are found. i have already talked to ford twice about this, but since the warranty has expired, and the dealership says that brake pads need to be replaced (at cost to us), they do not feel they (ford) should pay for it. one of the times that we took it in for service, they suggested a remedy that is not even recommended in the owner's manual. i understand that sometimes a vehicle is just not put together correctly, then fix it. vehicle has 36,470 miles on it. *nm

When trying to apply the brakes, the pedal went to the floor, which caused the consumer to experience extended stopping distance.*ak the consumer had an accident.*jb

The brakes failed to stop the vehicle, which resulted in a collision. *jb