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Problems with 2003 Ford Taurus EQUIPMENT

On average, the 2003 Ford Taurus starts to “feel” problems with the EQUIPMENT and its various aspects after 63 088 miles.

Components Affected by EQUIPMENT Issues

We have classified the 8 complaints from 2003 Ford Taurus about EQUIPMENT into the following categories.

MECHANICAL 4 ELECTRICAL 2

Recently reported EQUIPMENT problems on 2003 Ford Taurus

My vehicle with [xxx]. i can not shift my car from park, or if i press on the brake a couple of times, and get the brake light to come on, they say on. even when foot is not on brake. my vehicle in not apart of a recall, it was manufactured in an atlanta plant. i am being out of money and time with repairs that i have had done, and its not solving the issue. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact stated that the vehicle was leaking water under the front passenger seat. the contact was unaware of where the water was coming from. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer or a local mechanic. the contact believed that the air conditioner blower resister malfunctioned and caused the water leak. the contact vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 106,349.

2003 ford taurus - started car morning of 2 18 10 heard a loud noise car sagged to the left got out of car and saw that left front tire was completely flat there was a blow out and there was a big piece of coil spring that was broken lying next to it on the garage floor. the mileage on the car was 89,700 miles. car was towed to dealer. mechanic put in whole new suspension system on the left and right side front. the cost was $856.00. i would like to see a recall for the 2003 ford taurus to replace all 4 springs front and rear. i would also like to have my $856.00 refunded to me since i understand this same type of occurrence has occurred to hundreds of 2003 ford taurus owners. my vehicle identification # is [xxx] . 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 started the ignition and activated the air condition. there was an unusual knocking noise and a musty odor emitting through the vents. the failure occurred intermittently. the contact stated during rainy conditions water would leak through the defective front windshield that resulted to an accumulation of water over a period of time in the air condition blower motor. there was a recall associated with the nhtsa campaign id number: 003v087000 (visibility: windshield); the vehicle had not been repaired under the recall. the contact had spoken with a technician that stated the failure was related to the air condition blower motor however, the vehicle had not been diagnosed. the failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. while the contact was examining his vehicle he noticed that the floor of the vehicle was covered with water. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the ac blower motor needed to be replaced. the contact noticed that the blower motor would only operate if it were on high. the current and failure mileages were 82351.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. water was leaking from the air conditioner vent on the right front passenger side of the vehicle. the floor was also wet each time it rained. the vehicle was purchased three days ago. the vehicle will be diagnosed by the dealer. the failure mileage was 43,000.

In my 2003 ford taurus sel (24v dohc 3.0l) i experienced a failure of the driver side coil spring on the front assembly. at the time the vehicle was not in motion. i still have the old spring (it has been cut into several pieces to facilitate removing it from the vehicle). in addition to the coil spring destroyed was a goodyear eagle gt p215/60r16 95v. this tire has been replace by my tire dealer at no cost to me. *tr

A/c heater blower motor shortout. *tr

Heat/ac fan blows only on high. replaced cowl panel and installed rain hat and blower resistor 11/08; blower motor resistor found defective 7/10 and replaced. heat/ac fan blows only on high today 12/10. *tr

Passenger side floor full of water after it rains, air only blow on high until it recently went completely out. worse this time radio and wiper blades were affected. a recall is needed to fix this problem. *tr

2003 ford taurus water leak under passenger side carpet from firewall seal drainage from a.c. looks like had been seeping for years as pad was very moldy and mildew under carpet. musty smell that may be hazardous to ones health. ford refused to replace defective boot free but dealer did replace with new seal and siliconed it unlike the original part. bill was $775 but dealer did take $200 off. i feel the part was defective and not installed properly at manufacture and we bought new. i feel this is not an isolated incident and ford should do a recall and pay 100% of my expense. *tr

2003 ford taurus, water leaking in cabin on passenger side and flooded a/c unit. ac only works on high. repair of leak will cost $579 from dealer. ford is aware of problem in vehicles but will not repair. *tr

The air conditioner fan has stopped working due to a leak in a defective cowl. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the air conditioner switch was not working in the vehicle and water was leaking into the front passenger side of the vehicle. the inability to use the heater or fan caused the contact to defog the windshield during irregular weather conditions. the dealer has not been notified. the failure mileage was 26,625 and current mileage is 26,645. updated 6/2/08 *cn

2003 ford taurus, cowl leak. water leaks into heater and a/c blower motor causing corrosion. blower motor is inoperable. inherent problem, but never corrected. postings of this condition all over the internet. the ford dealer wants almost $600.00 to repair. the is a tsb 03-15-6 on this problem. *tr

I purchased my 2003 ford taurus from carmax in baltimore, md in sept 2006 after trading in my 2000 ford ranger. the taurus was a rental car in nj before being sold to carmax. since i purchased the car, i have had to replace the battery, starter, blower motor relay, transmission gasket and now the air compressor, power steering pump and belt needs to be replaced. *tr

Front passenger side water leak. this leak causes unhealthy mold to build up in carpeting etc. as well as destroys the air conditioning fan switch. this is the 3rd ford taurus i have had the same problem with. dealer wants $995.00 to repair while i am suffering from mold related allergies. *tr

The a/c will only work on high pressure. *tr

I am the original owner of a 2003 ford. the car has 52,000 miles and no problems until now. the car engine light came on one evening so, the next day i brought it to be serviced. it was hooked up to the electronic computer analyzer only to find out that the computer board was no good. the mechanic installs the new computer board. two weeks later i go to start the car and the rpm is accelerating like i'm driving 60mph while in park! the battery light stayed on the whole time. when i tried to put the car in neutral or drive the rpms gradually go down and the car shuts off. finally, i had to had aaa tow me back to the garage who serviced the car. the alternator was no good. after the new alternator was installed the mechanic said it still did not run properly which, lead him back to the computer board. there is problem with the computer board again. i've had 3 fords in the past and none of them ever had a problem with the computer board. *tr

2003 ford taurus several months ago the a/c worked only on high for a few days then a/c went out completely. as i didn't have money nor the time to fix, i have left until now to look into the problem now i see many people online have had the same symptoms. since this originally occurred i've noted water leaking on the passenger floor after some rain storms. i think the blower fan has gone out and probably what ever caused the leak caused the blower to go out, too many coincidences and other people experiencing the same thing. refer to recall ref# 03v087000 and complaint #10184014. ford should step up and take responsibility for the problems they are causing due to design flaws. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. when it rains, water leaks into the passenger compartment, which may have caused the blower to malfunction. while driving 55 mph, the air conditioner began to lose power and went from high to low; however, the control knob was still set on high. once he arrived home, the air conditioner failed completely. the contact turned off and then turned the air conditioner back on and the power level went back to high. approximately five minutes later, the power was reduced again to low. the air conditioner failed completely once again and the contact smelled burning wires. the air conditioner failed to come back on after this failure; however, all the other components still functioned properly. he took the vehicle to a local mechanic after several months and was informed that everything was working properly, except for the air conditioner blower motor. the mechanic located a recall and instructed the contact to call nhtsa. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 96,295.

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 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

Water was noticed in the floor board on passenger side. a few days later, 2/20/2007, my blower motor went out. i called local ford dealership and was told to bring it in. turned out to be a well known water leak problem stemming from a design defect leaks at the base of the windshield. it allows water to get into the blower motor and the rest is history. i paid $324 for the repairs and the replacement cowl still bows so the water can continue to enter with the same results. i returned my car this morning 2 23 07, (the day after picked it up in the dark) to express my dissatisfaction and was told to come back monday. how can a car manufacturer of 100 years not know what it is going to leak...at the base of the windshield??!! ford needs to correct this problem. thanks. *jb

Any time air conditioner was used it smelled musty, then the fan blower quit working except for high, replaced blower resistor.*ak

2003 ford taurus blower motor went out due to a water leak that is known by ford motor company. *nm

I purchased a 2003 ford taurus with a five year extended warranty from elder ford. blower motor was full of water that leaked through the vent. this made it burn out. the dealer wants $420 to replace the motor and cowl cover. this is a design problem, i have not modified any parts of the vehicle. not even three years later this is the problem i am having. and i was told by the dealer that this is not covered under my warranty that i purchased for over $800. i feel that this should be covered and ford should not be ripping people off by building junk. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. the contact noticed a leak underneath the dashboard on the passenger side floorboard. she also detected smoke and then the air conditioner failed. the mechanic stated that blower motor was leaking and it was replaced. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 91,000 and failure mileage was approximately 80,000. updated 3/5/08 *cn the consumer stated the mechanic replaced the blower motor but the blower resistor was not repaired but the mechanic stated both were rusted from water damage. updated 03/05/08 *tr

Dt*: the contact stated the front windshield glass leaked during rainy weather and puddles of rainwater form in the floorboard. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer. the dealer replaced the sealant around the windshield glass. afterwards, the problem persisted. there was a nhtsa recall # 03v087000 regarding visibility. the vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was not alerted. the battery needed to be replaced, because the vehicle would not start. the air condition failed. updated 09/22/06. *jb

Blower motor for heat and air conditioning system no longer functioning, wet floor in passenger side, musty odor. oem has fix under tsb but because the vehicle is outside of the 3/36 warranty they refuse to cover repairs. *nm

Water leaking on the passenger's side floorboard of the 2003 ford taurus. a/c blower doesn't work due to leaking. (ak

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.

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

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

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