general problems of the 2003 Ford Taurus - part 1

. 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. Jft.

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.

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. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as it increased in 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. Oo.

The transmission will not shift into any gear.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that 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. Djr.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the contact felt like the car was in neutral. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed and 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. Wh.

While driving back from shopping on a highway went to push the gas and my car had stopped and wouldnt 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 didnt 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.

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 wouldnt 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 Taurus's 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. . Read more...

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

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).

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),.

Car has/had been driving and shifting perfectly,(no slipping, no hesitation, nothing). After driving approximately 4 miles, turning car off for roughly 10 minutes, restarting and driving about 1 mile transmission acted as if it was shifted into neutral. After stopping, attempted shifting through all gears including reverse, same result. After further inspection found fluid level right at full mark, and fluid was as clean as the day it was new,(not burnt at all). Was told by the local Ford dealer that this was a common problem with this year Taurus and that there is no service bulletins or recalls, (customer pay only). Car has been parked since it broke down because we are waiting to see if Ford may/will get forced to address this obvious issue. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. In addition, the power train malfunctioned and caused the vehicle to roll downhill. The contact stated that the vehicle would not function in any gear other than park. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. The mechanic stated that the transmission was defective. The contact did not have the transmission replaced. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there was a sudden loss of engine power without warning. The vehicle towed to the contact's residence and later taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 97,000. The VIN was not available.

Our Ford Taurus was driving just fine. We stopped at a stop sign and when we started to go and hit the gas pedal the car didn't go. . . The rpm's went to a high rate and then the car kicked into gear and drove but the rpms remained running high. A light on the dash lit up. It was a " ! " with a wrench type circle around lit up on the dash. We pulled into an autoparts store and they checked the car and they said it was a transmission issue. We have taken it to three different repair shops and they all say it needs a new transmission and they have seen several '03 Tauruses with transmission issues and to check with Ford to see if there has been a recall yet. As far as Ford has told us they were unaware of the issue.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 96,866 and the current mileage was 97,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while the driver drove at approximately 30mph the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast the vehicle onto the road side. The vehicle was towed to the contact home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and the current mileage was 100,000. Li.

Brake light switch failed, at first the car wouldn't go out of park, after several tries it finally did. At that point it was noticed that the brake lights wouldn't turn off. I found an old recall that appeared to match the vehicle (04s12) but the Ford dealer stated my car was not part of that recall and they would not state whether the car had already had it done or not.

As I was driving on the exit ramp at approximately 65 mph December 14, 2012 my 2003 Ford Taurus began to decelerate at a fast rate. When I pushed down on the accelerator there was no power. As I pulled off to the side of the road and dropped it into a different gear there was no change in condition. After idling in park and moving the gear into drive again the rpms increased, but there was no acceleration.

Went to my mothers for thanksgiving dinner. On the way home going 55 mile an hour the car stared excelling in speed. My husband was driving and knew to put the car in neutral to get the car to stop. He had to constantly stay on the brakes to slow it down. We got the car home, I looked on line and saw the complaints on your website. My husband then took the car to the local for dealership. He took a copy of the complaint with him. Ford service dept. Said they didn't want to see that article and wanted $80 to even look at the car. The car is not fixed, we plan on trying to get it fixed in the near future. If you would like to see what it is doing, that should take place in the next few weeks.

As I was driving on the highway on cruise control, the rpms suddenly increased and the car quickly slowed down (even though it was on cruise control!). Luckily, there wasn't a ton of traffic, but I was forced to slowly exit from the left lane. The car just stopped on the service road, right in an area that I could have easily been hit. I've read a ton of complaints exactly like this, and this is pretty unsafe in my opinion.

While driving on speed control, my car started to accelerate like crazy. Luckily, I was able to slam on the brakes, but this was a very scary issue!.

Transmission stopped working, it was replaced at my expense.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact was driving 50 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer who performed a diagnostic test and the located the failure as a defective transmission. The dealer advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact did not have the transmission replaced. The failure mileage was 145,000.

The latest incident was today. Vehicle was started, idling, put into reverse with foot on the brake. Engine suddenly increased speed and vehicle lurched backwards. Vehicle was put in drive with foot on the brake, engine would periodically increase speed and vehicle would lurch forward. On several other occasions while driving, notably at speeds 20-40 mph, vehicle speed would start increasing on it's own. On those occasions, the increase was not rapid or extreme, these were thought to be flukes, but now it's lurching after the vehicle is put in drive or reverse. The frequency of these incidents with this vehicle are increasing and I believe this is a serious safety issue.

Affected part: transmission I was accelerating after stopping at a light. The car lunged and made a pop sound then lost speed. I coasted to a shoulder and placed it in park. Then tried reverse and drive and it would not move. It started but would not go anywhere. Had it towed to a transmission shop for repair.

The transmission went out and I had to replace it. I read about many other complaints about the transmission going out in a 2003 Ford Taurus, so I thought I would add this one.

We were driving uphill on an interstate highway at the speed limit when all of a sudden the engine speed went up and the vehicle speed started falling. Some smoke appeared in back of the car. We barely made it over to a very narrow shoulder (against a guard rail) before we stopped. The engine was running but the car would not move. Traffic was very fast and heavy and only a foot or two from the driver's door. We were stuck there for over an hour. A mechanic who subsequently looked at it said that the transmission had burned out. Repairs, now under way, are estimated at $2200.

I had just pulled out from a stop sign when, without warning, the rpms suddenly went really high and the car stopped accelerating. I was in congested traffic. I tried to coast my car off the road but I didn't have enough speed. I was stuck half way in the road. Thankfully, I broke down in front of a garage. I got out of the car and a mechanic pushed car to safety. The garage inspected my car and said the transmission went out and it needed to be replaced/rebuilt. I'm really glad I wasn't going fast or else I could have been seriously injured or killed! my mother had asked earlier if she could use my car to take my sick father out of state to a dr. Appt. (bc the car's gas mileage is better than her SUV). I'm glad I had class that day and couldn't let her take it. Numerous people have reported having this same transmission problem. Ford needs to issue a recall. This is a serious safety issue!.