At times the vehicle accelerates by itself albeit I am not touching the gas pedal. While driving the vehicle at 45 mph, I take my foot off of the accelerator and the vehicle maintains the 45 mph speed or increases speed if I am driving down a hill or any downward gradient regardless of the angle of decent. When I try to stop the vehicle using the foot brake it continues to maintain speed and if I put the shift lever in neutral, while trying to stop, the RPM's increase from approximately 1500 rpm's to 3200 rpm's until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and then, only after approximately five seconds do the RPM's begin to drop to 1000 rpm's. If I am driving the vehicle with cruise control and cancel the cruise control, the vehicle maintains the cruise control speed indefinitely, literally for miles thereafter. I wanted to give this vehicle to my daughter who has multiple sclerosis but it's too dangerous for her to drive with this acceleration problem. Do you have any recommendations for me???
2003 Ford Taurus acceleration problems
88 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 103,716. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 88
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 103,716
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Linkages3
- Cruise control3
- Cables1
- Accelerator pedal1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Taurus acceleration problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Ford Taurus acceleration
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Speed control cable damage
On June 21, 2013, Ford initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 13B04 to address a concern with Speed Control Cable damage in certain model year (MY) 2000 through 2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with 3.0L 4V Duratec engines and built at the Chicago assembly plant.In the dealer letter for the program, Ford indicates that the Speed Control Cables on affected vehicles may be susceptible to damage or becoming partially disconnected during under hood vehicle maintenance (e.g., replacing a battery or changing the air filter) and that a damaged Speed Control Cable could interfere with the throttle's full return to idle when the accelerator pedal is released.Ford's program instructs dealers to inspect the Speed Control Cables and replace any with any portion of either collar retention tab missing.Dealers will install a Collar Reinforcement Clip at the Speed Control Cable collar in all vehicles. Figure 1 shows the location of the Speed Control Cable in the engine compartment and the proximity of the battery and air filter.The failure mode of the cable assembly is associated with the plastic collar used to secure the cable to a bracket near the throttle body (Figure 2).Damage to one or both retention tabs used to secure the cable ferrule within the collar may allow the ferrule to become disconnected from the collar when the throttle is opened during accelerator pedal application.Additional examples of Speed Control Cables with damaged collar retention tabs and partial ferrule displacement are shown in Figures 3 through 5.If the displacement pulls the ferrule completely out of the collar, the ferrule end may contact the face of the collar when the accelerator pedal is released and the throttle is returning to idle (Figure 6).This results in a throttle stuck at approximately 26-29% open.Testing conducted at the federal safety agency's Vehicle Research and Test Center found that brake booster vacuum may become depleted, resulting in reduced brake effectiveness, if the brake is applied repeatedly when the throttle is stuck at this position.Drivers who experienced this condition have reported being surprised that the engine speed did not drop as expected and in some cases misjudged the degree of braking required to slow the vehicle.Some drivers reported difficulty in braking the vehicle and responded by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off.One minor crash occurred when the vehicle contacted a roadside fence post after the driver responded to the stuck throttle by shifting the car to neutral, turning the engine off and coasting to the side of a roadway with no shoulder, resulting in approximately $400 damage to the vehicle.There were four crashes reported which were attributed to increased stopping distance caused by the increased engine power and/or reduced brake effectiveness, including two of the complaints to ODI.In one crash reported to ODI (VOQ 10516101), the subject vehicle allegedly hit the back end of a truck at approximately 40 mph causing about $2000 damage.In the other crash complaint to ODI (VOQ 10501834), the subject vehicle side-swiped a vehicle as the driver was unable to stop in time and attempted to maneuver around a line of vehicles stopped at a traffic light.When the tow truck driver subsequently started the incident vehicle, the engine was still racing and it was verified that the Speed Control Cable ferrule was stuck on the collar.After further investigation, ODI does not consider the crashes reported in VOQs 10456249 and 10159399 to be related to the Speed Control Cable problem.
PE12033
What 2003 Ford Taurus owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While driving down the road, if I release the gas pedal, the vehicle will continue to increase in speed. When I am completely stopped at stop sign or stop light, I have to pressed on the brakes really hard to keep the vehicle from surging forward
The accelerator cable gets stuck. Which causes the car to rev at 2000 rpms even when the brakes are applied the car is trying to take off when waiting at a red light or in motion.
My car suddenly, and without warning, accelerated and the brake peddle dropped to the floor. The car mat was not on the peddle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the throttle control cable became stuck. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The driver placed excessive pressure on the brake pedal, pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, and shut off the engine. The contact assisted the driver with releasing the stuck cable. The vehicle was restarted. The contact called avis ford inc at 248‑355‑7500 (29200 telegraph rd, southfield, michigan 48034) and was informed that an unknown recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle and would not be done again. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Driving in intermittent rain showers at 60-70mph I had the engine cut out and dropped out of cruise control. Speedometer and tachometer bouncing up and down. Theft and engine light were flashing on and off at the same time as engine was stalling. Then the engine reengaged at 50-55 MPH and continued on now responsive to gas pedal and acceleration. This repeated 5 - 8x in the span of 15 miles and several times pulling over. Weather cleared and drove another 100 miles with no events. Next morning driving kids to school after 10 minutes of running 25-40mph the same problem recurred but engine did not recover and completely stalled 3x in 1 mile. Restarted immediately each time. Reading through potential causes there were no less than 30 other individuals describing the exact same issue. Theft light on and engine stalling while driving. Various solutions proposed from electrical grounds, battery, alternator, fuse. Mega fuse, dpfe (differential pressure fuel exhaust?) sensor, egr (exhaust gas recirculation) system, PCM, icr, and several others. Not sure which it might be. Given there are so many and that it occurs in potentially dangerous situations - at high speed and no warning - this seems to be worthy of an investigation or recall.
I was driving and the car revved the engine which made it feel like the car was going to take off.the car did jerk forward. And another time, I was at a stop light and the car revved like it was trying to go, even though the brake was being held down. The gray cap that holds the throttle cable in has broken on one side and the cable is slipping out. Is this a recall part?
While driving my car began to accelerate and the more I tried to put on my brakes it continues on a busy 4 lane street. I was able to turn at a turn in slamming in on my brakes and throwing my shaft into park. It was still shaking like it wanted to go. I got it towed to my mechanic. The cruise control throttle cable insert split and got caught on the throttle bracket. It could have killed me and hurt a lot of people. I can't sell this car like this. I want ford to recall and reimburse me for this terrible traumatic incident.
Car accelerated itself after releasing gas pedal on highway. Engine RPM hit about 4000. It was very hard to stop the car by brake. I checked under the hood and found the cruise control cable had problem. A plastic part on the cable was broken and caused the throttle body to stuck. Please see attached picture for reference.
Put vehicle in shop vehicle had rough idle, misfiring on #2 cylinder. Shop removed and replaced spark plug, air filter, fuel filter, and ignition coil. Got vehicle from shop. Vehicle idle too high-speeds up on its own. Took back to shop shop removed and replaced idle air control valve got vehicle out of shop. Vehicle still idle too high and still speeds up on its own. When stopped at stop light, when the breaks are released, car jumps forward. When backing up out of garage, car back-up too fast; must hold breaks at all times.
Questions about the 2003 Ford Taurus acceleration
Does the 2003 Ford Taurus have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 88 complaints about the acceleration of the 2003 Ford Taurus, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Taurus acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 103,716 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford Taurus acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford Taurus have the most acceleration problems?
The Ford Taurus model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2005 (529 complaints), 2006 (176 complaints) and 2004 (164 complaints).
Other 2003 Ford Taurus problems
Transmission 316Suspension 313Visibility 196Body 111Electrical 97Engine 90Airbags 46Lights 46Brakes 44Fuel system 24Tires 18Steering 12Wheels 8Locks 5Seats 3Driver assistance 2Seat belts 2
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