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2003 Ford Taurus electrical complaints

Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 97, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2003 Ford Taurus electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 7, 2015 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · NJ

Riding down route 539 at 5:00 pm when the theft alarm came on and car cut off and jerked and restarted at the time the truck almost hit me in the rear end which I could have been killed I made to the shopping center and had it taken to my auto repair shop were it still is. My repairman is running all kinds of test to find the problem and correct it. Ford needs to recall the car before someone gets killed and car dealer should also be held accountable for selling a car that is unsafe.

Filed Feb 16, 2015 · Brakes, Electrical · 160,000 miles · CA

The park lamp switch seems to be failing and intermittently will stop working causing the brake lights to fail and the vehicle to not switch out of park. Using the VIN number the recall doesn't apply to my vehicle but obviously the recall needs to be expanded. Your help with addressing this matter would be appreciated. Thank you

Filed Nov 24, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 128,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to illuminate and the transmission would not shift out of park. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who replaced the brake light switch and the wire assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was not included in recall the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v106000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

Filed Aug 8, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 143,000 miles · GA

My 2003 ford taurus accelerates by itself to 35-45 MPH without having to touch the accelerator (note: the car will also accelerate uphill without having to press the accelerator. Also, the cruise control light works, but the cruise control itself is not engaging.

Filed Apr 29, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 120,000 miles · OH

My battery discharge light came on then the ABS light, the brake light and others. I have taken it to a repair shop and neither he nor I can find the battery drain. The computer doesn't show anything. At times if its raining the wipers go as does the heat or air blower. I have also noticed the transmission not shifting correctly. My main concern is the engine stopping or the brakes not working and I have had my wipers not work in a rain storm . Any advice?

Filed Nov 29, 2013 · Electrical · 98,000 miles · MI

Oct 2012 bought my ford taurus 2003. In november as I drove home at 3 am at 55 MPH the cars dashboard lights all flashed across my dash then the headlights went out as I pulled to the side of the road the car stalled. I sat for approx 15 restarted car and got it home. The next morn the battery was dead. Purchased battery. Car ran fine for a year then changed coils in october 2013. Ion november I was driving 55 MPH and all of a sudden dash and headlights went out. I was able to move the car into a driveway before gettin hit by 2 cars. Car was towed to my house I charged battery check the alternator. Next day car was started 3 times. The fourth time no go. Car towed to mechanic. Or shall I say dealership where car is under warranty. They called next day to tell me it was a dead battery they have charged it for an hour. I let the car sit there for a few days then called back, they then said my neg term to my battery wasn't connected.. And the car is now fixed, the car has sat at dealership for three weeks. Im scared to drive it and don't want my four kids in that death trap.

Filed Aug 29, 2013 · Body, Electrical · LA · fire

My husband picked me up from school and he went in the store and the car while me and my 1 year old were in the car started smoking like from the air conditioner part the whole front part of the car, my husband ran out of store stating car was on fire he pulled car way from gas station, I got out of car and got my daughter out, fire was coming out of hood and bottom of car high we called fire department everything is on camera, than a police officer came out. The fire department put out the fire.

Filed Jul 18, 2013 · Body, Electrical · IL

A water leak which dumped water onto the passenger floor board also caused my AC blower motor to short out. Ford will not honor a recall but will fix it for $550 replacing the blower motor,blower motor resistor and the leak that they said was coming from a "rain cap" on the windshield. I looked online and have seen several complaints about the same problem.

Filed May 14, 2013 · Electrical, Visibility · 56,000 miles · CA

Ac/heater blower only operates on high - speeds 1,2,3, no air blowing. Blower resistor part (f6dz-19a706-aa) has been replaced three times in six years. Obviously, there is a defect/known problem that ford should be addressing.

Filed May 7, 2013 · Body, Electrical · 130,000 miles · OH

Water leaking in from cowl panel...causing heater motor to rust out...could cause a fire.

Filed Feb 22, 2013 · Electrical · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the ignition starter was replaced for the second time. The original starter that was installed by the manufacturer was replaced in august of 2011. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The failure mileage and the VIN were unavailable.

Filed Dec 21, 2012 · Brakes, Electrical · 135,000 miles · CA

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.

Filed Nov 19, 2012 · Electrical · 104,220 miles · TX

Affected part: starter...car would not start. I got it jumped and drove to autozone to test. Starter was dead. Replaced starter. Affected part: not sure what part but I am having problems with the headlights/dashlights and air, all weakening as I am driving. Vehicles think I am flashing my headlights at them.

Filed Aug 28, 2012 · Electrical, Visibility · 31,000 miles · OH

Failure of blower motor. My research shows that water leaking into the blower motor compartment and shorting-out the blower motor/resistor is chronic in the 2003 ford taurus, evidenced by the presence of water on the floor passenger side-front, and necessitates replacement of the blower motor and/or ballast resistor from water damage, at owner expense! A recall is in order to compel ford to address this design issue, at their expense.

Filed Jul 15, 2012 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 130,000 miles · TX

Total transmission failure out of no where. Multiple other phantom engine failures/engine inexplicably dies.

Filed Mar 12, 2012 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · ME · fire

My son was driving along when the radio stopped working and than the car would not accelerate. He pulled over and it stalled and he saw fire under the hood. The police officer suspects an electrical problem. The car burnt from front to rear..a total loss.

Filed Jan 26, 2012 · Electrical, Visibility · 82,555 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that both the blower motor and the interior lights experienced failures. As a result, hot air would not blow from the vents and the windshield could not be defrosted. The interior lights illuminated constantly and drained the battery prematurely. The dealer reprogrammed the electrical system computer and corrected the interior light failure. The blower motor failure was not corrected. The failure mileage was 82,555 and the current mileage 85,754. Updated 03/05/12*lj updated 03/06/12

Filed Dec 6, 2011 · Body, Electrical · 119,000 miles · WA

Water leak on passenger floor,shorted blower motor.

Filed Oct 18, 2011 · Body, Electrical · ID

A water leak, possibly from a faulty seal, onto the passenger interior floor board also caused my AC/heater blower motor to short out. My heater switch will only work in the maximum position. From what I have read it is due to a heater motor resistor, which has caused similar problems for other taurus owners. I could not get ford to act even though a related recall existed under 03v087000.

Filed Sep 16, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · 80,000 miles · IA

Power windows will not roll up or down, mirrors do not work, inside lights are out. Ford replaced gem module a couple of years before for the same problem costing me money at that time. When the windows would not roll up or down, ford would replace fuse and in a few minutes the fuse would blow, again and again they did this and now they are not interested in fixing the problems since the vehicle is older and not under warranty and they claim fixing it would cost more than the vehicle is worth. I have a very good vehicle and would like to use the windows and mirrors and especially the lights inside and I feel this is definitely a safety hazard to me since I travel alone a lot each year. I have contacted ford and they repeatly state that they do not have any recalls and are not aware of such problems. I even sent them websites from people who are having these problems with the windows. All you have to do is goggle: taurus window problems and there are numerous owners with this problem. Hope you can help with this matter as ford is not listening to us.....

Filed Mar 31, 2011 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · KY

When my car is parked in the rain, water will leak into the passenger side floorboard of the passenger compartment. On approximately february 1, 2011, it shorted out the blower motor that cools/heats the passenger compartment after sitting in the rain at the airport parking lot. Since then, I have experienced several instances of water in the passenger floorboard. I had experienced the same water leak in 2006, but the short of the blower did not occur until this year.

Filed Mar 10, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · 55,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the exterior lights and the instrument panel lights failed simutaneously. The light would remain off for approximatley five to ten seconds before re-illuminating. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted to report the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Filed Feb 7, 2011 · Electrical · 60,500 miles · CA

1st occurrence: driving on freeway, all electrical power lost except antitheft light on dash on. Turn signals not functioning, was lucky to get to shoulder, no hazards worked while on shoulder. Stranded for approx 1 hr when all power came back and car functioned normally. 2nd occurrence; car was parked at work, antitheft light on and all electrical dead leaving driver stranded. Will be towing to ford dealership if it doesn't start tomorrow.

Filed Jan 3, 2011 · Electrical · 145,000 miles · OH

Repeated stalling of my 2003 ford taurus upon deceleration. Rpm's drop to around 500 and then the engine either surges to approximately 1200 rpms (3 times in a row) and then idles normally or stalls. Oddly if I shut off the blower fan, and shut off the radio I can prevent the stall but I still get the RPM bounce. There are no codes recorded in the onboard computer when this occurs. This happens very frequently and is very dangerous as I loose all power while operating the vehicle in traffic.

Filed Dec 6, 2010 · Electrical, Locks · 103,798 miles · CT

I had to have my transmission rebuilt last dec and now am experiencing electrical problems, my signal lights/hazard lights do not work and was told the wires and harness need to be replaced. Hinges that hold rear window in have snapped off, window held in place by lock.

Filed Dec 1, 2010 · Electrical, Visibility · 75,000 miles · TN

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.

Filed Sep 1, 2010 · Electrical · 51,000 miles · OH

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While attempting to use the air conditioner or heating system the contact noticed that no air blow out of the vehicles vents. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the resistor was replaced, however the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local mechanic where the resistor was replaced for the second. There were no prior warnings. The failure mileage was 51000 and the current mileage was 59000. Updated 12/10/10. *lj the consumer stated he replaced three resistor units and a protective bonnet for the outside air vent and a new blower unit. Updated 12/17/10

Filed Aug 23, 2010 · Electrical · VA

Car was going approximately 45 miles per hour when the "check engine" light came on. Car was taken to the car repair shop and it was discovered that the entire computer had to be replaced. A remanufactured computer was installed into the car and the cost was still over $600. Mileage of the car was approximately 155,000.

Filed May 4, 2010 · Body, Electrical · 140,586 miles · KY

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that when it rained, water made its way into the vehicle from the instrument panel and flooded the front passenger side. Furthermore, the defroster did not work. The steering wheel vibrated and, interior light was always illuminated and the door locks did not engage automatically. The contact called the dealership and was advised to take the vehicle in for repair at his expense. The current and failure mileages were 140,586.

Filed Apr 6, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 41,000 miles · TX

Blower fan failure to operate and when it did work, it made a loud squeaking noise. Finally complete failure. System evaluatlion, fuses, circuit breakers, harnesses all good. Removed fan motor housing and fan motor. Both showed evidence of water collecting in the housing and motor itself. To correct the problem I purchased a fan motor , installed and reassembled everything. My question, is this going to happen again?

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