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.
2003 Ford Taurus visibility complaints
Page 2 of 8: complaints 11 to 40 of 196, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact was driving 25 MPH with the defroster activated when she smelled an abnormal odor. The contact then discovered that the rear window had become discolored. The defroster was turned off and the odor diminished. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current mileage was 120,000.
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
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the windshield separated from the vehicle, causing water leaks and increased wind noise. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v087000 (visibility:windshield). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 114,000 and the current mileage was 114,200.
Water leak on passenger floor,shorted blower motor.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the defroster was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the blower motor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure and the current mileages were approximately 58,000.
A water leak which dumped water onto the passenger floor board also caused my AC blower motor to short out. I am not sure if this is related to recall 03v087000 but I know it is the same problem as complaint #10184014.
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.
I own a 2003 ford taurus that began having water leaks that kept shorting out the vehicles blower motor resistor. These events occurred between 12/10/2010 to 05/24/2011 during which at my expense two resistors were installed. After a short period they continued to fail as did the blower motor. I took the vehicle to a ford dealership and was told that I had water damage that caused the blower motor to fail. A new blower motor plus new cowl insulation was in stalled at a cost of $468.42.the two resistors I previously had installed cost $80.00 parts and labor. I did an internet search and found this to be a common problem with my automotive model and ford should had a recall and fixed this factory defect. I feel I should be reimbursed by ford motor company. I have heard that this repair should fall under ford recall 03v087000 but the dealership says no. It is my understanding that another complaint is on file with you concerning this matter (10184014). I would appreciate your investigation in this matter.
2003 ford taurus sec wagon with a leaky windshield. Water got into my A/C blower fan housing and shorted out the A/C blower fan, caused the blower fan to fail, the automatic temperature resister switch and the 40 amp fuse in the same system due to water entering into the car from the windshield and cowl design flaw. The result is a loss of defroster and anti-fog capability resulting in a severe loss of visibility due to a loss of said capability and/or functionality.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that as the vehicle was started, he attempted to activate the defroster but the blower fan failed to operate. In addition, the front passenger floorboard would periodically exhibit water retention. The failure occurred more frequently in rainy and snowy weather conditions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and they informed the contact that there was water within the blower fan motor relay. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that the heater blower had malfunctioned. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have a the blower resistor replaced yet the repair did not correct the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the dealer discovered water damage around the heater blower. The dealer created a shield around and replaced the heater blower. The failure mileage was 49,152.
Purchased 2003 ford taurus with 49k miles 8 months ago. Blower motor and resistor have failed twice. Water is coming into the blower housing through the air intake. Recent failure at 60k happened in cold weather while on the road, causing fan to stop working and windshield rapidly fogged over, making it impossible to see. Failure was accompanied by strong electrical burning smell.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that recall 03v087000, visibility windshield was related to the failure. The contact stated that he experienced the identical failure related to the recall. Ford advised him that his VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was filing a safety complaint due to the water entering into the vehicle causing corrosion that shorts out the air conditioner. The vehicle was previously repaired but the failure recurred. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000. The current mileage was 66,000. Updated 12/22/10
In line with numerous other reports about the 2003 ford taurus, my blower motor and resister have failed due to a water leak on the front passenger side. As a consequence, I cannot defog the windshield while driving. The result lack of visibility is dangerous for my passengers and for nearby cars. Correcting this problem is not a simple matter of replacing the blower motor, but also requires a complicated repair of the causative leak. I request the federal safety agency to look into the numerous complaints like mine and work with ford in issuing a recall for this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated that whenever the air conditioner was activated, the front passenger side floorboard would become wet. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that motor blower would need to be replaced. There were no prior warnings of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 86,000.
I have just purchased a 03 taurus which leaked water onto the passenger floor board also causing my AC blower motor to short out. When it is raining, humid or later when it gets cold there will be no way to keep the windshield clear of interior condensation or frost. This will make driving dangerous if caught in a storm. I have been able to get ford to act even though a related recall existed under 03v087000. I have found many others with this problem. I have read the descriptions related to recall number 03v087000 and ford tsb 04-15-3. I also see there is an existing complaint number to the federal safety agency: 10184014. The water leaks during storms regardless of whether the car is driving or sitting still. The fan first would only run on high speed and now won't run at all. This is an known design defect and I am frustrated that I can't get it remedied by ford.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The contact stated when turning on the air conditioner, heater, defroster or any one or combination of these components, the vehicle would stall. The failure would occur only when the vehicle was in the drive position. When the vehicle was parked with the engine running, the failure would not occur. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000 and the current was 100,000. The VIN was not available.
I have a 2003 ford taurus and every time it's setting out in a moderate to heavy rain the right front floorboard gets saturated with water. I've had to replace the blower resistor twice and the blower motor once and the motor in it now is going out. Why isn't ford being held responsible for the repairs and costs affiliated with this manufacturing defect and the costs incurred on those of us unfortunate enough to have purchased one of them? Due to this issue I nearly had an accident on 03/08/10 when my windshield fogged during a rainstorm and I lost almost all visibility. If I hadn't known the area very well plus 25 years of law enforcement driving I very well could have been seriously injured or killed. The federal safety agency needs to act on this asap before someone is killed. My name is [xxx] and I can be contacted at [xxx], in mesa, arizona. My car is usually under cover and it flooded with water also in feb. 2009 &feb. 2010, when it was standing out in the rain, not being operated but just out in the rain. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
My taurus's blower motor stopped functioning in december 2009. I believe the cause is a water leak or blown A/C heater blower motor. I think the leak dumped water onto the passenger floor board also caused my AC blower motor to short out, needing a replacement. After browsing the internet to see if other ford taurus owners had the same or a similar problem, this seems to be a recurring issue with the 2003 ford taurus.
Due to a water leak problem, the AC blower motor failed (shorted out) and was unable to blow defrost air onto the windshield, causing poor visibility while driving. Water soaked the passenger floorboard. There was a previous recall #03v087000. Another person with the same problem has filed complaint #10184014.
My blower in my 2003 ford taurus has been intermittently failing for a month or so. On friday jan. 8 it quit and will not go. The heat is fine and trickles out, but the blower will not come on at all. It was fine at 8:30pm when I picked a friend up at the airport, but was dead at 10:30pm when I picked up my granddaughter at a friends house. It appears that there has been water in the housing that has shorted out the motor. I understand that ford knows this is a problem with these cars but is reluctant to do a recall to fix it.
Water in the blower case or on the passenger side floor, and the blower motor only works on high speed. Contacted dealer and was told that it was a service bulletin. Asked if it was covered under recall number 03v087000 and was told no.
Taurus with a water leak or blown A/C heater blower motor. The blower on my 2003 ford taurus quit working all together. I have water draining onto the passenger side floor in rain storms. The blower would only work on high speed before it stop working completely. Refer to ford recall number: 03v087000.
[regarding taurus/sable for water leak and AC blower defect; silent recall; tsb 03-15-6; related recall existing under 03v087000, & possibly also compliance recall 03c03] - also see complaint #10184014 certified car, 2003 ford taurus ses, 47,000 miles have recently (11/7/09) gotten water on passenger floor, & now see that this is a common problem & design defect. Now my blower mower has started an unusual sound as well, & this is obviously related. I was told that this sound is water sloshing around & will rust my blower motor, making that yet another repair. Have been told that ford will not pay for repair - but have found many instances online where ford did indeed pay 80% of this exact same repair. This is a defect & there are hundreds of complaints about the taurus water problem all over online, yet ford chooses to ignore.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. The dealer replaced the fan motor resistor four times. After the fourth repair, the dealer realized that water was leaking into the fan motor which caused the resistor to fail. The dealer also replaced the fan motor and the windshield for $500. He notified the manufacturer; however, they will not admit that the part was defected and they didn't offer to assist with the repair cost. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileages were 26,000.
2003 ford taurus, blower motor failing and leaking water onto the floorboard. From the looks of it I am not the only one with this problem. I think there should be a recall from ford to take care of this problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford taurus. While driving 65 MPH in rainy conditions, there was excessive condensation on the windows. The air conditioner was activated, but then suddenly failed without warning. The windshield was unable to defrost, which resulted in reduced visibility. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and cleared off the windows. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the blower motor possibly failed due to water leakage as rust was present. The vehicle was repaired. The failure was mileage 127,600 and current mileage was 127,800. Updated 08/21/09. *lj updated 08/26/09.
Heater A/C fan on my 2003 for taurus has stopped working seems ford knows there is a problem but has not issued a recall. This is a safety issue since this particular car will fog up front window unless defroster is run. Problem is leaking water into fan area, funny ford has a repair kit for this problem.
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