2003 Ford Taurus problems & reliability
1,223 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford Taurus, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
45 complaints report injuries (59 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Ford Taurus vehicles were involved in 79 fatal crashes with 64 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 316 | 26% |
| Suspension | 313 | 26% |
| Visibility | 191 | 16% |
| Structure | 111 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 97 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 88 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 67 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 46 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 46 | 4% |
| Equipment | 30 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 78,284 miles (middle 50% between 55,000 and 108,000 miles), based on 1,049 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Vehicle was involved in a collision with major front end damage and no airbags deployed. The brakes have been soft or spongy. I have not seen any leaks for the brake issue. I have bled the brakes several times the master was replaced by the original owner.”
Air Bags · filed Mar 10, 2025
“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…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jul 21, 2022
“The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that when taking the vehicle out of the park(P) after starting the vehicle, which required the brake pedal to be depressed, the contact could not depress the shifter button out of the park. The contact stated that the shift button would not depress. The contact…”
Power Train · filed Apr 28, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Speed control cable damage
Preliminary Evaluation PE12033 · opened Oct 24, 2012 · closed Jun 26, 2013
- Front Suspension Coil Spring Fracture
Engineering Analysis EA08018 · opened Aug 28, 2008 · closed Jun 30, 2011
- ENGINE STALLING FFV
Defect Petition DP06005 · opened Dec 4, 2006 · closed Dec 28, 2007
- BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
Recall Query RQ03008 · opened Oct 23, 2003 · closed Mar 5, 2004 · led to recall 04V106000
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford Taurus. The 10 most recent:
This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled…
TSB 20-2233 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 13, 2020
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. Panel…
TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Ford: see document search button for owner letter. Speed control cable is susceptible to damage and can disconnect during hood maintenance and also interfere with full throttle return to idle after releasing accelerator…
CSP-13B04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 21, 2013
Camshaft tick noise - 3.0l 4v engine only. *tt
04208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Buck/jerk and miss during drive cycle above 3000 rpm - no dtc - 3.0l 2v gas and ffv engine. *tt
052212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Power window concerns - service tip. *tt
05227 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Power lock concerns - service tip. *tt
05224 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Malfunction indicator lamp coming on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0171, p0172, p0174 and/or p0175 (fuel system too rich or lean). *tt
18719 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2005
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2003 Ford Taurus has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Ford Taurus?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 78,284 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.