2003 FORD TAURUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,205 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (290 complaints · 24.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 54
  • Fires 12
  • Injuries 56
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 2002 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 290 of 1,205 owner complaints (24.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 290 complaints, 24.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 290 · 24.1% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 289 complaints, 24.0% of reports SUSPENSION 289 · 24.0% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports VISIBILITY: 158 complaints, 13.1% of reports VISIBILITY 158 · 13.1% STRUCTURE: 77 complaints, 6.4% of reports STRUCTURE 77 · 6.4% · 2 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 70 complaints, 5.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 70 · 5.8% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 64 complaints, 5.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 64 · 5.3% · 1 crash reports 4 fire reports ENGINE: 62 complaints, 5.2% of reports ENGINE 62 · 5.2% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 41 complaints, 3.4% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 41 · 3.4% · 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 38 complaints, 3.2% of reports AIR BAGS 38 · 3.2% · 31 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 666 complaints, 55.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 666 · 55.3% · 27 crash reports 6 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 290 24.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 289 24.0% 2 crashes · 2 fires
VISIBILITY 158 13.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 77 6.4% 0 crashes · 2 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 70 5.8% 5 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 64 5.3% 1 crashes · 4 fires
ENGINE 62 5.2% 1 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 41 3.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 38 3.2% 31 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 666 55.3% 27 crashes · 6 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2003; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2003. 2003-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2004-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2005-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2005-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2006-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2006-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2006-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2006-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2007-Q1: 23 owner reports 23 2007-Q2: 32 owner reports 32 2007-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2007-Q4: 24 owner reports 24 2008-Q1: 33 owner reports 33 2008-Q2: 34 owner reports 34 2008-Q3: 39 owner reports 39 2008-Q4: 35 owner reports 35 2009-Q1: 49 owner reports 49 2009-Q2: 34 owner reports 34 2009-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2009-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 2010-Q1: 38 owner reports 38 2010-Q2: 46 owner reports 46 2010-Q3: 42 owner reports 42 2010-Q4: 42 owner reports 42 2011-Q1: 52 owner reports 52 2011-Q2: 32 owner reports 32 2011-Q3: 27 owner reports 27 2011-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2012-Q1: 65 owner reports 65 2012-Q2: 19 owner reports 19 2012-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2012-Q4: 26 owner reports 26 2013-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2013-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 2013-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2013-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2014-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2014-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2014-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2016-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2003 Jan 2025 Recall campaign 03V087000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V087000 Recall campaign 04V105000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V105000 Recall campaign 04V106000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V106000 Recall campaign 16E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 16E026000 Investigation RQ03008 ● Investigation RQ03008 Investigation DP06005 ● Investigation DP06005 Investigation EA08018 ● Investigation EA08018 Investigation PE12033 ● Investigation PE12033
  • Campaign 16E026000 was reported 4,762 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2003-Q1 Owner reports 1
2003-Q2 Owner reports 6
2003-Q3 Owner reports 14
2003-Q4 Owner reports 6
2004-Q1 Owner reports 12
2004-Q2 Owner reports 12
2004-Q3 Owner reports 14
2004-Q4 Owner reports 9
2005-Q1 Owner reports 8
2005-Q2 Owner reports 13
2005-Q3 Owner reports 13
2005-Q4 Owner reports 18
2006-Q1 Owner reports 19
2006-Q2 Owner reports 10
2006-Q3 Owner reports 14
2006-Q4 Owner reports 17
2007-Q1 Owner reports 23
2007-Q2 Owner reports 32
2007-Q3 Owner reports 20
2007-Q4 Owner reports 24
2008-Q1 Owner reports 33
2008-Q2 Owner reports 34
2008-Q3 Owner reports 39
2008-Q4 Owner reports 35
2009-Q1 Owner reports 49
2009-Q2 Owner reports 34
2009-Q3 Owner reports 20
2009-Q4 Owner reports 23
2010-Q1 Owner reports 38
2010-Q2 Owner reports 46
2010-Q3 Owner reports 42
2010-Q4 Owner reports 42
2011-Q1 Owner reports 52
2011-Q2 Owner reports 32
2011-Q3 Owner reports 27
2011-Q4 Owner reports 17
2012-Q1 Owner reports 65
2012-Q2 Owner reports 19
2012-Q3 Owner reports 20
2012-Q4 Owner reports 26
2013-Q1 Owner reports 16
2013-Q2 Owner reports 20
2013-Q3 Owner reports 22
2013-Q4 Owner reports 11
2014-Q1 Owner reports 9
2014-Q2 Owner reports 14
2014-Q3 Owner reports 11
2014-Q4 Owner reports 10
2015-Q1 Owner reports 13
2015-Q2 Owner reports 6
2015-Q3 Owner reports 13
2015-Q4 Owner reports 11
2016-Q1 Owner reports 8
2016-Q2 Owner reports 5
2016-Q3 Owner reports 13
2016-Q4 Owner reports 6
2017-Q1 Owner reports 4
2017-Q2 Owner reports 4
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 4
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q1 Owner reports 5
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 3
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 03V087000
Recall campaign 1 04V105000
Recall campaign 1 04V106000
Recall campaign 1 16E026000
Defect investigation 1 RQ03008
Defect investigation 1 DP06005
Defect investigation 1 EA08018
Defect investigation 1 PE12033
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V087000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    POTENTIAL LOSS OF WINDSHIELD RETENTION MAY ALSO REDUCE OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE WINDSHIELDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD/MERCURY AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V105000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CAN LEAD TO DAMAGE TO THE AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM ON THESE VEHICLES AND/OR AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR FILTER ELEMENT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 10, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V106000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    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. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    A damaged or broken brake disc may reduce a vehicle's braking power, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1205 complaints · page 1 of 49

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources