Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (air conditioning, heater, defroster, HVAC controls).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
10149646. How many more complaints need to be tallied in order for Ford to be addressed about the windshield leakage causing the blower motor failures? I see that there are over 20 complaints. Ford needs to be ask to extend its VIN list to include other cars. This is a safety issue. Water leakage into a car is a problem. Bad installation of a windshield is a safety problem. Water damaged blower motors that will not run other systems is a safety problem. People's floorboards that collect and 1" of so of water is a safety problem. This is not normal wear and tear.
I drive a 2002 Ford Taurus wagon, purchased new from the dealer, the warranty is now up. I was driving my car(canadian winter) and turned on my heater. I smelled something burning, and then smoke started coming out from under the dash. I turned the heater off and it went away. I took it to the dealer and they told me that it was a problem where water leaked into the heater motor and froze burning out the motor. Now this is going to cost about $400 to fix. It apparently was a problem with Taurus built from 2001 - 2003. There should have been a defect recorded on this and a recall done.
Vehicle was running fine. Next day, no heat. I had a mechanic backflush the line after which I was able to get some(very little) heat for about 1 month just to get me through the winter. Following year, I had to have the vehicle backflushed again. Same results, but now the ac is staying on with the vent on and I have no heat any where but at the floor boards and that is very little to none. A mechanic advised me that it is the heater core and will need to be replaced. Other complaints on the heater core sound to be a result of an incident I had: when I bought this vehicle, I had a problem within 30 days of ownership where water was leaking under the hood from outside. I was charged for replacing a faulty cowlick. The dealership told me that this problem would continue to happen weekly when the car got wet if the cowlick was not replaced. …
No visibility on cold/snow days due to heater/defroster failure. Having zero visibility is a very serious safety issue. Numerous Taurus owners have indicated the same problem. The heater resistor fails due to water getting into the blower motor compartment and shorting out the resistor. This is a faulty design by the manufacturer. My 2002 Taurus had the heater resistor replaced approximately 3 weeks ago, and has now quit again. Since the original replacement, we have experienced several strong rain storms. (although not a safety issue, the water also comes into the passenger side floor board causing mold and odor problems) through research via Taurus owner websites, several owners have also experienced heater blower motor failure, in addition to the resistor failure. This is not a normal maintenance type issue, and due to the zero visibility issue, should be considered a safety issue.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. On November 26, 2007, the heater blower motor failed. On November 27, 2007 the local mechanic stated that there was ice in the air box and it was corroded and covered with mold. A technical service bulletin stated that water was entering into the air box and contained mold. The contact noticed an odor in the passenger compartment when the heater blower was working normally. The local mechanic replaced the rain cap near the blower motor, weather stripping, and air filter due to the rust, mold, and ice. The failure occurred when the vehicle was under warranty; however, the dealer never replaced or repaired anything. The vehicle was garage kept and not driven on a daily basis. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved with the mold in the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 41,681.
We purchased a 2002 Ford Taurus ses new in 2002. The blower motor for heating and air conditioning recently quit working. I took it to the dealership for repair. I was advised that water had shorted out the blower motor causing it to burn up and they had to replace the blower motor, blower resistor and installed a "rainhat extension kit". I was advised that the kit was developed by Ford to address the problem of water entering the blower motor and shorting it out. I was billed $374.37 to repair what is obviously a manufacter's defect. I feel that Ford should have repaired this defect under an extended warrenty as it is obviously a design defect. The car has been garaged when not it use since it was new. It presently has about 49,500 miles on it.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that water leaks into the vehicle through the windshield, which shortens the circuit in the floorboard. Secondly, she discovered that the heating system was inoperative. She has not had the vehicle inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer in reference to NHTSA campaign id number 03V087000 (visibility:windshield). Finally, the contact stated that the front coil spring fractured and caused the ball joints and the front passenger tire to fail. The springs were replaced, but the manufacturer did not provide her with any financial assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 101,000.
When I purchased the car, the low setting on the blower motor didn't work. I had the resistor replaced, and the motor worked for a while. Then I noticed water on the passenger side floorboard. Water was entering the passenger side, behind the dashboard, through a leak near the air intake of the blower motor. The water has rusted the blower motor, causing it to blow the motor resistors and short out the motor. It has also caused water damage on the passenger side floor. I had to take the vehicle to the dealer to have the leak sealed and the blower motor replaced. I am currently waiting for the work to be done, so I don't have an idea of what it will cost yet. I will request that they return the old blower motor to me.
The blower motor on my 2002 Ford Taurus works intermittently. The Ford dealer claims there is nothing wrong since the blower worked when the car was in the shop. When it happend again the dealer told me that there was a bad "motor. Resistor" and replaced it. Now after the car was sitting for 3 days in the drive way the blower motor quit again. The dealer tells me there is nothing they can do unless it happens when the car is in the shop and they can duplicate the problem. Without the blower neither the A/C nor the heater will work and depending on the weather the windows will fog up creating and unsafe driving condition.
Water is leaking into the heater housing and on to the passenger floor board through the seam in the housing. We have been quoted a repair price from the Ford service center of 500.00 plus to correct the problem. We know there is a TSB#031506 -NHTSA id#10011149 issued 8/9/04. On this problem related to recall #03V087000. Also reference complaint # 10184014. Why is this not a recall to repair this issue??? If you look at all the complaints here and on line there are hundreds of fords with this issue and if is costly to fix.
AC & Heater complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are ac & heater problems on the 2002 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the a/c & heater of the 2002 Ford Taurus, 3% of the model year's 1,426 complaints. The component named most often is defroster/defogger/hvac system › fan/motor (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Taurus ac & heater problems?
No. NHTSA lists no a/c & heater recall for the 2002 Ford Taurus, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Taurus ac & heater problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to a/c & heater problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.