Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Ford Taurus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 to stop the vehicle using the foot brake it continues to maintain speed and if I put the shift lever in neutral, while trying to stop, the RPM's increase from approximately 1500 rpm's to 3200 rpm's until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and then, only after approximately five seconds do the RPM's begin to drop to 1000 rpm's. If I am driving the vehicle with cruise control and cancel the cruise control, the vehicle maintains the cruise control speed indefinitely, literally for miles thereafter. …
My car had caught on fire and the police officer and the firemen said it was a electric fire. My car was sitting in front of my apartment building at 8:30 p.m. And that between 3 and 4 a.m. A car that caught on fire and I was not even driving it was just sitting there park.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact noticed that she had a flat tire and pulled the vehicle into a service station. While the tire was being replaced, the mechanic noticed that the coil spring punctured the front driver's side tire. The spring and struts were replaced at the cost of $600 on April 12, 2008. In addition, the contact was involved in a rear end crash due to a stabilizer failure. There were no injuries. On June 25, 2009, the radiator hose corroded and caused coolant to leak. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that there was no recall; therefore, they would not assist. The contact was advised to call NHTSA. The failure mileage was 104,000 and current mileage was 105,424. Updated 9/1/09 updated 09/02/09.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the throttle control cable became stuck. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The driver placed excessive pressure on the brake pedal, pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, and shut off the engine. The contact assisted the driver with releasing the stuck cable. The vehicle was restarted. The contact called avis Ford inc at [phone] (29200 telegraph rd, southfield, michigan 48034) and was informed that an unknown recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle and would not be done again. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Driving on highway, vehicle suddenly lost power. Pulled off roadway. Smoke coming from under hood. Raised hood and called 911. Fire department responded to put out fire. Car fully engulfed in flames. Car total loss, front end melted, passenger area fully involved in fire. Extra Ford manufacturer 75,000 warranty specifically states it will cover engine defects, etc however Ford says it can't determine the cause of fire due to excessive thermal damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 36,000. The VIN was not available.
Oil change was performed on my 2003 Ford Taurus (mileage was 73,200) 8 am the morning of March 8, 2011 at a Ford dealership. When the dealership was finished w/my car, I drove to work, less than 5 miles away. I parked my car at my office and it sat in the parking lot until 5 pm that day when I drove my car home. The afternoon of March 8, 2011 we had a thunderstorm pass over w/1-2 inches of rain. When I got in my car to drive home I noticed a spot on the passenger side floor mat but didn't check it until I arrived home. When I opened the passenger side door and removed the floor mat, I could see the carpet was soaking wet. I immediately used several towels to soak up the water. The morning of March 9, 2011, I drove my car back to the dealership where I had the oil change. I asked the service manager to look at my car, showing him the damp passenger side carpet. …
Entered highway on-ramp. As I merged onto highway at approximately 55 MPH, I notice that the car was accelerating faster than usual for the amount of throttle I was using. I took my foot off the throttle completely and the car continued to slowly but steadily accelerate. Without placing my foot on the throttle, I continued down the highway to the next exit. As I approached the light at the end of the exit, I began braking. Feeling the engine fight the brakes, I moved the shift level into neutral and brought the car to a stop on the shoulder of the exit. As soon as I placed the shift lever into neutral, engine RPM shot up as if the accelerator was being depressed. Repeatedly pressing and un-pressing the accelerator pedal did not nothing, nor was the pedal stuck on the floor mat. I turned the car off and place the shift lever into park. …
I purchased the car 11/17/2018 from earls credit auto sales in portsmouth on airline blvd ; it rode well until 11/30/2018 when I drove to the barbershop in the greenbrier area of chesapeake va. I went to pull out the parking lot and my car started to shake real heavy and sloppy so I parked it and turnt it off , when I tried to start it up it would not start it kept stalling I called the dealerships auto shop they took the car and held it and claim they were working on it , I picked the car up when it was ready 12/04/2018. It rode fine until 12/14/2018 I went to the barbershop again and as I was leaving backing out my car started to shake heavily again than before I could put the car in drive to pull back in to the parking spot the car just cut off in the middle of the parking lot while a car was to the left of me trying to pull out . …
Dt: about four months ago the engine would completely shut down while driving with a loss of power. This happened without warning, no previous stalling. Once the engine died, a period of about ten minutes would pass, and then a restart would be possible. Sometimes it would take numerous times to restart. After the first occurrence, the consumer took the vehicle to a Ford dealer, where it was still under warranty, and they replaced the fuel pump. The fuel pump did not correct the problem because the engine would still die. The consumer did return to the dealer, and they performed a diagnostic test which showed a valve assembly control failure and it was replaced. Also, they performed fuel pump pressure test, recorder monitor road test, check of battery condition, and a replacement of the electrical fuel pump assembly. After all of these tests and corrections, this was still a problem. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
On certain vehicles, the air filter paper in these vehicles can smolder or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the air filter element. Owner notification began on March 10, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Engine complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2003 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 90 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2003 Ford Taurus, 7% of the model year's 1,223 complaints. The component named most often is engine (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Taurus engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-105 (engine and engine cooling, Mar 2, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Taurus engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling 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.