Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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. …
I was departing from parking lot and the car suddenly had some noise in the hood then lost all the power. After starting engine again, I can shift the gear into d or r, engine works OK but the car won't move at all. Before it happened, the transmission works fine, no delayed engagement, no slips, no jolts, smooth gear-changing...the transmission just stopped with no warning signs at all. The car is regularly and well maintained. No check engine light on when it happened. Later it turned out to be the stripped torque converter splines. It is a very common problem among Ford early 2000's vehicles, the splines are only 0.16" thick by Ford's defect designs, which can be easily stripped.
Throttle stuck while driving up a hill going into a turn nearly causing an accident. I released the throttle and the engine continued to rev, forcing the use of brakes to gain control. Placed transmission in neutral and engine revved before turning ignition switch to off position. Inspection revealed that the cruise control cable retaining clip broke and prevented the throttle from returning to neutral position.
Fuel filter retaining clips (white plastic/nylon) are not available. Maintenance schedule requires replacement of fuel filter and instructions require replacement of r-clips/hairpin clips. Ford does not sell proper retaining clip. This can/will result in a dangerous massive fuel leak when the parts separate.
The "check engine" light came on in my 2003 Ford Taurus. I took the vehicle for service at the Ford dealership that sold me the car. I was told the "check engine" light was the result of a cracked fuel filler neck. My repair invoice states that "filler necks are usually cracked when fuel fill nozzles are inserted improperly or negigently." I live in new jersey where it is illegal to pump your own gasoline. This car has been filled at the same gas station at every fill-up. There is nothing to suggest that the gas station attendant did anything differently at the last fueling of the vehicle, but I have been told by multiple Ford service advisors that this damage had to occur at my last fill-up. There was no sign that the nozzle was forced into the filler neck, nor was there anything that suggested any unusual force or torque was being applied to the nozzle. …
2003 Ford Taurus has problems with transmission, engine backfiring, hood latch is broken, and seat bracket fell off. The tires were continuously going flat. Six flats occurred while the consumer was on a trip, the transmission was slipping and would jerk in traffic, the engine would back fire intermittently and stalled on one occasion, the seat bracket was replaced by the dealer but failed again (the seat bracket was incorrectly installed from the start), the engine also displayed knocking and had taken about 9 visits before the problem was corrected, it was discovered that a valve was sticking out. The A/C did not cool, the consumer smelled coolant which leaked inside the vehicle. …
Driving down long road, got up to 40 MPH, car stayed on that speed as if it was in cruise control mode. I had the cruise control off. I even slowed down to 30, car stayed on thirty. Had foot off the gas pedal. It surges forward. I read horror stories of other year Taurus' doing same thing, causing crashes. My 16 yr old daughter drives this car. Every other car around this years date was recalled, but not the 2003. I changed my hoses, so it's not that. The car is literally staying in cruise control mode even when it's off. When I turn my steering wheel slightly to the right, I can hear a ticking sound once or twice, not sure what that is, it's scary though. Before something bad happens I want a recall for this year of Taurus regarding the cruise control being engaged.
I have a 2003 Ford Taurus it is a flex fuel vehicle. We have recently gotten e85 gas in our area and I use it periodically. I have been having "starting issues" with it; over the past year it has had the iacv replaced twice, the fuel pump, the starter and the fuel filter all replaced once. The fuel filter was replaced with in the last 3 months. The car either will act like it does not want to start (sputter starting), or it will die right after putting it into drive. It happens more frequently when using the e85 gasoline, but also does it with regular gas. Ford basically has told me they have never heard of any starting or stalling problems related to ethanol fuel and have given up on fixing my problem.
The 2003 Ford Taurus while stopped at a light or applying brakes will surge and lunge forward. Very dangerous, because it surges with people walking in front of it and cars in front of the car. The car then feels like it is hit from the rear end and smells like it is about to catch on fire. Very scary situation, my children are very scared and we already have an evacuation plan if the car catches on fire. It is defintely not safe. A similar problem has been addressed with the 2006 Ford freestyle. It also goes dead while backing up. Even when brakes are applied to the floor, it surges and moves forward. The enginge jerking is a very hard jolt. We hope this will be addressed.
I have a 2003 Ford Taurus since new. At about 70,000 miles it started having acceleration without touching the gas. No codes showed up. Every mechanic has a different opinion. Basically trial and error, none of which works. I have had the cruise checked, changed the throttle position sensor and the idle air valve. It still does this at 111,000. I am concerned for my wife's safety since it is her car. I read that Ford has not recognized this as a problem, but there are hundreds of similar online complaints.
NHTSA investigations
Engine stalling ffv
On October 11, 2006, public citizen petitioned odi to investigate reports of engine stalls caused by e85 fuel in certain model year (my) 2003 - 2005 Ford taurus flex-fuel vehicles (ffv). Odi's review of the petition and other available data found a low stall rate attributable to e-85 fueling and that the main concerns,prolonged engine start and rough idle during cold engine startup at winter temperatures, were…
Fuel System complaints in other Taurus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2003 Ford Taurus?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2003 Ford Taurus, 2% of the model year's 1,223 complaints. The component named most often is fuel injection system (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Taurus fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2003 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 2003 Ford Taurus fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system 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.