Phone:

(800) 392-3673

Web:

Ford Customer Service

Mail:

Ford Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126

2003 Ford Taurus NHTSA Defect Investigations

• Defect Investigation #RQ03008 - Ford conducted a recall in March, 2001 to correct a defect affecting the brake light switch in MY 2000 through early-2001 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with power adjustable pedals (recall 01V-078).RQ03-008 was opened to investigate complaints concerning the remedy and scope of 01V-078.ODI's analysis identified concerns with post-repair failures in recalled vehicles,failures in MY 2001-02 vehicles with adjustable pedals that were not included in recall 01V-078, and failures in MY 2000 vehicles with fixed pedals.(note: The manufacturer failure data in this resume includes all crashes and injuries, but the complaint information is limited to MY 2001-02 vehicles that were not included in the scope of recall 01V-078.)on March 1, 2004, Ford notified NHTSA of a safety defect in MY 2000 through early-2003 Taurus and Sable vehicles equipped with adjustable pedals and MY 2000 subject vehicles equipped with fixed pedals (recall 04V-106).the notification identified three factors contributing to brake light circuit failures:(1) continuing grease contamination issues that prompted 01V-078; (2) misalignment of the booster rod pin and the brake light switch; and (3) wire assembly fatigue.the first two conditions were limited to vehicles with adjustable pedals and the latter condition affected vehicles with fixed pedals.Ford will instruct owners to bring their vehicles to a dealer to have the brake light switch and associated wiring replaced with a re-designed brake light switch and wiring assembly.
• Defect Investigation #DP06005 - 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 resolved by an engine software update.to ensure that all subject vehicles receive this update, Ford initiated a notification campaign to offer free engine computer recalibration.based on this information, this defect petition is denied. This denial should not be construed as a finding that no safety defect exists.ODI reserves the right to reconsider this issue if future data warrant.additional details can be found in the federal register notice posted in the DP06-005 public file.