2003 Ford Taurus Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 88about this part
- Share
- 7%of 1,223 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 103,716miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 88 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2003 Ford Taurus, 7% of the 1,223 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 103,716 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving and the car revved the engine which made it feel like the car was going to take off.the car did jerk forward. And another time, I was at a stop light and the car revved like it was trying to go, even though the brake was being held down. The gray cap that holds the throttle cable in has broken on one side and the cable is slipping out. Is this a recall part?”
NHTSA complaint #10920045, filed 2016-10, 116,000 miles“While driving down the road, if I release the gas pedal, the vehicle will continue to increase in speed. When I am completely stopped at stop sign or stop light, I have to pressed on the brakes really hard to keep the vehicle from surging forward”
NHTSA complaint #11302448, filed 2020-01, 150,000 miles“The car does not slow down (intermittent) sometimes. Traveling at bout 55 or 60 I will take my foot off the pedal and the car will not slow down. When I finally come to a stop (which is hard on the brakes) my RPM's are 1000. If I put the transmission into neutral my RPM's will climb to 4000. Dealer has not been able to fix the problem and has no idea what to do.”
NHTSA complaint #10582868, filed 2014-04, 118,000 miles“My car will accelerate on its own when driving.and in the morning it will be in park but the RPM nozzle will go up like somebody's pushing on the gas pedal.when im pulling off I have to hold the brakes down hard because the car will try to take off before me.it has serious acceleration issues.”
NHTSA complaint #10637885, filed 2014-09, 171,000 miles“When accelerating to go up a slight incline, the vehicle surged and lost all gears. I let my vehicle coast to a stop and put it in park. The vehicle will go into and out of park, but when placed in any gear is motionless....will not move in reverse, or drive. This vehicle only has 52000 original miles on it!”
NHTSA complaint #10545626, filed 2013-09, 52,300 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10052600Jun 21, 2013Ford: see document search button for owner letter. Speed control cable is susceptible to damage and can disconnect during hood maintenance and also interfere with full throttle…
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 2% |
| 2015 | 10 | 4% |
| 2014 | 8 | 3% |
| 2013 | 18 | 3% |
| 2012 | 4 | 5% |
| 2011 | 14 | 7% |
| 2010 | 24 | 12% |
| 2009 | 10 | 16% |
| 2008 | 32 | 18% |
| 2007 | 55 | 37% |
| 2006 | 176 | 55% |
| 2005 | 529 | 68% |
| 2004 | 164 | 44% |
| 2003 | 88 | 7% |
| 2002 | 76 | 5% |
| 2001 | 99 | 10% |
| 2000 | 87 | 7% |
| 1999 | 109 | 12% |
| 1998 | 111 | 20% |
| 1997 | 58 | 8% |
| 1996 | 42 | 5% |
| 1995 | 85 | 7% |
| 1994 | 61 | 7% |
| 1993 | 57 | 4% |
| 1992 | 49 | 7% |
| 1991 | 26 | 4% |
| 1990 | 30 | 8% |
| 1989 | 23 | 4% |
| 1988 | 16 | 5% |
| 1987 | 15 | 6% |
| 1986 | 5 | 5% |
Other parts of the 2003 Ford Taurus
316 complaintsSuspension
313 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
196 complaintsBody and structure
111 complaintsElectrical system
97 complaintsEngine cooling
67 complaintsAir bags
46 complaintsExterior lighting
46 complaintsBrakes
44 complaintsEquipment
31 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsEngine
23 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Ford Taurus
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology