2003 FORD TAURUS — Complaint #812565
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH filed September 7, 2010
NHTSA complaint #812565 (ODI reference 10354328) concerns a 2003 FORD TAURUS and was filed on September 7, 2010. The owner reports the failure occurred on September 3, 2010. The vehicle had 133,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to South Carolina based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as exterior lighting:brake lights:switch, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD TAURUS cohort independently describe similar exterior lighting:brake lights:switch failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2003 FORD TAURUS shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE INTO THE GARAGE HE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT HE WAS NOT ABLE TO ENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WASNT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS ON BACK ORDER. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WASN'T INCLUDED IN RECALL 04V106000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING: BRAKE LIGHTS: SWITCH; THEREFORE THEY WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 133,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 812565 |
| ODI Number | 10354328 |
| Date Filed | September 7, 2010 |
| Failure Date | September 3, 2010 |
| VIN | 1FAFP53U03A |
Similar EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH Complaints for 2003 FORD TAURUS
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to actuate as needed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift ou
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT FROM PARK INTO DRIVE UNLESS THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED REPEATEDLY. IN ADDITION, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. THE CONTACT STATED THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED DESPITE IF THE VEHICLE WAS ON OR OFF. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A RECALL AND WHEN CO
TRANSMISSION FAILED IN "PARK" AND UNAGBLE TO SHIFT TO ANY GEAR. CAR TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND CONNECTOR HARNESS WAS REPLACED, PART # 3F1Z-13480. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD TAURUS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK, THE GEAR SHIFTER BECAME STUCK. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT IT COULD BE AN INDICATION THAT A NEW BATTERY IS NEEDED.
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.