NHTSA Complaint #10196687 — 2003 FORD TAURUS

OVER A YEAR AGO, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS HARD TO GET THE GEAR SHIFT TO MOVE FROM THE PARK POSITION TO DRIVE OR REVERSE IN THE 2003 FORD TAURUS. NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED I COULD NOT GET THE CAR INTO GEAR. FINALLY, SOMETHING TOLD ME TO PUSH DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL,HARD, AND THEN IT WOULD RELEASE. I WOULD DO THIS FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN FOR MONTHS. EACH TIME THAT THIS OCCURRED IT WOULD TAKE LONGER AND LONGER TO GET THE CAR INTO GEAR, THEN AGAIN, IT WOULD DISAPPEAR FOR MONTHS, THEN START ALL OVER AGAIN. I FINALLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP, AND IT WOULD NOT FAIL FOR THEM, BUT INTRIGUED, THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT BACK WHENEVER IT OCCURRED AGAIN. MONTHS LATER, YOU GUESSED IT, THE PROBLEM RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE AND LASTED MORE THAN JUST A FEW DAYS. THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD RELEASE IS WHEN I REALLY STOMPED DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. BACK TO THE SHOP IT WENT BECAUSE MY BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT ALWAYS WORK , BUT THE TURN SIGNAL WOULD. THAT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS TIME THE MECHANICS CALLED FORD WHO TOLD THEM THAT THEY DID HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN CARS AND ASKED FOR THE VIN #. FOR SOME REASON, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN, MY VIN # NUMBER DID NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT AN EXPENSIVE JOB, I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD REIMBURSE ME. AFTER ALL, I DID HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN THE MECHANICS RECEIVED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH TO INSTALL, THE PART HAD BEEN COMPLETELY REDESIGNED. THAT TELLS ME THAT FORD KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND ADDRESSED IT, BUT ONLY FOR CERTAIN VEHICLES WITH SPECIFIC VIN NUMBERS. *AK