NHTSA Complaint #10390070 — 2003 FORD TAURUS

APRIL 5, 2008 STARTED OFF LIKE ANY OTHER SATURDAY,CLEANING MY HOUSE THEN GOING SHOPPING AT MY LOCAL GROCERY, BUT THIS DAY WAS DIFFERENT. WHEN I GOT IN MY 2003 FORD TAURUS TO GO SHOPPING, I TURNED THE KEY TO START MY CAR AND PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TRIED AGAIN BY PUTTING MY CAR IN REVERSE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE CAR WOULD NOT BUDGE. NO PROBLEMS WERE INDICATED BEFORE THAT DAY. I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP TO ASK THEM ABOUT A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM, BUT THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO BRING MY CAR TO THEIR SHOP. I SAID 'HOW CAN I BRING MY CAR TO YOUR SHOP WHEN I CAN'T DRIVE IT ANYWHERE SINCE IT WON'T GO IN REVERSE'? THE PERSON ON THE PHONE TOLD ME I COULD HAVE IT TOWED TO THEIR LOCATION AND WHEN I ASKED HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, THE GUY TOLD ME $3500. YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SHOCKED I WAS TO HEAR THIS COST! IN THE MEANTIME A NEIGHBOR CAME TO MY HOUSE AND SUGGESTED I CALL ONE OF MY TOWN'S TRANSMISSION SHOPS. I DID AND WAS TOLD THE COST TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION WOULD BE ABOUT $1500. I WAS ALSO ASKED HOW MANY MILES I HAD ON MY CAR AND I TOLD HIM 35,000. HE WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR A TRANSMISSION WAS OUT W/ONLY 35,000 MILES ON MY CAR. LATER THAT DAY MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP AND A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PLACED IN MY CAR. FOR ONE WEEK SOMEONE HAD TO TAKE ME TO WORK AND BACK HOME AND AT THE END OF THE WEEK I PAID $1500 AND GOT MY CAR BACK HOME. DURING THAT WEEK I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED OTHER 2003 FORD TAURUS OWNERS WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM I HAD W/MY CAR. SEEMS FORD SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR