NHTSA Complaint #10490982 — 2005 FORD TAURUS

ON 01/03/13 TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS IN THE SINGLE & LOWER TEENS. I ENTERED MY 2005 FORD TAURUS CLOSED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR IT WAS FROZEN. I THEN LET CAR RUN FOR 40 MINUTES BLOWING HEAT DIRECTLY ON INTERIOR DRIVER DOOR, I THEN TRIED PASSENGER DOOR SEEM TO BE OK. WHEN DRIVER SIDE DOOR BECAME UNFROZEN I DROVE OFF, THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR FLEW OPEN, I PULLED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD, I TRIED TO CLOSE DOOR, STILL FROZEN. AFTER 1 HOUR OF WARM UP BOTH DOORS FINALLY CLOSED. IF I HAD A PASSENGER ON THIS OCCURRING DATE THEY COULD HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM FRONT PASSENGER SIDE, DUE TO FROZEN DOOR LATCHES. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS EVERY TIME DURING COLD WEATHER. ON 01/04/12 LET CAR RUN TO WARM FRONT INTERIOR DOORS TO THAW OUT LATCHES, EXIT CAR THE DOOR LATCHES LOCKED, CAR WAS RUNNING, KEYS INSIDE, COULD NOT ENTER CAR, GOT EXTRA CAR KEY TO ENTER CAR TO SHUT ENGINE OFF, THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM DUE TO DOOR LATCHES FREEZING AND NOT CLOSING AND FLYING OPEN AND DOORS LOCKING WHILE RUNNING ENGINE TO THAW OUT DOOR LATCHES. *TR