2002 Ford Taurus SE from North America - Comments

The passenger seat belt retractor locked up and failed at 44000 miles. It was replaced under warranty.

The rear struts and springs have sagged excessively since 50000 miles. Ride height is way below specs. Replaced struts and springs. Springs were dealer only.

The blower motor thermal limiter has failed three times in 40000 miles. Dealer only part. $18 each time.

EGR differential pressure sensor failed at 58000 miles. Not covered under warranty. Replaced it myself with $20 dealer part.

Fuel system Injection pressure Sensor failed at 68000 miles. Difficult to get from dealer.

Cam position sensor and cam position synchronizer failed at 69500 miles. This appears to be an all too common failure item. Sensor was $35 and synchronizer was $160, but you need a special tool to install the synchronizer. Dealer charge for this repair was $275.

Rides good on the highway and in town.

Fuel economy is good on highway when car is running good with no broken parts, about 30 mpg.

All the failure items above seem to be common. I'm not sure that 'Quality is Job 1' at Ford.

This is an inexpensive sedan, and the repairs mentioned are relatively inexpensive, also. (Annoying, certainly.) The author of this review states "expensive". Neither the car, nor the repairs as a percentage of the cost of the car, are expensive. Look at the mileage the reviewer has gotten already. Still a relative bargain for its class.

I fully agree with the previous comment about the original posting. The repairs mentioned were cheap repairs considering the mileage. The Taurus is a no frills reliable vehicle and it is unfortunate that it will be discontinued within a couple of years. I have a 2002 with 35,000 miles and follow Fords maintenance schedule. All service is done at the dealership. I haven't had any problems with mine other than a recall on the brake light switch which took about 1/2 hr. at the dealers to fix. So far it has been a great car.

Just replaced the blower motor on my 2002 Ford Taurus LX. This car has 67,000 km and was kept in a garage for 2 years. The repair technician told me that the motor showed extensive evidence of rust and he suggested that I call the dealership to find out if there have been problems with this model.

The service manager at the dealership explained that the cowl that protects the blower motor had probably lifted and that the seal was broken, allowing water to enter that area. I said, "This sounds like an engineering defect, not anything that has been caused by my use," She agreed and suggested that I call the Ford 1-800 number.

I called the "Customer Relationship Department" and all of the details were recorded. I was informed that they did not have a program to fix the cowl, however should I wish to do that on my own, I should keep the bills in case they would cover this problem at a later date. Needless to say, I did not find this very satisfying.

Currently, I am looking at fixing this engineering defect, or expecting to replace the blower motor again and again---along with fixing any other problems that may be created by water leaking into this system.

I like the car fine, but I feel like the company has very little respect for integrity of their product, or for me as a consumer.

The ultimate irony was the announcement that my call could be monitored because they care about the quality of the response that I received. Last North American car I will buy.

The blower motor on my 2002 just went out. Did you replace yourself? If so, can you give a few pointers? The Haynes manuals only go up to 2001 on this model and the 2002 looks to be different.

According to the 2001 manual, the blower motor removal looked like 3 screws and you're done. On the 2002, it looks like the motor is buried pretty deep and I'd like to avoid removing a lot of unnecessary stuff.

BTW - Mine has 82,000 miles. It looks new and runs like a top. Handles well, drives nice, comfortable interior. I'm 6'4" and don't feel claustrophobic, which is unusual for a small car. Great car for a 30 mile one way commute. This is the first problem I've had with it.

The owners with rusty blowers should check with their dealers about a part called a "rain hat". In early production it was too small and allowed heavy rain to leak into the car in the passenger wheel well. I had this problem only once in 2-1/2 years of ownership. But when the dealer fixed it under the warranty, he also changed the blower motor because he said it would fail soon from the water. Tauruses with early blower failure may have the same problem, but no water leaking into the car.

I just had the same problem. I had no idea it was a common problem with the 2002 Taurus. My dealer replace the "rain hat" and weather strip, and silicone gap on piler. The repair ran about $180. Other than this issue, I love my Taurus, which has 84,000 miles.

I too have been having this problem. Once I did a little work to the outside components, I began to have many problems. At only 70,000 miles the cam sensor synchronizer now needs to be replaced among other things. I followed the recommended scheduled repairs, but apparently I forgot that it's a FORD. I wish I had never made this purchase. With far more mileage, my Chevy never gave me any problems like this.

"Cmon!! Never had problems like these? You guys NEVER had cars in the "50/60/70s have you?

I felt compelled to report my 2002 Taurus SES problems. The Cam Synchonizer and Sensor were replaced today for about $550, that's about $300 for parts. I was told that was a common problem by service manager. The weather here is not particularly cold or rainy in Northern California, and half the time its parked in a garage. My first water leak was Cabin air filter and went out along with one blower motor and one blower resistor and a rain hat kit was installed to prevent future problems - think its working. This winter I had leaking in the trunk from the rear window gasket. Last year the air condition and heater blend door acted up making it warm all the time. Fortunately, it was a faulty actuator unit causing unreliable cold/heat adjustment, about $100 to repair. In 2005, just after warranty expired, the heater stopped working. It was diagnosed as bad water pump that apparently had the plastic vanes melt away. My transmission has a rather harsh shift between 1st and 2nd gear at 15 mph and hangs at 25 mph forever if you let it. In all fairness, car is good highway car, much better at 60-70 mph than around town. No other significant problems except for normal wear and tear includes an alternator. May be I got a lemon, but its always something. My Pontiac GP never had any problems compared to the Taurus. I'm not sure what my next car will be, not a Ford.

You want to talk over priced, step into a Toyota or Honda Showroom and take a look at what little you really get. Products as interesting as a washing machine and more plastic than what would be seen at a Tupperware party. We own a 01 Taurus and only 60K on it, but none of the problems listed on this site. I am a Mercedes Benz tech and if you want to REALLY talk Excessive repairs and over priced the MB is where you go not Ford Taurus with its $14,000.00 new car price. Americans and their hondas, no thanks. Honda, Had One Never Did Again!

I purchased a used ford taurus 2002,with 60,000 km from a ford dealer for several thousand dollars less than a used honda accord (with the same km, s) would have cost me. granted the japanese cars are better, i currently also own and have owned many toyotas, but you pay dearly for them, i concur that the ford taurus is a great inexpensive car (basic transportation) that is quite realiable, and quite cheap to maintain and repair. you do the math... the taurus comes out way ahead... for all those accord lovers... the taurus gives you a far smoother ride,that doesn't feel like your riding in tin can...

I have a 2003 taurus. I just came back from the dealer. He wants 250 to replace the blower motor. I am pretty sure this is a little early to replace a part like that. I am going to look and see how hard a job it is.. The car has 56.000 miles.

We have a 2002 Ford Taurus SE and just repaired the fan blower motor along with the passenger side rain hat components. We only have 43,000 miles on it. When we asked the dealer if we could get any help from Ford as far as recalled parts, etc., he replied "Good Luck"; He commented that usually someone has to be seriously injured before any help usually comes from the manufacturer. We also were never notified about any of the recalls listed on the Ford recall web site. Real responsible manufacturer, they really care about their quality and reliability. We will never buy another Ford again.

Blower motor on Ford 2002 Taurus stopped working two days ago.

Mileage is approx. at 70k. The fuse and relay which are located in the passenger compartment fuse box are okay.

I was guessing that water got into the blower compartment sucked in as snow. Was about to try and pull the motor to look at it, so I did an online 'GOOGLE' search to see if there were any directions or diagrams to do it myself.

I clicked on this site and found it very informative and interesting... I am deciding now whether to call the dealer and inquire about the "rain hat" others have mentioned.

The comments on this site have increased my confidence in my assumption of a corroded blower motor due to moisture.

Thanks.

Oh yea, this is the 10th Taurus I have owned since the mid 80's. My wife and I both have driven a Taurus for close to 90k miles each. Have had very few troubles, It is / was a great vehicle for value and safety.

Blower motor working again. Removed plastic cover under the glove box area on instrument panel which is held up with two plastic push-pins. Removed three screws with 10mm hex socket and 6" socket extension. One electrical connector. Motor housing and motor are pressed together. Removed the squirrel cage fan via a push nut; the motor did not look excessively corroded. I sprayed light oil lubricant onto and into the end bearings. The back bearing is somewhat blind. Reinstalled the squirrel fan and push nut, turned it a couple of times by hand. Plugged it back in, and viola...it's working again, quiet and smooth.

Noticed that the motor was not made by Ford, but by Siemens.

Wonder when Ford stopped making their own from Rawsonville plant, now Visteon and outsourced to Siemens (maybe that's when the problems started occurring)? Murray's auto discount wanted $100.00 and special order (10 days) for a motor. I noticed JC Whitney sells replacement motors for $54.00 and in-stock... Motors from Whitney are Siemens, but only cover '86 to '93. Wonder if it would fit the 2002? Looks the same by picture? Also, wonder when Siemens started from a replacement service part to main supplier for Ford?