2003 Ford Ford: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 55 complaints
55
Total Complaints
39,775mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Top Issue
6
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

26,350 25th Percentile
39,775 Median Mileage
65,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
TIRES
2
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
1

Severity Assessment

6
Crashes
7
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN THE CAR IS PUT INTO REVERSE IT DOES NOT WANT TO MOVE. IF YOU INCREASE THE RPM'S, IT STILL JUST SETS THERE. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN VERY INCONSISTENT. REVERSE SEEMS TO BE AT THIS POINT, THE ONLY PLACE IT OCCURS. IN ONE OF THE ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT 3 OF THE 4 CALIPER..."
"WHEN THE CAR IS PUT INTO REVERSE IT DOES NOT WANT TO MOVE. IF YOU INCREASE THE RPM'S, IT STILL JUST SETS THERE. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN VERY INCONSISTENT. REVERSE SEEMS TO BE AT THIS POINT, THE ONLY PLACE IT OCCURS. IN ONE OF THE ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT 3 OF THE 4 CALIPER..."
"REAR SEAT BELT FOR THE MIDDLE SEAT IN A 2003 FORD ZX2. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD INSTALL THE SEAT BELT BUT IT WOULD VOID MY WARRANTY AND WOULD BE VERY COSTLY. FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD ME THE SAME THING. *JB"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28