Intermittent fuel pump problem - 2000 Taurus

I have a 2000 Taurus, 104K miles, 3.0 DOHC engine, auto trans.

This situation has happened to me 4 times within the past 7 weeks, and seems to occur at random.

The problem (so far) typically occurs after a short drive (approx 5 miles), and after the car has sat for at least a few hours (as when driving home from work or shopping). I'll stop to pick up my mail at the apartment complex, shutting off the car for about 1-2 minutes. Then as I'm driving away, the engine dies and will crank but not start as if out of fuel. After letting the car sit for about 30 minutes or more, it will start and run normally. I have determined that after the engine dies, the fuel pump is not running, as I cannot hear it run-up when the ignition is turned on. When I do hear the fuel pump run-up, the engine starts fine. I have subsequently replaced the fuel filter and fuel pump relay (in fuse box under hood) and it would seem the only thing left is the fuel pump itself. I took it to a dealer and they were no help, since their diagnostic machine didn't see a fault code. I am hesitant to replace the fuel pump ($600 job!) Unless I know for sure that this is the culprit and will solve the problem. Also, this does NOT happen only on very hot days, and the car has always had at least 1/2 tank of fuel when it occurred (these always seem to be suggested causes).

Is there anything else that could cause an intermittent fuel pump failure? It seems to me that if the fuel pump were bad, it would be more obvious and just stop running for good.